Knowledge Exchange

Source: Protech Insights

Generative AI is the coolest new thing on the block. It is like a magic machine that can create anything you can imagine, from text to code to images to music. And it is already starting to revolutionize the way we do business.

So, what is generative AI, and why should you care?

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create added content, such as text, code, images, and music. It is trained on massive datasets of existing data, which it uses to learn the patterns and relationships in that data. Once trained, generative AI can be used to create added content that is like the training data, but also unique and original.

Generative AI is still in its initial stages of development, but it has the potential to revolutionize many industries. Here are just a few use cases of Generative AI:

Marketing and advertising:

To create personalized marketing campaigns, generate new ad copies, and create realistic product images and videos.

Creative industries:

To create new works of art, music, and literature. It can also be used to generate innovative ideas and concepts for creative projects.

Healthcare:

To develop new drugs and therapies, diagnose diseases, and personalize treatment plans.

Manufacturing:

To design new products, optimize production processes, and predict maintenance needs.

Financial services:

To develop new financial products and services, detect fraud, and manage risk.

In addition to these specific industries, generative AI is also having a broader impact on the way businesses operate. For example, generative AI is being used to automate tasks, improve customer service, and develop new business models.

So, how can you get started with generative AI?

The first step is to identify the tasks and processes in your business that can be automated with generative AI. Once you have identified these areas, you can start to experiment with different generative AI tools and platforms to find the ones that work best for your needs.

It is important to start small and scale up your use of generative AI as you gain more experience. It’s also important to monitor the results of your generative AI initiatives and adjust as needed.

Generative AI is a powerful technology that has the potential to transform many industries. By starting early and experimenting with different generative AI tools and platforms, businesses can position themselves to take advantage of this transformative technology.

Now, let us get funky!

Imagine a world where you can create anything you can imagine, with just the click of a button. That’s the world that generative AI is creating.

Generative AI can be used to create new products and services, improve existing ones, and even create new forms of art and entertainment. It is a technology that has the potential to change the world, and it is already starting to do so.

So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring the world of generative AI today!

For more information, please visit the original website: Protech Insights

In this month’s Knowledge Exchange we examine why users are closing the once mighty Windows platform in favour of macOS and Chrome OS devices which continue to grow in popularity and market share! 

Despite remaining the most dominant Operating System (OS) with 68% of market share worldwide, Microsoft’s Windows continues to face growing competition within the OS market.  

Over the past decade Windows has lost more than 22% of its desktop OS market share worldwide, and more than 27% of market share in the USA alone. In the same time frame macOS has gained 13.5% and Chrome OS has grown by more than 4%.  

Window’s popularity is due in part to its widespread availability on PCs from manufacturing partners such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo, but why has it lost such a significant proportion of the market in recent years? 

Rise of macOS 

Apple’s macOS, which can be found in Apple’s Macbook and Mac Desktop product lines, which includes popular devices such as Macbook Air and Macbook Pro, has been steadily gaining ground in the OS space. It is particularly popular in the North American market where it holds 33% of market share, compared to just 15% in Europe and 21% worldwide.  

Apple introduced Apple silicon, a series of system on a chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) processors manufactured by Apple in 2020 and subsequently rolled out installation in every new product they produce.  

This move has undoubtedly accelerated Apple’s popularity across both consumer and enterprise markets as it allowed Apple to increase the performance and battery life of their devices compared to previous versions which were powered using Intel CPU processors. This heightened the competitiveness of Apple’s devices in terms of performance power compared to traditional PCs.   

Chrome OS gains ground  

The rise in popularity of Google’s Linux-based Chrome OS can be attributed in part to the fact that Chromebooks are often a less expensive option for consumers compared to traditional PCs or Macbooks. Their lower price point has made them a popular device within the education sector and amongst parents looking for an affordable starter device for their children. 

The popularity of Chromebooks surged in 2020 as the pandemic took hold and businesses and schools were forced to move to remote working and online learning environments. In the same year. PC shipments grew 13.1% hitting 300 million units, with Chromebooks accounting for 10.8% of devices sold, outselling Macbooks for the first time.  

Mobile and tablet operating systems 

Windows may still dominate the desktop OS market, but when it comes to mobile devices and tablets, Microsoft has yet to make a dent, and has even discontinued its mobile operating system.  

Despite Windows powered tablets such as the Microsoft Surface Pro being available, Android and Apple share 99% of this market. Android claims the lion’s share of the market with 70% of the combined phone and tablet market, whereas when considering tablets alone Apple’s iOS edges ahead with 53.5% due to the popularity of iPad devices.    

Knowledge Exchange Spotlight 

The resulting demand for PCs caused by the pandemic gave way for Google and Apple to expand their market share at Microsoft’s expense.  

There is no doubt that regardless of losing large market share Microsoft’s Windows remains as the most popular OS for desktops, however this popularity does not carry over to tablets and mobile devices as Apple and Android have saturated the market.  

Microsoft and Intel are already preparing for the launch of Windows 12 according to leaked documents, so it remains to be seen if this will enable Microsoft to claim back some market share. 

Microsoft AMPS its latest operating system up to 11. But is it one notch above the rest?

INTRODUCTION

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, organizations must adapt to stay ahead in a highly competitive landscape. With the release of Windows 11, Microsoft has introduced what it calls: ‘a new era of computing.’ In this blog post, BNZSA will explore the key reasons why organizations should consider migrating to Windows 11 and the benefits it offers as well as the challenges faced by organisations-such as incompatible legacy hardware.

Let us start with some facts & figures:

• The original version of Windows 11 (also known as version 21H2) was released in October 2021. Windows 11 feature updates will release with a yearly cadence, in the second half of the calendar year. Currently the latest version of Windows 11 is version 22H2.

• The latest major release of Windows 10 is version 21H1 which was released on May 18, 2021. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025.

• There are still millions of devices used, which don´t meet the bar for Windows 11. But, according to analyst Forrester, endpoint modernization with a PC refresh and Windows 11 migration increases the endpoint security, provides better manageability and user experience.

SO, WHY SHOULD YOU MIGRATE TO WINDOWS 11?

■ Security

Security is a top concern for organizations. In previous blogs we reported on the evolving threat landscape with a growing number of sophisticated malware and ransomware attacks. Due to the hybrid work environment, PCs are getting used in environments where they are much more vulnerable to cyber threats. Windows 11 addresses these concerns by integrating advanced security features. Windows 11 provides hardware-based security through Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot, making it more resistant to cyber threats. With the introduction of Windows Hello for Business, organizations can utilize biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, for enhanced login security. This can help prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and applications.

■ Improved performance and efficiency

Windows 11 also offers improved performance and efficiency. The new operating system (OS) is optimized for modern hardware, utilizing the latest technologies to deliver faster boot times, improved battery life, and reduced resource consumption. Windows 11 takes advantage of the latest hardware technologies and accelerates performance through optimized hardware utilization. For example, Windows 11 is optimized to leverage the processing power of latest families of Intel CPUs with efficient and performant cores. The OS is designed to make the most efficient use of the available cores, ensuring that tasks and applications run smoothly and efficiently. This can result in better overall performance, faster application responsiveness, and smoother multitasking experiences, according to the manufacturer.

■ User experience and productivity

Microsoft also claims that Windows 11 represents a significant leap forward in terms of user experience & productivity. It strengthens collaboration within organizations by integrating with Microsoft 365 services. It also provides contextual recommendations for more efficient workflows across Windows with suggestions for files, contacts, and actions. And in an era of increased working from home (WFH) and working from anywhere, Windows 11 is designed to support hybrid work enhancing the Microsoft Teams experience, enabling users to connect with colleagues, join meetings, and share content. The integration of Microsoft Teams directly into the taskbar has been designed to streamline communication and collaboration workflows, to promote efficient teamwork and productivity. In this latest release, videoconferencing becomes smarter and easier including intelligent noise canceling, and background blur. Windows 11 includes several other features that can offer improved productivity for your organization. For example, it includes a new feature called “Snap Layouts” which allows users to quickly arrange multiple windows on their desktop for better multitasking. It also includes a new feature called “Snap Groups” which allows users to save groups of apps together for easy access.

■ System Management

Windows 11 offers enterprise-grade management and deployment tools to facilitate the migration process and ongoing system management. Current management tools provide centralized control, and it offers a streamlined approach to the management of devices, updates, and security policies. These tools simplify the migration process and enable efficient management of the Windows 11 ecosystem within the enterprise.

■ Testing

Finally, in terms of testing, Microsoft Windows 11 Version 23H2, due for release this autumn, this one shares the same servicing branch and code base as last year’s release (22H2), which could mean less time for IT managers in testing according to Techfinitive.

WHY SHOULDN’T I MIGRATE TO WINDOWS 11…YET?

■ Hardware requirements

Perhaps the biggest reason Windows 11 has received some negative comments, but not as bad as for some of its past releases, is the new hardware requirements and especially the requirement for the TPM chip, but for some commentators the incompatibility was not with the TPM module but with the CPU itself, especially 32bit processors, as Windows 11 will only run on 64-bit Intel or AMD chips. Depending on a company’s refresh cycle, some organisations have already refreshed their fleet of PCs and Laptops and have been unaware that the CPU not the TPM chip would be responsible for incompatibility.

■ Two Year timeframe to decide

Although it would be fair to say that the longer companies take to migrate, the more complex the process is, some firms are adopting a wait and see approach especially when the support for Windows 10 doesn’t end till October 2025, So although Microsoft has stated it will not be releasing anymore features to Windows 10, save for security patches, some companies are asking if they really need to refresh fleets now — especially if they have just recently done it to support more Windows 11. And although as we have discussed above, the new OS has been designed to support and sustain hybrid work, sometimes he first iterations of a major release are not always bulletproof out of the box and require revisions and patches further down the line. Although Microsoft has said new features will be released with a yearly cadence, some firms are asking if it would be best to wait for the next hardware refresh to ensure compatible TPM and CPUS and an OS that has been out in the field with enough time to be stable.

This month’s Knowledge Exchange white paper on emerging and existing Cyber Security threats will examine why ITDMs and Business Leaders are extremely worried about a ‘catastrophic cyber event’ that could have more of a societal impact than Covid-19 in next few years, and what ITDMs can do today and longer term to mitigate those risks. 

It may be pure co-incidence, but it was certainly chilling to see that in a matter of weeks after the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2023 annual summit in Davos, Switzerland that warned of a total “grid down” scenario caused by a ‘catastrophic cyber event;’ a mysterious high-altitude balloon was seen floating across America. 

And while many in the mainstream media have quickly judged this and subsequent other balloons to be a surveillance or spy balloons, other commentators claim that most state sponsored espionage is done via satellites¹ and that this vehicle has potentially a more sinister capability: The ability to activate an electromagnetic pulse or EMP at high altitude (HEMP) using a smaller lighter nuclear payload. 

Therefore, if the balloon was carrying an EMP device or was just a drill to test the detection and response time of such devices, at the sort of altitude the vehicle was flying it would have a greater geographical reach than a ground detonated device and could have knocked out a big chunk of the infrastructure it was flying over.  

A grid down scenario would make Covid’s impact seem like, ‘a small disturbance’

Klaus Schwab, founder of the WEF. 

he result would be an instant shut down of power, communication, finance, and business systems that would have a devastating effect to emergency services and supply chains that could tip society into chaos in a matter of days. 

A grid down scenario would make Covid’s impact seem like, ‘a small disturbance,’ according to Klaus Schwab, founder of the WEF.  

President of the Centre for American Defence Studies, Paul Crespo also confirmed the high-altitude vehicles could be a trial run for a cyber-attack using a balloon-mounted weapon.  

Speaking in the Epoch Times Crespo said: 

“While China has tested hypersonic missiles launched from balloons in the past, that isn’t a likely use for these airships."

“The biggest threat is sending one or more of these high-altitude balloons over the US with a small nuclear EMP device.” 

While we hope the vehicle may be nothing more than a ‘weather balloon,’ with rising geopolitical tension between the US with China², over Taiwan, tensions with Russia, over Ukraine; an increasingly unstable regime in Iran and a reescalation of tension with North Korea, the usage of EMP enabled weapons for a global pre-emptive strike seems alarmingly possible.  

Military strategists at these countries may be in favour of a high-altitude pre-emptive HEMP strike over a conventional full blown nuclear attack as it limits immediate death, radiation fall out and keeps the infrastructure intact, albeit broken, that can be repaired in time.

Research Round Up

THIS MONTH'S LATEST CYBER SECURITY RESEARCH From security vendors, bloggers, and analysts

Checkpoint Security: Cyber Security Report 2023

Author: Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software Technologies

• “In 2022, the proportion of email-delivered-attacks has increased, reaching a staggering record of 86% of all file-based attacks in-the-wild.”
• “The Russia-Ukraine war demonstrated how traditional, kinetic war can be augmented by a cybernetic war. It has also influenced the broader threat landscape in the rapid changes of hacktivism and how independent threat actors choose to work for state-affiliated missions.
• The war has also seen enhanced usage of wiper malware, malware that intends to erase or wipe data of the drive it infects, and this trend has been adopted by several actors, reaching a point where 2022 has seen more wiper attacks globally, than in the previous decade altogether.”

IBM Security Report: Cost of a Data Breach Hits Record High During Pandemic

• In 2021 systems and software giant, IBM Security found that over half of SMBs had experienced a cyber-attack largely as the result of the pandemic where new hybrid working models were introduced or with the increased migrations to cloud infrastructure.
• IBM notes that 40% of SMBs do not have comprehensive and updated cyber-security incident plan. Other findings of the IBM research found that or companies with less that 500 employees the cost of an average Cyber breach was around $3m per incident.

Venture Beat/ Forrester 2023 Cyber Security Predictions

• More than 50% of chief risk officers (CROs) will report directly to the CEO.
• A C-level executive will be fired for their firm’s use of employee monitoring.
• A Global 500 firm will be exposed for burning out its cybersecurity employees 

SecureList by Kaspersky: What your SOC will be facing in 2023

Authors: Sergey Solatov, Roman Nazarov

• Ransomware will increasingly destroy data instead of encrypting it
• Public-facing applications will continue to be exploited for initial access
• More supply chain attacks via telecom
• More reoccurring targeted attacks by state-sponsored actors
• Rise in attacks on Media outlets

EMP Research

• Future-proof: bunkered data centres and the selling of ultra-secure cloud storage
• Challenges in Protecting Cyber Critical Infrastructure-GOA
• North Korea’s Satellites Could Unleash Electromagnetic Pulse Attack
• Critical Infrastructure Cyber Recommendations Go Largely Unaddressed-Nextgov
• EMP/Solar flare-Grid Down Consulting
• Infrastructure Security-CISA

Cyber Security Podcasts-Compiled by Fabian Weber

• Darknet Diaries
• Security Weekly
• Simply Cyber
• 7 Minutes Security
• 2 Cyber Chicks
• The Hacker Factory
• Securing Bridges
• Security Now
• Malicious Life
• Human Factor Security
• Unsupervised Learning
• Hacking Humans
• The Privacy, Security & OSINT Show
• Smashing Security
• CyberWire Daily
• Risky Business

Summary

The first three blogs of our cybersecurity and digital transformation series focused on the threats and security challenges faced by businesses when implementing a digital transformation strategy. In this concluding installment we will lay out the steps you can take to protect your company from potential attacks.

How can businesses reduce the risks of cyber-attacks?

SMBs face a significant risk of cyber-attacks and security breaches. Businesses can take this steps to improve cybersecurity practices. A single attack can cause irreparable damage to the business. Therefore, it's essential for businesses to establish robust security practices to mitigate security threats to their infrastructure and organization. In this fourth and final installment of our cybersecurity series, we will lay out the best ways to tackle these challenges and threats.

Preparing your business for potential security breaches may seem daunting, but there are many steps you can take to improve your security measures. Here are some ways to improve your business's cybersecurity practices:

• Implement access controls:

Access control policies limit access to your business's critical assets. Avoid sharing user IDs for accessing systems and data. Instead, use unique IDs and login credentials to make it easier to track who is accessing your resources. Implementing automated Identity Access Management (IAM) systems helps streamline this task and eliminates a large amount of risk.

• Thoroughly train employees in best practices:

Humans are often the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain. It is essential that your employees and adequately trained in your more updated security procedures. They need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be able to identify and avoid potential threats. Without this, they may be more likely to fall victim to sophisticated phishing attacks, and unintentionally expose the company’s data or put it at risk of an attack.

• User Authentication:

User authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user before they are granted access to a system or application. Multi-factor authentication creates a layered security system that requires employees to use a randomly generated one-time code sent via SMS or email in addition to their password to verify their identity. This type of security system protects your data by preventing unauthorized third-party users from gaining entry to business systems and websites.

• Implement a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service:

Small businesses and their IT security teams can struggle to keep pace with their growing volume of technology and threats. A Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service is a cybersecurity service that combines high-end technology with human expertise to rapidly identify and limit the impact of cyber threats without the need to hire additional staff. This service monitors your systems and applications 24/7 to detect and respond to any security incidents.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, improving your business's cybersecurity practices is essential to safeguarding your data and ensuring the continuity of your business. By implementing these security measures, you can help protect your business from cyber threats and avoid the devastating consequences of a security breach.

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