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Windows 11 is set to be released later in the year, but you can already run it now as part of the Windows Insider Program.

If you would like to try out the new operating system in a virtualized environment, or on a spare PC, the good news is the tech giant has made ISO files for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132 available to download now.

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With the vaccine rollout continuing and positivity on the horizon due to significant reduction in COVID-19 cases, companies are now planning how to return workers to the office safely. To start, employees will most likely return to a hybrid workplace, one where they rotate in and out of the office, part of the time in the office and work from home the rest of the time.

Securing your network and employees will be critical during transitions. While small businesses may perceive this to be a matter of going back to "business as usual" and resuming normal IT operations, there are a number of complexities brought on by the mass exodus out of office that need to be considered. Just as in the beginning of the pandemic, cyber criminals will almost certainly increase their phishing attempts and other malicious attacks, taking advantage of overlooked network vulnerabilities and resource-thin IT teams. To protect their networks, employees and critical data, companies will need to create plans and introduce new safety protocols to ensure security as employees transition between working from home and in the office.

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Serving as a handy reminder that Microsoft Office is certainly not the only office suite out there, LibreOffice 7.2 has landed. There are a sizable number of changes in this latest version of the free, open-source office software including support for Apple M1 chips.

While there are lots of under-the-hood changes that are concerned with optimization, stability and improving compatibility with Microsoft Office, there are also plenty of things which are rather more obvious. This includes a new LibreOffice Dark theme, and a new batch of templates.

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Security is one of the most important components to every company’s computer network. That’s why the Security Fundamentals MTA Certification is so highly sought after. Filling IT positions is a top problem in today’s businesses, so this certification could be your first step toward a stable and lucrative IT career.

Security Fundamentals is your guide to developing a strong foundational understanding of Windows security, so you can take your IT career to the next level and feel confident going into the certification exam.

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Analysis by CybSafe of incidents reported to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) shows that ransomware attacks made up 22 percent of all reported cyber security incidents in the first half of 2021. This is up from 11 percent in the first half of 2020

Phishing still leads, accounting for 40 percent of all cybersecurity cases reported to the ICO, slightly down from 44 percent the year before, but ransomware has now edged into second place.

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It is almost too easy to joke about the Paint app that has been included with Windows since time immemorial. Sure, it's basic when compared to… well, just about anything really... but it's a tool that people love regardless.

With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft is giving Paint a much-needed overhaul and Panos Panay has given a sneaky peak at what we can expect from the redesigned app. As ever, it's Windows Insiders who will get first dibs, but for now, a quick video will have to suffice.

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A report released today finds that while adoption of container architectures and microservices continues at an impressive pace, maintaining automated and proactive security and compliance is a major challenge.

The study, from container security specialist NeuVector, polled over 1,200 DevOps professionals attending KubeCon EU 2021 and shows over 89 percent have container deployments active, and 88 percent are planning additional deployments in the next six to 12 months.

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Microsoft is so keen for you to use Edge in Windows 11 that it has made the process of changing the default web browser absurdly and unnecessarily irritating. You would think -- and, indeed, expect -- it to be easy to change the default app used for anything, but here Microsoft seem determined to draw ire.

And if causing anger and irritation was the company's aim, well... mission accomplished. If you do want to change the default web browser, you have to tweak the settings for an incredible 10 file types! Mozilla is fighting back, using a hack to achieve the "impossible", but it's only a matter of time before Microsoft closes this loophole.

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It’s been decades since the term "the customer is always right" placed customer experience (CX) at the heart of every transaction, but delivering excellence in CX hasn’t become much simpler with the passage of time.

Customers effectively expect businesses to read their minds, and they don’t have much patience for those that fail. A recent PWC survey concluded that one-third of consumers would abandon a brand they love after just one negative experience, showing just how high the bar is set for CX.

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As more industries find themselves searching for viable solutions to common problems, they look towards automation. The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved over the years, and new applications for automation are emerging. It seems as though the world is moving towards automation rapidly, and industries will need to adopt this technology to stay ahead of the competition.

Continue reading to learn more about six autonomous technologies being developed that will change the way industries operate. They will contribute to higher levels of efficiency and productivity by complementing existing technologies.

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There are plenty of headphone-makers nowadays, with Apple probably being the most popular. Consumers seem to love that company's wireless earbuds, the AirPods and AirPods Pro. You know what? That's totally fine. Apple makes great products, although they are often overpriced. The $500 AirPods Max over-ear headphones, however, are way too expensive. You would have to be crazy to spend so much!

Thankfully, there are much more affordable wireless over-ear headphones that are also excellent. Case in point, the ATH-M50xBT by Audio-Technica. Today, that company launches the second-generation of its popular Bluetooth headphones. Called "ATH-M50xBT2," this new product offering costs less than half the price of Apple AirPods Max.

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Manjaro is one of the most popular Linux-based desktop operating systems these days, and it's not hard to see why. The distribution is based on the rock-solid Arch, but unlike that distro, Manjaro is very easy to install and use. In other words, it has all the benefits of Arch, but without the hassles and headaches. This makes it a great choice for both Linux experts and beginners. Heck, it will even be used as the OS on an upcoming E-ink tablet.

Today, Manjaro 21.1.0 "Pahvo" becomes available for download. The Linux kernel used is version 5.13 and there are a trio of desktop environment options -- Xfce (4.16), GNOME (40), and KDE Plasma (5.22). While all three DEs are great, the Xfce Edition is the primary focus with this particular operating system.

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Shutterstock is well known as a provider of quality stock content and tools for brands, businesses and media companies, and it’s just entered into a new partnership with OpenText, a worldwide leader in digital asset management (DAM).

The new API integration will give Shutterstock Enterprise and OpenText customers direct access to over 380 million high-quality Shutterstock images via OpenText Media Management.

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Windows 11 might be on its way, but before it gets here there’s another feature update for Windows 10 set to arrive. Today, Windows 10 21H2 gets a little nearer to release with Microsoft making Build 19044.1200 (KB5005101) available to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.

If you’re already on Windows 10, version 21H2 this update will be offered automatically. If not, you’ll need to get it via the 'seeker' experience in Windows Update, although it will only be offered to Insiders who were moved from the Beta Channel to the Release Preview Channel because their PC did not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11.

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Entering the era of private space travel, you’d think that even if the rest of us can’t yet launch into orbit, at the very least we could make our lives easier through instant search across terabytes of up-to-date enterprise data from any place we may happen to visit on this planet. The good news is, with enterprise search software and a search index, we can make Earth that much more habitable while we await own spacecraft.

Now you may look up at the stars and wonder: what is a search index? A search index is not like the type of index you’d find at the end of a large book. Instead, it is simply an internal tool for storing each unique word and each unique number across an enterprise dataset, and the locations of all words and numbers in the data. The sole purpose of the search index is for the search engine to comprehensively search across everything, processing as many search requests as come in at any one time.

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