CIOInfluence presents IT Insights this week, covering the latest developments in the IT world with updates, news, and trends in critical areas like cloud computing, data management, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
Explore our handpicked selection of top articles from our team and gain exclusive insights from industry leaders and C-suites. In addition, get a preview of upcoming global IT events that are essential to your calendar as well as what is buzzing in the IT-dominated world.
Top IT News Highlights of the Week
Leadership Changes and New Appointments
Airbytehas appointed Anwesa Chatterjee as Head of Product Marketing and Lai Cheung as Director of Technology Support. Chatterjee, with 15 years of experience at firms like Informatica and SAP Labs, will drive Airbyte’s market growth. Cheung brings 25 years of technology support experience from roles at Synapse, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems. Both appointments aim to enhance user support and accelerate company growth.
Lenovohas named Dr. Tolga Kurtoglu as its new Chief Technology Officer, succeeding Dr. Yong Rui. Kurtoglu, known for his leadership roles at HP Inc., Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, and Dell, will drive Lenovo’s technology vision and AI initiatives. The company is also launching a new Emerging Technology Group, led by Dr. Rui, to focus on identifying and capitalizing on emerging tech trends. Kurtoglu’s appointment is expected to bolster Lenovo’s innovation and AI leadership.
Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo, said, “As we embrace the once-in-a-l******* opportunity in AI, I’m pleased to welcome Tolga to Lenovo to help us further realize our ambitions as a global technology powerhouse and drive our AI leadership forward. His experience across hardware, software, and AI technologies will further strengthen our innovation leadership and smarter AI for All focus.”
Data Management: What’s New
Keepit’slatest survey and interviews expose critical gaps in disaster recovery and data security. The findings show that while 70% of financial applications are covered by data protection strategies, other critical systems and custom applications are less protected. Only 50% of organizations include cloud-stored SaaS data in their disaster recovery plans, with 40% planning to address this soon. The study highlights that evolving technology, like generative AI, is exacerbating data protection challenges. Compliance with new regulations and managing diverse data security needs are key concerns moving into 2024.
Survey Reveals Gaps in Disaster Recovery and Data Security –
- 70% of financial applications are covered, but coverage for e-commerce, HR management, CRM, ERP, and custom applications is lacking.
- Only 50% of organizations include cloud-stored SaaS data in their disaster recovery plans, with 40% planning to address this gap soon.
- The rise of generative AI is complicating data protection efforts, with organizations prioritizing AI data protection but struggling with implementation.
- 73% of respondents are focused on compliance for 2024, with increased regulatory scrutiny from agencies like the SEC and the upcoming Digital Operational Resiliency Act (DORA) in the EU.
- Varying levels of maturity and different approaches to data governance highlight the need for continuous improvement and better alignment with business objectives.
Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company, announced its planned entry into the Philippines with the acquisition of three data centers from Total Information Management (“TIM”), a leading technology solutions provider. Following the recently announced expansions in Malaysia and Indonesia, this strategic move aims to help businesses expand and capitalize on the digital opportunity of the fast-growing Southeast Asia region. The all-cash transaction represents a multiple of approximately 15x the projected EBITDA at full utilization and is expected to close in 2H 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.
Jeremy Deutsch, President, Asia-Pacific, Equinix, said: “We are thrilled to announce our expansion into the Philippines, a vibrant and rapidly expanding digital economy that presents immense opportunities for our valued customers and partners. This strategic acquisition, combined with our recent expansions in Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as the awarded data center capacity in Singapore, will greatly enhance our footprint in the region.
Trending Cybersecurity News
Alfahive AI has introduced a Free Cyber Risk Quantification Tool, aimed at helping CTOs, CISOs, CIOs, and cybersecurity leaders better understand and manage their cyber risk. The tool provides a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for quantifying and visualizing cyber risks, optimizing security budgets, and improving insurance coverage.
Highlights:
- Offers a clear view of an organization’s cyber risk profile, highlighting vulnerabilities and threats.
- Assists in planning security budgets by quantifying the financial impacts of cyber risks.
- Helps negotiate better insurance premiums by evaluating potential financial losses.
- Generates tailored reports for strategic planning and regulatory compliance.
- Designed for ease of use, requiring no prior cybersecurity expertise.
- Regularly updated with the latest threat intelligence to provide current risk assessments.
- Empowers leaders with data-driven insights to enhance cybersecurity strategies and resilience.
- Supports cybersecurity professionals in justifying budget requests and communicating risks to stakeholders.
- New Study Reveals 67 Percent of CISOs are Unprepared for Today’s Cybersecurity Regulations
Onyxia Cyber, the industry-leading provider of AI-driven Cybersecurity Management solutions, unveiled its Regulations, Reporting and Risk Management: The Voice of the CISO 2024 report. Based on responses from over 200 CISOs across a wide range of industries in the United States, the report provides a deep dive into the mindset of today’s CISO and how compliance risk, AI opportunities, and business decision-making are impacting the position.
Key Findings:
- Regulatory Preparedness: 67% of CISOs feel unprepared for new compliance regulations, and 52% lack knowledge on how to report cyber attacks to the government.
- Incident Response: 56% of CISOs are uncomfortable with their current incident response plans, indicating a need for improvement.
- Board Communication: 67% struggle to persuade the C-suite on security strategies, with less experienced CISOs facing more challenges.
- Security Hygiene: Basic security measures are not universally applied, with 11% of user accounts having weak passwords and 13% lacking multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- AI Integration: 97% of CISOs believe AI can enhance risk management, with 54% seeing AI as helpful for identifying gaps and 42% anticipating its role in automating risk reporting.
Recommended IT Reads of the Week
Bridging Data Silos: Effective Data Integration Techniques for IT Teams
The article explores the concept of data silos, their impact on organizational efficiency, and strategies for overcoming them.
Article includes:
- Integration Complexity
- Benefits of data integration
- Data Integration Techniques
- Strategies for Overcoming Silos
Readers will gain an understanding of the detrimental effects of data silos on organizational performance, the benefits of integrating data, and practical strategies and tools for achieving effective data integration.
Read the complete article here
Rethinking Business Intelligence: 3 Imperatives for CEOs – by Mike Palmar, Chief Executive Officer at Sigma Computing
Mike Palmer’s article, “Rethinking Business Intelligence: 3 Imperatives for CEOs,” highlights the need for CEOs to modernize their approach to business intelligence. Palmer argues that outdated BI practices, characterized by siloed systems and static dashboards, no longer suffice. He emphasizes three key imperatives: building scalable and secure data solutions, democratizing data access through integration, and ensuring adaptability with cutting-edge technologies.
To stay competitive, CEOs must lead the charge in adopting advanced BI tools that support real-time decision-making and foster a culture of data-driven innovation.
You’ll get the article by Mike here
Insights from IT Thought Leaders
1. CIO Influence Interview with Alessio Alionço, CEO of Pipefy
Alionço highlights how AI integration at Pipefy enhances workflow automation, driving efficiency gains. AI supports users with intuitive interactions, streamlines complex tasks, and provides data-driven insights. Addressing ethical considerations, he emphasizes transparency in AI’s use of data and adherence to global data protection standards.
Alionço also discusses overcoming adoption challenges by starting with simple workflows and promoting cross-functional collaboration to optimize AI initiatives. His approach ensures that Pipefy’s AI solutions are both effective and ethically responsible.
This interview is a must-read for IT leaders, business executives, and anyone interested in the future of workflow automation and AI integration.
2. CIO Influence Interview with Sean Nolan, CEO and founder of Blink
In an insightful interview with Sean Nolan, CEO and founder of Blink, he delves into how the company enhances frontline worker productivity and engagement. Nolan discusses the transformative role of AI in improving user experiences and the importance of seamless app integration. He emphasizes Blink’s focus on simplicity, ensuring that their super-app offers a unified interface without adding complexity. Nolan also highlights the significance of strategic partnerships, such as those with Workday and Oracle, in delivering a cohesive user experience. Exciting innovations at Blink include advanced employee listening tools and modern communication features aimed at fostering a dynamic work culture.
For CIOs, Nolan talks about the need for flexibility, transparent data practices, and a strong emphasis on user experience to effectively engage and support security teams. His advice for IT leaders centers on understanding frontline workers’ needs, simplifying access, and adopting empathetic communication strategies to drive digital transformation.
New IT Buzzwords to Know
- Data Fabric – Data fabric is an architectural framework that enables seamless integration of diverse data pipelines and cloud environments by utilizing intelligent and automated systems.
- Fog Computing – Fog Computing, a term coined by Cisco, extends cloud computing to the edge of an enterprise’s network, also known as Edge Computing or Fogging. It enables the execution of computing, storage, and networking services between end devices and data centers.
- Digital Twins – A digital replica of a physical object or system that can be used to simulate, predict, and optimize performance in real-time.
- Digital Transformation – The integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value to customers.
CIO Influence’s Brand Feature This Week
Sophos is a global cybersecurity company dedicated to delivering comprehensive solutions that enable organizations to secure their operations and data. Established in 1985 in Abingdon, United Kingdom, Sophos has expanded its reach and now operates worldwide, with its headquarters in Oxford, United Kingdom.
CEO – Kris Hagerman
Recent Partnership – Sophos announced a strategic partnership with Tenable to provide Sophos Managed Risk, a worldwide vulnerability and attack surface management service.
Latest Announcement – Sophos recently launched Sophos Firewall v20 MR2, which includes important enhancements such as an exciting new backup and restore assistant, Active Directory SSO improvements, and Web protection optimizations.
What’s Next in IT Events: A Preview
#1 TECHSPO Auckland 2024
Date: 15th August 2024
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
TECHSPO Auckland brings together some of the best developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers, innovators and evangelists looking to set the pace in our advanced world of technology.
#2 TechMentor
Date: 5th August 2024
Location: Redmond, WA
TechMentor returns to Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond, WA, to provide in-depth training and knowledge sharing on deploying, managing, and supporting Microsoft products and technologies.
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