ReleaseWire Connect

Hackers don't have the best reputation - for most businesses the idea of working with someone who has the skills to take advantage of network and system vulnerabilities is an intimidating thought. However, this is also a key step in protecting assets, as decentralized finance platform Poly Network recently discovered.

Cryptocurrencies tend to make headlines all year round but have recently been under the spotlight for a much-publicized downturn. The price of Bitcoin has dropped around half since its peak and currencies like Dogecoin have suffered even more. For the longer-term investors this isn't as troubling as it might be for brokers or those looking to make a fast buck. But it does raise questions about the future of cryptocurrencies, something that many people now feel is going to be found in proof-of-stake protocols. The motivation behind this is all about securing the integrity of cryptocurrency. Proof-of-stake is different to the proof-of-work protocols that many legacy cryptocurrencies rely on and which revolve around tokens in return for computers solving complex algorithmic puzzles. Proof-of-stake is where tokens are put up as collateral and is being put forward as the more democratic approach because it doesn't require a lot of expensive mining equipment. It could also reduce the negative environmental impact of the proof-of-work approach. However, proof-of-stake does have vulnerabilities, and switching could be complex, so it's not yet clear which approach will win out.

Facebook has been at the heart of many a controversy in recent years and now has been directly targeted by the US President for allowing the spread of COVID-19 vaccine mis-information. While President Biden originally described the social media platform as "killing people" by allowing the fake news to spread, this language has since been withdrawn and softened, moving the emphasis from Facebook itself to those who spread vaccine misinformation. A recent report revealed that there are just 12 individuals who have been responsible for the vast number of problematic posts on this topic on Facebook and who triggered the wave of misinformation that the nature of a social media network has amplified. In response to the criticism, it has received in recent months Facebook has introduced rules against making specific false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines and claims to be a reliable source of information. However, there are still widespread concerns about the way that some users have been able to exploit the platform to get a broader reach for a false message.

New design isn't always news in technology but the changes that were recently announced at Gmail do mark a shift for the search giant. The focus is on collaboration and productivity, with a range of new tools announced that will also work across other Google apps, including Docs. The aim of the redesign is to centralize all of the productivity tools available in Google and make Gmail the place where everything is controlled.

As cloud services have expanded, we have increasingly become used to being able to access them whenever we want to, regardless of spikes in demand or other availability factors. The way that this is now facilitated is via hyperconverged data center appliances because they provide the speed to satisfy overwhelming demand being generated by billions of people all over the world, every hour of every day. Hyperconverged appliances are powerful, next generation machines that have everything going for them, including computing power, storage and networking.

When it comes to big data, experts have become frustrated with their inability to interpret their data as they require. Owing to a lack of machine resources, their complex analytic queries often take a lot of time, preventing them to effectively evaluate the amount of data required to provide the insights they need. In the data-centric climate of today, an organisation's performance depends on its ability to take the data it has and use it to make strategic choices that benefit the data stakeholders. The pandemic has introduced new opportunities and the need for rapid, but robust, analytics for swift decision making, in addition to the increasingly rising data volumes that have already challenged data professionals.

The US House Committee on Homeland Security has approved five bipartisan laws to strengthen defensive capabilities against cyberattacks on American corporations and vital infrastructure. The committee's monitoring of recent cyber-attacks, notably the ransomware attack that caused Colonial Pipeline to shut down, prompted the introduction of these proposals. The new bills are set to make it simpler to protect networks against cyberattacks that use critical security vulnerabilities like those that targeted Microsoft Exchange Server and Pulse Connect Secure devices.

In the face of fast-paced digitalization and a constantly changing technology world, artificial intelligence is emerging as one of the most auspicious technologies. Accelerated growth across a multitude of applications and a wide variety of sectors is driving business growth. The adoption of AI technology in many end-use industries is on the rise, thanks to substantial advancements in data storage efficiency and parallel processing capabilities. This fast rate of development is fueled by the increasing adoption of cloud-based services and software and the exponential growth of big data. In the fight against COVID-19, artificial intelligence has proven to be a potent weapon. Governments are using this technology to predetermine the rate of circulation of the COVID-19 virus, allowing them to locate vulnerable people and pinpoint viral mutations.

Cloud infrastructure has emerged as the preferred method of modernizing IT portfolios, with CIOs stating that the intermixing software between public and private clouds permits them greater market agility. Increased use of cloud computing to improve enterprise resiliency, and the transition to e-commerce models during the pandemic, each acted as some of the strongest validations of the market for software provisioned over the internet. However, incorporating hybrid cloud frameworks comes with its own challenges, including the viral sprawl which comes with significant migrations. Operating cloud environments has its own set of financial challenges, as IT leaders have discovered that inadequate governance will make running cloud computing more costly than managing computer services on premises.

In the wake of the US economy battling to regain control after the onslaught caused by the pandemic, there's a significant short supply of the computer chips that power a wide variety of products that connect, transport and entertain us. Since last summer (2020), the shortage has been oscillating through different markets. This has made it impossible for schools to purchase enough computers for students who have been expected to study from home, postponed the arrival of iconic products, such as the iPhone 12, and caused major frenzies when it comes to sourcing the latest video game consoles. Unfortunately, in recent weeks the situation has worsened, specifically in the automobile industry where factories are closing due to a lack of chips to finish the construction of technology-heavy cars.