
7 reasons why companies need Managed Security Services
With cybercrime increasing day by day, companies need to tighten their security measures to remain secure. That is why managed security services are more necessary than ever. But first we need to understand,
Managed security services entail hiring the services of cybersecurity specialists who safeguard a business's systems, data, and networks from cyber threats. A number of network security service providers, such as Spectra, provide managed WiFi solutions that come with inherent security features aimed at avoiding cyberattacks.
A 2023 IBM report found that 95% of organizations have experienced at least one cybersecurity incident. Whether it's a startup or a large company, cyber threats can lead to severe financial and reputational damage. Offices, retail businesses, healthcare institutions, and educational centers are all at risk. Implementing managed security services can make all the difference between preventing an attack and facing huge losses.
Here are seven key reasons why businesses should consider managed security services:
Cyber threats don't operate on a schedule. Attacks can happen at any time, so businesses need constant security oversight. Managed security providers track threats in real-time and stop potential breaches before they escalate.
Maintaining an in-house cybersecurity team can be expensive. Hiring specialists, buying advanced tools, and keeping security systems updated require a significant budget. Managed security services offer high-quality protection at a lower cost.
A slow reaction to a cyberattack can make matters worse. Studies reveal that only 1/3rd of security breaches are detected internally by company teams. Spectra as a Network as a service provider with its managed wifi ensures swift detection and response, reducing the impact of an attack.
Cybercriminals constantly develop new hacking techniques. Managed security services use advanced threat intelligence to identify and block these risks before they cause harm.
Many industries must follow strict data protection laws, like GDPR and HIPAA. Failing to comply can result in hefty fines and legal trouble. Managed security services help businesses meet these requirements by keeping security measures up to standard.
IT teams often juggle multiple responsibilities. Adding cybersecurity tasks can overwhelm them, increasing the chances of mistakes. With a managed security provider like Spectra along with its 24/7 pro active monitoring, businesses can let experts handle security while IT teams focus on core operations.
Cyberattacks can bring operations to a standstill, leading to downtime and financial losses. Managed security services create strong defenses and backup solutions, ensuring businesses can recover quickly from security threats.
No company is too small or too big to be targeted by cybercriminals. As security threats continue to rise, investing in managed security services is a smart move. With expert monitoring, cost-effective protection, and quick response times, businesses can focus on growth while staying secure from cyber risks.
Choosing the right security partner today can protect businesses from major security breaches in the future.
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9 hours ago
- CNET
AI Essentials: 29 Ways to Make Gen AI Work for You, According to Our Experts
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Also, be sure not to put any sensitive or personally identifiable information into a chatbot, just in case there's ever a data breach. – Corinne Reichert 👉 See: Job Hunting With AI: 7 Techniques We Tried and How to Use Them Check for plagiarism with AI If you're a teacher, you've likely received essays that read too safe and predictable, as if a machine was trying to emulate how people write. For good reason: There's a chance it was written by AI. It's happening in job applications, emails and blog posts, too. The phenomenon exploded after ChatGPT's debut in 2022. So you need to be on the lookout, but also be careful not to accuse people of using AI without some evidence. Luckily, there are AI plagiarism-checkers, some free and some paid, that can help. One that stands out to me is Copyleaks, which has been around since 2015. Or click on the link here to read how one CNET contributor, a professor of strategic communications, catches — or deters — cheaters in her classes. – Imad Khan 👉 See: How to Detect AI Writing Keep your data safe while using an AI chatbot Anything entered into a large-language model becomes part of it. And once that happens, there's really no way to claw back that data. For that reason it's important you keep your private information out of those systems as much as possible. AI security practices are still in their infancy. Experts are still trying to figure out the best ways to secure this kind of software. Accidental leaks can happen, and just like any other system, AI ones can be breached and their data stolen. Obviously, you can never completely control what companies and other groups do with your data, but you can avoid handing over personal details when you use an AI-powered system. Think twice before getting too personal with a LLM and never give it your most private data like your Social Security number or banking information. – Bree Fowler, senior writer 👉 See: Be Careful With the Data You Give DeepSeek... and Every Other AI The Leonardo AI image generator might not understand "cottage core coastal grandma," but it does understand the rustic feel with blues and warm light. Created by Katelyn Chedraoui using Leonardo AI Creating images with AI Pick the best AI generator for you Creating unique and personalized art is easier and quicker than ever, thanks to generative AI. AI image generators use text-to-image tech that lets you bring your artistic visions to life with simple text prompts. But not every AI image generator is created equal, and not all will be right for your project, needs and budget. Our top pick is Dall-E 3 by OpenAI, with its conversational flow and detailed renderings. If you're looking for a beginner-friendly program, is great, and professionals might want to play around with Adobe's Firefly model. Check out our full rankings and reviews via the link below to learn how to pick the best program for you. – Katelyn Chedraoui, staff writer 👉 See: Best AI Image Generators of 2025 Write a perfect AI image prompt To make the best AI images, you need to start with the right prompt. Prompts are the keywords or phrases you give the image generator to describe your artistic vision. Every prompt needs these three essential elements: the characters/elements, the setting and the image dimensions. From there, you can build out your prompt to be more descriptive. Think about what aesthetic or artistic style you want (photography, cartoon, anime) or what color palette you want. Try to think holistically about your art: What emotion do you want to evoke? What's the end product you're looking for? If your generator lets you upload a style or reference image, be sure to take advantage of those tools. Every generator understands prompts differently, so take some time to get to know your service. – Katelyn Chedraoui 👉 See: Create Better AI Images With These Expert Prompt Writing Tips Use the iPhone's Clean Up tool to remove distractions in photos With iOS 18, Apple added a long-awaited feature (at least, long awaited by me) that lets you remove distractions from the background of your otherwise perfect shot, such as photobombers. Called Clean Up, it lives within Photos and uses AI to essentially erase whatever — or whoever — you want. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET If you have an iPhone 15 Pro model, iPhone 16 device or iPad or Mac with an M-series chip (essentially, a device that supports Apple Intelligence), you can access Clean Up by going to Photos, then tapping the three lines at the bottom right of the screen. Then, hit Clean Up. From there, you can tap or circle what you'd like to remove. You can even pinch to zoom in and get closer, if there's something smaller you'd like to eliminate. And voila! You've got an Instagram-ready, distraction-free shot. – Abrar Al-Heeti, senior reporter 👉 See: How to Remove Distractions From Your Holiday Photos Using Apple's Clean Up Tool Fix a weird or wonky AI image So, you've generated an image using AI, and it's just… not quite right. A weird flub in the background, a disappearing element, a person with three legs and 14 fingers — despite constant advancements, AI image generators aren't perfect. Mistakes (or hallucinations) like these are headaches I've had to deal with many times while testing and reviewing different AI generators. There's not one specific reason why your image didn't come out quite right, but I recommend starting at the beginning. Revisit your prompt to make sure it's addressing everything you want, and take out any conflicting instructions. Try not to use too many post-generation editing tools. Less is more. If that still isn't working, it might be time to start from scratch or even pick a different service. – Katelyn Chedraoui 👉 See: Learn From My Worst AI Images and Fix These Biggest AI Fails Digging deeper Remove or reduce AI features on your Samsung Galaxy phone It's almost impossible to find a new phone that doesn't tout AI features. Unlike the Pixels and the iPhones of the world, Samsung gives you a lot of extra... everything. From preinstalled bloatware to its own app store that allows you extend the functionality of your phone, it's a lot. With so many features packed into Galaxy S phones, you may want to draw a line when it comes to AI. Until it becomes less gimmicky, at least. Luckily, Samsung also makes it fairly easy to turn off its built-in AI features — something we'd love to see Google allow you to do on its Pixel lineup. But it's not just about turning AI off. You can be selective about what AI features you want and turn off the ones you don't. In this sense, Samsung's "extra-ness" pays off. If you're an iPhone user, you have your own set of options for turning off Apple Intelligence. – Blake Stimac, How To Writer 👉 See: How to Turn Off AI on Your Samsung Galaxy Phone, or at Least Rein It In Find info using Circle to Search Ever see something on your phone and wish you could just Google it, without having to leave the app that you're in? That's exactly what Circle to Search does. On your compatible Android phone, all you need to do is press and hold the home button, draw a quick circle around whatever caught your eye, and boom — Google gives you all the details you need. It's great for quick product lookups, translating text, or just settling those "what is that?" moments. It started on newer phones, like the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8, but it's since rolled out to older models like the Galaxy S21 and Pixel 6. There's also a similar feature available in Google Chrome for the iPhone, in case you're team Apple. – Nelson Aguilar 👉 See: Google Brings Circle to Search-Like Feature to the iPhone in Its Google and Chrome Apps Use AI to spice up your photos on the Google Pixel 9 While the Pixel 9 series of phones pack superb cameras, the baked-in AI image editing tools let you easily take things further by adding or removing items from the frame. Start by opening an image in the library, then tap Edit, then tap the multicolored image icon tucked in the bottom left corner of the screen. This will bring up the AI-based Magic Editor. In the tool, you can now tap on areas of your image — the sky, for example — or draw circles around certain objects to select them and then tap Reimagine. This will bring up a text box allowing you to type in your prompts of what you want to see. I might circle a section of empty, boring sky and type a prompt of "flock of birds" to add an extra element into the scene, or add some flowers to liven up a dull patch of grass. Each prompt will give you three options to choose from and you can press Redo to get a new set of results. – Andrew Lanxon, editor at large 👉 See: Pixel 9 Pro XL Review: 2 Months Later, Google's Phone Still Rocks
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
IBM Surges 16% in Six Months: Is it Time to Buy the Stock?
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HashiCorp's tool sets complement IBM RedHat's portfolio, bringing additional functionalities for cloud infrastructure management and bolstering its hybrid multi-cloud approach. IBM's watsonx platform has been the core technology platform for its AI capabilities. It delivers the value of foundational models to the enterprise, enabling them to be more productive. This enterprise-ready AI and data platform comprises three products to help organizations accelerate and scale AI: the studio for new foundation models, generative AI and machine learning, the fit-for-purpose data store built on an open lake house architecture and the toolkit to help enable AI workflows to be built with responsibility and company recently launched watsonx AI Labs in New York City to accelerate AI adoption by unlocking its global network of engineering labs for AI developers. This collaborative hub of IBM researchers and engineers with startups, scale-ups and some of the world's largest enterprises will seek to co-create agentic AI solutions for clients and foster the growth of the innovation ecosystem. The watsonx AI Labs will connect IBM's enterprise resources and expertise with the next generation of AI developers seeking to build breakthrough AI applications for businesses. IBM is currently witnessing an uptrend in estimate revisions. Earnings estimates for 2025 have jumped 1.5% to $10.95 over the past 60 days, while the same for 2026 has increased 0.4% to $11.66. The positive estimate revision portrays bullish sentiments about the stock's growth potential. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Despite solid hybrid cloud and AI traction, IBM is facing stiff competition from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Increasing pricing pressure is eroding margins, and profitability has trended down over the years, barring occasional spikes. The company's ongoing, heavily time-consuming business model transition to the cloud is challenging. Weakness in its traditional business and foreign exchange volatility remain significant concerns. IBM is likely to retrench about 9,000 jobs this year in the United States to reduce operating costs. A significant part of these jobs is slated to be shifted to India under a 'resource action' plan, an ongoing corporate strategy to tap the huge talent pool of the subcontinent at lower operating costs. Although the company spokesperson has refused to comment on the grapevines and commit an exact figure for the layoffs, various sources have confirmed that the action has already job cuts have been confirmed in Raleigh, NC; New York City, NY; Dallas, TX; and CA, impacting employees from consulting, corporate social responsibility, cloud infrastructure, sales and internal systems teams. A majority of job losses have also been reported in the Human Resource department as IBM aims to integrate AI into its operations, particularly in back-office functions. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research With solid fundamentals and healthy revenue-generating potential driven by robust demand trends, IBM is witnessing a steady growth curve. Further, a strong emphasis on hybrid cloud, diligent execution of operational plans and AI focus are driving more value for customers. Moreover, with improving earnings estimates, the stock is witnessing a positive investor perception at the moment. However, IBM's growth is dented by high operating costs and stiff competition that reduce its profitability. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), IBM appears to be treading in the middle of the road, and new investors could be better off if they trade with caution. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Time Business News
a day ago
- Time Business News
Why Every Business Needs a Hacker on Their Side
Disclaimer: Services discussed are for ethical, legal cybersecurity only. Aitechhacks does not support illegal hacking activity. In today's hyper-connected digital world, every business—regardless of size or industry—is at risk of a cyberattack. From customer data breaches to ransomware attacks, the threat is real and often underestimated. That's why having a skilled hacker on your side isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. Aitechhacks is leading the charge in providing ethical hacking solutions tailored for businesses. We specialize in connecting companies with vetted professionals who offer top-tier penetration testing services and cybersecurity consulting to keep your systems protected and compliant. Penetration testing services—often referred to as ethical hacking—involve simulating real-world cyberattacks on your systems, networks, or applications to uncover weaknesses before malicious hackers can exploit them. The process includes: Scanning for vulnerabilities Simulating attacks (internal and external) Identifying potential entry points Delivering a detailed security report with recommendations Think of it as a digital fire drill. You're testing your defense before the actual emergency happens. It may sound counterintuitive, but hiring a hacker is one of the most proactive things a business can do. A cybersecurity expert for hire isn't the villain from the movies. These are certified professionals trained to break into systems legally to find and fix vulnerabilities. Here's what they bring to the table: Identify weak points before criminals do before criminals do Help meet compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS Prevent financial losses due to cyberattacks due to cyberattacks Protect brand reputation and customer trust At Aitechhacks, we make it easy for businesses to hire these professionals through a secure, transparent process. Before launching a new product, app, or system After implementing new security updates Following a merger or acquisition Annually or quarterly as part of a regular security routine Regular penetration tests are a must for businesses that store sensitive customer data, conduct financial transactions, or operate in regulated industries. A cybersecurity expert for hire is more than just a hacker—they are advisors, testers, and defenders. These experts help develop strong cybersecurity policies, train your staff, and set up systems that are resilient against evolving threats. With Aitechhacks, you gain access to a network of skilled professionals who: Understand the latest hacking techniques Provide detailed vulnerability reports Offer customized solutions for your business model From startups to enterprises, we help clients build strong security frameworks that scale. Aitechhacks is trusted by businesses worldwide for ethical hacking, security audits, and customized penetration testing services. Our experts are certified, experienced, and legally compliant. Here's what sets us apart: Verified cybersecurity experts Transparent pricing and service options Complete confidentiality with NDA agreements Ongoing support and guidance If you're looking for a cybersecurity expert for hire, our platform simplifies the entire process—quickly, securely, and professionally. In a world where digital threats grow by the day, staying ahead of hackers requires thinking like one. That's why every business should invest in penetration testing services—to proactively detect vulnerabilities and safeguard their future. At Aitechhacks, we're committed to empowering businesses with the tools and experts they need to defend against cyber threats. Whether you're a startup or a global brand, it's time to bring a hacker onto your team—for the right reasons. TIME BUSINESS NEWS