App servers pose security risks

App servers pose an increasing security risk to users, an expert has warned, as more people are now utilising mobile devices to access apps, writes ZDNet.

According to Jonathan Andresen, technology expert at Blue Coat Systems Asia-Pacific, there are two factors behind the security challenges presented by app servers. Firstly, the two-way communication between the user and the app server has intensified. This can result in users unwittingly 'uploading' malicious content to an app server that is not protected.

Secondly, compared with Web servers, app servers need more CPU power, Andresen says, noting that this makes app servers more vulnerable to distributed denial-of-service attacks. These two factors, combined with a rise in threats targeting mobile devices, put app servers in an "especially challenging" position, he says.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Microsoft have started rolling out server appliances configured for specific jobs while also lifting the veil on future appliances due later this year, reports The Register.

Almost precisely a year ago, HP and Microsoft dedicated $250 million to create a partnership nicknamed Frontline to come up with stacks that married HP's x64-based servers and various storage and networking devices with Microsoft's Windows operating system and various add-on server programs for running particular workloads.

The idea is to provide finished products geared for precise workloads and specific numbers of end users rather than having customers size and integrate hardware and software themselves as they have done in the past.

In a move to grow their data centre consolidation plans, the US Navy has temporarily halted its server purchases, according to The Data Centre Journal.

In fact, it will not be buying any data centre infrastructure components either. One of its goals for data centre consolidation target reduction of the number of data centres by 25%. The plans will get finalised by the end of February. Until then, the Navy will be cutting down on savings in every facet of IT expenditure.

The tone for such belt tightening was set by the Obama administration a while back. The army went through a similar exercise recently. Government agencies have all created a wide-ranging data centre consolidation plan.