Access Point: Weekly News Roundup For IT Executives – Oct. 11, 2024
Access Point is a weekly roundup of major tech news for midmarket IT executives on the go. This edition covers Oct. 7-11. In this week’s news: A sobering report was released revealing a critical lack of cybersecurity skills. Also, Microsoft released a subscription-free version of Office 2024 and announced the latest Windows 11 preview build. Plus, Intel throws its hat into the AI ring and other major news.
This week’s IT business news included interviews with prominent CEOs including IT service provider Blue Mantis’ CEO, and the CEO of Pax8, an AI-powered cloud marketplace.
There was also a sobering report released revealing a critical lack of cybersecurity skills. Also, Microsoft released a subscription-free version of Office 2024 and announced the latest Windows 11 preview build. Plus, Intel throws its hat into the AI ring and other major news.
Network As A Service: Hype Or Midmarket’s Hero?
For decades, setting up computer networks was so tangible, so hands on, so on-premise — involving wiring, servers, switches, data closets, punch-down blocks, and other physical equipment and labor.
Currently, more IT solution providers are offering Network-as-a-Service solutions, which are cloud-based networking services. Read the full article on the challenges and benefits of NaaS for the midmarket here.
‘Critical Gaps’ In Cybersecurity Skills: Report
While cloud and AI apps and services continue to reign as part of organizations’ digital transformation goals, there are concerns over a lack of skills when it comes to securing these technologies, according to a new report from O’Reilly, a learning platform provider.
Blue Mantis CEO On Giving The ‘Enterprise Experience’ To The Midmarket
MES Computing caught up with Blue Mantis CEO Josh Dinneen at Blue Mantis’ recent Cloudscape event in Newport, R.I.
The IT services company has been making big moves, including making acquisitions, helping its customers with digital transformation and helping them navigate cloud computing and AI.
Dinneen weighed in on the biggest challenges the company addresses for its midmarket customers, how it aids customers suffering from ransomware incidents and more in this one-on-one interview.
Pax8 CEO: Simply Keeping Up With Demand Is A Challenge
Simply keeping up with demand is an all-consuming challenge for a firm in hyper-growth mode.
Whilst it’s a problem that many organizations would love to face, Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin explains the downsides to CRN.
Read the interview in its entirety here.
Microsoft Releases Subscription-Free Office 2024
Microsoft first made the decision to move Office suite to a subscription-based model with the release of Office 2013, and has continued on this trajectory since then, although perpetual options have generally been available. Read more here.
In Other News:
Intel Announces New AI-Capable Processors
Intel announced its new Core Ultra 200S series processor family that will “scale AI PC capabilities to desktop platforms and usher in the first enthusiast desktop AI PCs,” the company said in a news release.
AMD Says Instinct MI325X Bests Nvidia H200, Vows Huge Uplift With MI350
From CRN: “AMD said its forthcoming 256-GB Instinct MI325X GPU can outperform Nvidia’s 141-GB H200 processor on AI inference workloads and vowed that the next-generation MI350 accelerator chips will improve performance by magnitudes.”
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4367 Released Today
Microsoft announced the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4367 (KB5044373) to its Beta Channel today on the Windows blog.