Quote for the day:
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." -- Robert Louis Stevenson
How AI and ML Will Change Financial Planning
AI adoption in finance does not come easily, because finance systems contain
vast amounts of sensitive data, they are more susceptible to data breaches.
Integrating AI systems with other components, such as cloud services and APIs,
can increase the number of entry points that hackers might exploit. Hence, most
of the finance executives cite data security as a top challenge. Limited AI
skills is another hurdle, most of the finance orgs don’t have the skill set
which leverage the AI in planning and budgeting activities. In early stages,
high costs, staff resistance, lack of transparency, and uncertain ROI dominate.
Other hurdles stay constant, such as data security and finding consistent data.
As companies expand their use of AI, the potential for bias and misinformation
rises, particularly as finance teams tap GenAI. Integrating AI solutions and
tools into existing systems also presents more challenges As AI and ML continue
to evolve, their role in financial planning will only grow. The ability to
continuously adapt to new data, automate routine processes, and generate
predictive insights positions AI as a critical tool for financial leaders. By
embracing these technologies, businesses can transition from reactive financial
management to proactive, data-driven decision-making that not only mitigates
risks but also identifies new opportunities for growth.
The Augmented Architect: Real-Time Enterprise Architecture In The Age Of AI
No human can know everything about a modern digital enterprise. AI doesn’t
pretend to either — but it remembers everything and brings the right detail to
the fore at the right time. Think of it as a cognitive prosthetic for the
architect: surfacing precedents, warnings, and rationale at the point of
decision. ... Visibility isn’t just about having access to data — it’s
about trust in its freshness. Real-time integration with operational sources
(observability platforms, configuration systems, source control, deployment
records) ensures that the architecture graph is never out of date. The haystack
becomes a needle-sorter. ... Architecture artifacts multiply: PowerPoints,
spreadsheets, PDFs, whiteboards. But in an agentic system, everything is
rendered on demand from the same graph (and its associated unstructured content,
linked via vector embeddings). Want a heatmap of system risks? A regulatory
trace? A roadmap to sunset legacy? One prompt, one view — consistent,
explainable, and composable. And those unstructured artifacts? An agent is happy
to harvest new insights from them back into the knowledge store. ... Review
boards become decision accelerators instead of speed bumps. Agents pre-check
submissions. Exceptions, not compliance, become the focus. Draft decisions are
generated and validated before the meeting even starts.
Choosing the Most Secure Cloud Service for Your Workloads
Managed cloud servers offer the security benefit of being relatively simple to
configure and operate. Simplicity breeds security because the fewer variables
you have to work with, the lower the risk of making a mistake that will lead to
a breach. On the other hand, managed cloud servers are subject to a relatively
large attack surface. Threat actors could target multiple components, including
the operating systems installed on server instances, individual applications,
and network-facing services. ... If you deploy containers using a managed
service like AWS Fargate or GKE, you get many of the same security advantages as
you enjoy when using serverless functions: The only vulnerabilities and
misconfigurations you have to worry about are ones that impact your containers.
The cloud provider bears responsibility for securing the host infrastructure.
This isn't true, however, if you deploy containers on infrastructure that you
manage yourself — by, for example, creating a Kubernetes cluster using nodes
hosted on EC2. In that case, you end up with a broad and complex environment,
making it quite challenging to secure. ... Note, too, that containers tend to be
complex. A single container image could include code drawn from many
sources.
The Invisible Data Battle: How AI Became a Cybersec Professional’s Biggest Friend and Foe
With all of these boobytraps and stonewalling techniques in mind, cybersec
professionals have been working on smart scrapers for years, and they’re finally
here. A “smart” or “adaptive” scraper uses natural language processing (NLP) and
machine learning to handle dynamic content and intricate website architectures
(e.g., nested categories and varied page layouts), bypass IP blocking and rate
limiting via rotating proxies, deal with CAPTCHAs, login forms and cookies — and
even provide real-time data updates. For instance, adaptive scrapers can
identify the structure of a web page by analyzing its document object model
(DOM) or by following specific patterns, and this allows for dynamic adaptation.
AI models like convolutional neural networks (CNNS) can also detect and interact
with visual elements on websites, such as buttons. In fact, smart scrapers can
even mimic human browsing patterns with random pauses, mouse movements and
realistic navigation sequences that bypass behavioral analysis tools. And that’s
not all. AI-powered web scrapers can modify browser configurations to mask
telltale signs of automation (such as headless browsers that run without a
traditional graphical interface) that anti-bot systems look for.
The Agile Advantage: doubling down on the biggest business challenges
Agile practices have been gaining popularity, with 51% of respondents indicating
their organisations actively use Agile to organize and deliver work. However,
the data reveals inconsistencies in how the benefits of Agile are perceived
across teams and organisations. ... Regardless of whether teams fully embrace
Agile practices completely, there are opportunities for leaders to bring forward
Agile principles to address the unique challenges of modern work. While leaders
may feel confident in their teams’ direction, the lack of alignment experienced
by entry-level employees can have serious repercussions. Feedback from these
employees can serve as a valuable indicator of how effectively an organisation
integrates Agile practice–and the data clearly shows there is considerable room
for improvement. For organisations of any size, addressing these gaps is
imperative. Leaders must adopt consistent tools and frameworks that enhance
training, improve communication and foster greater alignment across teams.
Proactively tackling these issues early can alleviate future issues like
misalignment and burnout, while building a more cohesive and resilient
organisation.
The Strategic Evolution of IT: From Cost Center to Business Catalyst
The most successful organizations recognize that technology-driven
transformation requires more than just implementing new solutions — it demands
an organization-wide cultural shift. This means evolving IT teams from
traditional "order-takers" to influential decision-makers who help shape and
execute business strategy. The key lies in creating an environment where
innovation thrives and tech professionals feel empowered to contribute their
unique perspectives to business discussions. Organizations must invest in both
the technical and business acumen of their IT talent. A dual focus on these
areas enables teams to better understand the broader business context of their
work and contribute more meaningfully to strategic discussions. When IT
professionals can speak the languages of both technology and business, they
become invaluable partners in driving broader innovation. Success in this area
requires a commitment to continuous learning, mentorship programs and creating
opportunities for cross-functional collaboration that expose IT teams to diverse
business challenges and perspectives. ... With technology continuing to reshape
industries and markets, the question is no longer whether tech professionals
should have a seat at the strategic table, but how to maximize its potential and
impact on business success.
Is HR running your employee security training? Here’s why that’s not always the best idea
“HR departments may not be fully aware of current cyber threats or the
organization’s specific risks,” she says. This can result in overly broad or
generic training, which reduces its effectiveness. These programs can also fail
to emphasize the practical, real-world application of security practices or
offer enough guidance on addressing threats if they lack collaboration with
security and IT teams.” HR may not effectively tailor the training to the
organization’s industry-specific threats, Murphy notes. Without the security
department’s involvement, training content often lacks focus and fails to
address the company’s unique threats, leaving employees unsure of what to watch
for. ... However, while HR shouldn’t run employee security training, Willett
does view the HR team as a key partner. He suggests a collaborative approach
where HR and security teams work together, leveraging their respective
strengths. He explains that HR can help translate complex technical information
into understandable language, while the security team provides the core content
and technical expertise. ... HR has skin in the game for employee onboarding,
compliance, and adherence to company policies and practices, according to
Hughes.
Why CISOs are doubling down on cyber crisis simulations
“It was once enough to theorise risk identification through using risk matrixes
and lodging them in a spreadsheet describing threats and their likelihood of
materialising,” says Aaron Bugal, Field CISO, APJ at Sophos. “However, looking
at the impact caused by ransomware and subsequent extortion demands sending
executive teams and board members into a spin, highlights the lack of
understanding of how pervasive cyber criminals are and the opportunities they
take.” To move beyond theoretical planning, Bugal advocates for breach
simulations as a practical step forward. “A simulation of a breach will allow
you to draw out the concise and well-measured response actions that are demanded
by you and your organisation,” he explains. Bringing together a cross-section of
executives helps uncover gaps in readiness. “Physically sitting with a cross
section of executives, board members, human resources, IT, security, legal and
public relations will ilk out the procedures, responsibilities and resources
needed to respond with efficacy.” By running these exercises in advance,
organizations can avoid the chaos of real-time crisis management. “Simulations
provide a structured approach to build and refine a breach response while
playing it out and discovering where improvements are needed,” Bugal adds,
“rather than learning and panicking whilst under the pressure of an active
attack.”
Google Cloud Security VP on solving CISO pain points
On the strategic side, Bailey said CISOs are asking for a middle ground between
highly integrated platforms and the flexibility of best-of-breed tools. "They
want best of breed with the limited toil of what a platform gives," he said.
"They're tired of integrations constantly breaking." Bailey also discussed how
the role of development-level security – often called DevSecOps – is
increasingly being absorbed into security operations. "The CISO is going to have
responsibility for all these problems," he said. "Visibility into what's being
deployed, compliance reporting, and detection on application code – that's all
coming into SecOps." Another emerging front is model protection. Google's Model
Armour and AI Protection aim to defend not just infrastructure but also the AI
models themselves. "If a bad prompt starts coming through, we can help block
that," Bailey said. "We're putting security controls around development
environments, models, data and prompts." The Mandiant brand, once synonymous
with incident response, has found new life as both a consulting arm and a
foundation for content in Google Threat Intelligence. "Mandiant is our
consulting practice," Bailey said. "It's also where our elite threat hunters
live – a lot of them are ex-Mandiant, and they're integrated with our consulting
team to operationalise what they see on the front lines."
Shadow Table Strategy for Seamless Service Extractions and Data Migrations
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The shadow table strategy maintains a parallel copy of data in a new location
(the "shadow" table or database) that mirrors the original system’s current
state. The core idea is to feed data changes to the shadow in real time, so that
by the end of the migration, the shadow data store is a complete, up-to-date
clone of the original. At that point, you can seamlessly switch to the shadow
copy as the primary source. ... Transitioning from a monolithic architecture to
a microservices-based system requires more than just rewriting code; you often
must carefully migrate data associated with specific services. Extracting a
service from a monolith risks inaccuracy if you do not transfer its dependent
data accurately and consistently. Here, shadow tables play a crucial role in
decoupling and migrating a subset of data without disrupting the existing
system. In a typical service extraction, the legacy system continues to handle
all live operations while developers build a new microservice to handle a
specific functionality. During extraction, engineers mirror the data relevant to
the new service into a dedicated shadow database. Whether implemented through
triggers or event-based replication, the dual-write mechanism ensures that the
system simultaneously records every change made in the legacy system in the
shadow database.
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