Articles about COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a boost to the numbers of people working remotely. But a new study from F-Secure finds that 67 percent of internet users who work from home reported they increasingly worry about their online security and privacy, even if nothing is wrong, compared to 58 percent of other users.

Remote workers also report raised concerns about a range of other of issues, for example 65 percent of those who work from home say the internet is becoming a more dangerous place, compared to only 54 percent of other respondents.

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As we move into 2022, perhaps the biggest change we have seen is the beginning of the end for traditional 9-5 working in favour of anytime working. Much has been made of agile and remote working with a great deal of the focus being on physical location, but the knock-on effect this has on working hours and the technologies we utilise is huge.

The act of walking in and out of an office (or perhaps the commute) for most gives a clear beginning and end to the working day. In the hybrid working world these once black and white edges to your day become greyed. Today, with laptops firmly in place and collaboration tools delivering work into your home mean that work is never more than a couple of steps away.

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Skills shortages in the tech sector are nothing new but COVID and the Great Resignation have highlighted matters over the last year.

Retaining tech workers and keeping their skills up to date is more important than ever, so we spoke to CGS's senior director of learning strategies, Regina Nowlan, to find out why learning and development are an important factor in the equation.

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Following the lead of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell has asked Spotify to remove all of her music from the streaming platform. Both veteran artists have voiced concerns about Spotify playing host to Joe Rogan who has been using his podcasts to spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Young had said that Spotify had to make a choice: "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both". Now Joni Mitchell has spoken out, saying that "I stand with Neil Young".

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A new survey of 600 IT admins finds almost a third say that their biggest challenge is keeping users secure, while 67 percent say they are stuck in a daily grind of provisioning services and apps, managing user identities, dealing with employees who have ignored best IT practices, and helping onboard new staff.

The study from Remotely also finds 28 percent say ensuring the tools remote IT teams have access to are as good or better than the ones they have on site is the problem teams struggle with the most. Following closely are: remaining as productive as they were in the office, collaboration among the sysadmin / IT admin team, and tracking their own performance.

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As with many misunderstood aspects of science and technology, lots of myths and skepticism have built up around 5G technology. In addition to the idea that 5G is somehow inherently dangerous, conspiracy theories linking the technology to coronavirus vaccines and infection -- and wider COVID-19 conspiracy theories -- abound.

So it is perhaps little wonder that there something of an industry has built up around anti-5G products and accessories. One such product is the "negative ion" Quantum pendant. This has been found to be not only ineffective at offering "protection" against 5G (indeed, entirely unnecessary), but also dangerous. The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) in the Netherlands has warned that the Quantum Pendant and numerous other negative ion products are radioactive, and people should stop using them immediately.

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for employees to return to the workplace, the United States Department of Labor is acting on an executive order from the Biden administration which requires all companies with more than 100 employees to issue vaccination passports or agree to frequent COVID testing, as a part of their day-to-day business activities.

There is a workforce divide as to how vaccine mandates will be implemented across managers and employees. As it stands, and according to a recent study, only 30 percent of executives feel that their businesses should implement some level of vaccine mandate. This may be mainly down to anti-vaccination sentiment, which has caused issues throughout the economy and its workforce.

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New research from SecureAge Technology finds that 85 percent of US and UK employers have been forced to adopt new cybersecurity measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work.

Of those that adopted new cybersecurity defenses, both US (41 percent) and UK (38 percent) businesses note that 'technical implementation challenges' are the primary hurdle in getting their new COVID-driven cybersecurity protocols and strategies in place.

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Since the COVID pandemic hit we've become used to working using remote collaboration platforms. But the problem is there are lots of options to choose from and they don't work together.

A new platform launched today by Klaxoon enables organizations to seamlessly blend in-person and remote work with tools including a virtual whiteboard, surveys and memos, along with video and audio.

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Unsurprisingly, vaccines have taken center stage this year as researchers continue to work to find immunizations for COVID-19.

Here are six of the critical technologies -- from 3D printing to telemedicine -- spurring progress on those and other vaccination development efforts.

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There aren't many good things to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new study from Sumo Logic shows that it has accelerated digital transformation and piqued interest in adopting continuous intelligence.

Continuous intelligence (CI) allows real-time analytics to be integrated into business operations. Sumo's study shows that 74 percent of cloud-mature companies recognize the value of providing access to real-time data in this way, while 58 percent of organizations going through cloud transformation agree.

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Remote working is leading to increased cyber risk for smaller enterprises according to new research from data center specialist ServerChoice.

New working patterns brought about by COVID mean that many technical staff at SMEs are now based remotely and 77 percent see remote working as an increased risk to their business.

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With no true end to the COVID-19 pandemic in sight, there are growing concerns from parents, teachers, and dignitaries alike about how schools can operate safely as the new school year gets into full flow. As vaccination rates increase across the board, educational institutions nationwide are determining whether or not to make it mandatory for students to be vaccinated upon re-entry.

Vaccine passports have become a hot topic of discussion. They are valid pieces of documentation that prove that you have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and other infections. They can be physical copies, such as a paper card. Or, more conveniently, vaccine passports are digital, available through phone apps and other technological means. Some universities and colleges have required that these passports be shown, while several apps have been developed to show these passports. As health officials express concern about COVID spread and variants make their presence felt, can vaccine passports assure students a safe return to school this year?

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a rapid shift to home and hybrid working, a change which looks as though it could be here to stay according to new research from video conferencing specialist Poly.

The survey of over 7,000 hybrid workers across seven countries shows that 82 percent of respondents intend to spend at least one day a week working from home in the future, with 54 percent planning to split their time evenly between office and home.

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As is the case with just about any big news story, particularly one relating to health, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a serious problem with misinformation. And as governments around the world try to encourage citizens to get vaccinations, so the antivaxxer movement has been trying to control the narrative surrounding the global crisis.

Conspiracy theories abound, and antivaxxers have had a field day casting doubt on the efficacy, purpose and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Social media platforms have been fighting to ensure that incorrect or misleading information about vaccinations are either kept offline, or flagged up with warnings, and now YouTube has finally followed suit, implementing new rules that equate to a complete ban on antivax videos.

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