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Policy decisions may or may not be productive. In worst cases, they can be counter-productive.

Banking system is the backbone of any economy, and there is a reason behind it. Money supply in the market is managed by banks that engage in safekeeping of depositors’ money and lending a portion of it to others. The central bank oversees the functioning of banks, prints currency notes, drafts monetary policy, and all these actions infuse stability in the country’s financial system. Central banks manage interest rates and tweak them to either infuse liquidity in a slowing economy or suck liquidity to control higher levels of inflation. Policy decisions like these are productive exercises.

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The move by Microsoft to replace Internet Explorer with Edge has been a slow and torturous journey. Edge is already in its second major iteration, and is now based on the Chromium engine, but the specter of Internet Explorer is still hanging heavy.

Microsoft has already announced that support for the browser is going to come to an end, and today is the start of a year-long countdown to the day this happens. But if you are hanging doggedly onto Internet Explorer, there's no need to wait another 12 months; now really is the time to move on.

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We’re much more used to security flaws now after years of being conditioned to hearing about them from various sources. Some software makers handle vulnerabilities better than others of course, but remember, software is inherently complicated and it’s being written by flawed humans so mistakes are inevitable. 

Today Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero reports on a new flaw in Google Chrome, the sixth zero-day affecting the browser this year. Very little information has been released on the vulnerability, but from what we can learn it seems to be in the Javascript engine that powers Chrome. 

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It’s not long now until Microsoft takes the wraps off the next version of Windows, and there’s a lot of debate going on already with regards to what it might be called. The smart money is on Windows 11, but Windows Sun Valley is also a popular choice.

If you’re excited for the grand reveal, Microsoft has come up with a way to keep you calm while you wait -- and that’s to listen to startup sounds from previous versions of Windows, slowed down by 4000 percent!

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"Exceptional service" has always been a key customer demand over the years. But customers today expect more -- a combination of customized insights, connected interactions and an agile approach in addition to exceptional customer service. Therefore, while focusing on customer experience, communication and connection become highly crucial.

The recent pandemic and the process of businesses overcoming it have further brought to the spotlight the need for customer experience backed by flexible technology support and exceptional customer satisfaction, especially during adverse times. Information Technology (IT) has a significant role in providing the exceptional service and connected experience customers have always demanded.

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New research by YouGov for identity platform Auth0 finds that many businesses are falling short of consumer expectations on login technologies -- and risk frustrating their users, losing sales, and opening themselves up to credential stuffing attacks as a result.

The study shows that consumers around the world want greater choice in login technologies, and that they're willing to actively seek them out. Nearly half (49 percent) of consumers surveyed say they are more likely to sign up to an app or online service if a company offers multi-factor authentication (MFA).

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Earlier in the week, Microsoft began to roll out the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) to all, although there are some known issues with it to be aware of.

Although that feature update is now out in the wild, work continues apace on future updates of the operating system, and today the software giant brings Build 21387 to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

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Internet Explorer may be a stalwart of the world of web browsers, but it has also been an object of ridicule and derision for pretty much its entire life. Since the emergence of the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, the writing has been on the wall for the browser just about everyone loves to hate, but IE has been lingering for longer than many people would have expected.

But now Microsoft is finally ready to pull the plug. Sort of. The company has announced that "the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10". But what does this mean in practice, and will you be affected?

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Over the last 12 months, you certainly have heard about an increasingly complex and sophisticated barrage of cyber threats. However, if your business has a limited number of IT staff and resources, you may be questioning whether having comprehensive data protection is even possible. As we have seen, cyber-attacks are not only impacting larger enterprise organizations. They affect companies of all sizes, many of which can’t afford to build and manage a Security Operations Center (SOC) with technology and skilled security staff needed to detect and contain these attacks 24 hours a day.

It may feel daunting as a smaller organization, cybercriminals might have an inherent advantage. However, many small to midsize organizations are still relying solely on basic protection like anti-virus and firewalls. Just having these baseline protections is simply not enough, and you do not have the luxury of just ignoring the situation.

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Solid state storage is constantly getting faster. The truth, however, is while PCIe Gen 4 SSDs are now available, they are total overkill for most consumers. Heck, most people would be more than fine with a meager SATA drive. With that said, the previous-generation PCIe Gen 3 SSDs are now very inexpensive (and quite speedy) making them a smart purchase whether you truly need the extra speed or not -- as long as your computer is compatible.

Today, Silicon Power launches its latest NVMe M.2 solid state drive for both desktops and laptops. Called "XPOWER XD80," this PCIe Gen 3 SSD has fairly modest specifications in the grand scheme of things, but it is definitely more than fast enough for the majority of consumers.

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While there have been new PowerToys builds released over the last few months, it has been a while since a new tool was added. Now, with the launch of PowerToys Experimental v0.36.0, this changes.

The latest release of the much-loved Windows 10 utility collection now features the Video Conference Mute tool, giving users the ability to quickly mute their microphone and turn off their camera with a keyboard shortcut.

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Nowadays, 8GB of RAM is pretty much the bare minimum that should come with any decent computer. Sure, maybe some users can get by OK with 4GB, but with memory prices being so low, there is really no excuse for anything less than 8GB. Hell, I would recommend all consumers opt for 16GB -- if their budget allows it, of course.

With all of that said, there are some hardcore computer users -- primarily designers and creators -- that can benefit from much more than 8GB or 16GB. Just how much? It isn't crazy for some folks to install 32GB, 64GB, or even more. Today, Silicon Power launches some all new RAM. Called "XPOWER Zenith," it is offered in kits with up to 64GB capacity. This DDR4 gaming memory features up to 4133MHz frequency and can be had with optional RGB lighting.

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I'm a big believer in paying for quality, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate value. When I can save a buck, I try to do so. Do I regret buying pricey Apple TV devices for my home? No, not really; they work well and I have been satisfied overall. If I had to do it over again, however, I'd probably go with Roku devices. That company's streaming media boxes are much more affordable and largely just as capable as Apple's offerings.

And today, Roku takes its value game up a notch. You see, the Roku Express 4K+ is insanely inexpensive given its features. For a mere $39.99 you get a media box with 4K, HDR, and a rechargeable voice remote control. Yes, folks, this new Roku remote does not require changing batteries. Hell, you even get an HDMI cable in the box.

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Microsoft makes great software -- Windows 10 and Office 365 are both exceptional. The company's hardware, however, is more of a mixed bag. Microsoft's keyboards, mice, and webcams are often quite good, but its buggy Surface line really doesn't need to exist anymore.

For instance, the Surface Pro is unusable on a lap, while the Surface Duo has been universally panned by critics and rejected by consumers. Seriously, Microsoft, you don't need to compete against your own hardware partners. Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others are more than capable.

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Does anybody truly need a PCIe 4.0 solid state drive? Well, "need" is a tricky word. Nobody will die as a result of using a slower and cheaper PCIe 3.0 SSD, but at the same time, some people very strongly crave having the latest and greatest. Gamers in particular are constantly looking for an edge with better hardware, even if doesn't really end up helping with their gaming.

Today, ADATA launches an insanely fast solid state drive under its XPG gaming brand. Called "GAMMIX S70 BLADE," it is a PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD with read speeds up to 7,400MB/s and write speeds up to 6,400MB/s. Yeah, folks, that is extremely high performance and both gamers and enthusiasts are going to want it badly.

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