Month: June 2024

Since cloud technology was first rolled out to the public it has been identified as a target for hackers. Bad actors will go after the largest players in the game, pulling down their defenses with apparent ease.

Since cloud computing was first rolled out to the public it has been identified as a target for hackers. Bad actors will go after the largest players in the game, pulling down their defenses with apparent ease. Take for example, the instance in which AWS login credentials were stolen by a begrudged former employee and used to delete critical client accounts, which caused their ex-employer $700,000 in losses.

If such an attack sounds detrimental to your business, you can be reassured by learning from others’ past mistakes and recognizing the importance of backups for smooth business operations. Cloud backups are a critical line of defense against data loss; mistakes and oversights in a backup strategy are akin to self-sabotaging your safety net. By neglecting cloud backups business leaders compromise their sensitive customer data, losing customer trust and tarnishing the company’s reputation. Data breaches can result in legal ramifications and financial loss.

So, what are the common mistakes that transform backups from being an assistance to a hindrance?

1) Failing to construct a well-considered strategy

Too frequently business leaders will substitute a carefully tailored cloud backup strategy for the ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ approach. To ensure you are getting the most from your cloud service provider and that your backups are provided the best possible protection it is crucial to understand the nuances of cloud technology and its potential risks.

It may be tempting to go with the first big-name cloud provider at the top of your Google search but not all cloud providers are made equal. They differ in their security protocols, data handling practices, and recovery options so it is best to research which best aligns with your specific backup requirements as determined by your business needs.

A comprehensive cloud storage strategy will encompass regular reviews, frequent testing and adjustments for evolving business needs like changes to capacity, access methods or degree of security depending on new regulatory mandates.

Also important to consider is how frequently backups are completed. A happy medium lies between often enough to avoid data loss but not so regularly that you consume unnecessary storage space. Completing the backup is only the first half of the story; equally as important is the ability to restore that backup quickly and effectively to ensure operations are resumed with minimal disruptions.

2) Neglecting security measures

Once a tailored backup strategy has been decided upon it needs to be implemented within the most stringent security parameters. Over two thirds of businesses suffered a ransomware attack in 2023, according to research by Proofpoint, and backups are a favorite target for ransomware attacks as victims are more likely to pay the ransom if they are locked out of their primary and secondary backups. Hackers will often attempt to delete your backups so you cannot recover the data from them.

Without efficient security measures, your organization’s data is left vulnerable to breaches— especially within today’s threat landscape spearheaded by AI. A single layer of security is no longer sufficient. A proactive approach is best when implementing security measures, building an impermeable foundation of protection as opposed to patching up the holes after the fact.

Encrypting your backup is essential to prevent unauthorized access. Similarly, by enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) you can prevent unauthorized access even when log-in details are compromised. Also, immutable backups — that no user, administrator or third party can delete or corrupt — in the cloud are a proven ransomware mitigation strategy for ensuring that no one can alter or remove your data. Finally, security conscious cloud providers are beginning to develop and offer multi-user authentication (MUA), meaning that if a hacker attains the account holding the immutable backups, they won’t be able to delete your stored data without additional authorization from your chosen security contact.

Only by combining encryption, MFA, immutable backups and MUA can you rest assured your organization’s data is protected with the most secure tools available, that you have a secure backup you can reconstitute back to your production servers after a cybersecurity incident or accidental data loss, and that you won’t have to pay any ransom.

3) Overlooking storage capacity

A common oversight by cloud users is overestimating the capacity of their storage. Customers are easily misled into thinking that the cloud, and therefore their backups, are limitless. In reality, your backup capacity is capped by your budget. Naivety around storage capacity can lead to data loss when the limit is reached, as well as unexpected, additional cost when trying to secure extra space at the last minute.

To avoid this you should forecast growth, understand your company’s capacity requirements and predict if and when that will ebb and flow. Forecasting not only ensures you have enough space for continuous backups, but on the other end of the spectrum also means you avoid paying for unused space and wasting your company’s resources.

In summary

It is safe to say that cloud backups can make or break a business. Knowing the common mishaps and counteracting them with vigilance will help to not only protect your organization against bad actors and accidents, but also ensure you’re getting the most out of your cloud provider. By thoughtfully constructing a strategy tailored to your business needs, that proactively incorporates security measures and considers capacity requirements, you can sleep easy knowing your organization’s information is protected.

We list the best cloud storage management service.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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A TechRadar poll of email providers has Gmail unsurprisingly taking the win, but Outlook and ProtonMail prove popular.

A recent poll conducted by TechRadar reveals Gmail continues to dominate as the most popular email service around today. 

According to the poll results, Google’s email service, which was famously thought to be an April Fool’s joke when it first launched on April 1 2004, holds a substantial lead with 1,900 votes, equating to approximately 69% of the total responses.

“Something else”

Second placed Outlook had a surprisingly strong showing, receiving 319 votes, representing around 11.5% of the respondents. This demonstrates a significant user base for Microsoft’s email service, highlighting its ongoing relevance in a market often perceived to be Google-dominated.

ProtonMail, known for its focus on security and privacy, also shows a notable presence with 57 votes, making up about 2% of the total. This indicates a growing trend among users who prioritize encrypted communication and secure email services. 

Other email services mentioned in the poll include Yahoo Mail (118 votes, 4.3%), Apple iCloud (152 votes, 5.5%), GMX (15 votes, 0.5%), and AOL (13 votes, 0.5%). The support they received highlights the persistence of long-standing email providers and the reluctance of users to go elsewhere, potentially losing a well-established email address in the process.

Finally, in addition to the major players, the poll results also revealed an interesting aspect of the email market: a significant number of users prefer smaller, less mainstream email providers. 

The “something else” category garnered 280 votes, which is approximately 10.2% of the total. This category’s substantial share suggests a diverse landscape of email services that cater to niche needs or offer unique features not found in the more prominent email providers.

(Image credit: Future)

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AMD wants to, “create new experiences with AI unlike anything you’ve seen” and dominate the AI PC market.

AMD has laid out its aim to provide the best AI PC experience for users everywhere, taking a swipe at some of its biggest competitors.

As AI becomes a commonplace presence in our work and personal lives, the need for proper hardware to benefit from its advances has never been more important.

AI PCs are likely to be the main way many consumers will experience the technology first-hand, with platforms such as Microsoft’s Copilot+ bringing productivity and efficiency benefits to all.

Window of opportunity

In a hyper-competitive market, AMD is keen to stake its claim for leadership, with a key company spokesperson telling a media briefing attended by TechRadar Pro that only it was able to provide the full hardware experience.

“We’re probably the only company that has all three pieces,” declared Jack Huynh, SVP and GM, Computing and Graphics, at AMD, noting that of its rivals, Nvidia is yet to reveal serious challengers in the APU market, and Intel is in the same situation when it comes to data center GPUs.

“There’s a window of opportunity in the arms race, so we’re moving as fast as possible,” Huynh added, highlighting AMD’s range of new releases and announcements at Computex 2024, particularly its Ryzen AI 300 series, as proof of its desire.

“Part of our vision is if you have the same IP that powers the data center, the cloud and the edge, we can actually create engineering efficiency, but also better security, which is what enterprises care about.”

(Image credit: Shutterstock / metamorworks)

Huynh noted how AMD is putting particular focus on talking to software firms to find out their needs when it comes to AI PCs, naming the likes of Adobe, Zoom and Microsoft as key partners.

“Our goal is in the next three to five years, to aggressively catch up,” he said, “we’re over investing in software now.”

This includes a bold goal of creating a unified software architecture for NPUs, with Huynh explaining how AMD wants to make it easier for developers to build with an NPU, as it offers the best performance per watt.

“Our goal is to get that time to deployment to be as fast as it can be, make the best of both worlds,” he noted, “We want to make sure we’re not just building a solution to a problem – we really want to understand what developers want to do, what you want to enable.”

AI PC journey

Huynh admitted that AI PCs will require more education from OEMs and companies like AMD in order to appeal to the mass market – particularly to begin with, as customers are typically being asked to spend more money on a new device than they previously have before.

He noted how AMD isn’t rushing when it comes to AI PC development, as, “This will require massive education – but to me this is just the very beginning, it’s a journey, we’re excited about it…I think about it as, we’re rebirthing the PC, we’re going to sustain this AI leadership.” 

“Launching a product when it’s ready is very important…I believe we have one shot with the end users to establish that the AI PC is an innovative product.”

“AI is moving ten times the speed of the internet…(it’s) the new electricity – it’s going to be everywhere and power everything, so it’s so important for us right now to be an AI-first company.”

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The Galaxy Buds 3 resemble to AirPods from its open design to its long stem, although there are a few differences.

Another day, another Samsung Galaxy leak. This time, notable industry leaker Evan Blass posted new high resolution photographs of two pairs of Galaxy Buds and two Galaxy Watch models on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter). 

The images don’t reveal any new information; instead, they do two important jobs: one, reaffirm details mentioned in past rumors, and two, show just how much of an inspiration Apple was to Samsung when developing these products.

As 9To5Google points out, Samsung seems to have taken several cues from their tech rival. The Galaxy Buds 3, for example, look incredibly similar to AirPods, sporting an open design, monochrome body, and long stem jutting from the main body. This matches a report from June 21 that first mentioned the stem. There are a few defining characteristics that allow the Buds 3 to stand out from the AirPods, though. 

Reportedly, the Galaxy Buds 3′ stem has a black divider down the middle and blue and orange accents at the bottom to signify which bud goes into the left ear and which goes into the right. It’s a small touch, but it does give the monochrome devices a nice flair.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, on the other hand, sticks with a more traditional look, supposedly keeping the silicone tip like previous generations.

Wearable similarities

When it comes to wearables, you’ll notice the Galaxy Watch Ultra bears a resemblance to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, with a few differences. The watch face is square-shaped although Samsung’s device is more circular and the side power button has a prominent orange accent. 

Additionally, the spring pin connector attaching the band to the watch face has been replaced by a new system that, as you can probably guess, looks similar to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 mechanism. Even the wristband looks a lot alike, featuring a vibrant shade of orange adorning its ribbed design. 

Much like the Buds 3 Pro, the Galaxy Watch 7 sticks close to the Galaxy Watch 6. The spring pin connector is back, the watch face is still round, and silver is returning as a color option, although there will be a new color scheme at launch – olive green. This device also has blue and orange accents throughout its build. The Ultra model only has orange markings. 

Samsung’s next Unpacked event kicks off on July 10, and we expect the wearables and earbuds to make their official appearance on the big day alongside the long-awaited Galaxy Ring. Be sure to stay tuned for our coverage.

And while we have you, check out TechRadar’s list of the best earbuds of 2024 here. 

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