Cloud storage

A cloud SLA (cloud service-level agreement) is an agreement between a cloud service provider and a customer that ensures a minimum level of service is maintained.. See complete definition.

Feature 28 Sep 2023
Cloud NAS, what is it good for?

We look at NAS file access storage, how it works, what it’s good for and the possibilities to access storage for files and unstructured data in the public cloud Continue Reading
Feature 26 Sep 2023
IBM reorients to offset historic storage hardware decline

Storage profile: We look at IBM and the strategic shifts it has made towards the cloud, cloud-native and as-a-service offerings that aim to reverse a long-term decline in revenues Continue Reading

News 26 Sep 2023

Kubernetes storage: It’s object or nothing for MinIO

SAN and NAS are finished in the age of the cloud when it comes to cloud-native Kubernetes storage, according to container-focused object storage maker MinIO Continue Reading
News 25 Sep 2023

How Liverpool FC is tapping cloud and data analytics

Liverpool Football Club is leveraging data analytics and cloud technology to improve fan engagement and enable its media production team to work more efficiently Continue Reading
Opinion 20 Sep 2023

4 reasons cloud data repatriation is happening in storage

When the advantages of cloud storage aren't fully realized, repatriation becomes a consideration. Find out where the cloud isn't delivering on its promises. Continue Reading
News 20 Sep 2023

How Google is priming its infrastructure for the AI wave

The technology giant is integrating purpose-built hardware with an optimised software stack to meet the heightened computational demands of next-generation AI workloads Continue Reading
News 19 Sep 2023

38TB Microsoft data leak highlights risks of oversharing

An accidentally disclosed SAS token with excessive privileges enabled researchers to access nearly 40TB of Microsoft’s data, highlighting the risks of privilege mismanagement and oversharing Continue Reading
Tip 11 Sep 2023

How to develop a cloud backup ransomware protection strategy

Deploying cloud backups for ransomware protection has become a common security strategy. Here's how to properly vet cloud storage vendors to ensure backups stay secure. Continue Reading
Feature 08 Sep 2023

SME disaster recovery: Five key points to consider

We look at key DR considerations for SMEs, including RPOs, RTOs, infrastructure needed for effective continuity and the right combination of cloud and in-house provision Continue Reading
Feature 05 Sep 2023

HPE storage comes with full IT stack, hybrid cloud and as a service

Storage profile: We look at HPE, its Alletra storage refresh, and Greenlake and the ways the company is re-branding as a full-stack provider across on-prem and hybrid cloud Continue Reading
News 05 Sep 2023

VMware builds vSAN Max, consolidates multicloud and online deployment

VMware launches new iteration of vSAN Max with up to 8.6PB of independently scalable storage, NSX gets a “+” as it unifies networks and Ransomware Recovery ups efficiency Continue Reading
News 01 Sep 2023

Google Cloud eyes bigger market share with AI

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian is confident the company’s generative AI capabilities will enable it to grow faster than the market and narrow the gap with rivals Continue Reading
News 24 Aug 2023

AWS debuts Dedicated Local Zones with Singapore government as first customer

The new offering will be fully managed by AWS, built for exclusive use by a customer or community, and placed in a customer-specified location or datacentre Continue Reading
Podcast 22 Aug 2023

Podcast: AI threats mean backup and security must work as one

Malicious use of artificial intellience against scattered data stores means data protection and security must go hand-in-hand. That’s the view of Gaidar Magdanurov, chief success officer at Acronis Continue Reading
E-Zine 18 Aug 2023

CW APAC: Expert advice on storage and backup

In this handbook, focused on storage and backup in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at why 3-2-1 backup is still relevant, how researchers are overcoming restraints found in typical DNA storage systems, Dell’s latest offerings and the future of HDDs Continue Reading
Feature 09 Aug 2023

Huawei a big storage hitter despite international troubles

Huawei is a leading storage player with an enterprise product offer across file, block and object storage, and the cloud, despite controversy and trading difficulties Continue Reading
Podcast 08 Aug 2023

Podcast: File synchronisation benefits and use cases

If you’ve got the bandwidth and you need to share files or even synchronise virtual desktops, file synchronisation is worth a look. That’s the view of Peer Software CEO Jimmy Tan Continue Reading
News 07 Aug 2023

HPE’s Alletra MP marries storage to cloud and software-defined choices

HPE’s Alletra was launched in April with an architecture that ties in with GreenLake consumption purchasing, SaaS configuration and addition of software-defined storage services Continue Reading
Blog Post 02 Aug 2023

A Whole Lot Of Monkeys Required... VAST Data Looks To Revolutionise AI

If there has been one extraordinarily overused buzz phrase in recent IT years, that phrase has to be AI or Artificial Intelligence, often in tandem with ML or Machine Learning. As a judge on the ... Continue Reading
News 02 Aug 2023

Cubbit offers cut-price cloud with DS3 distributed storage

Cubbit’s DS3 offers cloud at up to 20% the cost of the main providers via on-premise software that builds a cloud with other users and targets unstructured data use cases such as backup Continue Reading
News 01 Aug 2023

Vast Data Platform aims at storage everywhere for AI/ML workloads

Vast Data to offer storage with data lake and warehouse functionality built in natively, in anticipation of a huge surge in AI/ML workloads and a need for ever-larger data stores Continue Reading
News 24 Jul 2023

CunoFS brings Posix file access to S3 object storage capacity

Developed out of data compression tools for genomics, PetaGene gateways allow application servers Posix-based file access to the deep data stores of S3 object capacity Continue Reading
News 19 Jul 2023

Australia’s IaaS market surges 37.1% in 2022

IaaS remains the engine of growth in the Australian IT market and is showing no signs of slowing down, according to Gartner Continue Reading
Feature 19 Jul 2023

Backup in the age of cloud

The 3-2-1 backup strategy remains relevant in the age of cloud, giving rise to hybrid approaches that combine on-premise and cloud backups to minimise data loss, reduce downtime and improve redundancy Continue Reading
E-Zine 18 Jul 2023

Computer Weekly: Soaring ahead with data at Rolls-Royce

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how aerospace giant Rolls-Royce is using data science, machine learning and internet of things to improve its competitive advantage. We examine the benefits and best practices in software-defined storage. And we analyse calls for a review of laws around the use of computer evidence prompted by the Post Office IT scandal. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 17 Jul 2023

Police Scotland use cloud for biometric data despite clear risks

Police Scotland confirms it has stored significant volumes of biometric data on a cloud-based digital evidence sharing system despite major ongoing data protection concerns, bringing into question the effectiveness of the current regulatory approach and the overall legality of using hyperscale public cloud technologies in a policing context Continue Reading
News 13 Jul 2023

Nutanix eyes PaaS services with Project Beacon

Nutanix is extending its reach higher up the software stack with Project Beacon, a multi-year effort to deliver PaaS services across distributed environments Continue Reading
News 06 Jul 2023

VMware ramps up on sovereign cloud in APAC

VMware is working with local partners to deliver sovereign cloud services in the region, amid growing sovereignty interests among governments and the need maintain business continuity Continue Reading
News 05 Jul 2023

Allo Bank taps Tencent Cloud in digital banking

Indonesia’s largest digital lender is tapping Tencent Cloud’s TDSQL database management system and cloud infrastructure to provide digital banking services for six million customers Continue Reading
News 05 Jul 2023

UK public increasingly concerned over NHS data sovereignty

Amid security concerns and AI advances, a majority of the British public still trusts the NHS to store and analyse their health data, but would prefer it remains domiciled in the UK Continue Reading
E-Zine 04 Jul 2023

How data is beating heart disease

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how a new data strategy is helping the British Heart Foundation to raise money and support medical research. We examine the benefits of using AI in advanced malware detection. And we reveal why the Information Commissioner is under fire for weak responses to serious data breaches. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
Feature 29 Jun 2023

Software-defined storage: What’s available from key players

What’s available in software-defined storage from the big storage players, software-defined storage specialists, and SDS options focused on cloud, virtualisation and containers Continue Reading
Feature 28 Jun 2023

Hitachi Vantara: Small part of a big corp and analytics focus

We look at Hitachi Vantara, its storage, its cloud offer, the workloads it targets, and its efforts in containerisation and consumption models of storage purchasing Continue Reading
News 27 Jun 2023

Johnson Controls opts for container-based app delivery with Portworx

Buildings management giant built a suite of customer-facing products using containers and opted for Pure Storage Portworx for hybrid cloud container management and data protection Continue Reading
Feature 23 Jun 2023

Generative AI: Data privacy, backup and compliance

We look at generative AI and the risks it poses to data privacy for the enterprise, implications for backup, and potentially dangerous impacts on compliance Continue Reading
Podcast 21 Jun 2023

Podcast: Cloud security, compliance and data classification

The rise of cloud has led to a proliferation of enterprise data and a rise in risk. We talk to Vigitrust CEO Mathieu Gorge about how to ensure compliance in a multicloud world Continue Reading
News 20 Jun 2023

Data sovereignty and security driving hybrid IT adoption in Australia

Over half of Australian organisations plan to repatriate some applications from public cloud to on-premise datacentres due to data sovereignty concerns, Nutanix study finds Continue Reading
News 20 Jun 2023

Oracle opens first EU-based sovereign cloud regions in Germany and Spain

Database software giant is making good on its July 2022 pledge to open a series of sovereign cloud regions to cater to the data protection needs of EU-based enterprises Continue Reading
News 19 Jun 2023

Avaya assures future-proof global communications with Enterprise Cloud

Comms tech provider kicks off user group conference proclaiming company is back, and unveils tech for firms to pursue hybrid cloud models by hosting parts of comms infrastructure in dedicated cloud instance Continue Reading
News 19 Jun 2023

Nakivo adds ransomware scanning and new restore options

Backup maker adds malware scanning with big names in security to immutable backup copy functionality. “Tape’s not dead” either, with restore from the venerable medium now possible Continue Reading
Feature 16 Jun 2023

Pure Storage: HDDs dead by 2028 and our flash will replace it

Pure Storage says spinning disk is doomed, and only it can provide a replacement. We look at the rationale behind its bold message, and the possible impacts of such a scenario Continue Reading
Podcast 14 Jun 2023

Podcast: Containers, Kubernetes, data protection and compliance

Containers offer benefits to application deployment, but they proliferate, so tracking them for compliance purposes can be a challenge. We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading
News 06 Jun 2023

ESA uses NetApp as-a-service for space data ‘hot’ archive

The European Space Agency collects data from millions of miles away. It must get storage right when there’s no chance of a u-turn to take more photos or re-record data Continue Reading
News 31 May 2023

Panasas to add S3 support to edge storage and cloud moves

Scale-out NAS maker – which specialises in large capacity for AI/ML and HPC – has come out of its on-prem shell and now plans further moves towards cloud-friendly object storage Continue Reading
News 31 May 2023

Singapore government teams up with Google Cloud on AI

The Singapore government and Google Cloud will make AI capabilities, including developer tools and AI models, available to public sector agencies through a locally hosted AI platform Continue Reading
E-Zine 30 May 2023

Can the UK cash in on chips?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has committed £1bn to the semiconductor sector – but can it ever compete with the US and China? The potential of 5G networking could transform manufacturing – we examine the implications. And we talk to the global CIO at cloud storage provider Box about plans to incorporate AI and machine learning. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 23 May 2023

Dell outlines growth strategy in APAC

Dell Technologies is building on its momentum with Apex while eyeing growth areas such as edge computing and AI in a bid to expand its business in the region Continue Reading
News 23 May 2023

Aston Martin gets F1 pole position with NetApp storage

AMF1 race team tracks hundreds of car sensor metrics for raceday and post-event analysis that has seen it surge forward in recent Formula One rankings with NetApp NVMe storage Continue Reading
News 22 May 2023

Dell bolsters Apex to ease multicloud deployments

In the biggest expansion of its Apex portfolio, Dell Technologies adds storage offerings and a trio of cloud platforms that integrate OpenShift, Azure and vSphere with Dell infrastructure Continue Reading
News 18 May 2023

Inside MLC Life Insurance’s cloud journey

The Australian insurer spent a fair amount of time addressing people-related challenges in its move to cloud, which has improved its security posture and reduced infrastructure spending, among other outcomes Continue Reading
News 16 May 2023

Gartner highlights four trends shaping enterprise cloud, edge and datacentre investments

Analyst lifts lid on how enterprise attitudes to cloud, datacentre and edge-related digital transformation projects are changing Continue Reading
News 16 May 2023

NetApp to promise ransomware warranty payout

NetApp will recover data hit by ransomware or pay a warranty, and has added entry-level SAN arrays and full access to all NetApp software across its hardware families Continue Reading
News 16 May 2023

Scality pushes anti-ransomware features in Artesca object storage

Object storage specialist announces v2.0 of Artesca, with a heavy focus on functionality that can protect against ransomware such as object locking, sharding, backup to object etc Continue Reading
News 12 May 2023

Microsoft, Singtel debut Azure public MEC in Singapore

Azure public multi-access edge compute service will let enterprises deploy low-latency workloads and leverage public cloud services in edge locations Continue Reading
News 10 May 2023

Nebulon aims Tripline at ransomware detection in storage

Tripline claims ransomware detection from samples every 30 seconds and works in conjunction with snapshots to deliver recovery from an attack in four minutes Continue Reading
News 09 May 2023

OVHcloud aims to bring Glacier-like cloud archive to Europe

OVHcloud makes Cold Archive GA with deep archive storage cheaper than AWS’s offer and all based on IBM 3592 tape hardware spread across four sites with Atempo backup Continue Reading
Feature 03 May 2023

Quantum computing: What are the data storage challenges?

Quantum computing will be able to process massive amounts of data at extraordinary speeds, but challenges exist in data storage. How will today’s storage systems keep pace? Continue Reading
News 26 Apr 2023

Police Scotland receive formal notice about cloud system

Scotland’s biometrics watchdog has issued Police Scotland with an information notice over its deployment of a cloud-based digital evidence system, following disclosure of major data protection concerns by Computer Weekly Continue Reading
News 25 Apr 2023

Veritas shows off software SAN for Kubernetes at KubeCON 2023

Veritas InfoScale aims to provide high-performance block access storage despite limitations such as a maximum node count of 16 per cluster Continue Reading
Podcast 25 Apr 2023

Podcast: Ransomware, data protection and compliance

Ransomware is a huge and ever-present threat, but there are ways to avoid it and to mitigate its effects. We get key practical steps from Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading
News 18 Apr 2023

IT Priorities 2023: Cloud and disaster recovery top storage and backup plans

Cloud storage still the biggest project planned in data storage in 2023, with disaster recovery the most important area in data protection cited by TechTarget/Computer Weekly survey respondents Continue Reading
News 17 Apr 2023

Public cloud adoption set to surge in Australia

New and existing workloads are increasingly being migrated to public cloud, with two-thirds of Australian organisations already running cloud workloads in production in 2022 Continue Reading
News 14 Apr 2023

Alibaba Cloud unveils cheaper cloud options, new language model

Alibaba has introduced cheaper instances of its compute and storage services in China and is jumping on the generative AI bandwagon with its Tongyi Qianwen language model Continue Reading
News 04 Apr 2023

HPE launches GreenLake for File and Block, and unified arrays

HPE upgrades its storage-as-a-service offer with Greenlake for File and for Block, configurable via the cloud but deployable on-prem. Meanwhile it shows new Alletra MP arrays Continue Reading
03 Apr 2023

Container storage platforms: Big six approach starts to align

We survey the big six storage makers and sees that methods are starting to align around management platforms. Continue Reading
Podcast 29 Mar 2023

Podcast: Cloud storage, data protection and compliance

The lure of cloud storage hides its drawback, namely that you can lose control of it from a compliance perspective. We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, about how to tame it Continue Reading
News 28 Mar 2023

IBM Storage launched with backup appliance plan

Prosaically named brand will replace Spectrum products, while IBM rationalises offer for AI/ML, hybrid cloud and malware, which it sees as the backdrop to contemporary IT Continue Reading
Feature 24 Mar 2023

HDD specs: Assess SATA vs SAS, sustained data rates and block size

In part two of a two-part series, we look at sustained data rates in hard disk drive specs, SATA versus SAS, drive security, and how HDD makers pack density into products by shingling Continue Reading
News 22 Mar 2023

Why Veeam thinks ransomware warranty payouts are unlikely

Veeam Data Platform v12 offers a financial guarantee to customers that can’t restore after ransomware attacks, but the backup supplier is convinced it won’t be making many payouts Continue Reading
News 22 Mar 2023

OVHcloud opens India datacentre

The French cloud service provider has opened its first datacentre in India that will provide Indian businesses with access to local compute and storage capabilities Continue Reading
Feature 21 Mar 2023

HDD specs: Assess MTTF, AFR and UER to get the drives you need

In part one of a two-part series, we look at key hard disk drive specs, including mean time to failure, annual failure rate and unrecoverable error rate, and how they relate to each other Continue Reading
Feature 17 Mar 2023

Vast Data’s ‘Act 2’ builds data management layer on QLC flash

Vast Data offers QLC flash bulk storage with a rapid cache I/O layer. Now, it has embarked on offering big data, analytics and application access to highly available data stores Continue Reading
News 15 Mar 2023

Budget 2023: Chancellor affirms tax relief for IT investment

Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget makes IT investment tax expendable for three years and announces support for artificial intelligence companies, including annual £1m ‘Manchester Prize’ Continue Reading
Feature 14 Mar 2023

QLC edges into mainstream, but what are its advantages?

QLC flash offers high density but has lifecycle limitations. But what does it really cost compared with TLC and MLC, and how are suppliers implementing it and getting around durability issues? Continue Reading
E-Zine 14 Mar 2023

Digital dedication – the transformation of Guinness World Records

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the digital transformation at Guinness World Records – dedication, that’s what you need. We examine the new space race – to launch low-orbit, low-cost communications satellites. And we look at the role of technology in sustainability strategies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 13 Mar 2023

Liverpool Football Club signs Wasabi in on-premise-to-cloud storage transition

Liverpool Football Club has transitioned from lead-footed on-premise infrastructure to Wasabi cloud storage that’s well-suited to its video production and distribution requirements Continue Reading
Podcast 10 Mar 2023

Podcast: Why DBaaS and what problems does it solve?

We talk to Tobias Ternström of Nutanix about how the enterprise landscape has seen thousands of databases from multiple vendors mushroom and how database as a service can help manage that complexity Continue Reading
News 09 Mar 2023

Velero wants to become the Kubernetes backup standard

Open source Velero offers modular data protection and disaster recovery functionality via API for Kubernetes container clusters in an effort to become the standard in the field Continue Reading
News 07 Mar 2023

APAC IT leaders bullish on tech spending

Over half of respondents in this year’s IT Priorities study have bigger IT budgets as they continue to make strategic investments in cyber security, cloud and automation, among other areas Continue Reading
Podcast 06 Mar 2023

Podcast: 2023 compliance and storage outlook

Geopolitical instability casts its shadow as organisations must think about cyber attacks, data location and what to do if things change quickly. We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading
News 02 Mar 2023

AWS to open cloud region in Malaysia

Along with a new infrastructure region, AWS plans to invest $6bn in Malaysia by 2037 as it continues to expand its footprint across the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading
Feature 01 Mar 2023

Backup testing: The why, what, when and how

We look at backup testing – why you should do it, what you should do, when you should do it, and how, with a view to the ways in which it will be made easier by forthcoming developments in backup software Continue Reading
News 28 Feb 2023

Pure Storage aims FlashBlade//E at unstructured data capacity

But not the ones that need super high performance. FlashBlade//E will target use cases that need large amounts of QLC flash without the most-demands for rapid access Continue Reading
News 28 Feb 2023

LastPass attack saw employee’s home computer hacked

The ongoing investigation into a series of linked security incidents at LastPass has found that the attacker was successfully able to compromise a developer’s home PC using a vulnerability in a media software package Continue Reading
Feature 27 Feb 2023

Unstructured data and the storage it needs

We look at unstructured and semi-structured data and find increasing amounts of production workloads that have their own storage hardware – file and object – needs, including flash Continue Reading
News 20 Feb 2023

Veeam bundles backup products into Veeam Data Platform

Backup and data protection specialist Veeam upgrades and rebrands, with a focus on the challenges of ransomware and rapid recovery, and a claimed 500 new functions Continue Reading
News 15 Feb 2023

Home Office partners with BAE Systems on border analytics

BAE Systems wins three-year contract worth £38m to help Home Office develop Cerberus, a project to secure UK borders through advanced data systems and analytics Continue Reading
News 13 Feb 2023

Hycu aims at universal SaaS backup with R-Cloud

Hycu’s R-Cloud aims to provide an API-driven backup product for any software-as-a-service application for enterprise customers, based on a simple low-code development environment Continue Reading
News 13 Feb 2023

Porsche revs up Formula E team with NetApp hybrid cloud

Porsche’s electric car racing team has to set up on city street courses in short order, and does it with a portable server setup and hybrid cloud storage managed by NetApp GFC Continue Reading
News 08 Feb 2023

Rakuten targets big edge deployments with Symworld Cloud

Japanese giant Rakuten bought Kubernetes management platform Robin.io and put it in 50,000-plus telco antennas. Now it aims Symworld Cloud at enterprise edge deployments Continue Reading
Feature 07 Feb 2023

Container storage platforms: Big six approach starts to align

Container storage is a complex but vital task. We survey the big six storage makers and see methods are starting to align around management platforms Continue Reading
News 07 Feb 2023

NetApp adds QLC C-series, new A-series and subscription upgrades

NetApp C-series QLC-based array family offers flash speed with capacity, while Advance adds subscription upgrades to owned hardware, as well as a new entry-level A-series array Continue Reading
E-Zine 31 Jan 2023

How the cost-of-living crisis is affecting IT

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with major tech companies announcing thousands of job cuts, we examine what the cost-of-living crisis means for IT leaders and tech professionals. We analyse what you need to consider when reversing systems out of the cloud and back on-premise. And Very Group’s CIO talks about the post-pandemic challenges facing online retailers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 30 Jan 2023

Tiger’s hybrid cloud storage targets medical imaging

Tiger Bridge targets vertical sectors that find it hard to migrate to the cloud by allowing data storage in the cloud while using files locally as if stored on-premise Continue Reading
Feature 25 Jan 2023

Green storage: Savings to be made but tricky to achieve

Storage upgrades can bring energy savings. New hardware, the cloud and as-a-service procurement models all cut costs, but can need careful tweaking to get right Continue Reading
News 24 Jan 2023

AWS opens Melbourne region, to invest $4.5bn by 2037

Amazon Web Services’ new Melbourne cloud region will better serve Australian customers such as ANZ Bank and is expected to benefit over 2,500 full-time jobs in the country Continue Reading
Feature 24 Jan 2023

IT’s shift to the cloud: Veeam’s data protection report in detail

With half of servers in the cloud, most backup and nearly all disaster recovery cloud-centric, the shift to the cloud is significant – but container backup is one area that is yet to settle down Continue Reading
News 20 Jan 2023

DataCore software-defined storage helps car firm avoid breakdowns

Bontaz used to face regular IT outages that took too long to recover from. Then it got DataCore software-defined storage and the ability to rapidly recover from downtime Continue Reading
News 20 Jan 2023

Veeam survey finds ransomware blocks digital transformation

Annual report shows secular trend to the cloud and increased use of containers, but prevalence of ransomware attacks means digital transformation is hindered Continue Reading
News 20 Jan 2023

Atempo plots course to containerised backup with S3 storage

Containerised modularised backup services will allow integration with third-party systems and backup storage unified onto S3 object storage for cost and analytics purposes Continue Reading
News 20 Dec 2022

Top 10 emerging storage trends stories of 2022

There’s a seismic shift to the cloud. In its wake, object storage, unstructured data, analytics, unified file and object, and consumption models of procurement have all been boosted Continue Reading
E-Zine 20 Dec 2022

The Post Office IT scandal – cock-up or cover-up?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the second phase of the Post Office IT scandal inquiry revealed further shocking details at every turn – we review the latest evidence. We examine progress of the roll-out of fast broadband connectivity across the UK. And as the Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament, we look at the ongoing arguments about how to keep the internet safe. Read the issue now. Continue Reading