One of the keys to the success of an IT team is the ability to communicate both within and outside the team, something that is as important as talent or knowledge.

But for this to work buy-in from executives and business managers is essential to ensure IT managers can achieve their department goals.

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A lack of preparedness for ransomware attacks on weekends and holidays has a significant impact on victim organizations according to a new report.

The study from Cybereason shows 24 percent of companies have no security plan for holidays and weekends and 43 percent say that attacks at these times take longer to stop.

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Ecommerce giant Amazon is to stop accepting payments made from Visa credit cards issued in the UK as from January 19 next year.

Visa debit cards and credit cards from other issuers like Mastercard and Amex will still be accepted. The reason for the move is cited as Visa’s high processing charges.

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While there are many people who are happy to stick with Windows 10 -- or even older versions of Windows -- there are plenty more who are eager to upgrade to Windows 11. Assuming your hardware makes the grade, there is some good news in this department.

Microsoft is speeding up the rollout of Windows 11, making it available to more people faster than it expected to do so. There are, of course, steps you can take to force the installation of the OS upgrade, but by increasing the pace of the rollout, the company is making things easier for people, helping to ensure that Windows 11 is on as many systems as possible.

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Feature updates for Windows are the updates which are supposed to be the most interesting. Rather than just improving security and fixing problems, they often include new features (hence the name) and are far more significant than regular monthly updates.

So significant are feature updates that they are considered to be new versions of Windows and for Windows 10, Microsoft has been releasing them twice a year -- in the spring and in the fall. But moving forward, after the release of Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2), Windows 10 will be brought in line with Windows 11, meaning feature updates will become annual events.

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IBM's global Call for Code Challenge encourages developers to use their skills to drive positive and long-lasting change across the world and is now in its fourth year.

2021's winner is Saaf Water, an accessible water quality sensor and analytics platform created, in particular, for people living in rural localities.

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You need a laptop, but don't know which to buy. Should you buy a Mac? Meh, those are good computers, but rather pricey -- the new notched screens are very ugly too. Chromebooks can be a great choice -- as long as your needs are fairly meager. Ultimately, many consumers are still wise to go with good ol' Windows. You know what? Windows 11 is shockingly good, so you should have no qualms about getting a computer with Microsoft's latest operating system.

Today, Dynabook (formerly Toshiba) launches not one, but two "Satellite Pro" laptops running Microsoft's excellent Windows 11 Pro. Called "C40-J" and "C50-J," the former has a 14-inch FHD screen, while the latter has a 15.6-inch FHD display. Both are designed with affordability in mind, but despite reasonable pricing, these thin and light laptops do not look like budget machines.

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If you’ve been waiting for the latest feature update for Windows 10 -- Windows 10 November 2021 Update (or 21H2) the wait may be over.

I say 'may' because although Microsoft is making the update available from today, it is taking its usual measured approach to the roll out, so you will likely have to wait a while to be offered it.

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Microsoft has tried for some years now to phase out Windows Media Player (WMP), replacing it with Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV for audio and video playback respectively.

Today though, it gives users what they really want -- an updated version of Media Player for Windows 11.

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Data from 3,900 tests conducted on 2,600 software or systems targets reveals that 97 percent had some form of vulnerability, 30 percent of the targets had high-risk vulnerabilities, and six percent had critical-risk vulnerabilities.

In the research from Synopsys 83 percent of the tested targets were web applications or systems, 12 percent mobile applications, and the remainder either source code or network systems/applications. Industries represented in the tests include software and internet, financial services, business services, manufacturing, media and entertainment, and healthcare.

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New research carried out by ESG for digital forensics platform Cado Security finds that 89 percent of companies have experienced a negative outcome in the time between detection and investigation of a cyber-attack on their cloud environments.

When asked about the challenges involved in dealing with incidents, 74 percent of security professionals say their organizations need additional data and context to conduct forensics investigations in cloud environments.

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For many people, Spotify is the go-to service for streaming music, but the platform is about more than just accessing a massive collection of tracks spanning endless genres. In addition to music, there are also podcasts, and next year there are plans to further extend the audio offerings.

With the acquisition of audiobook platform Findaway, Spotify is continuing on its journey to become "the world’s leading audio platform". Just as with its music and podcast offerings, the company plans to provide opportunities for both creators and consumers alike.

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It’s almost impossible to escape the phrase "hybrid working" at present. The pandemic has brought about changes to the office environment and the way we work that few would have predicted a few years ago. In fact, remote and hybrid working models now look to be a permanent fixture, given the success that many businesses have seen in recent months.

Debate over the pros and cons of this change has dominated the media landscape, and there are undoubtedly challenges that come with this kind of transition. Offices that used to home hundreds of employees every day now lay either empty or with just a skeleton staff, creating a drain on resources and prompting plans to downsize office space.

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Regulatory compliance requirements have slowed digital transformation for 48 percent of financial organizations, according to a new study.

The research from banking security specialist OneSpan surveyed over 150 bank executives in the US, Mexico, UK, and France to assess how banks in different parts of the world are addressing compliance with changing regulations.

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You may read the phrase "imposter syndrome" and be surprised that there’s a term for something you feel without realizing it’s a common thing. Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough for the career you have? Do you doubt yourself and feel like an imposter in the workplace? Do you have a nagging feeling that you’re winging it? You’re not alone.

A huge 77 percent of the UK experiences imposter syndrome.

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