AI is coming to the network
The dynamics of AI-infusing a network organization will, as with many other
forms of automation, center on four modes of interaction: offloading,
reskilling, deskilling, and displacing. AI offloading means putting AI tools at
the command of trained and experienced networking professionals to help them do
their work. The idea is to make network pros more effective by allowing them to
offload tasks that are repetitive, complex, time sensitive, or require extremely
high levels of focused attention, but that are not creative. This is supposed to
free these scarce and precious resources to do other, higher-level work instead,
while paying minimal and supervisory attention to what the AI is doing. (Human
attention is the most precious resource in any IT shop.) The network team
doesn’t shrink, and its portfolio of services can even grow without the team
also having to grow to make that possible. Reskilling allows network staff to be
trained to move into other parts of IT or into entirely different kinds of jobs.
It also encompasses the idea of using AI to help train new network staff up to
proficiency.
Distributed SQL: An Alternative to Database Sharding
Distributed SQL is the new way to scale relational databases with a
sharding-like strategy that's fully automated and transparent to applications.
Distributed SQL databases are designed from the ground up to scale almost
linearly. ... In simple terms, a distributed SQL database is a relational
database with transparent sharding that looks like a single logical database
to applications. Distributed SQL databases are implemented as a shared-nothing
architecture and a storage engine that scales both reads and writes while
maintaining true ACID compliance and high availability. Distributed SQL
databases have the scalability features of NoSQL databases—which gained
popularity in the 2000s—but don’t sacrifice consistency. They keep the
benefits of relational databases and add cloud compatibility with multi-region
resilience. A different but related term is NewSQL (coined by Matthew Aslett
in 2011). This term also describes scalable and performant relational
databases. However, NewSQL databases don’t necessarily include horizontal
scalability.
How layoffs can affect diversity in tech—and what to do about it
Although layoffs have dominated the conversation during the latter part of the
year, evidence shows that the Great Resignation isn’t over yet. Online job
site Hired found that attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent has proven
to be difficult, citing employee burnout as a key challenge, placing the blame
on rapid changes in the employment environment and angst over mass layoffs and
hiring freezes. For companies yet to announce job cuts, Laman said that before
any decision is made, organizations need to be sure they factor DE&I into
decisions around layoffs. ... However, Williams argued that there's a lot of
evidence to suggest that we pattern match when we try to spot potential,
meaning that one of the really big risks from all these layoffs is that if you
disproportionately have just one type of person represented at a leadership
level making the decisions about who stays and who goes, they're not going to
have understood or realize the potential of some people who look very
different or are very different from them. Carver agrees, noting that being a
good manager and being a good technologist are not one and the same, meaning
people are often promoted despite lacking some necessary management skills.
How Global Turmoil and Inflation Will Impact Cybersecurity and Data Management in 2023
Rising geopolitical tensions between China, Russia, and NATO allies are
responsible for increased cybersecurity threats. This will lead to companies
tightening security measures in 2023. With healthcare, financial, defense, and
public utility sectors facing new threats from politically motivated bad
actors, the organizations with cloud-based IT operations should consider
employing “data geofencing” through contractual agreements with their cloud
providers -- many of which store data in global data centers -- to ensure data
is kept within designated regions due to national security concerns and local
legal requirements. Organizations in highly regulated industries must be on
high alert to protect data and websites against DDoS attacks and phishing
expeditions. Data management and cybersecurity professionals should work
together to devise and execute new strategies that “meet the moment” and
mitigate the potential for critical customer and corporate data eventually
winding up on the Dark Web. One way data teams can support company security
policies is by “flipping the script” on data asset management.
Cyberattackers Torch Python Machine Learning Project
In the latest attack on PyTorch, the attacker used the name of a software
package that PyTorch developers would load from the project's private
repository, and because the malicious package existed in the PyPI repository,
it gained precedence. The PyTorch Foundation removed the dependency in its
nightly builds and replaced the PyPI project with a benign package, the
advisory stated. ... Fortunately, because the torchtritan dependency was only
imported into the nightly builds of the program, the impact of the attack did
not propagate to typical users, Paul Ducklin, a principal research scientist
at cybersecurity firm Sophos, said in a blog post. "We're guessing that the
majority of PyTorch users won't have been affected by this, either because
they don't use nightly builds, or weren't working over the vacation period, or
both," he wrote. "But if you are a PyTorch enthusiast who does tinker with
nightly builds, and if you've been working over the holidays, then even if you
can't find any clear evidence that you were compromised, you might
nevertheless want to consider generating new SSH key pairs as a precaution,
and updating the public keys that you've uploaded to the various servers that
you access via SSH."
Why it might be time to consider using FIDO-based authentication devices
Every business needs a secure way to collect, manage, and authenticate
passwords. Unfortunately, no method is foolproof. Storing passwords in the
browser and sending one-time access codes by SMS or authenticator apps can be
bypassed by phishing. Password management products are more secure, but they
have vulnerabilities as shown by the recent LastPass breach that exposed an
encrypted backup of a database of saved passwords. For organizations with high
security requirements, that leaves hardware-based login options such as FIDO
devices. The FIDO (Fast Identity Online) standard is maintained by the FIDO
Alliance and aims to reduce reliance on passwords for security. It does so by
complementing or replacing them with strong authentication based on public-key
cryptography. FIDO includes specs that take advantage of biometric and other
hardware-based security measures, either from specialized hardware security
gadgets or the biometric features built into most new smartphones and some
PCs. That makes FIDO and other physical key or token methods more phishing
resistant and harder for attackers to bypass.
Why organizations tend to fall short on secure data management
Developing a more comprehensive structure for data classification by
determining a piece of data’s value, its risk profile, or its level of
sensitivity can improve understanding of the data retention period, thus
informing data policy to help mitigate risk and reducing the attack surface
for a potential breach. That means determining from the outset that data needs
to get sanitized after a set time and through a set policy, rather than
waiting until the asset it sits on is disposed. Equally, by thinking about the
information lifecycle from the get-go, enterprises can make quick decisions on
whether they should even have that data, and if not, they should erase it
immediately with a certificate proving that the erasure has been successful.
If data has only been held as part of a project, then when that project
finishes the team should remove it from the infrastructure under that
organization’s command. Classifying data appropriately can provide actionable
insight to restructure policies and help employees better understand the
information lifecycle management process.
7 downsides of open source culture
The word community gets thrown around a lot in open source circles, but that
doesn’t mean open source culture is some sort of Shangri-La. Open source
developers can be an edgy group: brusque, distracted, opinionated, and even
downright mean. It is also well known that open source has a diversity
problem, and certain prominent figures have been accused of racism and sexism.
Structural inequality may be less visible when individuals contribute to open
source projects with relative anonymity, communicating only through emails or
bulletin boards. But sometimes that anonymity begets feelings of
disconnection, which can make the collaborative process less enjoyable, and
less inclusive, than it's cracked up to be. Many enterprise companies release
open source versions of their product as a “community edition.” It's a great
marketing tool and also a good way to collect ideas and sometimes code for
improving the product. Building a real community around that project, though,
takes time and resources. If a user and potential contributor posts a question
to an online community bulletin board, they expect an answer.
Is Silicon Valley's Unique Aura Fading Away?
The Silicon Valley mindset is about using technology to push for what’s
possible, not what’s probable, says Shannon Goggin, co-founder and CEO of San
Francisco-based benefits data platform provider Noyo. “It’s about taking big
swings, building the future, and creating breakthroughs.” Yet after decades of
tech dominance, doubts about Silicon Valley's long-term industry supremacy are
beginning to appear. ... With a rise in remote work, the value that Silicon
Valley employees once placed on a vibrant office life with trendy workspaces,
elaborate on-site meals, and transportation, has faded, Jain observes. “People
are now looking for solid employers who offer opportunities for collaboration
and the ability to make a difference,” he says. “Silicon Valley tech firms are
starting to take notice.” Thanks to emerging distributed company models, the
Silicon Valley mindset will continue spreading to other areas, Goggin says.
“The startup ecosystem is incredibly supportive, and I will be proud to see
the next generation of companies create even more opportunity for people who
haven’t historically had the chance to participate in the startup and tech
ecosystem,” she says.
9 steps to protecting backup servers from ransomware
The backup server should not be connected to lightweight directory access
protocol (LDAP) or any other centralized authentication system. These are
often compromised by ransomware and can easily be used to gain usernames and
passwords to the backup server itself or to its backup application. Many
security professionals believe that no administrator accounts should be put in
LDAP, so a separate password-management system may already be in place. A
commercial password manager that allows sharing of passwords only among people
who require access could fit the bill. MFA can increase security of backup
servers, but use some other method than SMS or email, both of which are
frequently targeted and circumvented. Consider a third-party authentication
application such as Google Authenticator or Authy or one of the many
commercial products. Backups systems should be configured so nearly no one has
to login directly to an administrator or root account. For example, if a user
account is set up on Windows as an administrator account, that user should not
have to log into it in order to administer the backup system.
Quote for the day:
"A tough hide with a tender heart is a
goal that all leaders must have." -- Wayde Goodall
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