6 01732 759725 NEWS WEB3 SKILLS IN DEMAND The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is reporting a clear shift towards the prioritisation of cuttingedge technologies in recruitment. The new Corporate Recruiters Survey shows that amongst global firms looking for tech skills in graduates, 80% are looking for expertise in Web3, blockchain and virtual reality; 75% are seeking proficiency in operating cloudbased technology; and 74% are looking for competency in AI and Machine Learning. Overall, the most essential skills for graduates are communication, data analysis and strategy expertise, with growing demand for multilingualism, active listening and cross-cultural competence. The GMAC is a global association of graduate business schools. ... PULSANT INCREASES CAPACITY AS DECISION-MAKERS QUESTION CLOUD-ONLY STRATEGIES Regional data centre specialist Pulsant has announced a £3 million expansion of its Rotherham site to meet growing demand in the Yorkshire and Humber region for access to low latency, high performance compute, storage and connectivity services. The investment will increase total IT space across the 2,000+ SQM site by 30% and more than double data centre hall capacity to 380kW (up from 176kW). Ben Cranham, Chief Operating Officer at Pulsant, says the expansion comes as more business decisionmakers consider hybrid alternatives to cloud-only strategies, including colocation and private cloud infrastructure. He said: “Our platformEDGE infrastructure in Rotherham and across the UK is supporting the increasing number of business decision-makers challenging cloud-only strategies on cost and vendor lock-in grounds and their IT counterparts who see the limitations in the hyperscale model.” As part of the investment, Pulsant is also piloting the use of biofuel in standby power generators, eliminating the use of FM200 fire suppressant gas and switching to LED sensor lighting across the centre. www.pulsant.com ... REPLICA WORLD CUP BALLS COME WITH UNIQUE DIGITAL IDENTITY To mark the recent Rugby World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand, Gilbert Rugby, Legends International and AuthentifyIT created 150 limited edition replica match balls, each with its own unique identity authenticated through blockchain, tokenisation and IoT technology. As well as proving the authenticity and ownership of the commemorative balls, this ‘digital passport’ enables the owner to connect with other enthusiasts via a WhatsApp-like communication platform and access exclusive content, services and offers. AuthentifyIT says its fraud-proof authentication platform provides crucial security for collectors by validating the origin and history of objects from inception to end-of-life. Co-founder Olivier Viaud said: “In a world where 40% of collectibles turn out to be forgeries, the astounding absence of provenance and authenticity verification is nothing short of a global shocker. It boggles the mind that some of the world’s most prized collectibles are valued based on nothing more than a piece of paper. “Brace yourself for a game-changer, as the world awakens to the possibility of universally and permanently etching the history and lineage of physical objects. This is the seismic shift that will upend how we perceive and cherish collectibles.” ... FALSE POSITIVES A RIGHT PAIN – AGAIN False positives, when systems are flagged as having problems when none exist, have been revealed as the biggest frustration for IT administrators for the second year in a row. In a survey by IT monitoring experts Paessler AG, 40% of IT admins cited this as a frustration (up from 34% last year), ahead of notification noise (34%) and automation challenges (31%). Other frustrations include management reporting (23%), making my work visible (19%) and missing access rights (8%). Martin Hodgson, Director Northern Europe at Paessler AG, said: “IT teams often grapple with recurring challenges, where issues may seem amiss but turn out to be false alarms. This can take a toll on business, incurring costs, downtime and productivity losses. Getting a better understanding of crucial areas that demand attention avoids the fruitless pursuit of non-existent problems.” Half (52%) of IT admins in the UK view cloud adoption as their main challenge for the next 2 to 3 years; 45% cite extra pressure to maintain a resilient IT infrastructure in an age of hybrid working and cybercrime; and 18% reference AI. www.paessler.com ... NINE OUT OF 10 CTOS… Nine out of 10 CTOs see technical debt as their biggest challenge heading into 2024, reveals new research by IT services and consulting company STX Next, followed by capacity (68%), security (62%), lack of budget (52%) and employee retention (42%). https://www.stxnext.com/ ... YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET Data volumes in a typical organisation have increased by 42% over the last 18 months and are projected to rise by more than 700% in the next five years, claims Rubrik Zero Labs in its research report The State of Data Security: The Journey to Secure an Uncertain Future. Recent growth has been driven by big increases in data generated by SaaS and the cloud, up 145% and 73% respectively, compared to data growth of 20% from on-premises systems. The Zero Trust data security company warns that UK businesses are ill-prepared for this data explosion, with 66% of IT and security leaders reporting that current data growth is outpacing their ability to secure data and mitigate risk and 98% already experiencing significant data visibility challenges. https://rubrik.com/zero-labs continued...
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