The event illustrated two things:

1. how deep the roots of digitization have become globally;
2. the fragility of the global technology ecosystem, exacerbated by an overreliance on a select number of cloud providers.

This is a wake-up call for us all. Although not a cyber attack, imagine if a nation state was able to find and exploit such vulnerabilities through a coordinated and sustained attack?

It’s given us a glimpse into what cyber armageddon could look like; how should we respond?

The Interconnectivity Trade-Off

Dubbed “the largest IT outage in history,” the global technology outage was caused when an update to one of CrowdStrike’s pieces of software, Falcon Sensor, malfunctioned, paralyzing computers running Windows and resulting in widespread tech failures around the world.

While not the cause, the severity of the impact was only made possible as a result of the increasingly interconnected systems and software that have become so entrenched in our digital infrastructure. The effects were also inflamed by the global reliance on a select number of cloud providers – with Windows devices the worst impacted, many initially thought it was solely a Microsoft issue.

This dependency has brought with it many benefits – global connectivity, efficiency and innovation. But it’s a simple fact that it leaves us all more vulnerable. If a major cloud provider goes down or is impacted, the world grinds to a halt.

For many of us in the business of IT and security, questions are starting to be asked about the trade-off: can we find a way to remain connected, but become more resilient and lessen the impact of events like these?

The initial discussion has been around reassessing cloud strategies, such as avoiding the automatic updating of patches. Some may also be thinking about a multi-cloud approach, where more than one cloud provider is used to ensure continuity if one goes down – “Microsoft is down? That’s ok, we can just switch to Google.” However, despite being a relatively simple undertaking, it would be an expensive luxury that’s out of reach for most.

Build Something from the Ground Up

Rather than trying to patch up ever more complex and interdependent legacy architecture, company boards should use this opportunity to explore shifting their legacy digital architecture to something built from the ground up and future proof.

That is, firms should be viewing this as an opportunity to run an entirely new, low-cost, digital infrastructure in parallel, which is independent of their primary cloud provider and legacy applications. The idea is that in the case of a major systems outage, organizations would have the ability to seamlessly switch over to this secondary infrastructure without manual intervention, allowing them to perform critical functions throughout the crisis. This infrastructure would be backed up with essential data, with advanced security protocols to protect against cyber threats. As a minimum, this provides an out-of-band communications channel for the board and senior management to tell staff and clients what to do and ensures they are not swamped by fraudulent scams after the Crowdstrike outage.

Imagine an airline affected by a major software outage. Having an independent backup system would allow them to continue day-to-day operations such as booking passengers, handling ticket changes and scheduling flights. Instead of relying on extensive manual interventions to recover the primary system, backup protocols would prevent disruption while the main systems are brought back online.

Any solution developed in this way needs to be quick-to-implement and must be able to initiate a contingency command and control process, handle basic tasks and keep the company running in the event of a major attack or outage. Our mission critical clients are beginning to build these fail-over systems that can handle basic tasks and keep the company running in the event of a major attack or outage. In some instances, these shadow systems operate entirely through a mobile messaging platform.

Continuity and Resilience are Possible

As businesses now begin to revisit how they can ensure a return to business as usual as quickly as possible when disaster strikes, they should not be clouded by all the technical terms and confusing offerings, and just focus on three simple and fundamental principles when assessing their current and future risks: completeness, accuracy and validity.

Shifting legacy digital architecture towards something that is built from the ground up ticks all these boxes.  Moreover, it addresses the inter-connectivity, inter-dependency and relatedness and reputational risks that we all face in the digital world today. This may just be the difference between surviving the next global meltdown or being left in its wake.

Andersen Cheng is the founder and chairman of Post-Quantum.

The post CrowdStrike Cyber Armageddon: How Do Firms Now Build Resilience? appeared first on My TechDecisions.

In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. Many employees, and more than a few managers, regard this essential business support service as “annoying,” “slow” and “only heard of when something is going wrong.”

This is not because of any personal issues that employees might have with the IT team — it is simply that they only interact with this part of the business when they are having a problem. Quite often frustration rises when things aren’t fixed instantly — when the simple reality of the situation means they can’t be.

Don’t hate the IT team, hate the substandard tech they have at their disposal

When it comes to business IT and desk-side support services many issues reappear time-and-again causing employees to get frustrated with their IT and/or the people responsible for maintaining it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most hated aspects of IT and desk-side support in the modern office environment.

#1 The Deskside Support is Helpless

You might be the king of your day-to-day job, but nothing makes you turn into a pauper quicker than when your IT system crashes or your device stops working (which always happens at the worst time!).

When this happens, you look to the IT desk-side support team as your knights in shining armor riding in to save the day. Yet when they arrive, you discover that they will have to take over your device and “have a play around” to figure out the problem.

This can take a long time, and time is a precious commodity. Sitting around watching IT support perform tests on your device frustrates workers and gives the impression that the IT team doesn’t know what they’re doing. The reality is many of these problems require these “exploratory” tests to be carried out to identify the problem before it can be fixed.

You wouldn’t be frustrated with a Doctor performing tests to identify why you’re feeling under the weather.

#2 IT Projects Never Seem to End

IT infrastructure is under constant monitoring, revision and improvement. Patches and updates are necessary in order to keep the business secure.

Add to this the unplanned IT issues — failure, lost, damaged items — and you should begin to understand why IT desk-side support can sometimes take time to resolve. Even worse is what most of us have experienced at some point — twiddling our thumbs and watching our device under the control of the remote IT support team when you need to be working on that report, proposal or other important document/ project. This wasted time leads to lost productivity in the workplace and reduced employee morale.

#3 Employee On-Boarding with No IT equipment on Day One

Anyone who has gone to work in an office as a new starter in the last decade will understand the frustration of the “new employee IT onboarding process.”

Even though you’ve had months of interviews and your agreed start date is not a mystery or unexpected, imagine the frustration when you walk through the door for your first day feeling confident, but nervous and your computer is not fully set up for use.

Instead, you end up sitting around watching your new colleagues get stuck into the work they want to be doing, while you’re waiting for your computer to be fully configured. Praise Be for that “team lunch” will help break up the monotony of the first day.

The configuration of IT assets should be completed before the first day. It should be waiting for them from day one.

#4 Hardware Refresh Cycles

Getting a new, improved, more up-to-date device should be a day of joy for workers as you say goodbye to your slow, unreliable equipment that looks like it has just arrived from the late noughties.

One client I worked for actually embraced the embarrassment of how old its IT equipment was by naming its most ancient range of hand-me-down laptops as “Heritage Laptops.” I did think that what would come next would be a UNESCO “World Heritage” badge stating the equipment was now considered “IT equipment of significant historic value.”

This process of switching from an old to a more modern device is not just simply handing over a laptop for a new one. The new device still has to be configured and cloned to your settings and then tested to make sure everything is running smoothly — which can lead to new problems.

For the business, these processes are a short-term pain for the long-term gain. However, for employees, it can be seen as a dull, unnecessary experience that some will actively avoid, preferring to stay on older, slower, less secure devices.

A new, user-friendly system is needed to make this process smoother and simpler for employees to be a part of, and it needs to be much more convenient than it currently is.

#5 Where is my order?

It used to be that work IT and desk-side support was far better than what we had at home. Some of us might even be old enough to remember a relative or parent proudly coming home with a wonder of technology which they had “borrowed from work.” Much to the amazement of the family.

Nowadays this has completely changed. Each of us carries a super-computer in our pocket and uses seamless “omnichannel” services provided by retailers. Whether this is from tech giants like Amazon or Apple to luxury brands like Burberry or even high street names like Argos. With each of them, whenever you place an order you are presented with a wealth of information about where your item can be collected, when it will arrive, and whether you want to delay arrival — right down to the name of your delivery driver.

Take this experience back to the workplace and you are met with the “black hole of IT.” Every time you order IT equipment it disappears into the ether. You might get a confirmation notice, but how often do you receive an update on how the order is progressing, or how you will eventually collect your item? Do you know the name of the person in your IT support team working on this order?

The answer to all these problems = Automation

One thing each of the above issues has in common is that at some point they rely on a human touchpoint in the process to get anything done.

Whether this is calling a member of the IT support desk, waiting for IT support to make an office visit, or waiting for engineers to finish configuring your machine before you get it back, much of the problem-solving within business IT is done in front of the employees.

This no longer needs to be the case! Automation paired with the use of consumer systems like Smart Lockers, can remove many of the pain points within IT projects. The impact is quickly realised as the IT team has time back to get on with important business-changing projects and employees have the ability to self-serve/ self-solve their own IT issues.

Hassle-Free, Headache-Free IT Support

IT infrastructure will always be a key component of any modern office or business environment, which inevitably means that IT support will always remain a part of employees’ lives.

Much has been made about AI and automation removing the need for human interaction within the workplace, but rather than replacing IT support staff outright, automation using Smart Lockers removes the mundane, time-consuming and repetitive tasks.

The wider workforce now benefits because their IT problems get fixed much quicker, in fact, research has shown that Smart Locker requests are up to 95% faster than traditional deskside support teams; the three-day average wait time is now down to mere minutes.

Moreover, it also removes the headaches of sitting around for hours at a time while an issue is resolved. It also plays heavily into the reputation of employers if they can automate a lot of repetitive processes, presenting a business in which ongoing, recurring IT issues are a thing of the past.

Glen McCarty serves as the Consulting Director at Velocity Smart Consulting, bringing to the table a career spanning two decades as a seasoned IT transformation specialist.

The post Five Common IT Issues Everyone Hates at Work appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Specifically, workers experienced the personal benefits of flexibility that remote and hybrid work models offered during shutdowns. Many employees won’t or don’t want to go back. The percentage of these workers is likely to remain at high levels, and an employer’s ability to accommodate remote or hybrid work may now largely determine whether a worker takes a job or even remains with a company.

That is obviously a game-changer for recruiting and retention. It also increases the challenges of effectively managing a host of remote devices and the many workers using them. Potential impacts include infrastructure reliability, network availability, data accessibility, and, above all, IT security, but investments in robust technology to manage and support flexible work practices will ensure companies can remain responsive and secure.

A Remote Environment = Increased Threats to Security

As critical as it has been, remote work has significantly exposed companies to cybersecurity threats; these are the top risks to all organizations today. Yearly data breach totals remain high and show evidence of escalation: 1,175 in 2018; 1,108 in 2019; 1,872 in 2020; and 1,862 in 2021.

The risk is compounded not only by vulnerabilities in technology but also by human error. As evidence, Deloitte reports that 47 percent of remote individuals fell victim to phishing attacks while working at home. The average cost of a data breach enabled by a remote worker was $137,000 in 2022. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence are further increasing the number and severity of security threats, and this is why it is critical to get all aspects of IT support right.

By their very nature, hybrid work environments demand that organizations have a better awareness of risk and an even tighter grip on their data, devices, and processes to remain operational and secure. Historically, employees are the weakest link in the security chain. When employees work off-site, and often with personal devices, they lower the vulnerability threshold so much more.

Related: Choosing the Best Video and Audio Devices for WFH Setups

Because of the increased threat environment, many organizations are stepping up security investments and employee training, alongside establishing strict practices around sensitive data encryption for every device and ensuring backups are completed at different locations. Remembering that data not requiring daily access should also be removed from the regular data pool and stored where it can be retrieved when needed is also a good tactic.

Fortunately, organizations were not blind to increased security risks during the pandemic, and many put new measures in place and increased employee training. Still, many organizations have yet to modify their infrastructure to meet the new security and support challenges. Flexibility and agility are urgently needed, and many systems can’t provide either.

The solution is having a secure remote control platform that can handle a widely dispersed workforce while scaling and delivering support as required, regardless of location. Ideally, it should be easy to use, cloud-based, and have security at its heart.

 Security Features That Make a Difference

For a COO of an international company, ensuring the IT security for a hybrid working environment is a high priority, helping to safeguard network and data security, ensure uninterrupted operations and constant productivity and create a positive employee experience.

Our company has provided remote device management software for education and corporate settings for over 30 years and, with that, we’ve seen and adapted to the changes in risks and cybersecurity threats.

Some of the key remote control features that companies should consider include:

1. Secure Web Gateways

Secure web gateways are ideal for managing remote employee connections and provide extra security, regardless of location. The gateway logs all activity and can provide additional insights into which computers were attempting to connect, allowing IT teams to see whether unauthorized attempts are occurring.

2. Security Keys

As the name suggests, security keys enable remote users to connect only if they have the same security key as the client. These are encrypted passcodes and must match for connections between machines to be permitted.

3. User Acknowledgement

Implementing user acknowledgment is an effective way to guard against connection attempts from unauthorized devices. This simply means that when delivering remote support, an employee must explicitly accept the IT team member’s connection request before they can connect to the device.

With these things and more in place, maintaining a secure and productive hybrid working environment should be stress-free and, dare I say it, easy.

Matt Jones is the chief operating officer of NetSupport. He has spent his entire career helping corporate IT departments manage their networks and devices.

The post Keeping Your Hybrid Workplace Secure appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Video Collaboration

Look For: Enhanced Communication and Productivity
Avoid: Stressing the Network

Video applications are used across industries for everything from collaborating and problem solving with colleagues, to training sessions, to providing customer services like telehealth appointments. While the use of this technology grew exponentially with many working from home, these applications are so entrenched in business operations that they won’t disappear with return-to-office mandates. Employees will still reach for videoconferencing to connect them with others who aren’t in the same office building — whether that be with a colleague or client in the same state or in another country.

Networks — wired and WiFi — must be resilient enough to withstand the growing dependency of video collaboration. They must support the upload and download of real-time data; otherwise, meeting attendees will experience distorted video, speech delays and other issues.

To keep communication and productivity on track, IT professionals must have:

• End-to-end user experience metrics that measure how capable networks are of supporting video platforms. Metrics measured must include latency, jitter, dropped packets and the Mean Opinion Score.
• Real-time analytics for video collaboration software and all other network devices, applications, and infrastructure to identify and resolve issues with pinpoint accuracy.
• Complete visibility into the entire network ecosystem so there are no behavior and performance mysteries.
• Automatic, proactive alerts to issues as soon as they occur and before users are impacted, rather than reactive alerts from inconvenienced users.

The 6GHz Frequency Band and WiFi 6E Migration

Look For: Expanded Connectivity
Avoid: Interoperability Issues

WiFi 6E appeared on the market soon after the release of WiFi 6. While the two deliver similar benefits for enterprises, WiFi 6E devices are alone in their ability to use the new unlicensed 6GHz spectrum. This is the first time in over a decade that the amount of available unlicensed spectrum has changed so this is far from your run-of-the-mill migration.

Yes, the 6GHz spectrum will be less congested and offer less signal interference since it will only allow 6E devices, and adds 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional 160MHz channels. Yes, the faster data throughput and lower latency are exciting, especially for technologies such as cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, and instantaneously uploading / downloading extremely large files.

But, networks and network ecosystems are going to significantly change with the new frequency band. Migrations need to move slowly and steadily to avoid interoperability issues. Technology leaders must prep their teams to be ready to:

• Analyze end user metrics to predict which departments need the upgrade first. Migrations are expensive and time consuming; that time and money should be spent where the ROI will be the greatest.
• Redesign AP deployment to better provide 6GHz connectivity. The 6GHz spectrum uses shorter wavelengths than its 2.4GHz and 5GHz predecessors. Existing AP placement may not offer the best support for the new technology.
• Ensure redesigns don’t cause roaming issues for devices on any of the three frequency bands.
• Watch and analyze three frequency bands 24/7. Issues of any sort can occur at any time; if all three frequency bands aren’t analyzed 24/7, IT professionals will be missing data. There’s always the chance that the data that teams don’t have will be the data that is needed to identify a root cause and make it possible for IT to implement a resolution.
• Compare network performance before and after transitions both to identify issues and determine if the expected ROI is delivered.

AI-Powered Network Automation

Look For: Complete Wired and WiFi Assurance
Avoid: Manual, Reactive Operations

Enterprises need issue-free wired and WiFi networks. If networks aren’t issue free, organizations need solutions in place that will drastically:

1. Reduce the number of issues
2. Reduce resolution times

Fewer issues that are in turn resolved faster than ever result in networks that spend more time working optimally and less time causing delays in business continuity. When almost every single business process is dependent on the network, network assurance is a critical need.

Enterprises can try to achieve network assurance through purely manual means, but they will fail. Networks are too complex for this to be possible. Assurance depends on real-time analytics from every single connected device, all infrastructure, and even nearby networks. IT professionals cannot analyze thousands of data packets a second. They need AI-powered network automation.

When teams have the support of these solutions, they have:

• Complete network visibility provided by a solution that never sleeps
• Real-time, automatic problem detection, notification, and identification (root cause analysis)
• Recommended resolutions
• Proactive network testing
• Automated remote troubleshooting

AI-powered network automation solutions deliver in-depth network analytics, down to the device level, so that technology leaders know the precise behavior and performance of their network, and what is needed to improve it. Generalities are not the answer. Enterprises want the best network for their users – and their users have specific needs and pain points. Understanding these, and designing a network that improves user experience, will also improve business performance, reputation and revenue.

AI-powered network automation solutions provide the needed capabilities in a cost-effective and scalable way. This is modern wired and WiFi assurance.

The Details Matter

A network that must be significantly updated or redesigned every year is one that is doing no one any favors. Networks need to meet the needs of enterprise users right now and be adaptable enough to continue providing optimal support for the next three to five years. Build your network to support the three trends of video collaboration, WiFi 6E and the 6GHz band, and network automation, and your network will be resilient, reliable, and give you a competitive edge that lasts beyond 2024.

Roger Sands is the co-founder and CEO of Wyebot, Inc. He has 20+ years of executive management experience under his belt, gained from working with both successful networking startups and Fortune 500 companies, such as the following: Hewlett-Packard’s WW WLAN business, Colubris Networks, Accton Technology, 3com, USRobotics, and Bytex Corporation.

The post Top Three Network Concerns for Technology Decision Makers appeared first on My TechDecisions.

As more large learning models (LLMs) are coming to market, you might find that your enterprise customers are asking how they can automate processes and drive efficiency with AI. While eager to inquire, enterprise decision-makers often hesitate to invest in generative AI for their business upon discovering the significant resources, security considerations, and operational changes required to deploy an effective generative AI tool. While trendy, AI adoption still carries a lot of uncertainty and risk.

AI and the AV Industry

The good news is that our industry is uniquely positioned to help in this new scenario. As a trusted resource and advisor for technology decisions, clients trust AV integrators to offer AI-powered solutions that are ready for prime time and have a meaningful impact. These four critical questions can help integrators and technology managers adapt their discovery phase to incorporate AI into their AV technology roadmap.

Q1. What are the strengths and limitations of AI?

In response to the increased demand, technology vendors have rushed to develop AI integrations for everything — from truncating transcripts into meeting minutes to brainstorming ideas beyond reality. However, integrators should recognize both the efficacy and limitations of AI in truly enhancing the end-user experience. While generative AI can do a lot in its current state, it’s still best suited as a support tool for enhancing and accelerating processes rather than completely overtaking operations end to end.

The key is to identify discrete tasks that AI can successfully handle. If a human must significantly revise an AI’s output to make it usable, AI will waste more time than it saves. Work with clients to establish clear operational guidelines and oversight for AI tools to avoid these limitation roadblocks. This includes defining responsibilities; establishing handoffs between AI and human operators; allocating maintenance resources and having reasonable expectations. Once these boundaries are established, integrators can introduce effective opportunities to accelerate tasks with AI.

Q2. How do the strengths of AI support the client’s goals?

Properly trained AI can extend enterprise bandwidth by accelerating mundane-yet-time-consuming tasks, like retrieving data to answer questions or inform project timelines; providing employee and customer support; and digesting information to guide brainstorming and decision-making. This kind of implementation improves existing information retrieval processes. AI can also automatically compile information from across sources or customize responses to align with user data permissions.

Once you understand the capabilities of AI, it’s time to bring them to your client. To understand how AI can best support their organization, work with them to understand their unique pain points. Remember, the goal is to improve efficiency in existing systems, not replace processes entirely with AI.

AI functions must align with the interests of the enterprise and the evolving processes, demands and expectations of the business. Deployments should complement and improve the existing employee experience. AI should work across devices and processes, offering a reliable and seamless user experience. If an AI application does not make the job easier for enterprise customers, it’s probably not ready for deployment.

Q3. What training resources are available?

When trained with the right data aggregations, AI assistants can produce qualitative and quantitative-driven outputs that help streamline employee experiences, audience engagement, and objective results that benefit an organization’s defined visual goals and output. That being said, an AI’s responses are only ever as accurate as its dataset. Before launching an AI implementation for an application like sales, customer service or troubleshooting support, a business should have solid and up-to-date documentation of its processes and internal knowledge.

While AI implementation can make operations easier, it’s not an effortless addition to a business model. Deloitte cites managing internal data and processes as one of the most reported obstacles in scaling AI. It is important to inform the client about the continuous investment required for AI and discuss how they plan to maintain it. Before deployment, the business should evaluate whether the AI solutions that client plan to adopt are maintainable. They should then develop a long-term support plan and appoint someone to oversee the ethics and accuracy of the AI system.

Finally, ensure your clients can deliver on processes continuously after deployment, even if their AI tool is down. Integrators can help customers identify reliable, intuitive foundational AI tools that will support their business best, but setting realistic expectations that no AI tool will be free of error or downtime is the key to effective process management and planning.

Q4. What data is acceptable to share?

Data security is top of mind for enterprises, and while the benefits of AI are worth discussing, it’s crucial to educate clients about the potential risks linked with AI.

One risk is the “black box” paradox: the inner workings of AI systems are obscure to humans — this lack of transparency may pose challenges and lead to unforeseen consequences as AI evolves. That being said, sharing data and training is essential to successful AI implementation. Integrators must educate their clients to ensure they understand the risk. This will help clients make more informed decisions regarding adopting and implementing AI technologies.

Security is also a discussion point when evaluating whether an AI tool will operate on premises or in the cloud. On-premises solutions offer several benefits, including that data never leaves the local area network. This is especially important for businesses that deal with highly sensitive data.

Additionally, on-premises solutions offer firewall protection and integration with internal contact/user data, which enables AI to learn identity and permissions. Finally, on-premises solutions provide access to highly secure employee-facing AI chat with responses derived from proprietary company data.

On the other hand, cloud-based solutions offer flexibility, high scalability and accessibility for distributed workforces. However, clients have less control over data distribution than an on-prem solution. Data and encryption keys are stored with third-party providers. This means that if there is downtime, clients may be unable to access their data.

While each option has its benefits and drawbacks, integrators should advocate for establishing a solid security protocol and best practices before sharing data with an AI assistant.

Concluding Thoughts

While the AI landscape fluctuates, these four questions can guide integrators in evaluating and recommending the right AI investments to meet enterprise customer demands. While some clients might be ready for AI, other organizations might need more preparation before taking the leap. Emphasizing genuine operational enhancements over fleeting trends is paramount, guiding clients toward integrations that yield enduring advantages.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on March 19, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Four Questions to Guide High-Impact Enterprise AI Integrations appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Security Operations Centers (SOC) and Beyond

As businesses focus on business continuity and situational intelligence, IT integrators with a holistic approach are increasingly being asked to extend their expertise beyond the peripheral systems that they are deploying — into the Operation Centers that manage the systems. This natural expansion emphasizes the growing need for a comprehensive approach that combines security, operational functionalities, infrastructure and AV considerations within the enterprise.

C-Level Recognition of Platform Solutions

A significant shift is occurring in the C-Suite with chief information officers (CIOs) recognizing the value of adopting platform solutions over point solutions for visual displays serving core enterprise operations. Enterprises are increasingly seeking integrated platforms that go beyond individual applications, thus providing a unified solution for all visual display needs. This shift reflects a desire for comprehensive solutions that streamline operations and enhance overall efficiency.

Rise of Data Dashboards in Enterprise

The rise of data dashboards in the enterprise is fueled by the growing need for effective metrics measurement and tracking. In this landscape, operational benefits play a crucial role, allowing businesses to manage content on any screen without relying on expensive and unsecure thin client PCs or USB drives, eliminating the need for significant manual intervention in content updates. Users can securely and centrally manage content directly from their web browser, presenting a more efficient and secure approach.

This trend is underpinned by the demand for integrated solutions that seamlessly connect with leading technologies. Notably, these data dashboards fully integrate with key applications like Power BI and Tableau as a single source, ensuring automatic, persistent and secure authentication to dashboards, charts and reports.

The aggregation of multiple charts as a source facilitates the secure distribution of operational data to relevant teams and stakeholders. This not only highlights the importance of technological compatibility but also underscores the broader trend of fostering informed decision-making through streamlined and secure data management.

Software-Defined Solutions versus Hardware Limitations

The paradigm of hardware-based point solutions is becoming obsolete as software solutions gain prominence. The ability of software solutions to seamlessly integrate with various industry-leading technologies provides a level of flexibility and scalability that hardware-based solutions struggle to match. This shift marks a departure from the limitations of hardware-centric approaches to a more agile and interconnected future.

The Significance of 8K Solutions

The advent of 8K solutions adds a new dimension to AV/IT integration. As display resolutions continue to evolve, the demand for higher quality visuals in enterprise environments is driving the adoption of 8K solutions. This shift is not just about increased pixel density; it’s about providing a more immersive and detailed visual experience that enhances collaboration and decision-making processes.

AV Integrators Embracing IT Protocols

On the flip side, AV integrators are gradually embracing IT protocols and solutions designed for the digital age. Software-defined solutions built for IT — standardized over networks — are gaining traction. While the adoption may be slower due to the historical reliance and subsequent familiarity that hardware solutions provide, the industry is witnessing a transformative shift towards embracing more agile and adaptable software-defined solutions.

In conclusion, the convergence of AV/IT is reshaping the landscape of enterprise operations. From organizational restructuring, to the demand for comprehensive platform solutions, and the adoption of software-defined approaches; the trends in AV/IT integration indicate a paradigm shift towards a more interconnected, data-driven and technologically advanced future for businesses.

As the industry continues to evolve, staying abreast of these AV/IT integration trends is imperative for integrators seeking to provide modernized enterprise-class solutions to their clients.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on March 15, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

Jamey Miles is VP Channel & Strategic Accounts at Userful.

The post Top AV/IT Integration Trends Shaping Enterprise Operations in 2024 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The White House Center for Science and Technology Policy defined the five core principles that underpin the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. In July 2023, several large technology companies including Google and Meta convened at the White House to announce voluntary commitments advancing the safe, secure, and transparent development of AI. The latest order sets out to define standards for safety and security, advance equity and civil rights, promote innovation and competition, and ensure transparency to protect consumers. This sweeping order also promises to foster strong international collaboration to ensure the same principles guide global AI development. Let’s delve into the key areas and explore five main takeaways.

1) Defines New Standards for AI Safety & Security

The executive order requires that companies developing the most powerful AI algorithms notify the government when they are training these models and share critical safety test data with the U.S. government. This will apply to models that may pose national security, economic, public health, and safety risks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will develop rigorous standards to ensure that AI systems are secure and trustworthy prior to their public release. The order also builds on the Biden-Harris Administration Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) with a cybersecurity program that encourages the adoption of AI tools to flag and mitigate vulnerabilities in critical software.

2) Emphasizes Privacy & Data Protection

The Biden Administration’s order is developing programs that will evaluate and develop best practices for federal agencies to protect data privacy for Americans. This program will fund the creation of a Research Coordination Network which will collaborate closely with the National Science Foundation to encourage widespread adoption of cutting-edge privacy technologies by federal agencies. This order also requires that federal agencies be provided with stronger guidance on how they collect and use commercially available information in order to mitigate the risks posed by AI.

3) Advances Equity & Civil Rights

The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights identifies algorithmic discrimination as an emerging area that undermines equality and civil rights. Guidelines and best practices will be developed to help ensure that AI is used responsibly in the criminal justice system, benefits programs, federal contractors, landlords, and in workplaces. Federal law enforcement agencies will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools to properly investigate and prosecute civil rights violations that involve the use of AI.

4) Advocates for Patients, Workers & Consumers

Society enjoys real benefits from AI applications — including improved healthcare research and delivery, greater productivity, and more personalized experiences in several settings. However, AI brings with it increased workplace surveillance, bias, and potential for discrimination in medical, employment, consumer, and educational settings. The White House Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence benefits workers by defining guiding principles and best practices to ensure employers do not misuse AI to exploit or discriminate against workers. It also establishes a budget to ensure that AI is used effectively and ethically for the development of lifesaving healthcare treatments and to correct healthcare practices.

5) Promotes American Leadership in AI Innovation & Fosters Competition

This order, along with others issued in recent years, fosters breakthrough innovation by authorizing pilot programs, grants and education opportunities. It also emphasizes the need for international, multi-disciplinary collaboration to ensure that the future of AI is safe and trustworthy everywhere. To this end, the State and Commerce Departments will lead international efforts to institute effective frameworks and accelerate the creation of crucial international AI standards that will mitigate risks while still allowing people to take advantage of AI’s many benefits.

The executive order’s standards, best practices, and principles lay a strong foundation for developing responsible, equitable AI systems. The U.S., in collaboration with international partners, aims to ensure that AI is trustworthy, upholds individual rights, and its fullest potential is maximized to support critical global initiatives. AI is still in its early stages, but this Bill marks an important milestone.

Jennifer Mullen, Emerging Technology Solutions at Keysight Technologies (KEYS)

The post 5 Things You Need to Know About the White House Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Enhancing Communication within the Classroom

We are very fortunate here at Robinson ISD to have educators who share the same sentiment as I do for the future of our students. One of the biggest steps we took in helping support our staff deliver their hands-on learning experiences, is ensuring their classroom communication is always clear and high quality no matter where they are in the room. Implementing classroom audio systems such as the Lightspeed Redcat in our classrooms have helped give our teachers and students a stronger voice in the classroom. Clear and concise instruction can help students achieve higher learning outcomes because they know exactly what is expected of them. We have virtually eliminated the need for teachers to raise their voice for redirecting unwanted behavior and our classroom transitions have become more fluid through music ques delivered via the Redcat. Students hear their teacher no matter where they are sitting in the classroom, helping eliminate the need to constantly repeat instructions.

Presentation skills are a key part to our students’ success in communication. We have implemented the Lightspeed Sharemike during classroom student presentations, read-alouds and student teaching opportunities. Students can really find their voice and come alive during speaking opportunities when they have a mic. We know that these skills are vital for their future, so let’s give them the space and opportunity now where they can try, fail, learn and grow as much as they need to.

Embracing creativity and utilizing problem solving skills

One of my missions is to inspire the next generation of creators and innovators that are extremely competitive. In Robinson ISD, starting at our lower levels, we provide opportunities for students to stretch their problem solving skills through coding and engineering projects. Opportunities range from utilizing Lego Education as they construct the next generation of habitats to protect against severe weather events, to coding autonomous robots to better understand geometric figures through and programming drones to fly a planned out route of a shape that they are studying.

I am not a fan of the word “limit” and its negative and stifling connotation in education. Our students and teachers need to try new things as that is where true learning and growth starts. As you know, we need to build authentic relationships to ensure student success, allowing students to let their guards down and show their true passions. One of the best uses of technology that we use to do this is through audio and video content creation. We all see it on social media from our students’ personal lives, but we take it a step further and bring this creative expression into the classroom.

Through the use of Adobe Express and its Animate from Audio features, students utilize just their voice to tell us more about their dreams, passions and ambitions through animation. I get it, not all students are the “hey look at me” type when it comes to being on camera, but most just want to be heard. This provides a “you can hear me now” type of self-expression opportunity without the vulnerability that comes with being on camera.

Providing Opportunities for Technology Career Exploration

Growing up, I knew that creating something from nothing was a gift of mine. Storytelling and creativity was deep inside of me and I found that I could utilize these gifts through audio, video and technology applications. The one opportunity that was lacking in my life was real-world application practice.

Within Robinson ISD, I have been very fortunate to give students the opportunities that I did not have. I am able to provide students creative outlets for their digital creations with various audio/video production tools and resources. Utilizing Adobe products, our students produce graphics for our district communication such as Instagram Stories, Reels and Post to inform our community.

Our students help produce our district High School and Pre-K graduations each year using industry standard equipment like the NewTek TC1 Tricaster for live video switching. We use a show control graphics control board by Daktronics to share senior video and other audio/video assets that will be displayed on the field’s video board throughout the ceremony. This same equipment is used in most major sports arenas and collegiate production facilities around the globe. Students are receiving hands-on training with studio quality cameras and audio field recorders. These learning opportunities have been years in the making and we are growing our programs each year to give our students the best possible chance to be competitive in their future careers or fields of study.

I truly feel technology has always been a driving force in the educational world, providing learning opportunities and experiences that mimic and support building skills beyond the classroom. I feel that using it as a transformational vehicle to help personalize learning for our students, is one of its most powerful ways we can harness its potential in the classroom. It is up to us as educators to really dive in and place our students behind the wheel and in the driver’s seat.

Willie Thomas III, Director of Media Integration at Robinson ISD, works with K-12 students, educators, parents and district leaders to enhance the learning opportunities through the integration of instructional technology. Willie has a Master of Science focused in Instructional Technology.

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For decades, writers and filmmakers have imagined dystopian futures where AI displaces and tries to destroy humanity. So, it’s understandable that people are apprehensive about generative AI’s foray into the workplace. It’s important to acknowledge AI’s transformative effect on workplaces, industries, economies and everyday life in ways we’re just starting to envision.

Even before ChatGPT came on the scene, researchers projected AI would displace 85 million jobs by 2025, but that same study also predicted 97 million new jobs will be created. Organizations that embrace and develop AI, provide incentives for employees to use it and create a human-centric culture where AI helps employees succeed at work will win the future.

As CTO of a team that recently launched a successful AI product for the global employer of record market, I’m optimistic — not only about the value of the technology but also for the employees whose knowledge and expertise AI will augment. Here’s a closer look at how employees and AI complement each other’s strengths and can work together to create business value within a human-centric company culture.

AI Should Augment Human Capabilities Rather Than Replace People

To address the elephant in the room, AI won’t replace human knowledge workers. It requires our insight into what’s happening in the real world to grow and learn to accomplish new tasks. According to some studies, approximately 90% of content online is predicted to be AI generated by 2026, i.e., synthetic data. In some scenarios, synthetic data is useful for training specific models. In fact, a 2021 leveraging synthetic data to refine AI-powered fraud detection tools.

But past a certain point, synthetic data can corrupt large language models due to LLMs depending on unique, creative insight related to real-life events, systems and trends to produce reliable answers. Models like ChatGPT may curate and repurpose existing content, but they also rely on human knowledge and creative thinking that transcends linear reasoning. For example, if companies are trying to hire, recruit and pay international talent, turn to AI for the latest HR best practices, which often change in response to new legislation and emerging trends, they’d need to use an AI model that incorporates human expertise to ensure accurate answers.

Some of the most exciting applications of generative AI are solutions that combine proprietary business expertise with LLM platforms to create a generative AI chat interface. This type of knowledge base can expedite delivery of information to internal and external customers and become a more valuable business asset over time as it learns and improves. But that’s only the case if company leaders think of employees not just as people who help administer the technology but as partners in a sociotechnical system, where people and AI work together, each making contributions to generate value.

Redefining Employee Roles in AI-Powered Industries

The best way to create a system where interactions between humans and technology create value is to build AI solutions in collaboration with employees, not as a separate project to replace them. This is especially important in industries that offer expertise and knowledge as their primary product.

A productive AI-human partnership will require new ways of thinking about how to deliver knowledge to customers. For example, in some jobs, employees apply expertise by responding to emails, submitting helpdesk tickets or collaborating with customers on phone calls. A new role for those employees might be analyzing emerging trends, writing content and training models, bringing the same expertise to solve customer problems in a novel way.

To develop AI solutions that augment employee expertise and knowledge, technology leaders will first need unfettered access to company data — including information that might be difficult to reach due to the use of legacy systems. They’ll also require AI-specific talent to help build out the solution, a blend of expertise from the software engineering and data science disciplines. That’s a commodity already in short supply, so finding people with the right skills should be a priority for an AI project.

Equally as important, building AI solutions will require incentives across the workforce to fine-tune the generative AI solution after launch. As the model ingests more and more information, it learns and becomes more adept at solving problems. Employers who bring more people into the conversation with AI will create additional value by providing multiple perspectives. So, if a customer has a question, the AI chat interface can provide an initial answer that can later be refined by human partners to create a solution that includes well thought-out strategies.

Building a Human-Centric Culture

So how can companies create a generative loop where humans and AI work together to constantly improve output? My AI project team created a chat interface that automates some of the mundane and time-consuming aspects of our knowledge workers’ jobs, and this has proved to be a powerful motivator for employees to keep engaging with the system. It frees staff from tedious tasks and gives them more time to focus on higher level work. That benefit answers the “what’s in it for me?” question that employees naturally ask themselves.

Other real-world examples of ROI from our AI project include employees getting instant answers to questions, when before they used to have to wait hours or days for a subject matter expert to weigh in so they could resolve an issue for a client. Another internal user called the chat interface a gamechanger because it can instantly access data across multiple systems that a person would have to laboriously assemble by consulting several different applications and datasets.

If you can create an architecture that seamlessly accesses data companywide and put together an innovation team that’s encouraged to experiment and explore new possibilities with emerging AI technology, you can build a solution that adds value immediately. And if you operate within an environment where people are adaptable and motivated to access AI to fulfill your company’s mission, you can leverage that human-centric culture to transform the business.

Every business will adapt in its own unique way, but being transparent about how AI will affect roles, encouraging employees to embrace change and instituting a more collaborative approach are essential across the board. Ready or not, generative AI will continue to transform the way companies operate, and an AI-driven business transformation, that leverages human capital, can offer exciting opportunities for businesses to serve customers better and gain a competitive edge.

Duri Chitayat is CTO of Safeguard Global

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For eCommerce businesses, the main risk is DDoS attacks. Known as a dangerous and malicious attack to destabilize and halt services or products, its biggest drawback is disrupting operations. By making products or services utterly inaccessible to consumers, DDoS attacks effectively eliminate any incoming profits.

The key lies in understanding how it works to protect your business and keep out these intrusions. In this article, we will review the different layers and ways to prevent them.

7 Layers of DDoS Attacks

1. Physical Layer Attacks

These DDoS attacks target the network or infrastructure of a business. By using a range of techniques: overloading network switches, jamming wireless signals, or physically cutting cables, attackers can cut income streams if they can access a business’s location. The difficulty in preventing it lies in how unpredictable people can be. One of the best ways to combat this is by installing surveillance that regularly monitors and alerts owners of suspicious activities. This can mitigate risks, especially if alerts go directly to the police.

2. Data Link Layer Attacks

Unlike physical layer attacks, data link attacks target how network devices communicate. With a MAC (Media Access Control) address, attackers can trick digital devices into communicating with a fake network device. In other cases, it is also common to use STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) attacks to manipulate how the network switches forward traffic. The only way to manage this is by ensuring businesses have a foolproof authentication mechanism, including MAC filtering that drives smooth configuration.

3. Network Layer Attacks

Network layer attacks work by affecting data that is transmitted across the Internet. Through IP (Internet Protocol) fragmentation attacks, data is sent in small batches to overwhelm network devices. Or, attackers can engage in ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) floods where a target is drowned with ICMP messages. To prevent such occurrences, firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be utilized to block or flag uncommon network traffic.

4. Transport Layer Attacks

As the name suggests, transport layer attacks target how data is transmitted between network devices. By engaging in techniques such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) SYN floods, attackers send a high volume of TCP SYN requests to a target. On the other hand, they can also use UDP (User Datagram Protocol) floods, where a high volume of UDP packets is sent to the target. Hence, businesses need to implement load balancers and rate limiters to reduce and prevent possible transport layer attacks to halt a high volume of traffic from overwhelming their network devices.

5. Session Layer Attacks

Not limited to network devices, DDoS attacks can also occur in applications by targeting how they communicate. Using techniques such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) attacks, attackers exploit vulnerabilities in SSL/TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols to intercept data, or they can drown a target with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) messages. The easiest way to prevent session layer attacks is by ensuring applications are securely configured with updated SSL/TLS certificates.

6. Presentation Layer Attacks

As the name implies, presentation layer attacks work by attacking how information is presented to users. Through techniques such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) attacks, attackers either exploit vulnerabilities in XML parsers to execute malicious code or implement XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks, where they inject malicious scripts into web pages. Firms can avoid presentation layer attacks with secure coding practices and frequent vulnerability scans.

7. Application Layer Attacks

For the application layer attacks, its emphasis lies in attacking the way applications function. Using techniques such as SQL (Structured Query Language) injection attacks, attackers inject malicious SQL queries into a target application to gain unauthorized access to data. In other cases, they can also use RFI (Remote File Inclusion) attacks to exploit vulnerabilities in web applications to execute malicious code. Unlike the other solutions, you can educate employees to prevent these attacks. You can eradicate this possibility by focusing on coding practices, phishing awareness, and password hygiene.

DDos Protection

DDoS Protection takes a community of conscious efforts to keep firms up and running. For businesses to excel, driving revenue and consumers to the store is no longer an option. Cybersecurity is vital to help safeguard existing assets and keep revenue flowing. Hence, implementing these features should be paramount to stay vigilant for businesses to flourish.

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