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- 💡 How Akamai saved millions by rethinking cloud strategy
💡 How Akamai saved millions by rethinking cloud strategy
CIOsurge DC Event, Akamai's Cloud Cost Savings, Boeing and DXC CIO Moves
Zack Tembi
January 13, 2025
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Welcome to this week’s edition of CIOsurge!
This week:
CIOsurge kicks off 2025 with an executive networking event in Washington, DC on January 15th.
Akamai’s Project Cirrus saves 40% in cloud costs through workload repatriation and FinOps.
Boeing and DXC Technology announce new CIOs to drive innovation and AI strategies.
Let’s make this week a game-changer.
Stay sharp. Stay ahead.
🎯 Save the Date: CIOsurge Washington DC Networking Event
It's winter and cold outside, but don't hide in your house.
CIOsurge formally invites you to our inaugural executive networking event. Join other IT leaders from the Washington DC metro area to kick off 2025. We are providing food and drinks.
When: Wednesday, January 15th at 5:00 PM
Where: Five Iron Golf | 575 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thank you to our sponsors Cribl & Single Fin
This event is for IT executives only; please, no vendors.
💡 How Akamai saved millions by rethinking cloud strategy
Akamai launched Project Cirrus to address spiraling cloud expenses, saving 40% in its first year. By repatriating workloads to Linode, optimizing provisioning, and fostering a FinOps culture, the company reduced inefficiencies and retained hybrid cloud relationships. Their experience underscores the importance of deliberate cloud strategies for cost control and scalability.
Cloud cost optimization isn't just a financial imperative; it's a cultural and strategic shift. Akamai’s approach, blending workload repatriation with a focus on training engineers as stewards of resources, highlights the dual role of technology and human processes in managing cloud complexity. For CIOs, this serves as a reminder that cloud investments demand continuous oversight and alignment with business goals.
Initiatives like Project Cirrus also underscore the value of FinOps in enabling IT leaders to trace spend, optimize workloads, and adopt hybrid architectures. The lesson here is clear: without intentional governance, even the best cloud strategies can lead to runaway costs. It’s worth investing in tools and partnerships that provide visibility and accountability.
- Zack Tembi
🎯 'Bad Likert Judge' jailbreak boosts LLM attack success by 60%
Researchers from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 revealed the 'Bad Likert Judge,' a novel technique to bypass LLM safety features, increasing attack success rates by over 60%. This multi-turn strategy uses Likert scale evaluations to generate responses containing harmful content. Tests across leading LLMs demonstrate vulnerabilities, highlighting the importance of robust content filtering.
As IT professionals, this development underscores the evolving nature of AI vulnerabilities and the strategic sophistication behind emerging threats. The 'Bad Likert Judge' method not only exploits the flexibility of LLMs but also challenges us to anticipate novel attack vectors that manipulate AI logic. For CIOs, the message is clear: deploying LLMs without strong guardrails can expose organizations to significant risks.
By integrating comprehensive content filtering and continuously testing AI systems against these advanced exploits, IT leaders can mitigate vulnerabilities effectively. This isn't just about protecting AI systems—it’s about safeguarding the trust that businesses and users place in them. Let this serve as a reminder to proactively evaluate and adapt AI deployments to counter such threats.
- Zack Tembi
🗞️ At A Glance
💡 CIO Spotlights
Boeing taps former Pentagon CIO Dana Deasy as tech chief
Dana Deasy, former CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, has been named Boeing’s Chief Information Digital Officer and SVP of IT and data analytics.
Deasy brings extensive leadership experience from roles at JPMorgan Chase, BP, and General Motors.
His appointment signals Boeing's focus on advancing AI and emerging technologies for operational improvements.
DXC Technology appoints Brad Novak as CIO to drive AI strategy
Brad Novak has been named CIO of DXC Technology, tasked with embedding AI across operations to boost productivity and efficiency.
Reporting to Chief Administrative Officer James Walker, Novak will lead platform integration and standardization initiatives.
With over 30 years of experience, including a CTO role at Barclays, Novak brings deep expertise in technology strategy and infrastructure.