BetaNews Staff

To choose the right solutions, leaders must not get blinded by tech hype

blinded by light

In the tech industry, the phrase 'one size fits all' never applies. The hype surrounding developments such as generative AI may be attractive to companies looking to be innovative. However, integrating the trendiest tech advancements does not always yield benefits for your business.

The allure of a technological silver bullet can sway companies to make decisions without truly understanding the broader business picture. Whether it’s AI or a productivity tool, leaders may adopt the first available solution, assuming it will address all their challenges and boost employee productivity. When that fails, they move onto the next option. In fact, nearly half of the respondents in our recent workplace alignment survey admitted to using five or more productivity applications at work. However, this isn’t always the best solution for employees, with 40 percent saying they find it frustrating to have so many tools at their disposal.

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You can't win: Learning to live with security pessimism

cybersecurity

Cybersecurity can, at times, feel like a thankless and invisible task. The punishment for a mistake is immediate and ruthless, the reward for success next to non-existent, because how do you recognize the absence of a breach? But this isn’t a new scenario; the IT industry has dealt with this outlook for decades. The job of an IT department is to be invisible, but when something does go wrong all eyes are inevitably on them to fix it.

In a threat landscape where there exists a constant push to innovate, adapt and breach, there are only three possible outcomes for the IT industry: defeat, indefinite struggle, or complete structural collapse.

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Why organizations are taking the leap to backup as a service (BaaS)

Backup as a Service BaaS

As one of the world’s most valuable commodities, data has increasingly been the focus of cybercrime over the past decade. As a core segment of a modernized organization, data-first approaches to business intelligence are extremely common. Its centrality in modern business has led to an average data breach costing over $4.4 million dollars for the attacked company. With this astounding penalty for poor security defenses, the need to backup and protect data has risen to an all-time high.

Typically, companies that wanted to protect their data through backups would do so by creating on-premise storage. However, due to the expanding amount of information that businesses commonly access and utilize, the scope of what organizations needed to save continued to increase. Instead of adding a few external servers and hard drives, or NAS (Network-attached Storage), they now needed to create entire systems, which were costly to install and maintain.

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A whole new ball game: How next-gen technology is revolutionizing sports

Sports and technology have long been intertwined, but the advent of next-generation technology is taking this relationship to new heights. Cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and remote collaboration are unlocking unprecedented opportunities for teams, players, and fans alike. These innovative solutions are changing the face of sports, giving teams a competitive advantage on the field while taking the fan experience to the next level.

As a wide variety of cutting-edge technologies gain importance in sports, it’s worth looking at how they are helping to improve and evolve our favorite games and what we can expect in the future.

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Why "AI" can't succeed without APIs

AI-Security-model

Mega tech trends like the cloud, the mobile phone era, metaverse and now AI all depend on enabling technologies sitting right beneath the surface hidden from nearly everyone’s view. Their structural integrity depends on the flawless operation of those enabling technologies, which in many cases are Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). As such, their success depends on API adoption. Nowhere is this truer than in the rapid proliferation of AI technologies, like generative AI, which require a simple and very easy-to-use interface that gives everyone access to the technology. The secret here is that these AI tools are just thin UIs on top of APIs that connect into the highly complex and intensive work of a large language model (LLM).

It’s important to remember that AI models don’t think for themselves, they only appear to be so that we can interact with them in a familiar way. APIs are essentially acting as translators for AI platforms as they’re relatively straightforward, highly structured and standardized on a technological level. What most people think of as "AI" should be viewed through the lens of an API product; and with that mindset, organizations can best prepare for what potential use cases are possible and how to ensure their workforces have the skills to put them into action.

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Learning from the recent TOMRA cyberattack: How can manufacturers increase resilience?

The recent cyberattack on TOMRA, a leading recycling entity and crucial cog in the wider manufacturing supply chain, underscores the escalating threat of cybercrime in the manufacturing sector. On July 16, TOMRA's data systems were extensively compromised, leading to significant operational disruptions. The attack's impact varied across the company's infrastructure, with systems taken offline and machines of different generations affected differently.

Manufacturers are at the heart of our global economy. If they are unable to build, ship, or invoice their goods due to a cyberattack, the potential losses can be catastrophic. At the same time, manufacturers are grappling with two distinct cybersecurity issues: updating security for legacy equipment that is vulnerable to lateral movement and securing the migration to Industrial IoT or Industry 4.0.

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Businesses must learn to live with ransomware

Last year, 85 percent of organizations were hit by at least one ransomware attack, according to the  Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023. With almost all organizations suffering these attacks, it’s clear that the problem is not only widespread but almost inevitable these days. Though this might sound daunting, it’s by acknowledging this fact that we can manage this ever-present threat. So, let’s look at what solutions organizations can utilize to be able to live alongside ransomware.

It’s clear that ransomware attacks are a very real and present threat -- we see this every day, whether we’re watching the national news or sitting in the boardroom. Considering the ubiquity of these attacks, organizations need to be aware that a ransomware attack is no longer a case of ‘if’ you’ll be the target of an attack but ‘how often.’ While a vast number of organizations experienced at least one attack last year, the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report also showed that just under half (48 percent) suffered two or three attacks. This can feel like an overwhelming prospect for an organization of any size, and the natural consequence is that many turn to cyber insurance in search of some peace of mind.

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From The White House to your business: The countdown is on to zero trust

The countdown is on. Following orders by The White House, civilian government agencies have a little over a year to establish and implement zero trust cybersecurity. The threat environment is evolving too quickly, the government notes, to rely on outdated defenses.

And the public sector is already heeding the cybersecurity call. Roughly two-thirds of American government agencies are confident of meeting the zero trust requirement by the deadline of September 2024.

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7 cost benefits of cloud computing

Cloud dollars

Both aspects of a list of cloud computing costs and benefits could be summed up with just two words: "Lots, potentially."

While hosting your application in the cloud does come with a tangible price tag, leveraging the power of the cloud can have a profound positive impact on your business. Fortunately, there are many ways in which cloud computing reduces costs. With careful planning, most companies, especially start-ups and small businesses, can scale their operations and continue building products much faster and more cost-effectively than with on premises hosting.

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3 ways automation can enhance organizational security to overcome the cybersecurity skills shortage

plugging a gap

In the race towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, organizations are embracing technologies that enhance connectivity and streamline processes. While rapid digitalization has helped businesses thrive and stay afloat during a turbulent last few years, it has also opened the door to increased vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit.

This increased exposure comes at a time when cybersecurity threats worldwide continue to increase at an alarming rate. According to the latest Blackberry Global Threat Intelligence Report, the number of unique attacks using new malware samples skyrocketed by 50 percent from December 2022 to February 2023, with up to 12 attacks per-minute observed. In the UK, where cybersecurity has been identified as a Tier 1 threat alongside terrorism, war and natural disasters, 32 percent of businesses have reported a breach or attack during the last 12 months.

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Securing applications: 4 common cyber attack types WAAP can prevent

DevSecOps

Cyber threats are rapidly changing. And businesses need security solutions that can keep up. With traditional cybersecurity solutions, APIs and applications that are accessible to the public are often left vulnerable -- exposed to hackers.

Web Application and API Protection (or WAAP), on the other hand, uses machine learning and automation to close the gap in security that old tools have left behind. It protects the company from versatile cyber attacks that exploit flaws within applications. What are some of the common kinds of cyber threats that the WAAP solution can help you prevent?

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Building customer communities to accelerate innovation and growth

Increasing customer loyalty in today’s difficult economic times might seem impossible, but the rewards are well worth the extra effort and commitment. According to Forbes, customer-centric companies are 60 percent more profitable than companies that don't focus on their customers. This statistic on its own is probably enough to bring customer satisfaction and retention to the forefront of most C-suite agendas, if it wasn’t a priority already. However, there’s much more value that happy customers can bring to a business than profit alone.

By creating an engaged customer community, companies can also become more innovative and competitive, speed up new product development, and grow their customer base through referrals. Building such a community requires planning and patience, and is a balancing act between efficiency and resources. Its success relies on defining the best communication channels, at the right cost, to connect with customers.

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Guarding the digital generation: Enhancing online safety through age verification

Age verification

With the influx of next-gen technologies like generative AI coupled with the rapid proliferation of interactive platforms and digital media, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to protect minors from harmful and explicit content. The sheer volume of information and digital functions today makes it extremely difficult to ensure children and young adults are only consuming age-appropriate content.

Regulating this colossal mass of internet content is a herculean task, which is often deemed impossible. Rather, the most effective and simple solution for creating a safe online landscape is age verification.

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Countering the rise of AI criminals

Artificial-Intelligence-threat

As generative AI tools continue to expand, new doors are being opened for fraudsters to exploit weaknesses. Have you experimented with generative AI tools like ChatGPT yet? From beating writer’s block to composing ad copy, creating travel itineraries, and kickstarting code snippets, there’s something for everyone. Unfortunately, "everyone" includes criminals.

Cybercriminals are early adopters. If there’s a shiny new technology to try, you can bet that crooks will explore how to use it to commit crimes. The earlier they can exploit this technology, the better -- this will give them a head start on defenses being put in place to block their nefarious activities. If tech helps boost the scale or sophistication of criminal attacks, it’s extra attractive. It’s no wonder cybercriminals have been loving tools like ChatGPT.

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Evolution of cloud data protection: Why your business needs a Data Command Center

Businesses face increasing hurdles when protecting sensitive data in today's complex digital, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. The truth is that historically, data security has been the core challenge that enterprises have been aiming to tackle given the fact that data breaches have become increasingly common as attackers deploy more sophisticated techniques to cause extensive damage to companies, including monetary losses, reputational harm, and legal penalties.

In this context, deep and proactive data insights are required -- knowing where sensitive data resides or who has access to it is no longer a ‘nice-to-have,’ but a must. However, steps adopted to mitigate these challenges still have a lot to do with data security as a silo, while not necessarily as part of a broader understanding of how data is being used or how it needs to adhere to regulations across the entire organization, which usually comes as an afterthought.

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