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Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Server Preview Build 26040, the first preview of what has now been confirmed to be called Windows Server 2025.

The release marks the resumption of the Windows Server Insider builds after a break for the winter. In addition to the revelation of the Windows Server 2025 branding, Microsoft has also added flighting and downloadable in-place upgrades to the Windows Server Insider program which works in the same way as for Windows 11.

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While there is some fun to be gained from being part of the Windows Insider program, testing out beta versions of Windows 11 can also be a frustrating experience. While it has always been possible to leave the beta testing program, it was not an easy or particularly intuitive process.

Now Microsoft has greatly simplified the procedure, so it is now much quicker and easier to unenroll a device from the beta program. With a quick flick of a toggle, it is possible to return to the release build of Windows 11 23H2.

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Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system will soon support additional compression options and archive formats natively.

Microsoft announced the release of Windows 11 build 26040 to the Canary Channel earlier today. It is a big build that introduces several changes and new features.

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Puro Sounds Labs has launched the PuroQuiet Plus -- an upgraded version of the existing (non-Plus) PuroQuiet model. The new version enhances connectivity with a USB-C connector and introduces fresh color choices -- purple and teal. These wireless headphones (designed specifically for kids) can be purchased from Amazon here in six cool colors, priced at just $139.99.

The PuroQuiet Plus stands out with its high-quality aluminium build and plush, noise-isolating ear pads. It incorporates the Puro Balanced Response curve and digital signal processing (DSP) to limit volume and prevent ear damage, replicating the natural sound of a well-tuned listening room. This feature ensures music, movie dialogue, and game audio are crystal clear across the audio spectrum, reducing the need to raise the volume.

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Right now, to boost efficiency and achieve economies of scale, businesses want to automate as much as possible. In back office processes, approaches like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), for example, are now increasingly standard and are expected to be a $20bn-plus market by 2030. In parallel, enterprises are looking to ChatGPT and Generative AI to help them speed up everything from creating marketing brochures to drug discovery.

However, where automation is trailing behind is in how organizations go about optimizing cybersecurity. Given that attacks tend to occur at scale, or involve complexity beyond even the smartest average security professional to cope with, this core area of vulnerability should be precisely where the CISO and the SOC (security operations center) seek assistance from automation.

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Artificial Intelligence in Practice is a fascinating look into how companies use AI and machine learning to solve problems.

Presenting 50 case studies of actual situations, this book demonstrates practical applications to issues faced by businesses around the globe. The rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence has expanded beyond research labs and computer science departments and made its way into the mainstream business environment.

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There are so many terms and acronyms used in the cybersecurity sector that it can be a little overwhelming at times, even for people who work in the industry.

Paul Baird, director of cyber security operations and engineering at Advanced Software and fellow at the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) has produced a round up of all the terms that you might ever need to know in the security space in a format based on the periodic table of elements.

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After 11 months of rigorous development, Redcore Linux Hardened 2401, also known as “Tarazed,” is released -- you can download it here now. The new stable ISO, while retaining its familiar appearance, has undergone significant under-the-hood enhancements. It could be a great option for those wanting to ditch Windows 11.

Diving into the changelog, Redcore 2401 aligns itself with Gentoo Linux's testing tree as of January 21, 2024. It offers a versatile kernel lineup including the default linux kernel v6.6.13 LTS, and older versions v6.1 LTS and v5.15 LTS in its repositories. The distribution boasts a robust toolchain featuring glibc v2.37, gcc v13.2.0, and rust v1.74.1.

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With the traditional workplace changing beyond recognition at the start of the decade, we saw the most significant changes to the IT security landscape last year; with the wider implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), stronger authentication practices, third-party data breaches, end-to-end encryption, and the Online Safety Bill to name a few. In this time, cyberattacks have advanced exponentially in sophistication and regularity, with IT cyber defenses struggling to keep up.

Thanks to increasingly large supply chains, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who once thought they were beyond the ‘crown jewel’ targets of large enterprises, are now struggling to defend themselves in the face of more frequent and sophisticated attacks due to smaller budgets and a lack of robust security measures. 

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2023 represented a breakthrough year for generative AI, which gained immense popularity for enhancing productivity through instant content creation based on user inputs. However, in 2024, organizations must shift from marveling at generative AI's dazzling technical capabilities to rigorously evaluating its tangible business impact and risk.

Organizations eagerly anticipate AI's transformative potential. Forrester's September 2023 Artificial Intelligence Pulse Survey revealed that most companies are evolving in their approach to AI. More than a quarter are experimenting with the technology, while 33 percent are expanding their existing efforts, the survey found. In light of this heightened interest, here are three critical AI-centric predictions for the coming year:

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A new report shows that as the severity and sophistication of cyberattacks has increased along with the financial consequences, many companies have been prompted to invest in or review their cybersecurity insurance.

The study of over 600 IT security professionals, conducted by the Ponemon Institute for Recast Software, shows 41 percent say their organization has experienced an increase in the number of cybersecurity incidents in 2023, 61 percent say the total cost of these attacks had averaged $21 million, and 75 percent say their cybersecurity exposure would increase or at best stay the same in the coming year.

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Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation has unveiled the rugged PENTAX WG-90 digital camera, set to hit the market in early February. And yes, in a world full of smartphones, standalone cameras still exist! The camera's robust design ensures it is waterproof up to 46 feet (14 meters), shockproof from falls up to five feet (1.6 meters), and freeze-proof down to 14°F (-10°C).

The PENTAX WG-90 is equipped with a high-performance, five-times optical zoom lens, covering a focal length range from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format). The camera's 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, paired with a top-tier imaging engine, pushes boundaries with a maximum sensitivity of ISO 6400, promising super-high-resolution images.

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The latest Technology Trends Report from O'Reilly shows interest in generative AI among developers has surged.

The report looks at the most popular technology topics consumed by the 2.8 million users on O'Reilly’s online learning platform and finds that topic engagement in GPTs has grown 2,600 percent year-on-year.

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New research reveals that that most organizations are limiting the use of generative AI over data privacy and security issues, and 27 percent have banned its use, at least temporarily.

The study from Cisco surveyed 2,600 privacy and security professionals and finds that among concerns cited are threats to an organization's legal and Intellectual Property rights (69 percent), and the risk of disclosure of information to the public or competitors (68 percent).

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The latest annual report from the GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT) observed 63 distinct ransomware groups using encryption, data exfiltration, data extortion, and other novel tactics to compromise and publicly post 4,519 victims across all 30 of GRIT's tracked industries, and in 120 countries, across 2023.

Most impacts affected a limited subset of industries. 62 percent of all observed victims belong to one of the top ten most-impacted industries, with manufacturing and technology remaining the two most-impacted.

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