Daily Archives: December 25, 2023

Pass the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification in One Week – Medium

Posted: December 25, 2023 at 6:33 am

Image Credit: Simikov on Shutterstock

Hey, fellow tech enthusiasts!

Ever dreamt of conquering the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification in just one week?

Well, buckle up because Im here to guide you through a week-long adventure that could change your career trajectory.

Now, let me hit you with a mind-blowing stat: did you know that 90% of professionals reported an increase in salary after earning an AWS certification?

As someone whos spent over 16 years in the tech industry, including a stint at Amazon, conducted 80 interviews at AWS, and bagged all 12 AWS certifications in a year of joining AWS, Im here to share the secrets.

Maximize your tech careers potential by exploring the handpicked articles in our curated list Tech Career Advice. I strongly recommend delving into this goldmine of knowledge and expertise. Check out this curated list and consider adding these articles to your own list for future reads.

Lets cut to the chase and dive right in, shall we?

Start by immersing yourself in the foundational concepts of cloud computing. AWS offers an excellent free resource, the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course. Its a great way to ease into the cloud world.

Keep in mind, that to access AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials on the AWS Skillbuilder website, youll be prompted to log in. Ensure youve created an account with AWS Skillbuilder beforehand.

Dive into the AWS Free Tier, which allows you to explore various cloud services without incurring charges. Understanding the practical applications of services like S3, EC2, and RDS is key to acing the exam. Check out AWSs Free Tier offerings to get hands-on experience.

To maximize your chances of success, familiarize yourself with the exam format. AWS provides the exam guide as well as sample exam questions that mirror the real certification exam. Practice makes perfect, and understanding the structure is half the battle.

Engage with practice tests to assess your knowledge and identify areas that need extra attention. Websites like Udemy and A Cloud Guru offer comprehensive practice exams. Remember, practice tests are your secret weapon for exam success.

AWS exams often include real-world scenarios. Dive into AWSs whitepapers and case studies to understand how cloud concepts are applied in practical situations. Its not just about theory; its about real-world application.

As you approach the finish line, review your notes, revisit challenging topics, and refine your understanding. The AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam Readiness course is a fantastic resource for finalizing your preparations.

On the big day, keep calm, and remember your strategies. Manage your time wisely, tackle the questions youre confident about first, and go back to the challenging ones later. And hey, dont forget to breathe!

Boost your learning by enrolling in two distinct on-demand video courses. Consider one from Udemy and another from an entirely different source. I particularly recommend a free course available on YouTube access it here. This diverse approach enhances your understanding from multiple perspectives.

You did it!

Passing the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam in one week is an incredible feat.

Celebrate your achievement and proudly add this certification to your professional arsenal.

Your journey into the cloud has just begun, and the skills youve gained will open doors to exciting opportunities in the tech industry.

Remember, the cloud is vast, and theres always more to explore.

Keep learning, keep growing, and let your AWS journey be a testament to your passion and dedication in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Best of luck on your AWS certification adventure!

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Pass the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification in One Week - Medium

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3 Cloud Computing Stocks You’ll Regret Not Buying Soon: December Edition – InvestorPlace

Posted: at 6:33 am

The cloud has completely changed how companies access and manage their applications and data. Instead of relying on locally hosted services, there has been a shift to cloud hosting. Cloud computing stocks are critical in providing the necessary infrastructure and services.

Today, this transition from on-premises to the cloud is in its early innings and these stocks are significant beneficiaries. According to Gartner, cloud spending will continue to grow due to IT modernization and cost optimization efforts. In 2023, they expect public cloud spending to grow by 20.7%.

Businesses have been migrating to the cloud for several reasons. First, the cloud provides greater IT resiliency. Secondly, it drives cost optimization of IT infrastructure, maintenance and application development. Thirdly, the cloud drives business value by enhancing product development and providing scalable computing power.

As organizations move their infrastructure, business processes, and applications to the cloud they are seeing immediate results. McKinsey notes that companies that adopt cloud computing are more agile and serve their customers better. They expect that cloud adoption will generate over $3 trillion in EBITDA value by 2030.

Today, businesses are using cloud platforms to run major business processes and digitize their core operations. As migration of back-office workloads to the cloud accelerates, these cloud computing stocks to buy will be winners.

Source: Claudio Divizia / Shutterstock.com

While Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is famous for its e-commerce business, its cloud services business is one of its most profitable segments. Amazon Web Services is the leading cloud service provider with a market share of 32% as of Q2 2023. Given the dominance of AWS, Amazon is one of the best cloud computing stocks to buy.

Millions of businesses globally, including large enterprises like Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), rely on AWS. Using the service, they access storage and compute resources from any location. Overall, AWS offers more than 175 services, including various security, database and management tools over the cloud.

AWS pioneered on-demand cloud services, launching the service in 2002. Today, its a juggernaut with net sales of $87.9 billion over the last 12 trailing months. Whats more, its Amazons most profitable segment. Over the same period, it generated over $22.7 billion in operating income.

The growth in AWS is still impressive and revenues grew 12% year-over-year in Q3 fiscal year 2023. CEO Andy Jassy sees more opportunities ahead since 90% of the global IT spend is still on-premises. This spending will shift to the cloud over the next decade, benefiting Amazon.

AWS continues to have the best operating performance and ecosystem of partners. Additionally, the service is leveraging generative AI to transform the customer experience. Going forward, it will be integral to customers AI strategy, making Amazon a must-own stock.

Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) is the leading cloud customer relationship management platform. Its platform unites sales, service, marketing, commerce and IT functions and draws customer data from systems, apps and devices. This allows a comprehensive view of the customer with valuable insights to drive higher engagement.

Large enterprises consider Salesforce a critical tool for their interactions with customers. They use products such as Tableau, Slack, MuleSoft, the Data Cloud, Sales Cloud and the Service Cloud for customer service.

Today, Salesforce is the third-largest enterprise software company by revenue. Yet, the company sees opportunity in bringing together CRM, data, artificial intelligence and trust. Its the number one AI CRM and that is supporting customer growth, as recent results showed. For instance, in Q3 FY2024, it saw deals more than $1 million grow 80% YOY.

Management sees a total addressable market worth $290 billion. Salesforce expects to capture a significant piece of this pie by capitalizing on its land and expand strategy. Considering the solid demand outlook, they hope to achieve $50 billion in revenue by fiscal 2026.

On the profits front, the firm has been improving after activist pressure. In Q3 FY2024 non-GAAP operating margin was 31.2%, a material increase from 22.7% in the prior years quarter. Still, there is room for improvement, considering that peer Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) has consistently achieved margins above 45%.

For fiscal 2024, management expects 11% revenue growth YOY. Furthermore, earnings will improve with additional productivity gains and cost discipline. Indeed, Salesforce is positioned for the AI revolution and is a top cloud computing stock.

Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

Some of the departments seeing significant digitization are finance and human resources. Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) provides enterprise cloud applications that meet the needs of these departments. Considering that more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies use the platform, it is one of the best cloud computing stocks to buy.

Notably, Workday boasts more than 65 million users on its platform across finance and human capital management. According to Gartner, the company held a 21% market share in ERP worldwide software as a service (SaaS) at the end of 2022. Thats the largest share, highlighting the high customer loyalty with a 100% net revenue retention rate.

According to Mizuho analyst Siti Panigrahi, Workday is well-positioned over the long term. There are multiple growth opportunities through the finance platform uptake and international expansion. The midmarket is another growth opportunity for one of the best cloud computing stocks.

Workday is benefiting from the digitization of back-office functions and their migration to the cloud. On the financial analyst day, management highlighted a $142 billion market opportunity, $58 billion in HCM and $84 billion in finance. In line with this view, they expect 17-19% annual subscription revenue growth over the next three years.

Parallel to these growth targets, the firm is focused on profitable growth. Management expects to achieve 25% non-GAAP operating margins through scale and operating efficiencies. Whats more, they expect 25% free cash flow margins. Workday will unlock growth through international expansion, growth in finance, AI and more partnerships.

On the date of publication, Charles Munyi did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Charles Munyi has extensive writing experience in various industries, including personal finance, insurance, technology, wealth management and stock investing. He has written for a wide variety of financial websites including Benzinga, The Balance and Investopedia.

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Cloud Computing Market Predicted to Hit US$1,266.4 Billion by 2028 – TechiExpert.com

Posted: at 6:33 am

Technology is lately changing at a rapid speed. A big part of this change is due to cloud computing. Instead of getting computer services the traditional way, cloud computing delivers them over the internet. It covers everything including servers, storage to databases, networking, software, analytics and intelligence as well. Individuals can access and utilize these services without the burdensome task of paying for and maintaining physical infrastructure.

Experts think the global cloud computing market is going to grow a lot. It is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1%. The market is expected to rise up from USD 626.4 billion in 2023 to USD 1,266.4 billion by 2028.

A plethora of things are making the cloud computing industry grow. Lots of different businesses are desperately looking cloud services. Also, using new technologies like edge computing, 5G, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is pushing the industry forward.

Let us look at what is happening in the cloud computing world. There is a cool trend called hybrid clouds, which mix on-site stuff, private and public clouds. It is like getting the best of both worlds saving money, being flexible and staying in control and secure.

There is another cool trend and it is cloud-native apps. These apps are made using special cloud ideas like serverless stuff, microservices, containers and DevOps. They make the most of the clouds power, giving users flexibility, scalability, toughness and the ability to move around easily.

Something new and exciting is further here. It is edge computing. It changes how we do things. Instead of putting all the computer stuff in one place, it brings it closer to where we use it. This makes our data more secure, private and reliable.

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AWS chief Adam Selipsky talks generative AI, Amazon’s investment in Anthropic and cloud cost-cutting – Omaha World-Herald

Posted: at 6:33 am

Adam Selipsky is shepherding Amazons cloud unit at one of the most important moments in tech history.

Selipsky, the CEO of the companys cloud computing unit AWS, has been behind the various generative AI offerings Amazon has rolled out over the past few months as it aims to compete with Microsoft and others in the growing AI arms race.

AWS is a leader in the cloud market and a deeply profitable business for Amazon. However, some of its growth has been slowing down the past few quarters, a problem attributed to customers cutting back on their spending due to challenges with the wider economy.

Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky speaks Nov. 30, 2022, at an event in Las Vegas.

Simultaneously, the business has been at the forefront of Amazons push into generative AI, which flooded the public consciousness last year with the release of OpenAIs popular chatbot ChatGPT. During a speech held late November at an AWS conference in Las Vegas, Selipsky unveiled the companys response (kind of) to ChatGPT an AI assistant for businesses called Q.

The Associated Press recently spoke with Selipsky about how companies are spending on cloud services, Amazons investment in the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic and the future of generative AI. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Companies have been cutting cloud spending this year. Is that still happening?

A: A lot of our customers over the past several quarters have been pursuing cost optimization. Since day one, weve said that AWS and the cloud are the place to do that. Weve seen that a lot of customers have gotten far through that cost optimization. And we have other customers who are still in the middle of it. Were further through it, but its not over yet.

Were also still seeing a lot of customers investing. The companies who are going to win are the ones who are investing now in uncertain economic times when some others are hesitating in their overall investments. And were working with a lot of customers who are doing just that. Were also seeing tremendous interest in our generative AI offerings.

Q: Whats your vision for generative AI?

A: We really think about three different layers of the generative AI stack.

At the bottom layer of the stack is the infrastructure required to to do generative AI. We have a very large Nvidia GPU-based business and have designed and delivered our own custom-designed chips, including our Trainium and Inferentia chips.

At the top layer of the stack is consuming applications that have been built using generative AI. And for that, we have a coding companion for developers.

Q: Speaking of models, there were reports that Amazon is building a large language model called Olympus. Is that something that we should expect to see soon?

A: You should definitely expect to see multiple iterations of Amazons first-party models, which are already out there today under the Titan brand. It goes back to the idea that theres no one model to rule them all. We want multiple models with different use cases. And I expect that they will collectively be very capable and very powerful.

Q: Can you chat with me about Amazons investment in the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic? There are reports that Google, which is also backing Anthropic, is upping its investments. Some say this is becoming some sort of proxy war between Amazon and Google. Do you see it that way?

A: No, I dont. We have a very close, very tight relationship with Anthropic thats very beneficial to both companies. Anthropic has chosen Amazon as its primary cloud provider for its mission critical workloads. The majority of Anthropic workloads will run on AWS. Period.

Q: How does Amazon think about safeguards as its building this technology?

A: Responsible AI is incredibly important and something that Amazon has been taking very seriously. We have a number of principles for responsible AI that weve been public about. Weve done things like create these cards for our services, which talk about the uses of the model, the intended use of the model, about how they were trained. We try to provide more transparency into how some of these AI services are constructed and what theyre used for.

We think that a lot of the solutions around responsible AI are going to need to be multilateral solutions. We need a collaboration between cloud industry leaders, folks like AWS, and those producing models, like Anthropic, as well as governments, academia and others. Thats why weve been so active at participating in responsible AI forums at the White House and in the U.K.

Q: Where do you see the AI race going next year?

A: I think youre going to see a very rapid evolution and change. And thats partially reflective of the fact that we are still so early in the evolution of generative AI. Thats why I think adaptability and flexibility are actually incredibly important advantages for customers. In order for them to succeed with their business objectives and to delight their customers, theyre going to need to be very flexible, agile and adaptable in how they evolve their use of generative AI.

In the latter half of the 20th century, TV watchers and moviegoers began to meet a long list of intelligent machines: "The Jetsons'" maid Rosie, B-9 from "Lost in Space," HAL 9000 from "2001: A Space Odyssey," the "Star Wars" saga's C-3PO and R2-D2, and dozens more.

Science fiction laid out some of the basics of artificial intelligence for people, not only by presenting humanoid robotic characters, but also by explaining in dramatized ways the extent to which AI could influence human existence.

In the real world, AI is not a new concept either, even though the recent boom of applications such as ChatGPT might make it seem so. In the 1950s, a generation of mathematicians and scientists explored AI and its applications in human life. However, technology had not developed enough to pave the way for these AI pioneers to put their theories to the test.

In today's era of big data, eight decades after Alan Turing conceptualized the idea of computers thinking and behaving like humans, AI is an intrinsic element of daily lifeautomating everyday tasks that otherwise consume large amounts of time. It has already increased efficiency and boosted performance in the banking, entertainment, technology, retail and marketing fields, among others, prompting the proliferation of jobs related to AI at all career levels in most industries.

Revelo looked at data from a 2022 McKinsey report to see which jobs were the top jobs in AI, examining only companies that have adopted AI in at least one function. TheWorld Economic Forum projects that new jobs will arise and others will be ousted by the changes in tasks performed by humans and machines.

According to aPwC AI study cited by WEF, "any job losses from automation are likely to be broadly offset in the long run by new jobs created as a result of the larger and wealthier economy made possible by these new technologies." It's unclear how long that "long run" might be, but there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the industry now.

The following analysis ranks jobs based on the percentage of companies that hired for each particular role. The data also looks at the same measurement, but only for "AI high-performers," those companies that are industry leaders in AI.

- Share of companies who say they have hired for this role in the past year:

-- 33% of AI high-performing companies

-- 31% of all other companies

Combining computer science and design skills, data architects analyze the data framework of an organization to develop and improve database models. They store and organize company information so it can be easily retrieved when needed. Data architects must be knowledgeable in SQL and Oracle database management systems and data visualization software.Because AI initiatives require effective company-wide architecture, data architects are crucial to the success of AI projects.

- Share of companies who say they have hired for this role in the past year:

-- 58% of AI high-performing companies

-- 27% of all other companies

Machine learning engineers create, develop, and test artificial intelligence programs, software, predictive models, and algorithms that help machines identify patterns and act autonomously. Their skillset must include scripting, programming, and data science and statistics expertise.These engineers are tasked with constantly improving the design of a company's machine learning, which is very complex and increasingly in demand.

- Share of companies who say they have hired for this role in the past year:

-- 60% of AI high-performing companies

-- 31% of all other companies

AI data scientists apply analytical and coding skills to examine data and gather the information needed to design custom-made solutions for organizations. They search for and present their findings and suggestions to stakeholders to help them make strategic, informed decisions. When they specialize in AI, data scientists feed information to programs to mimic and optimize existing processes while developing new strategies.Data scientists are in demand because, as AI technology continues to advance, the people in these roles help companies make smart decisions with data as well as automate business processes that improve efficiency and lower operational costs.

- Share of companies who say they have hired for this role in the past year:

-- 46% of AI high-performing companies

-- 37% of all other companies

Building data channels to route information properly from various sources is the primary responsibility of data engineers. They consolidate, tidy up, and structure raw data to make it accessible and understandable for business analysts.Just as companies need data scientists to collect and analyze the data, they need data engineers to turn it into a collection that AI models can use.

- Share of companies who say they have hired for this role in the past year:

-- 42% of AI high-performing companies

-- 40% of all other companies

Software engineers can choose from a wide range of career options; they can design and develop programs, such as computer games or network control systems. Their main duty is to generate and optimize business applications, which makes them highly sought-after tech professionals in most industries. Software engineers must have a strong knowledge of computer engineering and programming languages.AI companies utilize software engineers to not only build AI applications but also to maintain AI systems. Their insights are invaluable to the future of AI companies because the AI models they build help inform companies' decisions.

Data reporting by Wade Zhou. Additional writing by Kelly Glass. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

This story originally appeared on Revelo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

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AWS chief Adam Selipsky talks generative AI, Amazon's investment in Anthropic and cloud cost-cutting - Omaha World-Herald

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Mangata Networks and Microsoft Partner on AI-enabled Edge Cloud Connectivity – AiThority

Posted: at 6:33 am

Partnership will advance the reach and functionality of Microsoft Azure cloud, through global, high-speed low latency satellite connectivity and advanced edge compute solutions.

Mangata Networks, a global company offering satellite-enabled connectivity & intelligent edge computing solutions, has signed a partnership with Microsoft aimed at developing an AI-enabled edge cloud product connected via satellite. This partnership represents a long-term commitment between Mangata Networks and Microsoft, marking the beginning of a sustained collaborative journey aimed at continuously advancing cloud technology through innovative satellite connectivity.

Partnership Accelerates Azure Adaptive Cloud Adoption

Mangata will provide seamless connectivity and intelligent cloud computing services around the globe, bringing the benefits of Azure innovation anywhere in the world.

The network is powered by a multi-orbit constellation of HEO (highly elliptical orbit) and MEO (medium Earth orbit) satellites and a terrestrial network of edge data centers.

We are thrilled to develop this transformative product in strategic collaboration with Microsoft, further enriching the Microsoft commercial marketplace ecosystem. Microsofts direct sales channels will play a crucial role in scaling our innovative solutions to enterprises globally. Our offering is not just a product but an all-encompassing network, infrastructure, platform, and software service. With capacity bundled into the service, we provide a seamless, integrated SLA that simplifies the adoption of our services for customers. saidBrian Holz, CEO of Mangata Networks. This is more than a partnership; it is a long-term alliance set to redefine how enterprises leverage the cloud and intelligent edge compute.

Innovative Features and SLAs Redefining Edge Cloud Connectivity and Business Transformation

A core element of the partnership is a deep commitment to innovation, where Mangata Networks will collaborate with Microsoft and execute against an integrated Edge-to-Space-to-Cloud product roadmap.

Leveraging Microsofts generative AI and data analytics capabilities, Mangata will, in close collaboration with Microsoft, re-imagine the entire product innovation lifecycle. These efforts will include integrating AI capabilities end-to-end; from customer and partner feedback and requirements definition through to how we roadmap, create, code, test, deploy, run, and support customer solutions. This initiative will result in delivering Azure adaptive cloud solutions, specifically designed to address unique and complex business problems at the edge, enabling and accelerating customer outcomes in a culturally sensitive way.

Mangatas managed service will extend the geographical reach and functionality of Azure adaptive cloud. These collaborative solutions will deliver an array of innovative features, including AI-enhanced network routing at the edge, remote bandwidth optimization, workload management, real-time data processing, digital twin support, advanced satellite backhaul management, end-to-end cloud-edge IoT applications, 5G integration standardization, and multivendor sub-system integration (for example, ORAN and RAN-based equipment).

The Mangata and Microsoft solution using Azure will be made available through theAzure Marketplace, offering end-to-end application-level Service Level Agreements (SLA) with bundled connectivity. This comprehensive approach ensures a seamless experience for users seeking advanced and integrated solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will position Mangata as an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) on the Azure platform. This move will empower Mangatas growth trajectory, with Microsoft providing substantial support in terms of technology, resources, engineering, as well as go-to-market backing.

Processing Data at the Best Location

With powerful edge compute and data management capabilities, customers can process data where it is created, reducing latency and time-to-insight by hosting advanced analytics and AI-inferencing at the edge. Valuable data, previously discarded due to lack of available bandwidth,can now be sent to cloud services like Microsoft Fabric, an end-to-end, unified analytics platform that brings together all the data and analytics tools organizations need -where it can be used to train and retrain AI models- to yield deeper operational insights.

For highly regulated organizations and governments, and for geographies with strict data sovereignty rules, applications can process sensitive data at the edge, keeping it within national or regional boundaries and only sending what is allowed to the public cloud.

In collaboration with Mangata, we look forward to delivering an end-to-end Cloud and Edge platform to enterprise and government customers. This platform will enable business and mission critical applications anywhere with committed availability through satellite connectivity. Mangata will leverage Microsofts portfolio of Microsoft Azure Space and Azure for Operators to run their satellites constellation and edge platform. This collaboration is key for our continued commitment to empower our customers with intelligent, secure, and resilient technology. said Mitra Azizirad, President and Chief Operating Officer, for Growth, Innovation and Strategy, Microsoft Strategic Missions and Technologies.

Addressing Global Challenges and Closing the Digital Divide

This collaboration is set to address critical challenges on a global scale related to sovereign state requirements, enterprise innovation, maritime and digital ocean transformation, data gravity, and telecommunications access and capacity needs.Mangatas mission to empower the exchange of knowledge through global connectivity and to revolutionize access to the digital economy aligns with theAirband Initiative, a collaboration between Microsoft and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on closing the global digital divide by bringing internet access to all.

A New Era of AI-enabled Edge Cloud Computing

The pilot phase of the pre-integrated solutions in customer trial networks is scheduled to commence in the late 2nd quarter of 2024, ahead of Mangatas planned constellation launch.

This initiative is poised to revolutionize the way businesses and governments worldwide harness the power of edge cloud connectivity through satellite technology. Together, Microsoft and Mangata will create a new platform for highly reliable, scalable, and robust IoT and SCADA applications at the edge, all connected to and managed by Azure. The collaboration marks a significant step toward a more connected, intelligent, and accessible future. This collaboration is not just a milestone but a starting point for a long-term journey between Mangata Networks and Microsoft, where both entities are committed to a lasting partnership that evolves with technological advancements.

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Democratization of Cloud vs AI: A Case Study – Medium

Posted: at 6:33 am

Photo by Aditya Joshi on Unsplash

The democratization of technology refers to making complex technologies more accessible, easy to use, and available to a wider population. Both cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) have seen significant democratization over the past decade, allowing more people and organizations to leverage these powerful technologies. However, the pace and extent of democratization varies between the two.

The emergence of public cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud in the mid to late 2000s truly democratized access to scalable computing infrastructure and services. Before public clouds, organizations had to invest heavily in their own data centers and IT infrastructure to scale compute resources. The public cloud eliminated the need for huge upfront investments and allowed usage-based pricing, lowering the barrier to entry significantly. Startups and smaller organizations could now leverage advanced IT resources that were previously only accessible to tech giants.

The user interfaces of leading cloud platforms have also become significantly easier to use over the years. Abstractions like infrastructure as code (IaC) and containerization make complex deployment and orchestration feasible through simple interfaces. Services like AWS Lambda introduced serverless computing so developers simply need to write and upload code to run applications without managing underlying infrastructure. These abstractions and ease-of-use capabilities opened up cloud computing for a much broader user base, beyond just expert IT professionals.

AI services like image recognition, natural language processing, and machine learning were also mostly limited to tech giants like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc until this decade. But in recent years, there has been an explosion of easy-to-use SDKs, APIs, cloud services, open-source frameworks, and development platforms that enable anyone to integrate advanced AI capabilities into their applications. For example, cloud vision APIs allow developers to add image recognition into apps without needing deep expertise in computer vision techniques.

However, much of AIs complexity still lies under the hood. Understanding how to properly train, validate, and constrain AI models requires advanced mathematics and coding skills. Complete no-code solutions dont yet fully abstract away these complexities compared to some cloud capabilities. So in terms of depth of access to core technologies, there is still further democratization needed in the AI space. But turn-key AI cloud services are a large step forward in expanding access.

SaaS startups provide a compelling case study contrasting the democratization advantages found in cloud vs AI platforms today. As a small startup, they benefited greatly from the ability to get cloud servers and databases up-and-running immediately with low costs. This allowed them to get their web and mobile applications to market rapidly without dedicated infrastructure investments.

However, they found integrating more advanced AI capabilities like predictive analytics difficult without specialized skills. While some API access was available, they struggled to combine data streams and train algorithms that optimized for their industry and data types. Unlike available cloud infrastructure, they encountered barriers translating AI into business advantages without either building in-house expertise or outsourcing considerable work and costs.

The gap between access and expertise represents the next phase of democratization needed to bring more advanced AI to a broad group of organizations and users. Like weve seen with cloud, progress is anticipated but the balance of empowerment still tilts more towards infrastructure and compute resources today.

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Democratization of Cloud vs AI: A Case Study - Medium

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5 Drivers Behind the Growth of the GPU Cloud Computing Market – Visual Capitalist

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5 Drivers Behind the Growth of the GPU Cloud Computing Market

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are specialized computer chips originally designed for use in gaming, but have recently found a second life on the cloud because of their capabilities in high performance computing.

GPUs use parallel processing to efficiently and effectively solve complex problems across a wide range of domains, much faster than the serial processing approach of CPUs.

In this visualization for HIVE Digital, we look at five drivers behind the growth of the GPU cloud computing market.

Large Language Models, like OpenAIs ChatGPT and Googles Bard, have surpassed human performance on a variety of tasks in part because of increasingly large training datasets.

In 2008, a NEC Laboratories model used a training package with 6.33 x 108 (633 million) datapoints. By 2023, an Abu-Dhabi-based lab used a training dataset with 2.63 x 1012 (2.63 trillion) datapoints, 10,000 times larger than 15 years earlier.

Autonomous vehicles collect huge amounts of data from a host of onboard sensorspotentially between 380 and 5,100 terabytes every yearand finding an effective and efficient way of processing that information has been a key focus for carmakers.

One approach, which combines onboard processing power with the resources of the cloud, prevented collisions in simulations of vehicles moving up to 45 mph, even when network lag was as high as 3 seconds. That improved to 50 mph when cloud response time was reduced to half a second.

Modern drug development typically begins by running computer simulations on millions of candidate molecules to look for potential matches to advance to expensive, lab-based testing.

Normally these operations run on scarce high-performance computing resources that can take weeks or months to complete. A recent study that used the cloud was able to complete a typical dataset in around two days, comparable to a Tier 2 supercomputer.

Streaming games on the cloud is big money, with Microsoft recently doling out an eye-watering $68.7 billion to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard and cement their already significant market share.

According to papers filed with the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, Microsofts xCloud held 50-60% of the global cloud gaming market in 2022, twice that of second-place Nvidia. Googles Stadia, on the other hand, had less than 5% of the market when they wound down operations in January 2023.

When latency is critical for an application, the shorter the distance between the cloud and the user, the better.

Thats why edge computingso named because processing happens at the edge of the networkhas become critical in industries as varied as health care and autonomous vehicles, where every fraction of a second counts.

So its no surprise that the global GPU cloud market is projected to increase from $3.2 billion in 2023 to $25.5 billion by 2030, at an impressive CAGR of 34.8%.

HIVE Digitalexports renewably sourced computing power to customers all over the world, helping to meet the demands of emerging technologies like AI.

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Report: AWS to reorganize sales teams amid slowing cloud revenue growth – SiliconANGLE News

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Amazon Web Services Inc. is planning a major overhaul of its 60,000-strong sales team, in order to address problems as rivals such as Microsoft Corp. and Google LLC make some headway in the global cloud computing market.

Thats according to a report today in The Information, which said the Amazon.com Inc. cloud units sales and marketing chief Matt Garman is planning to consolidate various sales teams that have developed conflicting sales strategies within the company. The plan also calls for changes in how AWS assigns its technical staff to help customers, the report said. It comes after a number of AWS clients expressed dissatisfaction with the companys existing practices.

Although AWS remains by far and away the most dominant player in the cloud computing infrastructure-as-a-service market, the company has seen slowing growth. Moreover, it has reportedly failed to meet its internal growth targets at a time when the industry is rapidly transitioning to expand its focus on artificial intelligence.

A report by Business Insider last month claimed that AWS is falling short of its sales goals in two key segments its startups and small-business divisions and will likely miss its targets in those segments in 2023.

Moreover, AWS public disclosures show that its unable to match the growth displayed by its two main rivals in the cloud, Microsoft and Google, though its still much larger at least in the infrastructure segment of the market and continues to grow that business much more in terms of absolute revenue.

Apples-to-apples comparisons are tricky because all three companies report their cloud numbers differently, but its clear that AWS is facing some challenges. In its most recent earnings call, AWS revealed that its cloud revenue had grown by 12% in its fiscal third quarter. However, Microsoft reported that its cloud business grew by 29% year-over-year, while Google Clouds 22% growth rate also outpaced Amazons.

A spokesperson for AWS told SiliconANGLE that the company disputes the claims that the company isnt growing as fast as its rivals.

AWS continues to be the significant leader in cloud infrastructure in customers, revenue, security, operational performance and partner ecosystem, and we believe that AWS had the largest absolute growth in revenue of any cloud provider last quarter at $919 million, the spokesperson said. Others might report a larger percentage of growth, but theyre working from a considerably smaller base. Its also important to note that not everyone breaks out their cloud numbers as transparently as AWS does, so its impossible to compare apples to apples.

Some of AWS best-known execs, including former senior vice president Charlie Bell, marketing chief Rachel Thornton and data center vice president Chris Vonderhaar, have quit the company in the last couple of years, and the rate at which lower level managers are leaving has also reportedly increased.

AWSs spokesperson said The Informations report concerns an organizational change that was first announced by Garman in November and reported by GeekWire. At the time, Garman wrote in an internal memo distributed to employees that the company will reorganize its Sales, Marketing and Global Services group in order to lay the foundation for accelerated customer impact and growth in the years ahead.

The goal of the reorganization is to improve customer experiences by betteraligning our customer-facing teams, resulting in increased agility, scale, and efficiency, Garman wrote.

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Don’t underestimate vulnerabilities in the cloud. Adopt hybrid to stay protected – Best Enterprise Data Storage Software … – Solutions Review

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There is no question the cloud has and continues to gain popularity among businesses and individuals, and today whether its SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS 94 percent of enterprises are now utilizing cloud services. Cloud has allowed organizations to save on infrastructure and operational costs while enabling more flexibility and scalability. Adopting the cloud has helped companies find alternative plans to reduce costs while ensuring the availability of their data and infrastructure.

But every technology has its drawbacks. Cloud-related vulnerabilities have doubled in the last four years, resulting in 82 percent of data breaches involving cloud data compromises. Cloud-first enterprises have been consistently targeted by cybercriminals, resulting in data breaches stemming from inadequate security measures and cybercriminals gaining access to sensitive data through account hijacking. Additionally, when not properly executed, there is a high risk of professionals overlooking outdated applications running in the cloud, enabling new vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit.

This brings into consideration the benefits of a hybrid cloud and on-premises model, which helps to maintain a robust security posture to safeguard business operations more effectively. Lets dive in deeper to understand further the obstacles companies face when purely dependent on the cloud and the benefits of a hybrid approach.

To highlight the severity of the vulnerabilities, lets consider a recent report by Qualys examining top vulnerable areas about assets hosted in a cloud environment. A few critical threats emerged as significant organizational concerns among the various vulnerabilities examined.

Misconfigurations and external vulnerabilities were identified as the foremost susceptibilities, posing a substantial risk to cloud-based assets. These misconfigurations often stem from the complexity of cloud environments and the challenge of aligning security settings with the specific needs of each organization. External vulnerabilities, on the other hand, highlight the susceptibility of cloud-based systems to threats from external actors, emphasizing the need for robust perimeter defenses.

Another significant concern noted in the report was weaponized vulnerabilities. This threat encompasses vulnerabilities that have the potential to be exploited as weapons by cybercriminals, underscoring the critical importance of promptly addressing vulnerabilities. Malware within the cloud was also identified as a significant risk factor. Cloud environments, while offering many benefits, can inadvertently provide a breeding ground for malware if not adequately secured.

All this to say, the shared responsibility model in cloud computing places the responsibility on both cloud service providers (CSPs) and organizations to maintain security. While CSPs provide security settings and controls, the ease and speed at which data can be moved into the cloud can sometimes lead to these controls being overlooked. This oversight can create vulnerabilities (like those listed above) and potential points of entry for cyberthreats, essentially leaving cracks in the overall defense strategy.

As cloud adoption continues to rise, organizations must strike a balance between the convenience of cloud computing and the robust security measures required to safeguard digital assets. This can be achieved by adopting a hybrid approach of both cloud and on-premises deployments.

Due to the nuanced nature of the cloud, many often find themselves checking boxes and setting up infrastructure without proper security or understanding of what they are doing. Amazon Web Services, by default, turns off all outbound communication on every workload created because they know it is the end users responsibility and ultimate risk to open the floodgates. While the cloud offers unbelievable convenience, it is a veritable Pandoras Box of functionality and requires expertise and constant education to stay in best practice and ahead of threats.

Due to the built-in complexity of CSPs, some clever vendors have built an alternative to the cloud model. They are creating remote and on-premises solutions that acknowledge the end users need for security, simplicity, and power and eliminate the complexity of management, expertise, and control. Users can free up time and significantly reduce risk by taking advantage of on-premises and remote services and solutions designed to improve the now-aging cloud model.

Furthermore, the cloud is limited by an organizations internet bandwidth, whereas on-premises infrastructure and storage allow for much faster ingest and recovery speeds. Slow ingest speeds could mean that backup windows are not being met. If backup windows are not met, there may not be a good copy of data to recover from. If cyber attackers compromise data in the cloud, hold it hostage for ransom, or even destroy it, IT teams with on-premises copies of data will still be able to rapidly recover and restore everything.

By adopting the hybrid model, organizations can have the flexibility and scalability offered by the cloud while maintaining the immutability and integrity of on-premises storage solutions. While the cloud brings undeniable advantages, even the most robust cloud security can be penetrable, making on-premises backup storage critical to your overall data protection strategy. To ensure the most effective protection, the best practice is to adhere to the 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategy. Maintain three copies of your data on two different media types, with one of those copies stored off-site and one immutable or air gapped, while ensuring zero errors upon backup.

Embracing a hybrid approach allows organizations the benefits of data accessibility in the cloud and on-premises. It provides safe, simple, and affordable solutions for organizations to effectively manage and store their data with the robust security measures that the cloud offers. Its essential to recognize that no system is entirely immune to potential breaches or ransomware attacks. By implementing on-premises immutable backup storage, organizations are fortifying their data protection strategy, ensuring that valuable information remains resilient and safeguarded against potential threats.

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Don't underestimate vulnerabilities in the cloud. Adopt hybrid to stay protected - Best Enterprise Data Storage Software ... - Solutions Review

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Innovations, disruptions, transformations expected in 2024 Intelligent CIO Middle East – Intelligent CIO

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Top executives from Cloud Box Technologies, CPX, Dimension Data, Dynatrace, Fortinet, Gulf Business Machines, Genetec, ManageEngine, NetApp, Palo Alto Networks, SAP, share their insights into innovations, disruptions, transformations expected in 2024 in areas like AI, cybersecurity, datacentre, cloud and sustainability.

In 2024 and beyond, the IT industry is poised for innovation and transformation. From exciting innovations and opportunities to newfound challenges, the ever-evolving technological landscape will bring an entirely new spectrum of changes.

Artificial Intelligence, driven by Generative AI, will automate tasks and personalise experiences, while AIaaS democratises access. Cloud computing sees multi-cloud adoption and serverless computing for flexibility, says Ranjith Kaippada, Managing Director, Cloud Box Technologies.

Last year, organisations have focused on streamlining operations and cutting costs in response to rising inflation. This year, they have been challenged to do more with less, innovate faster, and tame the growing complexity of modern cloud environments, and we expect these challenges to continue in 2024, says Jorge Longo, VP Middle East and Africa, Dynatrace.

Achieving lofty goals inevitably requires new approaches. Therefore, numerous organisations are adopting Generative AI, which uses its training data to generate text, images, code, or other types of content that accurately represent the natural language queries of users. Many are also turning to platform engineering to create new efficiencies and opportunities for innovation.

The numbers show that these technology trends have taken hold. According to a recent Dynatrace survey, 83% of technology leaders said AI has become a requirement.

However, we anticipate that in 2024 and beyond, organisations will move towards a composite AI approach that combines multiple types of AI, such as generative, predictive, and causal, and different data sources, says Dynatraces Longo.

Dynatrace calls this hypermodal AI and it is already a core technology within the Dynatrace platform. This approach brings precision, context, and meaning to AI outputs.

Furthermore, 83% of respondents to a recent DevOps Digest survey have plans to adopt platform engineering or have already done so. Thus, in 2024 expect platform engineering to become mission critical. Data observability will also become mandatory as organisations seek to drive more intelligent automation and faster decision-making.

Overall, the IT landscape in 2024 will witness an intricate interplay of AI, ML, cloud computing, and Generative AI, propelling businesses into a realm of unparalleled efficiency, innovation, and connectivity, says Firas Jadalla, Regional Director Middle East, Turkey and Africa, at Genetec.

In 2024, the IT industry is set to undergo groundbreaking transformations across multiple fronts. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will continue to evolve, with a focus on more ethical and responsible applications. The integration of AI into various business processes will streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and pave the way for unprecedented innovation.

SAP expects 2024 to be the year that businesses move past the hype around Generative AI and Large Language Models, and seek to identify and implement real business use cases to leverage the benefits. Enterprises will realise that the effectiveness of AI-generated solutions largely depend on the quality of available data, says Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President, SAP Middle East and Africa North.

Green IT focuses on sustainability, and Quantum Computing revolutionises various sectors. The pace of change will demand adaptability, urging businesses and individuals to embrace these advancements for continued success.

Cybersecurity

According to Cloud Box Technologies Kaippada, cybersecurity advances with Zero Trust Network Access and Quantum-resistant cryptography. Low-Code, No-Code development empowers non-programmers for agile app creation. The Metaverse and Web3 redefine user interaction and decentralised applications.

Cybersecurity will experience a paradigm shift, leveraging AI to anticipate and counteract evolving threats. Quantum computings advancements will pose both challenges and opportunities, revolutionising data processing capabilities.

In the realm of cybersecurity, Generative AI tools can generate human-like text and speech, allowing them to automate the creation of phishing emails, social engineering attacks, and other malicious content. Simultaneously, these tools have untapped potential in helping cyber defenders analyse, correlate, and communicate information more effectively, says Paul Lawson, Executive Director Cyber Defence, CPX.

The impact of geopolitical events in cyberspace, coupled with global conflicts and more than half of the global population participating in elections, means that 2024 is expected to be a record year for cyber-activism, mis- and disinformation campaigns, continues Lawson.

Cyber defenders must prepare for an upswing in targeted communication aimed at delivering malicious payloads or extorting information from users via email, web and social media channels.

Fortinets FortiGuard 2024 Threat Predictions report looks at a new era of advanced cybercrime and how AI is changing the attack game. The classic methods are not going away, instead, they are evolving and advancing as attackers gain access to new resources.

Fortinet also predicts the evolution of Generative AI and how its weaponisation could add fuel to an already raging fire, giving attackers an easy means of enhancing many stages of their attacks.

In addition to the evolution of Advanced Persistent Threat operations, we predict that cybercrime groups will diversify their targets and playbooks, focusing on more sophisticated and disruptive attacks, and setting their sights on denial of service and extortion, says Alain Penel, VP Middle East, Turkey and CIS, Fortinet.

Cybercrime turf wars will continue, with multiple attack groups homing in on the same targets and deploying ransomware variants, often within 24 hours or less. We have seen cybercriminals increasingly use AI to support malicious activities in new ways, ranging from thwarting the detection of social engineering to mimicking human behaviour, adds Fortinets Penel.

As cyber threats become more sophisticated, the technology sector will see improvements in proactive and adaptive security measures. Therefore, bolstering defences against evolving cyber threats through AI-driven threat detection and zero-trust architecture will be another key focus area in 2024, according to Gulf Business Machines CEO Mike Weston.

In 2024, companies will invest in cyber-resiliency plans, making it a key business differentiator for success in the complex global market. Cyber resilience promises to become a strong business differentiator, says Rajesh Ganesan, President ManageEngine.

Enterprises will adopt an identity-centric approach, ensuring authorised access and data protection. Cloud infrastructure and entitlement management will enhance visibility, minimise threats, and provide a worry-free digital experience.

Artificial Intelligence, AI will continue to be a truly disruptive and transformative area in 2024. Business and IT departments will struggle to define true ownership of AI, while cybersecurity best practices around AI will be left behind, says Haider Pasha, Head of CSO Team, EMEA and LATAM, Palo Alto Networks.

Attackers will leverage Large Language Models, and Generative AI to significantly improve spear phishing emails, combining them with deepfake and other AI-enabled attacks to increase click rates. Deployed correctly, Generative AI will accelerate cybersecurity as an enabler, adds Palo Alto Networks Pasha.

As Generative AI models mature through 2024, the rise of Security Copilots will increase Security Operations, SecOps productivity. This significantly changes the focus within the team towards a proactive versus reactive mindset, with a greater focus on building threat intelligence platforms that leverage AI as early-warning systems.

In addition, a greater focus on threat-hunting programmes will provide better visibility to attack surfaces before security teams embark on digital-first projects.

Datacentres

The combination of IoT, Private 5G, and edge computing can enable organisations to gain real-time insights and make informed decisions based on device data. As the IoT ecosystem expands, businesses will increasingly adopt edge solutions to seamlessly integrate their enterprise networks, says Burcak Soydan, Managing Executive Middle East, Dimension Data.

Dark NOC, a fully automated network operation centre, is rapidly becoming a reality with the advancement of AIOPs. Networking companies are expected to further integrate AIOPs into their operations in 2024, aiming to enhance network quality, support engineers, and modernise infrastructures.

2024 will see increased investment in AI-driven energy supplies for data centre infrastructure, with enterprises collaborating with energy providers to explore sustainable options. Focus on network efficiency, reliability, sustainability, and future-readiness will bring optical networking to the forefront in 2024, adds Dimension Datas Soydan.

Innovations in edge computing will also drive new growth as organisations adopt faster data processing at the source for better business outcomes. These advancements, however, will give rise to new threats and expose businesses to expanded attack surfaces, says Gulf Business Machines Weston.

As businesses carve out competitive advantages and differentiation in their respective markets, they are collecting and analysing massive amounts of data and metadata from every business application, customer touchpoint, and device they can to generate actionable insights.

Continuing innovation in areas like AI and analytics has given these businesses new ways to apply their data, but they need to ensure their underlying IT and business infrastructures can process and analyse all that data, no matter where it is stored or when it is needed.

Those that can make their data work for them will operate more efficiently and drive business value, says Walid Issa, Senior Manager for Pre-Sales and Solutions Engineering, MENA and East Europe, NetApp.

In 2024, NetApp predicts that organisations will move beyond pre-trained AI models, focusing instead on data-driven AI fuelled by continuous data pipelines for adaptability. Breaking down data silos through unified data storage will unlock hidden connections and fuel AI and analytics innovation.

As cyberattacks become increasingly common, organisations will adopt an assume your data was already hacked approach, prioritising secure by design IT systems and rapid recovery solutions for business continuity. By embracing these trends, businesses can operate with greater agility, and thrive in the dynamic landscape of the future, says NetApps Issa.

Artificial intelligence

Generative AI will become even more sophisticated, influencing content creation, code generation, and creative pursuits. This technology will redefine human-machine collaboration, fostering a new era of productivity and creativity.

Building on the initial momentum gained over the last two years, AI will continue to be a key business disruptor, transforming the regions fast-changing innovation landscape. In 2024, AI will seamlessly integrate into routine business processes, offering users more personalised and elevated experiences, says Gulf Business Machines Weston.

2023 has been a transformational year, with both existing technologies and novel innovations revolutionising the way organisations work. In 2024, enterprises will continue to embrace further updates to technological measures that design a better digital environment for everyone, adds ManageEngines Ganesan.

Enterprises will be keen to adapt to purpose-built Large Language Models that enable deep-nested conversations, align with software tools, and address creative and redundant workloads. They protect data, reduce biases, and provide detailed audit reports for AI decision understanding, continues Ganesan.

Enterprises that will get the best results are those with access to reliable, real-time business data that can be combined with Generative AI to create contextual solutions, adds SAPs AlFaifi.

There are two further developments arising from implementation of AI. First, a focus on research into improving not only reliability but also the security of Generative AI models, for example watermarking data and developing new encryption algorithms. Second, a period of greater innovation and creativity in software development driven by the use of AI itself.

Cloud

According to Genetecs Jadalla, cloud computing will remain a cornerstone, with a surge in edge computing capabilities for faster data processing. The convergence of 5G technology and edge computing will redefine connectivity, enabling real-time applications and unlocking new possibilities for industries like healthcare and IoT

According to Dimension Datas Soydan, in 2024, vertical specific clouds package software, PaaS, and IaaS layers is also expected to be used to deliver industry-centric use cases focused on business outcomes.

Businesses will shift their focus from finding the perfect cloud environment to implementing an intelligent data infrastructure that combines unified storage and data management capabilities for seamless data storage, control, and utilisation across any cloud environment, says NetApps Issa.

Denial-of-service, DDoS attacks, once a seen as merely a nuisance, have also evolved into a serious threat for major digital service providers. With a growing reliance on cloud services, IT teams must ensure the availability of adequate, redundant, and secure connectivity for uninterrupted access to key business processes and applications, points out CPXs Lawson.

Sustainability

Sustainability will be a crucial factor in IT procurement, impacting investments and innovation, especially as stringent regulations are expected to increase their influence in the coming year, points out Dimension Datas Soydan.

Sustainability also remains a top priority on the regional agendas. Technologies addressing efficient utilities and transportation, resource optimisation, renewable energy, and ESG data tracking will feature prominently in a businesss growth strategy. Integrating these technologies not only aids in meeting sustainability goals but also positions businesses as responsible leaders in the evolving technology landscape, says Gulf Business Machines Weston.

Key takeaways

Artificial Intelligence, driven by Generative AI, will automate tasks and personalise experiences, while AIaaS democratises access

2024 will be challenged to do more with less, innovate faster, tame the growing complexity of modern cloud environments.

Achieving lofty goals inevitably requires new approaches and numerous organisations are adopting Generative AI.

Organisations will move towards a composite AI approach that combines multiple types of AI, such as generative, predictive, and causal.

Dynatrace calls this hypermodal AI and it is already a core technology within the Dynatrace platform.

The IT landscape in 2024 will witness an intricate interplay of AI, ML, cloud computing, and Generative AI, propelling businesses into a realm of unparalleled efficiency.

In 2024 businesses move past the hype around Generative AI and Large Language Models, and seek to implement real business use cases.

Enterprises will realise that effectiveness of AI-generated solutions depends on the quality of available data.

Generative AI tools can generate human-like text and speech, to automate creation of phishing emails, social engineering attacks.

Denial-of-service attacks, once seen as a nuisance, have also evolved into a serious threat for major digital service providers.

IT teams must ensure availability of adequate, redundant, and secure connectivity for uninterrupted access to key business processes.

Cyber defenders must prepare for an upswing in targeted communication aimed at delivering malicious payloads or extorting information from users via email, web and social media channels.

Cybercrime turf wars will continue, with multiple attack groups homing in on the same targets and deploying variants within 24 hours or less.

Artificial Intelligence will continue to be a disruptive and transformative area in 2024.

Business and IT departments will struggle to define true ownership of AI, while cybersecurity best practices around AI will be left behind.

Attackers will leverage Large Language Models, and Generative AI to improve spear phishing emails, combining them with deepfake to increase click rates.

Deployed correctly, Generative AI will accelerate cybersecurity as an enabler.

As Generative AI models mature through 2024, the rise of Security Copilots will increase Security Operations, SecOps productivity.

As the IoT ecosystem expands, businesses will adopt edge solutions to integrate their enterprise networks.

Dark NOC, a fully automated network operation centre, is becoming a reality with the advancement of AIOPs.

Networking companies are expected to further integrate AIOPs into their operations, aiming to enhance network quality.

2024 will see increased investment in AI-driven energy supplies for data centre infrastructure collaborating with energy providers.

Focus on network efficiency will bring optical networking to the forefront in 2024.

NetApp predicts organisations will move beyond pre-trained AI models, focusing instead on data-driven AI fuelled by data pipelines.

As cyberattacks become increasingly common, organisations will adopt an assume your data was already hacked approach, prioritising recovery.

In 2024, AI will seamlessly integrate into routine business processes, offering users more personalised and elevated experiences.

Enterprises will be keen to adapt to purpose-built Large Language Models that enable deep-nested conversations.

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Innovations, disruptions, transformations expected in 2024 Intelligent CIO Middle East - Intelligent CIO

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