Daily Tech Digest - January 09, 2023

Making Data Proactive to Manage Risk

Using advanced tools and technology, statistical sampling of data offers a better approach than archaic data indexing. Data sampling, via AI-based segmentation, meets the demands of regulators and other authorities. By statistically sampling data, it can be made more proactive to facilitate risk management with a methodical approach. AI-based segmentation or sampling collects representative data and allows for the development of models across a wide range of data classification use cases. Such sampling provides a way to statistically home in on the vulnerable areas within your data fabric and iteratively test for risk and compliance. It is efficient and effective means of reducing overall risk, in less time and at less cost. The Census Bureau uses sampling by using selective demographic records and drawing inferences on a population. Manufacturers have used statistical quality control to selectively sample widgets to determine, with confidence, that the quality of a population of manufactured parts met specification, without checking every single widget.


It’s official: Digital trust really matters to everyone online

Given that almost everyone surveyed indicated their appreciation of digital trust, it is not surprising that it is considered a priority. The typical respondent commenced work on digital trust two to three years ago, making 75% (or more) progress so far with expectations of reaching complete trust within the next one to two years. Arguably, however, digital trust is more of a journey than a destination, given the constantly shifting nature of the threat environment. The fear of customer attrition directly translates into a digital trust goal: customer loyalty. Other goals (which contribute to customer loyalty) include reducing security issues, meeting regulatory, legal and compliance obligations with reduced cost, and improving brand perception. Achieving digital trust improvements isn’t without its challenges. Topping the list of obstacles is managing digital certificates, rated as important by 100% of enterprises. Regulatory compliance and handling the scope of what they are protecting was a close second at 99%. Complexity rounds out the difficulties faced (securing dynamic, multi-vendor networks isn’t easy), while a lack of staff expertise is also cited.


Turning Points in AI and ML

When one couples the technology capabilities of AI/ML solutions with the practical ends they may evolve to serve, the potential examples multiply quickly. Think about the job of content moderator in a social media environment, which requires not only discrete judgment, but also attention to detail at tremendous speed and volume. Today, bots can screen text for certain terms and expressions. But tomorrow’s may be able to monitor sentiment, understand contexts outside the immediate content, or evaluate non-text expressions, like videos or photos. In a contact center environment, you can “trip up” a present-day bot by trying to stray from its trained area of knowledge. That’s because today’s conversational bots learn from other conversations. Tomorrow’s will learn from the world of unstructured inputs around them, as people do, so they’ll keep up with you no matter where you steer the conversation. Natural language understanding and large language models will translate that into unfettered interaction and follow up with required action that’s instantly and automatically informed by relevant data wherever it resides.


Developers Should Celebrate Software Development Being Hard

Software development is too hard for people to do who don’t enjoy software development. This is good news because it means anyone not committed will give up because they will find it too difficult to coast in. Developers are put under intense pressure to deliver quickly and to constantly learn new technology. Developers who don’t enjoy software development will give up because it's too hard. The difficulty of software development reduces the number of developers, despite it being a well-paid job with good career options. The number of good developers is small because it's easier to be a bad developer than a good developer. ... If you are a developer who enjoys software development, take a moment to thank the software gods. Low code software development will increase the number of developers, but it won’t increase the number of good developers because most people don’t understand how software development works. The harder development is, the fewer developers who can do it well. This makes those developers valuable.


3 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From The Rise and Fall of History's Biggest Companies

The second lesson is that entrepreneurs can still beat out larger companies even if they lack the same connections to power. History shows that "right" can often beat "might." ... Energetic commitment and talent will beat resource-rich rivals, as long as entrepreneurs pick their fights wisely. There are two reliable ways of spotting opportunities to do so. First, as companies get bigger, even well-managed ones must leave opportunities on the table — market segments or product opportunities too small or too different for them to do well in or focus on. These often provide windows of opportunity for small players. Today's small markets can become tomorrow's large markets. ... Finally, in assessing today's large companies, it's important to remember that their success usually came from a basic entrepreneurial achievement combined with an organizational mindset. As entrepreneurs grow their businesses, they should be mindful of the competencies they have developed and remain intent on building new ones over time. New competencies — fueled by innovation — will likely increase their trajectory in growth and value.


Is Your Wi-Fi Router in the Wrong Spot? Here's How to Tell

Routers send the signal out in all directions, so if it's left in the corner of your home, a significant percentage of your wireless coverage is being sent outside your home. That's why your best bet is to move the router to a central location to optimize the signal. Installing a router across the house from the modem may prove troublesome. It may require manually running an especially long CAT5 or CAT6 Ethernet cable under the floor or along the bottom of your walls, or enlisting the help of power line network adapters, which use your home's electrical wiring to pass an internet signal from point to point. But the improved wireless coverage will be worth it. ... Routers tend to spread their strongest signals downward, so it's best to mount the router as high as possible to maximize coverage. Try placing it high on a bookshelf or mounting it on the wall in an inconspicuous place. Search online, and you'll find lots of custom wall mounts built for specific routers, like this stick-up mount for the Eero Pro 6 mesh router. If you're struggling to find a good, elevated spot, something like that could be a great solution.
Avoid other electronics


Why data engineers are key to becoming a true digital leader

A common misconception among enterprise business leaders is that their data-driven ambitions will be realised by hiring data scientists. Data scientists are, of course, a crucial part of a data-driven business. Their ability to unearth interesting and unusual data patterns, and develop predictive and analytical models, helps to discover new solutions that can lead to positive outcomes such as cost-saving. However, data scientists are not purely driven by business goals. Instead, they are motivated by experimentation. If not managed appropriately, this can hinder data projects as data scientists search for solutions that the business may not want to implement. Data engineers, on the other hand, are responsible for translating data insights into technical and data requirements to directly meet business objectives. Unlike data scientists, data engineers are firmly focused on driving a business’s overall data strategy forward. This can include assisting with the performance of analytics projects, authorising data for different audiences, and ensuring data governance for regulation compliance.


UN to Hold Hearing on Proposed Cybercrime Treaty

The proposed treaty identifies cybercrime as any "criminal offenses committed intentionally and illegally" over IT devices. It further lists a variety of criminal activities that are deemed illegal. These include activities such as illegal access, network interference, tampering of hardware or software that results in the compromise of critical infrastructure or leak of confidential government data, among others. By identifying and clearly defining what constitutes various cybercrimes, the treaty seeks to provide a legal basis for states to prosecute potential offenders, which may range from sophisticated nation-state hackers to employees who illegally access sensitive government data. The draft proposal further spells out measures that states can adopt such as granting law enforcement agencies the right to collect data in real time, seize devices used for cybercrime activities, coordinate with intelligence agencies, as well as assist victims of various cybercrimes.


We’re a Long Way From a Passwordless Reality

A passwordless future sounds fantastic, but passwords will remain a backup authentication method until passwordless technologies mature. Few websites are currently compatible with passwordless authentication. The majority of websites will need to continue to store passwords because decades will pass before every user has the hardware and software they need to use passwordless authentication. Even in the Windows-advertised world of passwordless setup passwords still matter, particularly as a backup method. The latest Windows release breaks the Windows Hello biometrics and PIN setup that users already count on for passwordless authentication. Last September, Microsoft said commercial users of Microsoft apps and services, such as Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Family Safety, could remove the password from their Microsoft accounts entirely. But, Windows 11 release version 22H2 breaks the Windows Hello authentication technology. Windows users can experience Windows Hello sign-on failures with face recognition, fingerprints, and PINs. 


How to improve your incident response plan for 2023

Many organizations are confident in the existence of their incident response plan (IRP), but they are often not entirely sure what to do with it. A threat-specific IR playbook can offer easily accessible guidance during the chaos of incident response and is a vital element of an IR plan. When a cybersecurity incident happens, you’re scrambling to understand what’s being harmed or stolen, and not knowing where to begin can exacerbate the damage. Using your playbook as a set of IR standard operating procedures (SOPs) can define the roles and responsibilities of each IR team member as well as other key stakeholders within the company and keep everyone on the same page. For instance, the IR team will determine that passwords need to be changed during the containment of a ransomware incident, but to understand which passwords need to be changed or other required actions, they could consult the playbook for quicker resolution. These incidents call for “all hands on deck”, but for things to run smoothly, everyone must know their individual roles and the roles of others, including who the critical point of contact for each workstream is.



Quote for the day:

“A real entrepreneur is somebody who has no safety net underneath them.” -- Henry Kravis

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