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4 Technology Trends That Will Transform Our World in 2018

05:27:00


Predicting the future requires hubris, and it should therefore be met with more than a terabyte of skepticism. In past years, I’ve made some calls that have proved prescient like predicting way back in 2011 that social media would determine the U.S. presidential election. Meanwhile, some took decades longer than I had foreseen such as my 1992 prediction that this new thing called the Internet would lead Hollywood studios to merge with telecommunications companies.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the best way to predict the future is to hang out with the people creating it. When you work with a top consultancy and have leading technology innovators as clients, it’s pretty easy to recognize trends that have the greatest potential impact.
Here are my top four tech trends for 2018:

1. IoT becomes BIoT



The biggest mistake most prognosticators make is underestimating the potential for fast growth in our hyper-connected world. Automobiles took time to catch on because would-be drivers had to wait for roads and gas stations to be built.
But today’s disruptive innovations rely on existing infrastructure for mobile devices that puts most companies just a few clicks from billions of consumers. One of those is the Internet of things (IoT), which involves adding smart sensors to connected devices so that users can do things like ask Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant to turn off the lights or order a pizza.
But blockchain, one of the underlying technologies for the hot cryptocurrency bitcoin, can make IoT devices even more useful. It creates a digital record across hundreds or thousands of computers, vastly reducing the risk of hacking.
Combining IoT with blockchain —or BIoT—ushers in a whole host of new services and businesses. For example, BIoT can be used to track shipments of pharmaceuticals and to create smart cities in which connected heating systems better controls energy use and connected traffic lights better manage rush hour.
In 2018, companies will begin to use Application Programming Interfaces, or software used to connect different databases and computer services. Combined with the blockchain Internet of things, it will be as easy to get data from sensors in a warehouse as accessing websites on our mobile phones. When manufacturers, retailers, regulators, and transportation companies have real-time data from sensors imbedded on products, trucks and ships, everyone in the distribution chain can benefit from insights that they were previously unable to get. With BIoT, companies and consumers can also be assured that their most valuable data on the blockchain cannot be hacked.

2. The fintech renaissance

While bitcoin and blockchain were grabbing the headlines in 2017, social and mobile payments have fundamentally changed the financial markets. In China, mobile payment volumes now exceed $5 trillion annually.
All aspects of the payments chain are open to disruption as blockchain speeds clearing house functions while smart contracts handle settlements. In 2018, look for biometrics such as facial recognition, voice ID, and fingerprints to help make shopping far quicker —by eliminating the need to swipe a credit card at checkout, for instance. Instead, you will be able to verify your identity for a merchant scanning your eyes with your smartphone, in what’s known as a retinal payment. A bold clairvoyant could even predict that some major retailers will hop on the cryptocurrency bandwagon and issue their own secure currency next year.
Fintech will likely also become greener in 2018. With cryptocurrencies reaching over $300 billion in total value, there is now a financial incentive for investments into quantum computing, which involves using the behavior of energy at a subatomic level to process computing functions at a billion times faster than today’s microprocessors.
By some estimates, mining today’s cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, requires more electricity annually than the amount of energy used in 159 countries. With cryptocurrency’s carbon footprint rapidly growing, quantum computing has the potential to greatly reduce the estimated 28TWhs of electricity consumed by all of the current computers processing bitcoin.
Analysts now anticipate that banks will derive over $1 billion annually from blockchain-based cryptocurrencies within the next two years as traditional financial institutions start treating cryptocurrencies and other digital assets similar to traditional fiat currencies with more efficient payment systems, loan processing, and credit instruments. Going green by using less energy to create bitcoins, will translate into earning more green.

3. Augmented reality goes mainstream

Before smartphones existed 10 years ago, most people would consider spending five hours daily staring at your phone as crazy. In 2018, the bent-neck trend will start to reverse itself.
The mobile game Pokémon Go has unleashed a billion-dollar demand for augmented reality entertainment, and major brands are taking notice. Thanks to the introduction of affordable augmented reality glasses, our phones will remain in our pockets and Heads Up Displays (HUD) will improve how we work, shop, and play.
AR will customize in-store experiences with mannequins that match your body type and display enough virtual inventory to rival any online site. Merchants will create AR experiences with their packaging so that demonstration videos can appear when you look at the product on the shelf or celebrity spokespeople can magically stand in the aisle to pitch the product. Virtual pop-up stores can be built to appear anywhere that crowds are gathered (in a stadium, a busy street corner, or even inside a subway). These non-brick and mortar retail locations will bring new opportunities for merchants to create engaging shopping experiences anywhere with accessible bandwidth.
Li-Fi, a new light-base wireless connection with data speeds 100 times that of Wi-Fi, will bring high-definition virtual objects into stores. With Li-Fi and AR, consumers can see limitless virtual inventory in store, at scale.
With just a wave of your hand, a car salesperson can change the model, color, and customized features of the car “sitting” on the dealership’s showroom floor. Combining real and virtual objects can enhance experiences for all out-of-home activities. Sports stadiums will be brought into the 21st century with personalized HUDs of players on the field. Imagine watching a live football game in the stadium and seeing personalized stats floating above the fantasy sports players you follow. When watching sports from home, AR has the potential to bring the excitement of life-size boxing matches into your living room. The real promise of AR is to bring people the information they need without having to ask for it.
For many, 2018 will be the start of living an augmented life.

4. 2018 is the year of the bots

We all have gotten use to speaking with bots whenever we call to make airline reservations or to confirm our bank account balances. The use of natural language bots will expand from use as automated customer service agents to become routine for daily living.
Home bots will do more than just respond to requests, to being able to provide timely information such as, “It’s time to take your medicine.” You may even feel like Don Quixote as mobile bots become dedicated Sancho Panza servants—always at the ready and by your side.
Imagine a bot whispering in your ear “don’t make that purchase or you will be over your credit limit” or “your parking meter expires in two minutes.” Bots will help with the children, act as financial investment advisors, and be an omnipresent value-add from the brands you trust. With phones staying in our pockets, businesses will likely spend more on creating chatbots in 2018 than on apps in an effort to better serve their customers.

There’s always room for the future to unfold unpredictably

As timely as I believe these four predictions to be, the pace of disruption can be slowed by a host of issues, including cyber security, government regulation, and, most importantly, consumers’ ability to adapt and accept change. In this era of endless innovation, the only prediction you can be 100% assured of is that future will look very different from today.
Jay Samit is independent vice chairman of Deloitte’s Digital Reality practice and author of the bestselling book “Disrupt You!”
4 Technology Trends That Will Transform Our World in 2018 4 Technology Trends That Will Transform Our World in 2018 Reviewed by Moonlesknight on 05:27:00 Rating: 5

5 IT Security Trends to Watch in 2018

03:11:00

Thanks to constant and rapid advances in technology, every IT pro should update their skills on a regular basis. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the field of IT security, where new avenues of exploit are constantly evolving.
The current legal climate isn’t exactly in our favor. In wild west fashion, companies are expected to fortify their defenses while cybercriminals proceed with little fear of prosecution. To throw a bit of role reversal on the fire, many regions impose penalties if a company is a victim of data theft and found to be negligent in protecting customer data.
No need to hide under the bed just yet, though. New threats typically don’t arrive out of the blue, but rather are built upon previous successful incursions. It’s possible to stay on top of the situation by studying recent threats. In this continuous game of cat-and-mouse, hackers have become adept at identifying weak areas that are not actively monitored. And be sure that 2018 will certainly see the exploitation of these weaknesses. Here are five trends and areas to keep an eye on! 

1. BYOD Vulnerabilities

Gone are the days of the employer-issued laptop serving as the front line for security. Today, everyone expects to be able to use their personal devices for business communication. Protecting the exchange of data outside of the office is a major challenge for IT departments.
Android devices, in particular, will see a rise in vulnerabilities throughout 2018. Hackers have found proven methods to push exploits through the Google Play Store’s security screening. But by training as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), you can prepare yourself to establish IT policies that affect personal device use from a security and compliance perspective.
You can also build your mobile device management (MDM) skills by training for Microsoft’s 
Windows 10 Configuring Windows Devices 70-697 exam. With this training, you’ll learn how to use Microsoft Intune to manage personal devices. 

2. Internet of Things

Five years ago, if a security pro mentioned that a digital picture frame was a security threat, they may have been referred to a counselor to have their tinfoil hat examined! But as more devices become internet-enabled, the potential for eavesdropping is becoming a real concern. Employees in sensitive positions must disclose their IoT devices so that proper safeguards can be placed.
Although important, it’s not enough to ensure that embedded systems have the latest security patches. Advanced firewall rules are needed to monitor and prevent unauthorized communication from devices. Consider CompTIA Security+ training to get up to speed on implementing the necessary firewall features and traffic analysis tools. 


3. Cloud Security

For cybercriminals, the cloud is the great untapped frontier. The very nature of cloud computing opens itself to a new generation of exploits. As a security pro, defending your company’s space within the cloud will likely become an important part of your job description, whether you want it to or not!
In-depth study of Azure or AWS administration can help you design cloud services that are both secure and robust. The Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions training course explicitly covers security and monitoring. Meanwhile, our AWS: Technical Essentials course covers the same areas, but from an Amazon perspective — including security groups, ACLs, and Identity and Access Management.
After completing your training, the next step is to acquire your credential as a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), demonstrating that you are dedicated and up to the task when it comes to creating secure cloud services. 

4. Ransomware

Ransomware has been a hot topic of late, with several successful exploits costing companies millions. We’re guaranteed to see more creative use of ransomware in 2018. More advanced email filtering will be required, as well as effective end-user training to help employees identify suspicious emails without opening their payload.
Experience has proven that the best defense against hackers is to become one yourself. An EC-Council Certified Ethical Hackertraining course will bring you up to speed on avenues of entry for hackers and how they disguise their work to appear as legitimate traffic. This can give you the upper hand in detecting and preventing a potentially expensive disaster. 

5. VIP Spoofware

Another up-and-coming method of swindling company dollars, VIP Spoofware will see plenty of publicity in 2018. Hackers have learned how to disguise fake emails to pass legitimacy tests and make them appear to be from an important source within the company. The company vice president might not actually need a million dollars transferred to the Cayman Islands! Again, employee training plays a big role in thwarting these attempts, although properly securing mail relays can stop VIP Spoofware before it gets to the corporate network.
While it may seem impossible to stay ahead of the security curve, new training, certifications, and utilities are emerging to help. With the right training and tools, IT pros can manage the challenge of data security, keeping their servers online and company data out of criminal hands.
5 IT Security Trends to Watch in 2018 5 IT Security Trends to Watch in 2018 Reviewed by Moonlesknight on 03:11:00 Rating: 5

Hawaii emergency agency password caught on a Post-it in public photo

07:55:00




If you thought there was nothing worse to put on a Post-it note than a break-up letter, think again.
On Tuesday, a photo of an employee at Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, which was originally published in July, made the internet rounds because of something hiding on the man's computer. For reference, that's the same agency that mistakenly sent out a missile alert to Hawaiian residents on Saturday.
The photo, taken by the Associated Press for a prior news article, shows the employee's desk with his many monitors. And stuck to one of those monitors is a Post-it note — with a password on it. The employee was identified by the AP as an operations officer.
So the agency that's responsible for terrifying droves of people with a fake missile alert had previously mistakenly broadcast a password to the public. Great. The photo has since driven debate online about the agency's cybersecurity practices and how big of a deal it is to write your passwords down.
The missile and Post-it incidences are unrelated, and it's unclear what the photographed password was for. The Hawaiian agency says the missile alert happened when an employee chose the wrong option from a drop-down menu.
For an agency charged with keeping Americans safe and informed, one would think greater care would be taken. Especially for the American state closest to one of our biggest international foes, North Korea — a foreign power that our president keeps egging on with taunts of nuclear war. SMDH.
Hawaii emergency agency password caught on a Post-it in public photo Hawaii emergency agency password caught on a Post-it in public photo Reviewed by Moonlesknight on 07:55:00 Rating: 5

Facebook glitch replaces News Feed with a blank space

07:47:00


News Feed is broken. No, that is't a comment on the current state of social media or Mark Zuckerberg's pledge to fix what's broken about Facebook.

I mean, it's literally broken. Many users are reporting that they're opening the Facebook app and website only to see a big, blank space that says "there are no more posts to show right now."

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the issue, saying it had been corrected by 12:30 pm PT Tuesday. "We restored service for those who experienced a technical issue that caused some people on the East Coast and Europe to have trouble accessing News Feed,” the spokesperson said, without elaborating on the cause of the issue.
Though it didn't all users, the glitch appeared to be fairly widespread, with a number of users reporting some variation of the "no posts" issue.
It's not clear what the cause was, or if it was related to Facebook's recent changes to its News Feed algorithm. 
While the apparent glitch may be an annoyance for some Facebook addicts, others are pointed out that it's actually kind of nice to have some News Feed silence for a change. 
Ironically for Facebook, the blank News Feed came just days after the company unveiled plans for a massive overhaul of the feature. The company's plan is to refocus users' feeds around posts from friends and family members, not posts from brands, businesses, and publishers, even if it comes at the expense of people spending less time on Facebook.
So while News Feed's recent issue likely isn't exactly what Facebook had in mind, it's certainly one way to accomplish that goal. 
Now stop obsessively refreshing your News Feed and reclaim all that wasted time.
Facebook glitch replaces News Feed with a blank space Facebook glitch replaces News Feed with a blank space Reviewed by Moonlesknight on 07:47:00 Rating: 5
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