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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

How document automation can take the pressure off IT teams [Q&A]

The shift to remote work, the Great Resignation and high staff turnover have meant that many IT teams have seen a big increase in their workloads over the last few years.

Automation is often seen as a way of addressing the problem, but can it really help to reduce workloads and get IT departments back on track? We spoke to Shawn Herring, CMO of document workflow specialist airSlate, to find out.

Continue reading

Microsoft reveals how to mitigate the Downfall vulnerability affecting Intel processors running Windows 10 and Windows 11

Downfall vulnerability logo

Following on from the Meltdown flaw and other related vulnerabilities, a more recent security issue was discovered in the form of Downfall. Tracked as CVE-2022-40982, exploitation of the flaw is known as a transient execution attack and it affects Intel CPUs.

Microsoft has not only acknowledged that the problem exists, but has now provided details of mitigation techniques that can be used. In security advisory KB5029778, the company gives instructions for users of Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server.

Continue reading

TEAMGROUP T-FORCE DARK AirFlow I is an active cooler for PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs

TEAMGROUP has unveiled an innovative new product -- the T-FORCE DARK AirFlow I M.2 SSD cooler. This announcement comes at a pivotal moment, given the accelerating shift from PCIe Gen 4 SSDs to their Gen 5 counterparts. The latest Gen 5 SSDs, known for their scorching speeds, also tend to run hotter. Addressing this challenge head-on, TEAMGROUP's new cooler promises not just to tame these temperatures but to ensure the SSDs operate at peak performance over prolonged durations.

A noteworthy aspect of the T-FORCE DARK AirFlow I SSD Cooler is its Taiwan Utility Model Patent (number M644665) received earlier this year. The cooler's design integrates a graphene patented dual-layer structure, combined with two pure copper heat pipes of 5mm diameter each. These heat pipes work in tandem with multilayered aluminum alloy cooling fins, essentially amplifying the cooling surface and expediting the heat dissipation process.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

Mageia 9 offers a fresh Linux alternative for Microsoft Windows 11 users

Today, Mageia 9 (which comes with Linux kernel 6.4) is finally released. The operating system stands as a comprehensive update, catering to both the everyday user and the technically savvy. Whether you're into productivity, creativity, or just exploring, Mageia 9 has something for you. In fact, this Linux distribution should be an excellent choice for those wanting to switch from Microsoft’s Windows 11.

Firstly, Mageia has poured meticulous care into the installation process. Those upgrading from Mageia 8 will appreciate the seamless transition, with the RPM database shifting from Berkeley DB to SQLite. Installation geeks might appreciate being able to utilize different ports with an HTTP server and the myriad of bug fixes.

Continue reading

Anomaly Detection: Four steps to avoiding unforeseen cloud costs

Cloud money

Data volumes are simultaneously exploding and migrating, making it difficult for businesses and their CIOs to both monitor and secure across their environments. With so many moving parts in the cloud, it can often run away with businesses because as it expands to handle the data that it’s given, so does its cost. This is both a blessing and a curse, as flexibility is a vital attribute of a successful business, but it means that unanticipated cloud costs are common and hard to track.

Anomalous, unexpected costs can crush businesses’ confidence in their budgets and forecasts, impact their burn rate and make it difficult to understand their wider spending patterns. Yet, despite this, many wait until their bill arrives before reacting. To avoid these unpleasant surprises, which can be caused by a repository error, crypto mining incident or simply because servers have been spun up and forgotten about, businesses can turn to Anomaly Detection tools with great success.

Continue reading

The future of identity is self-sovereignty

fake identities

It’s no secret that Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about their digital identities.

Take the recent case in Louisiana, where a whopping 6 million public records were exposed as part of a global attack on third-party file transfer app MOVEit. The attack made users more wary of trusting their data to often-obscure third parties. A recent survey, conducted across 1,000 U.S. consumers by Thales found that 44 percent are afraid their identity will be stolen in a cyberattack, and a quarter have no confidence in the protection of their personal data.

Continue reading

The importance of work-life balance for mainframe professionals: Nurturing talent and supporting new starters

Mainframe

In today's fast-paced and 24-hour world, achieving a healthy work-life balance has become increasingly challenging for professionals across various industries. However, it is particularly crucial for individuals starting their careers in the mainframe technology field. Maintaining a good work-life balance is vital for new entrants in the mainframe industry, but equally important is the need to put robust support systems in place for new starters.

According to research from the mental wellbeing platform Yerbo, 40 percent of IT professionals are at high risk of burnout. Success in IT is often viewed through the prism of a ‘hustle culture’ that prizes long hours and an always-on mentality as the hallmarks of success. That is particularly true for the mainframe, given its criticality within businesses. In a field dominated by experts with decades of experience, new entrants can feel pressured to constantly go above and beyond, abandoning any work-life balance and striving to meet the standards of their more experienced peers. Unfortunately, this mindset can be detrimental to the well-being and productivity of new professionals entering the field.

Continue reading

Parallels Desktop 19 unveils modern new look, improved printing on Windows virtual machines

Global tech company Alludo has announced the release of Parallels Desktop 19.0 for Mac. Available in home, Pro and Business editions, the virtualization software makes it easy for Mac users to run Windows, macOS and Linux virtual machines on their desktop.

Version 19’s highlights include a major design update, new printing engine for Windows VMs, and support for logging on to Windows machines using the Mac’s own Touch ID security system.

Continue reading

MSI reveals workaround for UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR errors in Windows 11 after KB5029351 update

MSI Blue Screen of Death

When Microsoft released the KB5029351 update for Windows 11 a few days ago, it didn't take long for complaints to start. Owners of systems with MSI motherboards started to see UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR error messages and Blue Screens of Death.

Microsoft has said that it is investigating the issue, but its announcement was worded quite defensively. The company said: "We are presently investigating to determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft". Thankfully, MSI has stepped up to the plate and offered up a workaround.

Continue reading

Get 'The Kubernetes Bible' (worth $43.99) for FREE

With its broad adoption across various industries, Kubernetes is helping engineers with the orchestration and automation of container deployments on a large scale, making it the leading container orchestration system and the most popular choice for running containerized applications.

This Kubernetes book starts with an introduction to Kubernetes and containerization, covering the setup of your local development environment and the roles of the most important Kubernetes components.

Continue reading

LG launches new additions to its UltraGear gaming monitor series

Today, LG revealed three new additions to its much-celebrated LG UltraGear gaming monitor collection: the LG UltraGear GR93U-B in both 27-inch and 32-inch variants, and the 27-inch LG UltraGear GR83Q-B. Gaming enthusiasts can get their hands on these models right now here.

Here's a golden window for potential buyers: Between August 25 to August 27, 2023, LG.com is offering a generous 30 percent discount off the MSRP on selected new UltraGear Monitors (GR93U-B and GR83Q-B). Plus, you get the perk of free expedited shipping.

Continue reading

© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.