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Vodafone and Google Cloud develop AI and ML platform.

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Date published: 11th July 2022

Monday 11th of July 2022, London, UK – This week’s top IT news series delivers product updates from technology giants Microsoft, Apple and Vodafone and information about one of the latest data breaches.

IT news #1: Vodafone and Google Cloud develop AI and ML platform.

Topic: Software update, AI

The telecommunications company integrates AI into its business operations. With the launch of the new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platform built on Google Cloud, Vodafone hopes to enhance its ability to use intelligence in its back-end and consumer-facing operations. The freshly developed ‘AI booster’ platform can manage thousands of ML models daily, supplying the scale necessary for the operator to implement technology across its global markets. The platform’s ability speeds up development time from an estimated five months to just four weeks. This increases the telecommunications giant’s agility and ability to deliver new services to its consumers and internal teams with the areas of interest including customer experience, network performance, research and development.

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IT news #2: Marriott suffer data breach due to social engineering.

Topic: Cybersecurity, data breach

The attackers were able to draw 20GB of information from the company. The incident occurred a month ago, and the exfiltrated information included credit card and confidential information. It was confirmed that the hotel affected appears to be the BWI Airport Marriott in Maryland in the United States. The data breach happened after the attacker carried out social engineering and tricked an employee at a Marriott hotel into giving access to the associated computer, the hotel confirmed in a statement to IT Pro. The incident was contained in six hours, and the hotel had identified and was already investigating it before the attackers contacted them. It was also revealed that the hotel chain had not yet made any payment; however, it is not yet known if they had negotiated.

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IT news #3: Microsoft Teams delivers yet another new feature.

Topic: Microsoft Teams, online meeting

The new Microsoft Teams pop-outs aim to improve dual-monitor functionality for collaborators. The development process is currently underway for the latest update of the collaboration platform Microsoft Teams. It will introduce the ability to open shared meeting content in a new window as the company continues to enhance its video conferencing software. The company has revealed little information on the new feature, mainly that users can pop out shared content into a separate window. The upgrade was added to the Microsoft 365 product roadmap this week, and users can expect it to be available in August. It will be supported on web and desktop client versions of the collaboration platform, including Windows and macOS. It is said to be beneficial to workers running multiple business monitors as it will allow participants to see the attendees of the call and check shared files and chat feeds whilst viewing content shared by presenters.

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IT news #4: Apple introduces Lockdown Mode to block spyware.

Topic: Apple, spyware

The tech giant has introduced a new security feature to protect high-risk users from potential spyware. The new feature called ‘Lockdown Mode’ will be available in the autumn with the next operating system across iPhones, iPads and Macs. The new setting blocks certain functions and prevents unknown users from calling. This comes after Apple devices used by certain public figures, such as activists, politicians and journalists, experienced a spyware attack. With the release of Lockdown Mode as a broader security feature, the company states it can protect devices against all known spyware currently on the market. It will focus on the following areas: messages, web browsing, calls and wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when the iPhone is locked. After its launch, Lockdown Mode will be widely available to users; however, the company suggests it should only be activated if someone is at risk of a potential spyware attack.

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