This week’s Smart IT roundup features an Internet of Things (IoT) translator emerging from stealth, improved security for OpenStack, and an updated Spend Automation software release from SciQuest Inc.

Octoblu emerges from stealth

Octoblu,  a real-time connections and communications management platform across systems, people and physical devices, emerged from stealth this week with the goal to make connected devices better communicate with each other using Meshblu.

Meshblu is an open source machine-to-machine (M2M) instant messaging platform created by Chris Matthieu, cofounder and CTO of Octoblu.  It can be used for the discovery, control and management of any API-based software application, any hardware or appliance, or social media network – connecting devices through a variety of protocols across a common platform.

Octoblu is a member of the AllSeen Alliance, a nonprofit open source consortium dedicated to driving the widespread adoption of products, systems and services that support the Internet of Everything, and is also working on a robust security and rights management architecture to help enterprises of all sizes create innovative IoT services.

Catbird releases v.6.0 to enhance OpenStack security

Security vendor Catbird Networks, Inc. claims that data centers built on OpenStack are vulnerable to exploitations as users are abandoning the security policies that come default with branded packages.

To address this issue, the company released Catbird 6.0 which automates the management of security and compliance for VMware ESX and will support Microsoft Hyper-V and software defined networking frameworks, including VMware NSX and OpenStack advanced networks services through Neutron.

Catbird CTO Randal Asay acknowledges the massive enthusiasm for OpenStack, but pointed out there is a “huge development effort required and tons of security decisions to make. And if you know anything about development communities, they are not known for their security policies.”

Analyst David Monahan, research director at Enterprise Management Associates, agreed that the security around OpenStack needs to evolve in order to provide protection for the various components within virtualized environments. He added that there’s a need for new, adaptive security tools to streamline the process.

SciQuest’s upgraded Spend Automation Solution Suite

SciQuest, a pure-play provider of cloud-based business automation solutions for spend management, announced the upgraded version of its spend automation suite, to better manage source-to-pay cycles, collaborate with suppliers, extend visibility into procurement activities to ultimately turn spending into a strategic source of savings.

The new version of the suite includes the redesigned Sourcing Director product, which delivers a centrally-managed e-sourcing solution for automating the entire sourcing cycle, from event-creation to supplier evaluation and awarding.  This is integrated with other SciQuest products such as the Total Supplier Manager that enables buyers to further increase their efficiency, while allowing suppliers to manage their profiles and responses to sourcing opportunities from a central location.

The upgrade also includes Salesforce.com integration, accelerated and improved invoice routing and management, general improvement of the user experience, and a new reporting add-on module for extending supplier management capabilities with a focus on usability and setting/tracking against goals.

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