Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from March, 2025

The unsung heroes of the AI revolution: a quiet force shaping the future

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support AI is poised to change our world at a breakneck pace, with enterprises and governments pouring billions into AI tools , assistants, and agents. Whether it’s Trump’s bold $500 billion Stargate plan or the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, AI investment is the new arms race. And if the scale of investment isn’t visible yet, tech giants plan to invest $320 billion in AI in 2025 alone. The technology is dominating headlines, driving economic strategies and topping boardroom agendas. However, most discussions focus largely on the dazzling potential of AI models. Putting these exciting AI innovations to work requires an army of unsung individual heroes largely toiling in the dark - data engineers, integration specialists, and automation experts. These professionals are the critical silent enablers of the AI wave we are witnessing. Their expertise is critical to ensure machine learning models have the clean and structured data they require to function ...

How UK businesses can prepare for tariff whiplash

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support It’s hard to believe Donald Trump has only been back in office since midway through January. Whether it’s additional tariffs on the import of materials like steel and aluminium or plans to target countries with ‘reciprocal tariffs’, the rate of change and potential impact on supply chains is almost too fast and far-reaching for any one person to keep pace with. With fresh tariffs emerging from the US on an almost daily basis, it’s not possible for any business – especially those reliant on global trade – to predict every new announcement, or have a bespoke response plan ready for each possible scenario. Instead, businesses with the potential to be hit by tariff whiplash must be able to respond swiftly to developments as they happen, or better still rehearse for potential changes ahead of time, many of which may be entirely unprecedented. To do this, they need to have the technological tools that enable them to see beyond the horizon to identify...

The paradox of AI: problem vs. opportunity in web innovation

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support AI has dominated headlines, product strategies, and investment for the past two years, but as businesses reflect heading into 2025, an uncomfortable question lingers: where is AI’s financial impact, really? Amidst the AI hype climate, businesses have been eager to invest in emerging technologies that promise the world. So eager, in fact, that the market is now saturated with hastily-developed products designed more to showcase adoption than to deliver measurable impact. While AI tools have existed for some time, the rise of generative AI — starting with the release of ChatGPT just over two years ago — has captured broader attention and rekindled a frenzy of innovation, akin to the dot-com boom of the late 1990s. Generative AI's accessibility is lowering barriers to entry, sparking both a rush to investment and concern across industries. When applied strategically, it’s clear that AI can revolutionize user experiences at places like websites...

Millions of solar power systems could be at risk of cyber attacks after researchers find flurry of vulnerabilities

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Insecure solar systems allow cybercriminals to steal data and ransom access Millions of solar inverters remain vulnerable to severe cybersecurity threats Forescout – Vedere uncover flaws allowing attackers to take full control over solar systems The increasing use of solar power has exposed critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities in inverters, cloud computing services , and monitoring platforms, creating an insecure ecosystem where hackers can manipulate energy production, disrupt power grids, and steal sensitive data, posing serious risks to global energy infrastructure, experts have warned. A study by Forescout – Vedere Labs identified 46 new vulnerabilities across three major solar inverter manufacturers, including Sungrow, Growatt, and SMA. Previous findings showed that 80% of reported vulnerabilities were high or critical in severity, with some reaching the highest CVSS scores. Over the past three years, an average of 10 new vulnerabi...

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Nintendo's last Switch direct to the Google Pixel 9a finally getting a release date

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support This week Apple announced the date for WWDC 2025, Marvel teased its massive Avengers: Doomsday cast, and Nintendo held what's set to be its last Switch direct before the Nintendo Switch 2 releases. To catch up on all that and all our picks for the week's 7 biggest tech stories scroll through this page so you'll be ready for next week's big announcements. Once you're done, read our picks for 7 new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend (March 28). 7. Apple set a date for WWDC 2025 (Image credit: Apple/Future) It's been an interesting few weeks for Apple with several new products and an official delay to the AI-infused Siri, but this week, we got the office dates for the 2025 World Wide Developers Conference. More commonly referred to as WWDC 25, Apple's weeklong conference at which it normally debuts its next-generation platforms and software will kick off on June 9, 2025. As we've come to expect, Ap...

I tried Mind Maps in NotebookLM and it's my new favorite feature

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support A lot of useful information is only as helpful as its organization. The same goes for my own brain, of course. Getting that information in different formats can help with learning it, and Google’s NotebookLM has been fun to experiment with for that purpose, particularly the customized podcasts with AI hosts. The latest addition is the new Mind Maps feature. A mind map is an old technique for organizing your thinking using visual webs of information that connect ideas together. Imagine a branching tree where each limb is a concept and every twig is a supporting idea. They’re great for people who think visually. The NotebookLM version is essentially that, but it is put together by an AI model. I decided to test this thing with two real-life situations: planning a garden and trying to become a whiz at DIY home repairs. Mind Garden (Image credit: NotebookLM screenshots) The garden was first. I uploaded a pile of articles I’d been hoarding –...

Adapting the UK’s cyber ecosystem

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support From malware and ransomware to phishing attacks and artificial intelligence (AI), the cybersecurity threat landscape is evolving. Threat actors are continuing to deploy increasingly advanced tools to target their chosen victims, with research by Fortinet showing 87% of organizations experienced either one or more cybersecurity breaches in 2023. As such, it’s no longer a question of whether an organization will experience a breach – it’s when. Countries around the world are having to tighten their defenses as a result, including the UK. But as other countries make strides in their cybersecurity protection, how does the UK compare to its European counterparts, and the rest of the world? How can the UK adapt its cybersecurity ecosystem to keep up with these changing threat tactics, both now and in the future? Global cybersecurity regulations Several countries have introduced regulations designed to protect against threats. For example, the Europ...

I'm actually glad the new Siri with Apple Intelligence is delayed, and here's why we've got Apple's AI problem backwards

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support What if we're considering the Apple Intelligence problem backwards? Apple’s AI plans seem to be in shambles . It over-promised on upcoming iPhone features, partnered with questionable third party AI providers, and failed to deliver for so long that it's been forced to change plans entirely. There’s even a lawsuit threat . We can blame Apple's leadership and question its commitment, but I think the problem isn't with Apple at all. The problem is with AI. As long as I’ve covered Apple, I’ve believed it won't release a product that hasn't reached a certain level of ‘finish.’ The original iPhone launched without GPS for navigation or video recording on the Camera app. However, it had the most complete and polished user interface ever on a smartphone, and Safari, a mobile web browser that was as advanced as a desktop browser, a feat that defied imagination. (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol) Even Apple Vision Pro , a ...

What time is Daredevil: Born Again episode 5 going to be released on Disney+?

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Who's ready for more Daredevil: Born Again ? If you've been engrossed by Marvel's latest TV Original since its March 4 debut, I'm certain you'll be eagerly awaiting its next chapter. There won't just be one new episode of the Disney+ show this week, either. Thanks to an unusual quirk in Born Again 's release schedule , we're getting a double helping of Daredevil , so you'll be able to enjoy episodes 5 and 6 when they're released. Here, then, is when you can stream that double-header in the US, UK, and Australia. What is the Disney+ release time for Daredevil: Born Again episodes 5 and 6 in the US? Matt Murdock returns with two episodes this week (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+) Daredevil: Born Again episode 5 will be released on Tuesday, March 25 at 6PM PT / 9PM ET in the US. That's the same time that the last four episodes have aired on Disney+, aka one of the world's best stream...

Navigating the growing complexities of the cloud

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support How do you extract value from the rapidly growing complexity of today’s cloud computing environments? It’s one of the most pressing questions facing modern enterprises. While the promise of cloud computing has always been centered on flexibility, scalability, and efficiency, the reality for many businesses paints a more challenging picture – one where unexpected complexities make managing multi-cloud and hybrid environments feel like navigating uncharted waters. The truth is, cloud value stagnates when businesses take a "cloud-first, ask-questions-later" approach – the challenges often outweigh the return. To succeed, modern IT leaders need a forward-thinking cloud strategy. The hidden complexity of cloud computing Cloud technology has transformed how businesses operate, but it is not without complications. The disconnect between the promise of streamlined operations and the burden of diverse IT infrastructure is glaring. Today, 89%...

I analyzed 25 AMD Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPUs and the Ryzen 9 9900X is the best of them all right now: Here’s why

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support That is what I found after collecting data across 24 AMD CPUs I could get prices and availability for and crunched the numbers at the time of writing. The 9900X is AMD’s fourth fastest desktop processor on CPUBenchmark but also the one that got the bigger price cut - nearly 25% - after the launch of the 9900X3D on March 12th. A price reduction of almost a quarter is nothing to be sniffed at for a CPU near the top performers. This model is popular with anyone looking for high performance, without a premium price tag, across various workloads like video editing or game development, like in Scan’s 3XS GWP A1-R24 workstation PC . It sold at Amazon at the time of writing for $374.72 down from $499 , its lowest price ever This Zen 5 part, launched in August 2024, has 12 cores, a base speed of 4.4GHz, 12MB L3 cache as well as a 120W TDP. It reached 54,836 on CPUBenchmark, my default benchmark for processors. That’s a jaw-dropping 146 marks per doll...