Top IT News of the Week (32/2021)
#ITnews
IT news #1: Vodafone UK to bring back roaming charges
Topic: 4G, Mobile
Telecommunications company, Vodafone, decided to follow the footsteps of O2 and EE and became the third British mobile provider to impose roaming charges on travellers going abroad starting in January. UK operators initially claimed they would not reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit. Vodafone’s move was to limit those that include roaming to Europe with selected plans, including more expensive options. Although the rules have already changed for new and existing customers, the charges will not apply until January. After that, those affected will have to pay a £2 daily allowance to use their budget in Europe – £1 if an eight of or 15-day package was purchased. It was confirmed, a monthly fair-usage limit of 25Gb roaming data will also be applied.
IT news #2: Industrial automation grows in Wales as a result of COVID-19
Topic: Digital transformation
It was recently discovered; the pandemic has accelerated the introduction of automation. The BBC reported that Manufacturing Wales and other companies are already ahead of the curve and adopting robotics two or three years earlier than anticipated. During the past year and a half, social distancing and self-isolation rules have caused difficulties for businesses; the current climate has indeed been a catalyst for change. The Union reassured workers as it said the implemented technology is not here to replace their jobs. It is helping businesses to combat and get through the “fourth industrial age”.
IT news #3: Multi-cloud adoption is expected to rise in coming years
Topic: Cloud, digital transformation
A State of cloud strategy survey conducted by HashiCorp found that 76% of companies are shifted and already working in a multi-cloud environment. It has also been discovered that this number would grow and in two years, 86% of the respondents would switch to multi-cloud environments. Out of the three leading public cloud providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was the most favoured one, followed by Microsoft Azure, with Google Cloud coming third. Companies with more than 5,000 employees generally prefer the adoption of multi-cloud. However, 60% of smaller businesses are also using multiple cloud environments, with digital transformation being one of the main reasons.
IT news #4: Apple’s newest feature aims to prevent child abuse
Topic: Privacy, digital transformation
The consumer electronics giant introduces a new feature that will scan people’s photos and messages in an attempt to stop child abuse. Apple pledged to keep those communications hidden and to protect user’s privacy. The three new measures being introduced – including messages, photos and additional features will be added to Siri. The additions are not yet known but confirmed; it’s coming later on this year. The move is expected to cause concerns from privacy advocates as Apple has been open about being committed to privacy being a human right. The phone’s on-device machine learning will check the content of children’s messages for photos that looks like it may be sexually explicit. If a child receives such a message, the content will be blurred out and the child will be warned that the content of it can be sensitive and offered to block the contact. If the child decides to open the message, they will be told their parents will also be notified.
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