Exhort Tech Headlines & Highlights - 6/24/2024
The latest from Exhort Technologies, LLC!
The latest news cover significant updates and developments around cloud platforms, including Microsoft's collaboration with Oracle to offer Autonomous Databases on Azure, Microsoft's expansion into the Spanish cloud region to boost the AI economy, and their response to security concerns in Azure.
AWS is executing innovations like Fivetran's Managed Data Lake Service and AWS's focus on elevating cloud security.
While, GCP is focusing their cloud efforts to deliver on AI promises. They are focused around trends in AI servers, and the financial sector's embrace of cloud computing and AI technologies.
In the AI world, there are advancements ranging from GitHub Copilot's enhanced capabilities to the integration of AI services in various business operations and offerings.
In Modern Workplace, there are insights from Microsoft and Google Workspace on topics like cloud-native endpoint management, onboarding in hybrid workplaces, and the impact of Microsoft 365 on productivity and collaboration.
Finally we look to the future once again. Epoch AI is focusing their efforts to predict AI's future trends and impacts on society by looking at the history of the technology and how it develops.
There is always a ton going on in cloud computing, with AI technologies, and modern workplace solutions across major players like Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud, and more.
Thanks for listening, let's get to work!
Public Cloud
All things related to Microsoft Azure, AWS and GCP
Microsoft
All things Azure
Oracle brings Autonomous Databases to Microsoft Azure datacenters to help enterprises migrate to the cloud
Oracle has made its Autonomous Database generally available on Microsoft Azure, marking a move to break down barriers between cloud providers. The database, initially available in Microsoft Azure's East U.S. region, is set to expand to more data centers in 2024. This integration allows organizations to accelerate app development, migrate on-premises workloads to the cloud, and benefit from features like Real Application Clusters for secure and high-performing workloads. The partnership offers companies the ability to build new cloud-native applications, simplify database migration, and leverage Oracle and Microsoft licenses and support for a unified experience.
Microsoft Says Azure Cloud Attack Scenario Isn't a Flaw
Microsoft refutes claims of a high-severity vulnerability in Azure, attributing it to customers misconfiguring their cloud environments. Security firm Tenable identified a potential cross-tenant attack in Azure, highlighting the need for better authentication of service requests. While Tenable maintains the existence of a security flaw, Microsoft emphasizes the importance of a multi-layered security approach and authenticating web requests to mitigate risks.
Microsoft opens its first cloud region in Spain to accelerate the development of the AI Economy
Microsoft has opened its first cloud region in Spain, located in the Community of Madrid, to provide Artificial Intelligence and cloud services to companies and public organizations. This initiative aims to accelerate the digital transformation and development of the AI Economy in Spain, with an expected contribution of 10.7 billion euros to the national GDP and the creation of around 77,000 jobs between 2024 and 2030, according to IDC. The new cloud region, named Spain Central, offers advanced services for productivity, data analytics, cybersecurity, and generative Artificial Intelligence, positioning it as one of the most advanced in Europe and providing highly secure and reliable cloud services with in-country data residency options.
AWS
Everything AWS
Fivetran Announces New Managed Data Lake Service to Support Large Data Volumes and AI Workloads
Fivetran has introduced a new Managed Data Lake Service aimed at simplifying data lake management for businesses of all sizes. This service supports over 500 pre-built and custom data sources, integrates them into major data lake destinations, and automates processes like change data capture and normalization. By converting customer data to popular open formats before landing it in the data lake, Fivetran's service combines the queryability of a cloud data warehouse with the flexibility of a data lake, benefiting users with cost savings and enhanced reporting capabilities. The automation and maintenance provided by Fivetran's service are crucial for organizations looking to transform ungoverned data lakes into organized, optimized data stores, empowering users to access, govern, and analyze key datasets efficiently.
The essential guide to serverless technologies and architectures
The article discusses the challenges faced when integrating microservices with legacy distributed systems and introduces serverless computing as a solution. Serverless architectures, exemplified by AWS Lambda, eliminate the need for maintaining physical infrastructure and systems software, offering scalability and cost efficiency. The article outlines the principles of serverless design, best use cases, and factors to consider, such as public cloud reliance and vendor lock-in. It also highlights the advantages of serverless, including reduced infrastructure management, faster deployment, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and agility. Major cloud vendors are investing in serverless technologies, signaling a growing adoption trend in the industry.
AWS Has A Mission To Elevate Cloud Security
AWS, a key player in cloud services, prioritizes security through proactive measures and a strong security culture. Chief Information Security Officer Chris Betz highlighted AWS's commitment to robust security strategies, emphasizing threat intelligence and a shared responsibility model with customers. Tools like Sonaris and MadPot enable AWS to detect and neutralize threats at scale, showcasing the effectiveness of their security infrastructure. Betz emphasized the importance of continuous improvement in security practices and empowering customers to secure their environments, reflecting AWS's dedication to enhancing security in the evolving digital landscape.
GCP
All things Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud aims to quickly deliver on AI promises
Google Cloud is investing significantly in infrastructure and partnerships in the Benelux region to solidify its presence. The company is focusing on delivering a comprehensive "Best-of-Suite" package that integrates various services, including AI development, to attract businesses. Google Cloud is rapidly innovating in AI with models like Gemini and Gemma, aiming to provide advanced AI tools for creating videos and images. The company emphasizes responsible AI deployment and offers a Sovereign Google Cloud option for enhanced data protection.
AI servers are on fire, but cloud continues to win the day
The article discusses the current trends in the AI server market, particularly focusing on the impact of AI servers on cloud and on-premises infrastructure. It highlights the performance of key players such as HPE, Dell, and Supermicro in the AI server market, showcasing their growth rates and market dynamics. Additionally, the article compares the performance of on-premises server leaders with hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, and GCP, providing insights into revenue projections and market positions. The analysis also delves into the challenges of comparing cloud infrastructure providers and discusses the potential scenarios and trends for the remainder of 2024, emphasizing the importance of AI ROI and hybrid cloud dynamics.
Embracing the Cloud: Reimagining Agility, Security, and Efficiency in the Financial Services Landscape
The article discusses how the financial services industry is embracing cloud computing to enhance agility, security, and efficiency. It highlights the benefits of cloud computing, such as scalability, flexibility, and cost optimization, for financial institutions. The adoption of a hybrid multi-cloud strategy is recommended to balance cloud benefits with security and compliance requirements. Additionally, the article emphasizes how cloud computing accelerates innovation in the financial sector, particularly through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to drive growth and improve customer experiences.
AI / AGI / GenAI
All Things AI
Microsoft
All things Microsoft AI
How GitHub Copilot Evolved With Enhanced AI And Ecosystem Expansion
GitHub Copilot has evolved from a code completion tool to a comprehensive AI assistant, offering features such as code snippet generation, debugging, and understanding complex codebases. The integration of third-party tools and services through the GitHub Copilot Partner Program has expanded its functionality, allowing developers to optimize tasks like database queries and feature flag management. With the introduction of GitHub Copilot Chat and GPT-4 integration, developers can interact with the AI assistant through a conversational UI, resulting in significant productivity gains and faster coding speeds. Thomas Dohmke, CEO of GitHub, highlights how Copilot's ecosystem and adaptability make it a valuable tool for developers and enterprises, shaping the future of coding assistance.
Ontinue Introduces Microsoft Copilot for Security Readiness Workshop
Ontinue, a provider of AI-powered managed extended detection and response (MXDR) services, has introduced Microsoft Copilot for Security Readiness workshops to help organizations optimize their Microsoft Security investments. The workshop aims to assist Security Operations teams in securely and responsibly implementing Copilot for Security within their organizations. By combining AI and human expertise, Ontinue helps customers enhance efficiencies, optimize investments, and strengthen their security postures. The workshop offers guidance on determining the suitability of Copilot for Security, addressing core use cases, and preparing for Copilot for Security Ninja certification.
Microsoft’s AI Copilot And Personal LLMs
Microsoft, Qualcomm, and their partners are set to release the first generation of AI PCs in mid-June, marking a significant overhaul in PC architecture since 1981. These new AI PCs will feature advanced NPUs to run AI software onboard, with hopes of driving a refresh demand for updating PCs across various sectors. Microsoft's Copilot software, which requires NPUs to operate, will record keystrokes to create a personal language model for enhanced productivity and data retrieval, integrating with Microsoft 365 apps and Windows 11 for automation and advanced functionality.
AWS
All things AI with Amazon.
AWS’ AI And GenAI Leader Leaves For DigitalOcean As New CTO
Bratin Saha, a veteran of AWS, Nvidia, and Intel, has joined DigitalOcean as its new chief product and technology officer after spending six years at AWS leading AI and machine learning initiatives. Saha's expertise in generative AI and cloud computing will help DigitalOcean become the preferred cloud platform for developers and growing businesses. His track record includes spearheading the development of successful AI products at AWS, and his appointment reflects DigitalOcean's commitment to innovation and providing a simple, cost-effective platform for technology companies.
SAS Leverages Amazon Bedrock for New GenAI Tools for Marketers
SAS, a global leader in data and AI, has introduced new generative AI (GenAI) capabilities to its MarTech solution, SAS Customer Intelligence 360, by integrating with Amazon Bedrock from Amazon Web Services (AWS). These capabilities assist organizations in transforming data into actionable business insights to enhance customer experiences. The new features include precise audience recommendations for better campaigns, an intelligent self-service assistant for improved audience data interpretation, and enhanced email subject lines for better customer engagement. The collaboration between SAS and AWS aims to empower marketers with advanced AI tools while ensuring responsible and equitable AI application.
Pega to Expand GenAI Framework with Google Cloud & AWS, to Allow for Enterprise Generative AI Choice
Pegasystems Inc. has announced an expansion of its Pega GenAI™ capabilities to integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GoogleCloud’s Large Language Models (LLMs) to allow clients to utilize generative AI technologies within the Pega Platform. These new capabilities aim to provide clients with a wide range of generative AI services and models to enhance decision-making and workflows. The integration is set to be showcased at PegaWorld iNspire, offering clients the ability to connect with various generative AI services to support AI models within Pega solutions. This move underscores Pega's commitment to becoming a workflow backbone for generative AI solutions, enabling transformative change for clients.
Google
All things Google AI
Tektonic AI Emerges from Stealth with $10M in Funding to Build GenAI Agents for Business Operations
Tektonic AI has emerged from stealth mode with $10 million in funding to develop GenAI agents for business operations. These agents aim to automate manual workflows that traditional methods struggle to address, enabling enterprises to eliminate repetitive and inefficient tasks. Co-founded by industry veterans Nic Surpatanu and David Hsu, Tektonic is backed by Madrona and Point72 Ventures and focuses on building flexible AI automation that works at enterprise scale, particularly in sales and revenue operations. The GenAI agents synthesize data, simplify actions across applications, and adapt processes to business context and intent, ultimately increasing customer response times and business opportunities.
Pega to Expand GenAI Framework with Google Cloud & AWS, to Allow for Enterprise Generative AI Choice
Pegasystems Inc. announced an expansion of its Pega GenAI™ capabilities to integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GoogleCloud’s Large Language Models (LLMs) at the PegaWorld iNspire conference in Las Vegas. This enhancement will enable Pega clients to leverage generative AI technologies within the Pega Platform for decision-making and workflows. The new capabilities, expected to be available in the second half of 2024, will offer clients a range of generative AI services and models to support various applications. Pega's partnership with AWS and Google Cloud aims to provide organizations with unified governance, auditability, and controls for generative AI applications across their operations.
OpenAI
All things ChatGPT
ChatGPT Back Up After Going on the Fritz
OpenAI's ChatGPT experienced multiple outages on Tuesday morning, affecting all users on all plans. The outages occurred around 3 a.m. ET and 10:30 a.m. ET, but the service is now operational. OpenAI marked the issue as resolved by 1 p.m. ET, although the cause of the outage remains unclear. This incident adds to a series of outages in the last 90 days, impacting users' reliance on ChatGPT for work purposes.
Weekly Tech Recap: Google AI search tells users to eat rocks, OpenAI vs Scarlett Johansson and more
This week's Tech Recap covers various significant developments in the tech industry. Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of imitating her voice for ChatGPT's 'Sky' system, prompting OpenAI to clarify that the voice belongs to a different actress. Google's AI search feature faced criticism for providing inappropriate answers, such as recommending users to eat rocks and add glue to pizza. Truecaller introduced an AI-powered 'personal voice' feature, while Microsoft launched new AI PCs and Team Copilot for improved group collaboration. Additionally, WhatsApp is reportedly working on an AI-backed feature to help users create personalized profile pictures.
AI Agents Promise to Connect the Dots Between Reality and Sci-Fi
AI agents are being hailed as the next big advancement in technology by major players like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. These AI models are designed to perform actions independently, going beyond simple chatbot responses to actively engaging in tasks like returning items or making decisions. Companies are working on developing AI agents that can interact with various APIs on computers, enabling them to autonomously carry out tasks such as monitoring channels and sending requests. While the potential of AI agents is promising, there are challenges to overcome, such as ensuring they make decisions accurately and avoiding unintended consequences in their actions.
Modern Workplace
Everything you need to get work done, wherever you arel
Microsoft
All things Microsoft productivity.
How to achieve cloud-native endpoint management with Microsoft Intune
The article discusses the benefits of transitioning to cloud-native endpoint management with Microsoft Intune. It emphasizes the importance of aligning organizational vision with the evolving technology landscape and preparing IT professionals for the changes brought by AI and automation. The article also highlights the challenges faced in implementing such transformations, including overcoming inertia and complexity, and suggests incremental changes, pilot programs, and stakeholder engagement as strategies for successful migration to Intune. Additionally, Microsoft Intune has introduced new guidance and resources to support customers in configuring settings and maximizing the benefits of the platform.
Onboarding New Employees in a Hybrid Workplace
The article discusses the importance of onboarding new employees in a hybrid workplace, emphasizing the need to assess and improve onboarding processes to help new hires thrive. Research from Microsoft suggests that building connections with the new manager and team in person during the first few days can be beneficial, but success is not solely dependent on physical presence. The authors highlight that effective onboarding in the modern workplace is more about intention, structure, and resources rather than just face time.
IT Insight: Microsoft 365-do more with less
The article discusses the importance of investing in key capabilities such as real-time collaboration, security, and cost savings for businesses to thrive in the new normal of business communications. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive, integrated solution like Microsoft 365 to address these challenges and enable hybrid work. Microsoft 365 offers a secure, cost-effective, and reliable cloud solution that consolidates various tools for real-time collaboration, secure work, and productivity. The article also highlights different Microsoft 365 plans tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses, along with the benefits of partnering with a reliable Microsoft 365 provider like PCGiT to enhance productivity and collaboration.
Google Workspace
All things Google productivity
Google Workspace reinvents company culture for modern workforces
Research has shown that transitioning to Google Workspace leads to a positive cultural shift, increased security, productivity gains, and saves approximately one month of work per year per employee. The introduction of Gemini for Google Workspace, powered by generative AI, is expected to further enhance the business benefits of Google Workspace. Key impacts of Google Workspace include cost optimization, efficiency, productivity, improved collaboration, and employee engagement, with organizations reporting increased innovation and improved communication among teams. Google Workspace's seamless integration of tools like Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs, and Sheets, along with advanced security features and AI capabilities, supports remote and hybrid teams in fostering direct communication and collaboration.
Google Gemini Cheat Sheet (Formerly Google Bard): What Is Google Gemini, and How Does It Work?
Gemini is Google's artificial intelligence ecosystem that includes a chatbot capable of generating responses to user-provided natural language prompts. It can pull information from the internet and deliver responses in natural language, offering a more conversational experience compared to traditional Google search results. Gemini can assist with tasks such as summarizing text, comparing items, suggesting products or activities, explaining topics, brainstorming ideas, drafting text, coding, debugging, and creating images. Users can access Gemini for free, with advanced features available through the Google One AI Premium plan.
Google Q&A: How Chromebooks are navigating the AI era
The article discusses an interview with John Solomon, the vice president of ChromeOS and education at Google, regarding the role of Chromebooks in the AI era. Solomon highlights the value proposition of Chromebooks, emphasizing their affordability and integration with Google services. He also discusses the differentiation between Chromebook and Chromebook Plus, with the latter offering enhanced AI capabilities. The interview touches on topics such as market distribution, education, enterprise usage, and the future integration of AI features on Chromebooks.
Future Tech
All things to consider
The future of technology
What should we be thinking about. Trends for the future.
The Researcher Trying to Glimpse the Future of AI
Jaime Sevilla, a 28-year-old Spanish researcher, founded Epoch AI, a nonprofit organization that aims to predict the future of artificial intelligence (AI) by analyzing historical trends in AI development. Sevilla's team at Epoch AI has been instrumental in providing valuable insights for policymakers and governments regarding the rapid progress of AI technology. By meticulously documenting the critical inputs of significant AI models and conducting rigorous research, Epoch AI has become a trusted resource in the field of AI analysis. Despite the uncertainties surrounding the societal impacts of AI, Sevilla hopes that Epoch AI will encourage a more evidence-based and thoughtful approach to understanding and preparing for the potential changes brought about by AI technology.