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Cybercriminals Manipulate Reality via Integrity and Destructive Attacks, VMware Report Finds

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VMware #1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration for Fourth Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm

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VMware Accelerates Healthcare Providers’ Adoption of Cloud Services

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VMware Named a Leader in Zero Trust Network Access by Global Analyst Firm

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VMware Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management for Fourth Year in a Row

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The Internet Is Broken. What Will It Take to Fix It?

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Report: Cybersecurity Defenders Fight Back Against Manipulated Reality

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The Great Digital Frontier

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Surge in Cyberattacks Targets the Anywhere Workforce

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Citizens increasingly demand a higher quality of life at a more sustainable cost. For governments, that means building the smart city and smart nation of the future.

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The pandemic led to an inevitable surge in the use of digital technologies. People and organizations all over the world have had to adjust to new ways of work and life. Lockdowns across countries accelerated the rise in the use of information systems and networks with massive changes in usage patterns and behavior.

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These changes effected most organizations—business, societies and government. Now, more than ever, citizens expect easy access to government information and services digitally. The urgent questions are: How do governments modernize IT in a secure, scalable and functional way, while improving quality of life? How do they become smarter?

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According to a recent <a href="https://granicus.com/resource/the-state-of-digital-in-government/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Granicus survey</a> of 115 government leaders, 61% believe their organization is not keeping pace with the private sector in its adoption and implementation of modern technologies. Additionally, 36% believe that government will never catch up with private sector in terms of technology.

Bureaucracy and budget are leading factors of why. But many governments are navigating these complicated environments by focusing on key areas, including:

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In an ideal world, digital transformation in government would be as simple as aligning technological solutions to demand. However, the modernization of government bears significant change and requires close evaluation of:

After a decade of trial and error, municipal leaders are realizing that smart-city strategies start with people, not technology. “Smartness” is not just about installing digital interfaces in traditional infrastructure or streamlining city operations. It’s also about using technology and data purposefully to make better decisions and deliver a better quality of life.

Connected cities or “smart cities” mix technology and human capital to solve problems resulting from the growth of the urban population. 

Three layers work together to make a smart city:

This includes a critical mass of smartphones and sensors connected by high-speed communication networks.

This includes a critical mass of smartphones and sensors connected by high-speed communication networks.

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Translating raw data into alerts, insight and action requires the right tools. And this is where technology providers and app developers come in.

Translating raw data into alerts, insight and action requires the right tools. And this is where technology providers and app developers come in.

3. Usage by Cities, Companies & the Public

<h4>3. Usage by Cities, Companies & the Public</h4>

Many applications succeed only if widely adopted and ultimately change behavior. For example, government-deployed apps can encourage people to use transit during off-peak hours, use less energy and perform preventative self-care.

Many applications succeed only if widely adopted and ultimately change behavior. For example, government-deployed apps can encourage people to use transit during off-peak hours, use less energy and perform preventative self-care.

Today, cities are moving beyond the smart city pilot stage, using data and digital technologies to deliver results that are more relevant and meaningful to residents.

Case Study: Small Town. Smart City Dreams.

IoT has the potential to transform public sector operations at municipal, regional and national levels. These public entities can leverage the power of connected things to meet the needs of a population that is increasingly reliant on digital services and interactivity.

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Today, cloud technologies are considered as secure as than traditional software—if not more secure. Now, leaders are dedicating time to upscale IT talent and delving deeper into what security measures are pre-built into cloud technology. To get there, government leaders should be reframing the question of cloud security from “Is the cloud secure?” to “Am I using the cloud securely?”

The City of Venice, Fla., for example, has roughly 350 employees and a 6-person IT team that serves many departments in the city, including public safety. Previously, IT was haphazard. Different departments purchased tools and software, creating little to no cohesion. IT director Christophe St. Luce and team faced the challenge of consolidating all the needs of the departments and finding an endpoint security solution that would satisfy the needs of multiple stakeholders.

Case Study: City of Venice, Fla., to Secure its Digital Environment

The City of Venice IT department’s goal is to empower a transparent and agile digital government. Florida was a prominent target of ransomware attacks during the 2020 pandemic. And the city’s IT department has continued to strengthen their security stack to stay on top of events in their digital environment.

Fortunately for a small IT team with multiple duties and responsibilities, VMware Carbon Black Cloud helps them customize the platform to their specific workflows, giving the team peace of mind.

<a href="https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/customers/vmw-city-of-venice-florida-success-story.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dive deeper into the City of Venice's story.</a>

Data impacts everything from housing and transportation to the citizen experience. The data provides context and feedback in real time. This, in turn, helps government become more efficient and more responsive to citizens’ wants and needs. At the same time, government leaders acknowledge that clear rules are required for gathering, handling, and using the growing amount of data available.

But the final goal is simple: Improve the quality of life for everyone in the city.

Case Study: PCMC’s Smart City Transformation Journey

Pimpri Chinchwad has come a long way from its roots as a small village cluster. Today, it’s becoming a model smart city and leading business hub in the Pune region of India. A significant part of the city’s growth can be attributed to PCMC, in making sure that Pimpri Chinchwad progresses to be a vibrant, attractive, and livable destination.

With the responsibility to transform India’s Pimpri Chinchwad into a smart city, there was a critical need for Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, also known as PCMC, to first modernize and update its own data center. The IT team had to ensure the tech stack was adaptable, agile, scalable, and resilient enough to support a large-scale transformation project.

PCMC had to resolve its IT constraints on data center management, micro-segmentation, and zero-trust environment to ensure seamless business continuity.

Through the evaluation process, VMware emerged as a trusted tech partner for PCMC in partnership with Tech Mahindra. VMware implemented an SDDC architecture that encompassed best-in-class virtualized compute, storage, and networking with comprehensive cloud management. This approach helped PCMC use a fully virtualized infrastructure that was inexpensive and simple to configure.

As cities begin to adapt to new ways of living, the inevitable questions are: How do governments achieve digital transformation at scale? How do smart cities ultimately lead to smart nations?

First, we must ask: What is a smart nation? According to <a href="https://www.tech.gov.sg/media/technews/digital-government-smart-nation-pursuing%20singapore-tech-imperative">GovTech Singapore</a>, smart nations mean people and businesses are:

Building a smart nation is a whole-of-nation effort comprising of three pillars:

Case Study: Pursuing Singapore’s Tech Imperative

When it comes to digital government, Singapore is fortunate to be building on strong previous efforts. Today, most transactions between citizens and the government can be done online, and integrated apps reduce the time taken to fulfill inter-agency requests.

According to <a href="https://www.itnews.asia/news/singapores-citizenry-gives-digital-government-the-thumbs-up-562343">IT News Asia</a>, nearly half of Singaporeans surveyed (49%) agreed that the Government now delivers better digital experiences. Additionally, 56% of respondents shared that the government has given them the assurance that their personal information is secure.

Soon after formation, Singapore launched five Strategic National Projects:

The <a href="https://www.singpass.gov.sg/main/singpass-our-ndi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Singpass</a> is every Singapore resident's trusted digital identity, as well as a platform that bridges access to over 340 government agencies and private sector services.

The <a href="https://www.singpass.gov.sg/main/singpass-our-ndi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Singpass</a> is every Singapore resident's trusted digital identity, as well as a platform that bridges access to over 340 government agencies and private sector services.

Singapore’s banking industry launched FAST (Fast and Secure Transfers) is a <a href="https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/what-is-smart-nation/initiatives/Strategic-National-Projects/e-payments-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">payment system</a> that enables direct real-time transfers between consumers and businesses across different banks.

Singapore’s banking industry launched FAST (Fast and Secure Transfers) is a <a href="https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/what-is-smart-nation/initiatives/Strategic-National-Projects/e-payments-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">payment system</a> that enables direct real-time transfers between consumers and businesses across different banks.

The <a href="https://www.tech.gov.sg/scewc2019/mol" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moments of Life</a> (MOL) app places citizens at the heart of government digital services. It delivers integrated services and information to citizens at key milestones in their lives.

The <a href="https://www.tech.gov.sg/scewc2019/mol" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moments of Life</a> (MOL) app places citizens at the heart of government digital services. It delivers integrated services and information to citizens at key milestones in their lives.

Through a shared network of sensors, the <a href="https://www.tech.gov.sg/scewc2019/snsp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smart Nation Sensor Platform</a> (SNSP) enables agencies to better maximize deployments by collecting and analyzing data to make decisions on city planning in a cost-effective way and improve the delivery of citizen-centric public services.

Through a shared network of sensors, the <a href="https://www.tech.gov.sg/scewc2019/snsp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smart Nation Sensor Platform</a> (SNSP) enables agencies to better maximize deployments by collecting and analyzing data to make decisions on city planning in a cost-effective way and improve the delivery of citizen-centric public services.

Using digital technologies to enhance comfort, convenience and reliability of their <a href="https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/what-is-smart-nation/initiatives/Strategic-National-Projects/smart-urban-mobility" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public transport systems</a>, and support the vision of a car-lite Singapore.

Using digital technologies to enhance comfort, convenience and reliability of their <a href="https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/what-is-smart-nation/initiatives/Strategic-National-Projects/smart-urban-mobility" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public transport systems</a>, and support the vision of a car-lite Singapore.

Most of these are digital platforms upon which more use cases can be explored over time. <a href="https://www.itnews.asia/news/singapores-citizenry-gives-digital-government-the-thumbs-up-562343" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dive deeper</a>.

IT investments once locked cities and nations into expensive and extremely long-term plans. Now, using the right combination of modern technology and smart solutions, governments can respond more dynamically to changing demands.

Governments around the world still have a long way to go—even the most advanced. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/operations/our%20insights/smart%20cities%20digital%20solutions%20for%20a%20more%20livable%20future/mgi-smart-cities-snapshot.pdf">This snapshot</a> from McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) details deployment in 50 cities around the world. The report gauges each city’s progress using a checklist of smart applications. Mobility was a top priority for most cities. But those with the highest number of applications implemented overall—London, Los Angeles, New York, Seoul, Shenzhen and Singapore—branched out into multiple domains, like security, utilities and healthcare.

Some cities start their transformations with inherent advantages, such as existing high-tech industries. But even less-progressive countries can set themselves apart with vision, good management, a willingness to break with conventional ways of doing things, and a relentless commitment to meeting the needs of its residents.

Special Report: Digital Healthcare Innovation During COVID-19

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Jecoby Carter

Global citizens increasingly want a better, more sustainable quality of life. For governments, that means building smart cities and nations.

For governments, citizen demands for a higher quality, sustainable life means building smart cities and nations.

Special Report: Smart Cities & Smart Nations

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Special Report: Smart Cities & Smart Nations | Digital Government Trends

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Company Also Receives Highest Product Scores in Three of Four Use Cases in 2021 Gartner® Critical Capabilities for Unified Endpoint Management Tools Report
PALO ALTO, Calif.&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211;VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). According to Gartner, VMware has been evaluated for its ability to execute and completeness of vision. This is the fourth consecutive year VMware has been named a Leader for VMware Workspace ONE in the Gartner market evaluation for unified endpoint management.
In addition, Workspace ONE has received the highest product scores across three of the four defined use cases – Security-Centric, Remote Worker, and Modern Windows Management – in the 2021 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Unified Endpoint Management Tools report.
“When it comes to enabling an anywhere workforce, one size will not fit all. To accommodate the various ways employees prefer to work, IT teams are equipping them with a mix of devices, with different form factors, operating systems and apps,” said Shankar Iyer, senior vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. “We continue to innovate Workspace ONE to help IT make sense of this complex end user computing environment and we believe this recognition by Gartner validates our commitment to our customers in this endeavor.”
Workspace ONE is one of the core technologies that comprise <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fsolutions%2Fanywhere-workspace.html&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=VMware+Anywhere+Workspace&#038;index=1&#038;md5=a72a798257c57514ea7a69328dd469fe" rel="nofollow">VMware Anywhere Workspace</a>, an integrated solution that enables employees to work from anywhere with more secure, frictionless experiences. It brings together Workspace ONE with VMware Carbon Black Cloud and VMware SASE.
Workspace ONE UEM, part of the Workspace ONE platform, provides a comprehensive solution that enables companies to manage and better secure any device across all platforms. It incorporates modern device management, application management, and security that’s effective outside the corporate perimeter. It empowers IT to:
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<li>Intelligently manage every device on every platform: Workspace ONE UEM takes a user-centric approach to manage and secure devices and apps, taking advantage of native MDM capabilities (iOS and Android) and mobile-cloud management efficiencies (Windows, Mac, and Chrome) to simplify management of all devices at scale with a single powerful solution.</li>
<li>Automate the onboarding process over the air: New devices register over the air (with zero touch from IT) during initial power-up with customizable configuration tools like Windows 10 Drop Ship Provisioning, automated device enrollment with Apple Business Manager, zero-touch enrollment of rugged devices, and more.</li>
<li>Flexibly support all use cases: BYOD, corporate-owned, frontline, or purpose-built. Workspace ONE UEM has IT teams covered in all scenarios.</li>
<li>Easily manage apps and provide a consistently positive self-service employee experience: Workspace ONE UEM helps employees work effectively from anywhere by providing a self-service unified app catalog that is consistent in look, feel, and function across all devices and platforms. The app catalog optimizes productivity with unified one-touch access to all types of apps—native, SaaS, virtual, and web.</li>
<li>Make data-driven decisions and automate important repetitive processes: Dashboards can be customized in infinite ways to give admins the data that matters most, and analytics help IT resolve issues that can negatively impact the overall security risk posture and user experience. Using dynamic policy engines, admins can automate routine processes to minimize manual tasks for the IT team. Similarly, they can empower employees with self-service capabilities to reduce support requests.</li>
<li>Secure devices, apps, and data at rest and in transit: Workspace ONE UEM reinvents device hygiene by addressing security on multiple fronts and providing rich management controls, device posture checks, and per-app tunnel capabilities as a foundation for organization’s zero-trust network access (ZTNA) initiatives.</li>
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Additional Resources:
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<li><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Flearn%2F1053407_REG%3Fcid%3D7012H000001KZTzQAO&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Access&#038;index=2&#038;md5=b9e8a043de3466ee4085c1d42c438ec5" rel="nofollow">Access</a> a complimentary copy of the August 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management</li>
<li><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Flearn%2F1053172_REG%3Fcid%3D7012H000001KZTzQAO&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Access&#038;index=3&#038;md5=0377c4a126006712e30e280dd5c37a52" rel="nofollow">Access</a> a complimentary copy of the August 2021 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Unified Endpoint Management Tools</li>
<li>Learn more about VMware’s digital workspace platform, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fproducts%2Fworkspace-one.html&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=VMware+Workspace+ONE&#038;index=4&#038;md5=37de7dbfa8f7bafd67d15182ea3fdc33" rel="nofollow">VMware Workspace ONE</a></li>
<li>Bookmark the <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fblogs.vmware.com%2Feuc%2F2021%2F08%2Fhorizon-control-plane-update.html&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=VMware+End-User+Computing+Blog&#038;index=5&#038;md5=821e4a16788224deac9c910c4923880a" rel="nofollow">VMware End-User Computing Blog</a></li>
<li>Follow VMware Workspace ONE on <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fworkspaceone&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Twitter&#038;index=6&#038;md5=b8b8d2e25820389d7260bd7ca6240b09" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fvmwareworkspaceone%2F&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Facebook&#038;index=7&#038;md5=c89e01c417a5b749ce727bced5ab80e1" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fvmware-workspaceone%2F&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=LinkedIn&#038;index=8&#038;md5=ed084da817615be2011015a089f2942f" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a></li>
</ul>
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management Tools, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F94176&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Dan+Wilson&#038;index=9&#038;md5=9c074c89bbbb0bf0a192b3aa44b4e17e" rel="nofollow">Dan Wilson</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F48076&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Chris+Silva&#038;index=10&#038;md5=b46eb6b9d2d393de006b16e6bede2dff" rel="nofollow">Chris Silva</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F97722&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Tom+Cipolla&#038;index=11&#038;md5=4eeec387d0de5c72c6729fd5cb0082ad" rel="nofollow">Tom Cipolla</a>, 16 August 2021 
Gartner, Critical Capabilities for Unified Endpoint Management Tools, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F94176&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Dan+Wilson&#038;index=12&#038;md5=a8c0308868fa2be58af89a55056b0bb1" rel="nofollow">Dan Wilson</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F48076&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Chris+Silva&#038;index=13&#038;md5=020a35999aa1bf3d72b6d59d78fbcd7c" rel="nofollow">Chris Silva</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fanalyst%2F97722&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Tom+Cipolla&#038;index=14&#038;md5=e92a4507f57bf09405023a941ce896ba" rel="nofollow">Tom Cipolla</a>, 17 August 2021
Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved
Gartner Disclaimer
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner&#8217;s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About VMware
VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fcompany.html&#038;esheet=52484118&#038;newsitemid=20210831005362&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fcompany.html&#038;index=15&#038;md5=428e2f4e73de08afa347235fb8cdfe58" rel="nofollow">https://www.vmware.com/company.html</a>.
VMware, Workspace ONE and Anywhere Workspace are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.
 
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VMware Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management for Fourth Year in a Row - VMware News and Stories

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PALO ALTO, Calif.&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211;VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced global market research firm Forrester has named VMware a leader in The Forrester New Wave™: Zero Trust Network Access, Q3 2021. The report evaluated 15 zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions, including VMware Secure Access.
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“Applications are moving to the cloud and employees are working from everywhere, rendering traditional security models for protecting the network perimeter obsolete,” said Shankar Iyer, senior vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. “Our Anywhere Workspace solutions, including VMware Secure Access, enable organizations to implement Zero Trust security by allowing only trusted devices and users to access applications hosted on premises or in the cloud. We believe this recognition by Forrester validates our strategy and we will continue to innovate in this area to support our customers’ journey to implementing an end-to-end Zero Trust security architecture.”
According to The Forrester New Wave™ report, “Our evaluation found that VMware has superior inline security inspection and device posture security. VMware offers a broad set of inline security techniques like watermarking, risk scoring, and behavioral analysis. VMware’s ZTNA solution integrates well with its own endpoint protection as well as major third-party suites.”
<a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fsolutions%2Fanywhere-workspace.html&#038;esheet=52483494&#038;newsitemid=20210830005353&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=VMware+Anywhere+Workspace&#038;index=1&#038;md5=abba213a2f06a4ab49cf912fd0d8bc2b" rel="nofollow">VMware Anywhere Workspace</a> brings together VMware Workspace ONE, VMware SASE and VMware Carbon Black Cloud to enable hybrid work. VMware Secure Access, as part of VMware Anywhere Workspace, integrates Workspace ONE endpoint management with VMware SASE capabilities, delivered from VMware’s global network of SASE points of presence (PoPs). This enables a modern, cloud-native approach to remote access with continuous authentication methodologies that:
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<li>Shrinks the attack surface</li>
<li>Enables consistent user experiences irrespective of where they are accessing enterprise data</li>
<li>Improves application performance by avoiding routing cloud/SaaS traffic through legacy solutions</li>
<li>Reduces additional management overhead and cost</li>
</ul>
To learn more about VMware Secure Access:
<ul class="bwlistdisc">
<li><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsase.vmware.com%2Fresources%2Fthe-forrester-new-wave-zero-trust-network-access&#038;esheet=52483494&#038;newsitemid=20210830005353&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Access&#038;index=2&#038;md5=34a833dafcbdddf64aabc67520e58184" rel="nofollow">Access</a> a complimentary copy of The Forrester New Wave™: Zero Trust Network Access, Q3 2021</li>
<li><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fdigitalmarketing%2Fvmware%2Fen%2Fpdf%2Fproducts%2Fsase-platform%2Fvmw-sdwan-zero-trust-service-so.pdf&#038;esheet=52483494&#038;newsitemid=20210830005353&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=Read&#038;index=3&#038;md5=c6a594990cfa551b3b5e08908007b850" rel="nofollow">Read</a> the VMware Secure Access solution overview</li>
</ul>
About VMware
VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fcompany.html&#038;esheet=52483494&#038;newsitemid=20210830005353&#038;lan=en-US&#038;anchor=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vmware.com%2Fcompany.html&#038;index=4&#038;md5=8bfb58a2300f25e57d8b05838ca6f630" rel="nofollow">https://www.vmware.com/company.html</a>.
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VMware Named a Leader in Zero Trust Network Access by Global Analyst Firm - VMware News and Stories

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The threat landscape changed in a number of ways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizations are scrambling to defend against opportunistic cyberattacks.

That was the key takeaway from <a href="https://www.carbonblack.com/resources/global-security-insights-report-2021-intelligence-from-the-global-cybersecurity-landscape/">VMware's 2021 Global Security Insights Report</a>, compiled from a survey of 3,542 CIOs, CTOs and CISOs from across the globe in December 2020.

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Nearly 80% reported increased cyberattacks due to employees working from home. A similar percentage said that attacks had become more sophisticated, while 4-out-of-5 breaches were considered to be material. Sixty-one percent of respondents acknowledged the need to view security differently due to the expanded threat surface.<a href="https://www.carbonblack.com/resources/global-security-insights-report-2021-intelligence-from-the-global-cybersecurity-landscape/"> </a>

Cyberattacks increased for a number of reasons during the pandemic. First, the threat surface expanded as organizations everywhere sent employees home to work remotely. Workers were suddenly sharing computers with their children for remote learning as well as a home network with any number of smart devices.

Additionally, traditional crime moved online. "Cybercrime cartels were empowered by the pandemic because traditional organized crime couldn't operate due to the lockdown," said VMware Head of Cybersecurity Strategy Tom Kellermann during the <a href="https://youtu.be/E8LVgaDsJ4A">Global Security Insights Report livestream</a> interview. Many cyber cartels created a sophisticated quasi-startup structure featuring developers and QA teams. Some even have the support of international governments.

Kellermann reported that some countries consider cybercriminals to be national assets. "There is a protection going on there, because many times governments view these groups as a way to offset economic sanctions and a way to create proxies to create almost an insurgency against their geopolitical enemies," Kellermann said.

And finally, organizations have been slow to change their security mindset, while simultaneously moving a lot of their infrastructure to the cloud. &#8220;Attackers are opportunists, so we have to be opportunists as well,” VMware Senior Security Strategist James Alliband said. “We have to change the status quo [and] make sure that the traditional security processes we have in place aren&#8217;t necessarily going to affect us for the future.”
So how can organizations protect themselves?
<h2>Not All Clouds Are Created Equal</h2>
While nearly all of those surveyed were employing a cloud-first strategy, there seems to be a degree of misplaced faith in public cloud security. Kellermann advised to think of a public cloud environment as &#8220;a very nice apartment building in a very tough neighborhood.” Security should be built from a zero trust perspective and needs to be incorporated from the ground up.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-32899 aligncenter" src="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/vmw-banner-98-quote_081821.png" alt="98% of security professionals surveyed said they already use or plan to shift to a cloud-first strategy." width="775" height="600" srcset="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/vmw-banner-98-quote_081821.png 775w, https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/vmw-banner-98-quote_081821.png?resize=300,232 300w, https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/vmw-banner-98-quote_081821.png?resize=768,595 768w" sizes="(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px" />
VMware Principal Cybersecurity Strategist Rick McElroy compared IT teams building infrastructure to the construction of an apartment building: &#8220;You have your architects that come in and they&#8217;re planning for things like plumbing, power, enough square footage. They&#8217;re not planning for somebody to run into that apartment building and kick your door in. That&#8217;s our job.&#8221;
Alliband agreed, saying, &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to secure these environments from the get-go and build that into your strategy.&#8221;
<h2>Build in Early Detection Systems</h2>
Organizations must find bad actors before they attack. Rather than putting all your faith in security processes that keep threats out of your environment, it&#8217;s crucial to find them if and when they get inside. And attacks don&#8217;t tend to happen immediately. Typically, attackers spend a couple of weeks exploring your infrastructure before the attack, so it&#8217;s possible to discover them before they take action.
Kellermann said, &#8220;You need to assume that prevention will fail at some point. When it does, how quickly can you detect and respond?&#8221;
CISOs are looking for a way to discover those threats. &#8220;What CISOs are really looking for are solutions out there that can give them visibility into these cloud environments,” McElroy said. They&#8217;re looking for controls that are uniform and auditable, and that can follow their data across various cloud environments.
<h2>Secure the Anywhere Workspace</h2>
Remote work exploded during the pandemic. And it appears that the anywhere workplace is here to stay. But with so many workers off-prem, the attack surface expands exponentially. With a number of devices operating on a home network, multiple vulnerabilities exist.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a lack of digital distancing in homes and really we need to pay attention to that. … Your work device should not be on the same network as your smart devices, period,&#8221; Kellermann said. Securing the remote environment is a must.
<h2>Simplify Security</h2>
Security has become complex, with a variety of controls and widgets that can be exploited by adversaries. &#8220;We have to start simplifying security, that&#8217;s number one. There are just too many tools that have too many gaps,&#8221; McElroy said.
As companies use a number of tools to secure various parts of their business, more risk develops if they don&#8217;t communicate with each other. One security app might not know that another security app has experienced a breach. &#8220;You should really standardize on one platform. And whatever platform that is, you should standardize on it soon,&#8221; Kellermann said.
<h2>Hit Attackers Where It Hurts</h2>
Ultimately, cybercriminals get into the business because it&#8217;s profitable. A strong driver of their business is that much of the work is automated. McElroy suggests that companies make it more expensive for cybercriminals to do business by forcing them to slow down and do more work manually.
&#8220;If every single piece of ransomware was custom written, now we&#8217;re starting to bust up that economy. Now they actually can&#8217;t get a massive [return on investment] because their time investment is too high,” McElroy said. “Simply put, we have to make them spend more time. &#8230; We have to deploy tech to start making it harder.&#8221;
<h2>The New Normal</h2>
Ultimately, the threat landscape has changed greatly and it&#8217;s not going back to the way it was.
&#8220;We have to realize that is the norm and it&#8217;s not going to change anytime soon. If I can start to shift my mindset, realize I do live in a bad neighborhood and I&#8217;m responsible for my own self-defense, then I&#8217;m going to change my own behavior,” McElroy said. “I&#8217;m going to change the culture of the organization that I&#8217;m with, and to do that I need something like a neighborhood watch.&#8221;

The pandemic has brought security front and center for business leaders. McElroy encouraged security leaders to seize that opportunity: &#8220;We helped organizations stay up and running during a global pandemic. The organizations are happy with a lot of the security leaders and the way we were able to do that. Let&#8217;s take advantage of that just like the attackers are taking advantage of this disaster, and let&#8217;s put a flag out a little further than we ever thought was achievable.&#8221;

VMware Staff

Cyberattacks are surging, according to VMware's Global Security Insights Report. Learn how to protect your organization against an expanded threat surface.

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When it comes to data, the center of gravity is moving from the network core to the edge. This shift is due to new, interactive applications that must run at the edge to perform as intended. On the consumer side, augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), connected vehicles, and immersive gaming are emerging onto the scene. On the industry side, 5G has made the use of collaborative robots, drone fleets and digital twins a reality.

These apps produce an enormous amount of data. How enormous? Consider a set of sensors monitoring a complex piece of machinery can generate terabytes of data each day. It&#8217;s easy to imagine an entire factory generating petabytes (or, a million gigabytes) of data per month. The Internet as it’s built today, from the core out, cannot handle this volume of data. If we want to see these new applications flourish, we need a new Internet. One that is built from the edge in.
<h2>What Is the Edge?</h2>
Edge computing brings compute, network and storage closer to where data is created and consumed (versus sending it back to a cloud or centralized data center for processing). This is important when speed and latency are non-negotiable. Like when sensors on an autonomous car collect and analyze data to predict the vehicle’s next move.

Running an application at the edge may also appease certain privacy and security concerns. Retailers, for example, use smart surveillance apps to learn about customers’ shopping behaviors and provide them with a more personalized shopping experience. A facial recognition app can identify you (and your purchase history) when you walk into a store. It can then signal for in-store digital signage to change as you move through the store, so the ads are more relevant to you. In this scenario, keeping customer purchase and biometric data close to the store location limits some privacy and security risk.
What exactly makes up “the edge”? It’s hard to say.

Kaniz Mahdi, vice president of Distributed Edge at VMware, explained the edge conundrum quite succinctly, “The list of interactive applications enabled by distributed edge computing keeps getting longer. And yet, when we look closely at many of them, we reach an unavoidable conclusion: There is no single location for the edge. It’s nowhere, but everywhere.”
Complexity at the edge makes building a next-generation Internet quite a challenge.
<h2>The Case for an Open Grid</h2>
The future of the Internet is a topic many technology leaders are pondering, including Cole Crawford, CEO of edge infrastructure company Vapor IO.
He commented, “The old expression, ‘what got us here won’t get us there’ applies for where we are headed as a species. We are not going to get to the promises of 5G or beyond if we don’t start thinking about changing the architecture of the Internet and identifying what we can do today to make it better.” <a href="https://news.vmware.com/subscribe"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-24111 " style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; width: 315px;" src="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/RADIUS-Digest-Square-CTA-300x300.png" alt="Purple and blue promotion to subscribe to the Radius Digest" width="300" height="291" /></a> He envisions an evolution of the Internet where it becomes a global, shared platform – an Open Grid – that distributes compute, data, and intelligence to when and where it’s needed, on demand.
What will the world look like as the Internet evolves to an Open Grid? Let’s consider an example.
Imagine attending a game at your favorite team’s stadium. Only this time, the team owner has installed several new immersive experiences throughout the venue. Connected wristbands to make entering the stadium and paying for concessions as easy as a flick of the wrist. VR headsets that display real-time player statistics as you watch them run, jump, catch and throw in front of your eyes. In-stadium mobile apps that encourage engagement between fans as they watch their team emerge victorious.
These experiences require tremendous amounts of compute power and network bandwidth – but only in the few hours when fans pack into the stadium. With an Open Grid in place, the applications can request the resources they require so everything runs precisely on the days and times, and in the places, for which they are needed.
<h2>A Path Forward</h2>
Rearchitecting the Internet so it can power the applications that will drive how we interact and work together is a profoundly important task. Perhaps one of the most important tasks we face as a society. It will require the best and brightest to come together and collaborate on solutions. To get us to this future faster, Mahdi and Crawford spearheaded the creation of the <a href="https://www.opengridalliance.org/">Open Grid Alliance</a> (OGA), an industry alliance that aims to define and accelerate the Open Grid.

Crawford explained, “The vision of the Open Grid Alliance is too grand to be achieved by a single technology provider. The Open Grid will only emerge from deep industry collaborations, and that’s why we formed the alliance. We and our industry partners plan to accelerate a decades-long journey of innovation at all levels of the stack.”
The Open Grid Alliance will work to forge partnerships between technology vendors, enterprises, academic institutions and technology foundations to advance Open Grid technologies. <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vmw-newsfeed.New-Open-Grid-Alliance-Aims-to-Rearchitect-the-Internet.1627536f-7bca-4967-b9fb-c88bc948c0a6.html">VMware and Vapor IO</a> are joined by Dell Technologies, DriveNets, MobiledgeX, and PacketFabric, Crown Castle, CBRE and many others as founding members.
Together, these members will deploy Open Grid innovation zones in major cities to implement reference architectures that incorporate all levels of the stack, from real estate to applications. Ultimately, through this work, the Open Grid will become a cloud-neutral and carrier-neutral edge that is universally accessible and widely distributed. The Open Grid Alliance will also identify the needs and requirements for full operational deployment of the Open Grid on a global scale.

Mahdi expanded, “We see the Open Grid as essential to solving key challenges we currently face with full scale deployment of the Open Grid. And, we don’t stop here. Our ambition for the Grid extends to 2030 and beyond. We see the Open Grid Alliance as our breeding ground for discovery and verification of research and new technologies that support VMware’s 2030 vision for Equity, Sustainability and Trust.”

The opportunity at the edge is clear. And the need to evolve our current Internet to seize this opportunity is evident. The path forward is less clear and evident, however. It will be a long and winding journey. But if we can make progress together, the Internet’s future, and our future, is bright.

If we want to see new applications flourish, we need a new Internet. One that is built from the edge in. What exactly makes up “the edge?”

The Internet Is Broken. What Will It Take to Fix It? - VMware News and Stories

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VMware Accelerates Healthcare Providers’ Adoption of Cloud Services - VMware News and Stories

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VMware Expands SaaS Innovations on Industry-Leading Horizon Platform - VMware News and Stories

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Cybercriminals Manipulate Reality via Integrity and Destructive Attacks, VMware Report Finds - VMware News and Stories

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VMware’s seventh annual <a href="https://www.carbonblack.com/resources/global-incident-response-threat-report-manipulating-reality">Global Incident Response Threat Report</a> analyzes how attackers are manipulating reality to reshape the modern threat landscape.
The report found a drastic rise in destructive attacks, where adversaries deploy advanced techniques to deliver more targeted, sophisticated attacks that distort digital reality. Examples include business communications compromise (BCC) or the manipulation of time. However, defenders are struggling to counter these complex attacks and gain visibility into new environments, such as the cloud, containers and business communication applications. This is leading to an embrace of active defense techniques as incident responders deal with the extreme stress of their jobs.
Check out the infographic below for key findings. <a href="https://www.carbonblack.com/resources/global-incident-response-threat-report-manipulating-reality" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dive deeper into the full Global Incident Response Threat Report here</a>.

Download the full report, check out our latest threat research and learn more about VMware security solutions.

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Study shows drastic rise in destructive cyberattacks as adversaries deliver more targeted, sophisticated attacks to distort digital reality.

Study shows drastic rise in targeted, sophisticated attacks that distort digital reality.

VMware #1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration for Fourth Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm - VMware News and Stories

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The pandemic continues to affect every corner of the world. Some regions have their highest infection rates so far, while the virus appears to be more controlled in other areas. Facing these varying circumstances, global companies are taking a localized approach to returning employees safely to the office.
But not everyone is lining up to get back to their cubicle. Many employees have expressed a desire to continue to work from home. Others wish to work a few days from the office and the rest from home.
Leaders from Box, Google and VMware shared thoughts on different policies and factors businesses should consider to support a safe, hybrid work environment.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Return to Office Strategy" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y-SE2iAM4ls?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>1. One Size Will Not Fit All</h2>
Put simply, hybrid work is all about enabling seamless collaboration with employees – whether those interactions take place in-person, in an office, or remotely from home or another location. When it comes to supporting a remote workforce, one size will not fit all.
“The hybrid work model is going to look different for every organization. It may even look different for different groups of employees working at the same organization,” commented Shankar Iyer, general manager of VMware’s end-user computing business.
He said businesses must prepare to support multi-modal work styles. Employees will expect their employers to provide them with the tools and technology they require to be productive from anywhere.
Scott Porter, managing director for Chrome Enterprise at Google, shared, “Our return-to-office strategy is centered around flexibility. We anticipate 60% of Google employees coming into the office in a hybrid manner – maybe 3 days in the office and 2 from home. Another 20% are likely to choose a new office location to work from. And the final 20% are likely to permanently work from home. I think this situation typifies the type of outcome we will see across most companies in the future.”

What the Pandemic Taught Us About Supporting an Anywhere Workforce

<h2>2. Equality of Experience</h2>
Varun Parmar, former chief product officer at Box, believes that the most important thing an enterprise can do to support its hybrid workforce is to deliver a great user experience – no matter how or from where an employee logs in. Those that do not deliver in this area will see talent leave in hordes, he warned.
He also cautioned companies to not leave anyone behind when it comes to delivering a great experience to a globally distributed team. “In this new world, you cannot presume every team member of a global team is going to be present for every meeting,” he said.
Parmar predicts this will give rise to a new technology stack that allows for both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. “This will enable an equality of experience. It is critical that teams think through how meetings are recorded, documented and shared out with all team members in a way that is accessible, searchable and secure.”
<h2>3. Employee Experience Is a Security Feature</h2>
Even the most seasoned security professional will squirm with all this talk about giving employees seamless access to more resources from anywhere. To ease concerns about maintaining security while providing employees with access to critical apps and resources, new security models are emerging.
Iyer explains, “Traditional security tools like VPNs and firewalls are insufficient or incomplete. The modern security model that is being propagated is a zero-trust security model where you can secure the entire distributed edge. This helps not just IT but employees too. Afterall, if IT doesn’t have the right security policies and model in place, they can’t deliver great experiences to employees.”
Iyer hits on an important point. Providing a great user experience while locking down corporate assets are often inaccurately positioned in opposition of one another. Folks at Box see it differently too.
“At Box, one of our fundamental concepts is ‘user experience is a security feature.’ If you don’t deliver a great user experience, employees will look for easier workarounds. This introduces shadow IT and increases risk in the enterprise,” Parmar commented.

To better protect distributed workforces, here are five steps to help reduce risk.

<h2>4. Foster Productivity, Not Burnout</h2>
All three leaders recognize the move to remote work meant less hours in the office, but ultimately more hours logged online. While productivity has been sky-high, they have remained steadfast in making sure employees are not stretching themselves too thin between work and personal engagements.
Parmar says, “Instead of listening to your favorite podcast on your commute home, you are now sitting in a virtual meeting. Meeting fatigue is a real thing. And as leaders, we cannot turn a blind eye to it.”
One way Box is combating employee burnout is implementing Fresh Air Fridays. Once a month, employees enjoy a long weekend. The hope is that employees use the time to disconnect and reenergize, so they come back to work on Monday ready to reengage.
Google and VMware have similar policies in place where employees can take “reset days” or “pandemic leave” in addition to their usual paid time off programs.
Porter believes having the right computing devices (he recommends a Chromebook with built-in LTE wireless capabilities) will help employees make the transition to the “next normal.” He explained, “As COVID restrictions have lifted and you are out and about – say getting your car serviced at a garage – you can actually be productive at the same time. This will help employees better balance work with personal commitments.”

Companies are redefining work as something people do, not someplace they go.

<h2>5. Bring the Lessons of 2020 with You</h2>
While a challenge for many companies to implement overnight, remote work has had its benefits. So many, in fact, that it’s a widely held belief that it is here to stay for good.

Talent acquisition is one area Iyer believes is forever changed – for the better – due to the shift to remote work. He said, “From a business standpoint, we are getting talent from places we’d never imagine we’d be able to recruit from. Those people have been incredibly productive and made a huge impact on the organization.”
Parmar speaks of a philosophical shift that will drive Box forward in the future. “We’ve adopted the philosophy ‘work is what you do, not where you do it’ and we want to enable Boxers with choice. We believe the world is moving toward a hybrid workplace and we want to make sure at Box we are supporting both remote and in-person collaboration.”
Leaders at every organization – no matter the size or industry – are grappling with when and how to safely return employees to physical offices. Every solution will look different and supporting a hybrid workforce will require constant evaluation and adjustment along the way. For more tips from these leaders, watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-SE2iAM4ls">full conversation replay</a>.

Leaders from Box, Google and VMware share thoughts on policies and factors businesses should consider in their return-to-office strategy.

5 Factors to Consider in Your Return-To-Office Strategy

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VMware "Digital Frontiers" study explores consumer trends and sentiments during the pandemic and the rising demand for better digital experiences across all industries.

From grocery shopping and eating out, to doctor appointments and personal finances, so many experiences changed over the last year. But for the better or worse?

The “Digital Frontiers” global research effort explores the links between tech innovation, people and society. More specifically, it looks at how technology helps push exceptional digital services and experiences—and if consumers feel organizations are doing it right.

To get a pulse on global consumer trends and sentiment during the pandemic, YouGov and <a href="https://www.vmware.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VMware</a> surveyed more than 13,250 people worldwide.

Here are key insights from the study into how and where organizations are—and aren’t—meeting customers’ digital expectations.

Suddenly and swiftly, the pandemic flipped the proverbial switch to “digital everything”—shopping, living, working, schooling, banking and more. In 2020, over half (52%) of adults embraced new digital services from organizations and enjoyed the experience.

A closer look by industry reveals where respondents believe organizations failed to adapt or improve services with the changing market.

The majority of respondents believe they are personally responsible for increasing their digital skills. However, the youngest generation (18–24-year-olds) are concerned about their elders. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of that group worry their older relatives can’t keep up with the new digital world and therefore, won’t have access to services they need and want. In fact, 3-in-10 (34%) people aged 55+ respondents describe themselves as not digitally active or digitally naive.

Rising Demands for Better App Experiences

Today’s consumers have digital experience expectations. Those surveyed—more than 40% of whom identify themselves as digitally curious or digital explorers—want to know their data and devices are protected. They also want services that are simple to access and use.

Top 5 Consumer Priorities for Digital Experiences

"Still thinking about digital experiences, in general, which three, if any, of the following are the most important things you want to see today from organizations?"

Companies that don’t meet these expectations will lose customers. Only 10% said they’ll remain loyal to companies that fall short on digital experience. Yet, 37% agreed that “2020 has made me more forgiving of organizations getting things ‘wrong’ while they trial new digital services to improve my customer service experience.”

Although key industries*, most notably retail, fell short in delivering cutting-edge digital experiences, consumers remain eager to try new offerings. These are just some of the industry-specific insights the research uncovered:

What’s more important these days than a wallet for financial transactions? Almost half (47%) of survey respondents say their smartphones—32% for the 55+ crowd, rising to 54% among 18–24-year-olds.

Survey respondents were most negative about buying experiences. In fact, only 16% are excited at the prospect of ongoing virtual interactions with retailers vs. in-store experiences. Today, 58% of respondents agree they would leave a retailer’s website if an issue couldn’t be solved immediately. But there is hope for brands.

Healthcare is a bright spot. Over half (53%) of respondents are now comfortable with—or even excited about—replacing all routine medical appointments with virtual consultations.

New innovations are coming into their own in healthcare, particularly AI, robotics and secure personal data.

Survey Reveals Lack of Trust among Consumers in Many Industries

As much as digital now impacts all aspects of our lives, people remain wary. And their trust in technology remains uncertain. Many are convinced of the positive impact tech is having today and in the future. Yet, they don’t believe companies are acting in people’s best interests.

The onus really is on business leaders to set and exceed these digital business objectives:

Organizations willing to rethink digital strategies and reimagine processes have a path forward.

By accelerating digital transformation strategies, organizations can rapidly deliver customer and employee value. A good place to start: modernizing infrastructure and applications—which includes building, running, managing, protecting and connecting apps on a digital foundation—as well as enabling the anywhere workforce. Both are foundational to digital business success.

Accelerating Your App And Cloud Transformation

Blakely Thomas-Aguilar

VMware "Digital Frontiers" survey explores global consumer trends during the pandemic and the rising demand for better digital experiences.

VMware "Digital Frontiers" survey explores global consumer trends and the rising demand for better digital experiences.

Technologies