Continent 8 Technologies, the trusted partner and provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the regulated iGaming and online sports betting market, has expanded its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), chosen as an official solutions provider in the Solution Provider Program (SPP) by AWS.
Over the past 25-plus years, Continent 8 has earned an unrivalled reputation for reliable infrastructure and connectivity, innovating, developing and providing customers with best-in-class managed and professional services to support the most demanding online requirements.
Now, as an SPP member, this enhanced AWS collaboration will enable Continent 8 to introduce a new range of services to simplify the management of AWS cloud environments and infrastructures. The new managed and professional services include:
Regulatory compliance is non-negotiable in the betting and gaming industry. The tailormade Regul8 Guardrails solution provides customers with customised designs and configurations for easy-to-integrate compliance across cloud environments while accelerating time-to-market and expansion into new jurisdictions.
Migrating and managing Kubernetes across different cloud environments can be difficult. The Kubernetes Everywhere service makes it easy for customers to manage their containerised deployments, ensuring consistent, resource-friendly and cost-effective operation across cloud environments, data centers, edge computing infrastructures and within AWS regions using Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).
Managing hybrid and multi-cloud networks is a complex task. By integrating Continent 8 and AWS networks, the managed network services address the connectivity challenges between on-premises infrastructures, AWS Outposts, enterprise networks and AWS Regions. This service ensures customers benefit from the most resilient and secure hybrid cloud connectivity path, away from the public Internet.
Continent 8 is the trusted advanced partner in delivering 90% of AWS Outposts to the biggest brands – including FanDuel and Hard Rock Digital – in the regulated betting and gaming market. Building upon this AWS Outposts portfolio, the new Managed AWS Outposts service streamlines the procurement, logistics, workload migration and ongoing management of AWS Outposts, allowing customers to focus on launch activities. Continent 8 continues to provide best-in-class connectivity and seamless access to all AWS Direct Connect (DX) on-ramp locations.
Complementing these new cloud offerings is a dedicated team of over 30 AWS-certified and AWS-trained experts available to deliver and support high-touch AWS solutions tailored to each customer’s unique requirements.
“The AWS Solution Partner Program milestone underscores Continent 8’s commitment to continuing its position as the service and solutions provider of choice to the iGaming and online sports betting market. Whether it’s hyperscale, hybrid, public or private cloud management, Continent 8 remains steadfast in delivering trusted, bespoke, best-practice and value-added cloud experiences for our customers.”
Extending AWS capabilities for regulated betting and gaming environments
Join Continent 8 and AWS in a rapid-fire webinar to discover the key considerations and best practices for extending, optimising and reimagining AWS hybrid and multi-cloud architectures for betting and gaming operations.
Continent 8 Technologies PR & Media Marketing Department contact: press@continent8.com
The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) is pleased to welcome Continent 8 Technologies, the award-winning global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions provider to the global online gaming industry, as its newest association member.
Continent 8, an IGSA Silver member, is a trusted industry partner for global leading brands in the iGaming and online sports betting market. With over 25 years of experience, Continent 8 brings unparalleled expertise to the association. Their well-respected regulatory and cybersecurity practices make them an obvious choice in supporting IGSA, advocating true industry standards for the gaming industry. As a member of the IGSA Cyber Resiliency Committee, Continent 8 will have an immediate impact, empowering suppliers, operators and regulators with best-practice recommendations to meet current and evolving regulatory and cybersecurity requirements.
Jeremie Kanter, Continent 8 Director of Regulatory Affairs said:
“Continent 8 and its dedicated cybersecurity company, C8 Secure, have helped our global network of operators and suppliers achieve sustainable, long-term success. This is largely due to our commitment to industry standards. We are excited to collaborate with the IGSA and industry peers to develop and establish comprehensive compliance and cybersecurity standards with the goal of elevating regulatory and cybersecurity excellence, performance and innovation across the gaming
industry.”
“IGSA is very excited to welcome Continent 8 to our membership. As a long-time champion of industry standards, they are intimately familiar with the regulatory and cybersecurity challenges, opportunities and requirements that today’s gaming stakeholders face,” said Mark Pace, IGSA President.
“We look forward to their participation within our Cyber Resiliency Committee and other various IGSA groups. We believe their contributions will be significant and of great value to the industry.”
For media inquiries, contact press@continent8.com
The world of regulated betting and gaming is rapidly evolving as organisations embrace the AWS cloud to leverage the scalability benefits of hyper-scale cloud environments. The hyper-scale journey, however, isn’t without its challenges.
Watch the Continent 8 team, including Matteo Gabrielli and Carl Bonner, in this rapid-fire webinar to discover the key considerations and best practices for reimagining AWS hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.
Francisco Santos, Cloud Operations Manager at Continent 8 Technologies, alongside several of his colleagues in the global Cloud team, recently attended Nutanix .NEXT 2024. The event featured a full agenda of keynote presentations, game-changing breakouts, and hands-on demos, with a focus on how hybrid cloud unlocks the full potential of on-prem, private and public clouds.
Here, Francisco shares his key takeaways from the event.
I was really impressed with the .NEXT event. I attended a smaller version last November, but this full version provided a lot more information about new products, features, and partnerships.
I had a great time meeting with the Nutanix team, checking out new features for the Nutanix AHV virtualisation and Nutanix NCM multi-cloud management platforms, and learning about how other companies are using Nutanix. It was also interesting to explore the services available from partners like RedHat, Suse and Parallel.
The session was fantastic! We had over 100 attendees, and many people reached out afterward to learn more about our approach to building the multi-tenancy offering with Nutanix. The session covered how tenant operations are performed with NCM Self-Service, how to provide isolation with Flow Virtual Networking and VPCs, and even how to plan a migration from VMware to Nutanix AHV.
I think the session was timely given the recent changes to the new licensing model used by VMware Broadcom – a topic of concern for some. As a premier partner in Broadcom’s Partner Program for VMware Cloud Service Providers (VCSPs), we not only help customers migrate from non-virtualized and existing VMware infrastructure to fully managed and compliant clouds but also provide cost savings through licensing scalability and 24/7 support capability.
During the event, I noticed that most of the topics revolved around containers, cybersecurity, AI and hybrid cloud as most of the companies are using public/private cloud to establish their environment and disaster recovery solutions. The use of containerised applications can assist customers in understanding how to decouple their applications and optimise their use of the public cloud.
Hybrid cloud and AI are consistently the main topics covered at most cloud events, and Nutanix has some intriguing solutions available.
Overall, this was certainly an informative event, with a lot of great takeaways and customer interest. I look forward to attending next year’s Nutanix .NEXT event.
Continent 8 offers a comprehensive cloud offering that can support any cloud-based iGaming and online sports betting environment, tailored to the customer’s specific project requirements.
Learn how our cloud team can help simplify, optimise and reimagine your hyperscale, hybrid, public multi-tenant and private single-tenant cloud infrastructure – contact us today!
Continent 8 Technologies, the award-winning global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity provider to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, augments its US offering having received approval in the state of Nevada.
The company has received two approvals from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). The first authorizes Continent 8 to provide its cutting-edge services via its data center site located in the state, and the second allows it to service Nevada-licensed operations from its New Jersey site. This enables licensed iGaming operators and suppliers utilizing Continent 8’s state-of-the-art data center in Atlantic City to launch in the Silver State and benefit from zero-compromise connectivity, performance and latency for optimal user experiences.
Continent 8’s full suite of solutions designed to meet regulatory compliance in each state and jurisdiction is available to customers in Nevada. These solutions cover managed hosting, connectivity and cloud. This includes supporting hybrid cloud deployments with hyperscale partners like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Continent 8 has consistently demonstrated its leadership in the industry with a first-to-market approach across North America. Working closely with regulators ensures that its customers are the first to go live when each state opens its doors to regulated iGaming and online sports betting for the first time. Continent 8 is live in 30 US states, with further launches in the pipeline.
This first-to-market approach, unrivalled regulatory experience and cutting-edge suite of solutions have seen Continent 8 emerge as the go-to infrastructure provider of choice for 95% of operators on the EGR US Power Rankings for 2024.
“Our bold and customer-centric approach has positioned us as the number one iGaming infrastructure provider for operators and suppliers targeting the US market, and adding Nevada to our growing network of states strengthens this position.
“That we have also uniquely secured approvals to service Nevada customers from both in-state and out-of-state is further evidence of how we provide our customers with solutions they simply can’t get elsewhere. And this has only been possible because of our close relationship with regulators and the prowess of our infrastructure.”
Continent 8 Technologies has experienced significant growth in recent years, with a global private network now featuring over 100 data centre locations.
In the latest edition of the Cultiv8 Employee Series, Leslie Eisener, SVP of Supply Chain and Logistics, spoke with Jordan Holmes, Director of Talent Operations, about the exciting challenges of managing a growing network, the fundamental role her team plays on the broader company operations, current and upcoming initiatives, and much more.
This is a fairly new role at Continent 8, and its creation came off the back of consistent growth, bringing the business to a point where it needed to build a solid foundation for a supply chain that didn’t previously exist. That we have had to establish a supply chain function to match the pace of growth we are experiencing and to provide a platform for the future is a testament to the success Continent 8 has enjoyed in recent years, especially with the opening of North America, and the trajectory it is set to follow.
Our supply chain needs are similar to other services companies and include procurement, logistics, vendor management and inventory, as well as aspects of planning. With more than 100 data centre sites across four continents, we have inventory and assets that need to be purchased, shipped, tracked and stored in locations around the world, so my focus is to build a robust supply chain by engaging the right people, building or enhancing processes and deploying the necessary tools to support our goals.
I’ve been really fortunate to hold roles in the supply chain and digital technology spaces over the past 30 years. The first part of my career was spent in the high-tech industry as a systems administrator before progressing to data centre management. I then did an MBA, which allowed me to change direction and pursue a career in supply chain. This combination of experience with hardware/software and supply chain makes this role at Continent 8 the perfect fit for me.
The supply chain challenges faced by a technology company can be unique. I have experienced first-hand shortages like semiconductors during the pandemic and the impact that had, so I understand how even the smallest issue can significantly impact the supply chain but, more importantly, what needs to be done to ensure it’s business as usual.
The provisioning of secure data center hosting solutions to the iGaming industry is intriguing, exciting and new to me, so the opportunity to join a thriving global business and build something from scratch within the sector was one that I couldn’t turn down. Continent 8’s growing need for a supply chain solution and the chance to devise and deploy a solution to meet this demand presents a challenge that I know my experience will allow me to meet head-on and avoid the pitfalls I’ve seen companies fall into during my previous roles. Building something first-hand is always tough but I do love the challenge it brings.
So, approximately half of my team is new to the business, but the other half has invaluable experience that has fostered a nice blend of new eyes and energy mixed with wisdom and experience, and an understanding of Continent 8’s cultures and values. The team has had to embrace a great deal of change over the past year as we challenge the status quo, and they have done so enthusiastically. Everyone rolls up their sleeves and takes ownership to get things done while building better processes to work smarter and not just harder. This means taking an honest look at existing processes originally put in place when the company was smaller and then applying purposeful creativity to find better ways of doing things. We’ve spent many hours in whiteboarding sessions to develop new processes and streamline existing ones, but by doing this, we know that as we grow, we can continue to take active ownership of things we previously did not have the bandwidth or proper infrastructure to manage.
The supply chain is integral to the execution of our operations and the solutions and services we provide to our customers. We need to be able to find and onboard the best suppliers and ensure that products and services are flowing efficiently across our organisation in the most cost-effective way. As we continue to grow at speed, we must build strong partnerships with the suppliers that facilitate this growth while safeguarding against risks – of which there are many. With more than 100 data centres worldwide and counting, our logistics team has become a core and critical component in delivering the award-winning solutions we provide to operators and suppliers.
When I first joined Continent 8, the supply chain function consisted of a small but hard-working procurement team while logistics and inventory responsibilities were dispersed throughout the company. Relationships with our strategic suppliers fell mostly outside of that team, leaving the tactical purchasing work to be handled by procurement. Since joining, I have focused on several key areas while still trying to control the rate of change so that it’s manageable and achievable.
Some of these include building out a talented team of specialists, streamlining processes, implementing an inventory management system, and augmenting strategic relationships with our top suppliers by creating senior vendor manager roles.
This will be key to our success. Everything in the supply chain is new or changing, and this is why we need to gain buy-in from all stakeholders. To do this, we need to over-communicate these changes. If we can demonstrate the value of the changes we are making, we will have less resistance – and change always brings about plenty of this. The supply chain can add a lot of value to an organisation so long as it’s deployed and managed in an inclusive and collaborative environment. Luckily for me, the leadership team at Continent 8 is very open to change and has offered a great deal of support through the process – I regularly meet with members of the senior management team and have taken opportunities to present at meetings to show how the investment in the supply chain is evolving and the tremendous value it is bringing.
Join Craig Lusher from our Secure team as he takes a deep dive in the latest DDoS stat from the first quarter of the year
It’s been a quiet start to the year in terms of the number of DDoS attacks being launched against Continent 8 customers. In the first three months of 2024, we recorded just 58 attacks across 14 customers compared to the 184 recorded during the same period in 2023.
The year started with 17 attacks recorded in January, almost doubling to 30 in February before dropping back down to 15 in March – this compares with 116, 34 and 34 in January, February and March 2023 respectively.
The fluctuation in attack numbers over the first three months of the year suggests varying attack campaigns targeting different customers. Interestingly, the highest number of attacks were launched against customers based in Kahnawake.
The intensity of attacks was far less ferocious than in previous quarters where we registered attacks over 1Tbps – in 1Q24 it was a far more manageable 3Gbps. Throughout the quarter, the average size of attack was <1Gbps which is a record low for Continent 8 in recent years.
While the size of attacks is on the low side, the disparity between the largest and the average is significant and suggests that while most attacks were smaller there were some outliers (including the 3Gbps attack) that increased the average in February and March.
Of the customers attacked over the first three months of the year, one customer was subject to 25 attacks making it the most targeted. This indicates that specific customer was victim to a persistent targeted attack, which is why we recommend organisations deploy our DDoS Mitigation Service.
It also highlights that some organisations are at greater risk than others and may require additional protective measures depending on the products and services they offer and the markets they are active in.
While the scale of attacks was moderate by global standards, their frequency and duration are cause for concern. That total attack duration for Q1 amounted to 36.6 hours, with the longest attack lasting a total of 2.1 hours resulting in an average attack length of 38 minutes for the quarter.
Such durations can strain resources for unprotected customers and potentially lead to significant disruptions if critical systems or services are targeted.
Despite a drop in the number of DDoS attacks on our customers in the iGaming and sports betting industry, the need for DDoS protection is still paramount, especially for customers who are more susceptible and vulnerable to attack. This is certainly the case as we move toward a summer of major sports events including the Olympics and UEFA Euro 2024.
DDoS protection should form part of a wider, multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that also includes WAF/WAAP protection, backup solutions, MDR/EDR services, VAPT assessments, mobile device and phishing defence as well as SIEM and SOC resources.
This is the only way to have multiple protections in place for each attack type, including DDoS, and to ensure the greatest level of resilience.
Of course, our data and analysis should also be used to inform cybersecurity strategies moving forward and for resource allocation for DDoS mitigation efforts.
Our DDoS solution continues to evolve and in recent months we have amplified our scrubbing capacity to 2.5+Tbps, as well as increased our scrubbing centres geographically deployed across multiple continents. Locations include Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.
Key features of our mitigation solution:
To learn more about how Continent 8 can help defend your organisation against DDoS attacks, contact a member of the team via sales@continent8.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page
Industry trailblazer recognized for his contributions to the sports betting industry at SBC Summit North America
Michael Tobin, Founder and CEO of Continent 8 Technologies, was honored at SBC Summit North America, when he was inducted into the prestigious SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame 2024.
The SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements and made significant strides in shaping the sports betting landscape.
Over the last 25 years, Michael has worked tirelessly towards his vision of driving innovation and fostering growth in the global gaming industry. Continent 8 began its journey by setting up a state-of-the-art data center near Montreal, later expanding into key iGaming hubs in Europe, including the Isle of Man, Malta and Gibraltar.
Once regulation permitted, this expansion continued into other regions, such as the United States, Asia, and Latin America. Michael’s deep-rooted relationships with customers, partners, regulators, and suppliers have been crucial in fueling global development, progress and success within the constantly evolving iGaming and online sports betting industry.
Today, Continent 8 continues to be at the forefront of innovation, providing reliable managed hosting, connectivity, cloud, and cybersecurity services on a global tier-one network of over 100 locations across four continents. The company powers and protects the biggest names in the industry.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized by my peers, and it’s also a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Continent 8 team.
“I am incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished, the value we have added to the industry and the ways in which we have empowered our customers and partners to achieve success. The iGaming and online sports betting industry is constantly evolving, and I am excited to see how we can continue to embark on this journey to grow the market together.”
The company continues to bolster its sales team as it drives global expansion efforts to meet the growing demand for comprehensive solutions in highly demanding verticals
Continent 8 Technologies continues to strengthen its position as the leading compliant global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions provider with the appointment of Jamie Garcia as Regional Sales Director. In her new role, Jamie will be responsible for driving critical infrastructure growth and cybersecurity opportunities in the rapidly expanding iGaming and online sports betting market.
Jamie is a highly experienced industry specialist. Over her 10-plus-year career in the sector, she has held senior positions at some of the most renowned organizations, including Scientific Games and Williams (WMS) Gaming. She joins Continent 8 from Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), where she was a Senior Account Executive.
At Continent 8, Jamie will support new strategic sales initiatives to address the growing demand for the company’s comprehensive service portfolio. These offerings include hyperscale, hybrid/public/private cloud and physical infrastructure. Continent 8’s lineup also boasts a full suite of cybersecurity solutions to safeguard critical infrastructure against ever-evolving cyber threats. These include DDoS and WAF/WAAP protection, backup solutions, MDR/EDR services, VAPT assessments, mobile device and phishing defense, SIEM & SOC resources, and more.
“My skillset is ideally suited to the role of Regional Sales Director. I’m looking forward to using the experience and expertise I have built over my career to provide even more support and value to our customers.
“North America is an incredibly exciting market with big opportunities for operators and suppliers to explore, but they need the regulatory guidance and technical infrastructure and cybersecurity creativity for their iGaming and online sports betting requirements, and that’s exactly what Continent 8 provides.”
“Jamie has a proven track record at high-caliber organizations such as GLI and Scientific Games.
“This is just the sort of expertise we want to bring to our organization and US sales team. This is a market that has shown tremendous growth potential, and we want to continue to support our customers in the new and upcoming regulated states in which they operate.
“With Jamie on board, we can deepen the relationships we have with our customers and ensure they are getting the most out of the infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions and services we provide.”
Jamie and the Continent 8 team will be attending the SBC North America Summit from 7-9 May at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, New Jersey – Stand A290. To book a meeting with a member of the team, please email sales@continent8.com.
Sports betting and online casino operator leverages company’s hosting and connectivity solutions across regulated US states
Fanatics Betting and Gaming utilizes Continent 8 Technologies to deploy a trusted digital infrastructure as it continues its rapid growth across the regulated US online sports betting and online casino market.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming uses Continent 8’s innovative and reliable digital infrastructure solutions to deliver a seamless player experience in the US. This includes hosting all of its in-state data centers through AWS Outposts. Continent 8 is supporting Fanatics Betting and Gaming by managing on-premises infrastructure and services in 20 states across the US, including Michigan, New York, Vermont and West Virginia, to name a few.
Continent 8 has one of the largest connected networks in the world, spanning over 100 locations across four continents, including 30 US states and counting.
The operator has also signed up for Continent 8’s Gaming Exchange. This is a powerful, private internet that allows Continent 8’s customers to connect securely via a virtual private network (VPN) across its backbone network. This enables customers to share traffic at the lowest latency, securely and privately.
Michael Tobin, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Continent 8 Technologies said:
“We have worked with Fanatics Betting and Gaming – a top-tier US operator – from day one of their launch, supporting them as they have grown state-by-state.
“Fanatics is a high-caliber operator that understands the importance of infrastructure in delivering the top-quality player experience it is building its reputation on. Our leading digital infrastructure solutions provide the reliable connectivity operators need to deploy their online sportsbooks and casinos in regulated US states quickly and compliantly.”
“Infrastructure is the foundation upon which we build our sports betting and casino experience,” said Bob Pascucci, Vice President of Technology, Fanatics Betting and Gaming.
“In Continent 8, we have a partner with an unrivaled reputation for supporting its customers, enabling us to continue to drive growth at pace.”
Learn more about Continent 8’s US connectivity and infrastructure solutions at SBC Summit North America, 7-9 May at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, New Jersey – Stand A290.