Latest news with #GarySteele
BBC News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Sweet birthday celebrations for Newport Pagnell Services
A motorway service operator is celebrating 65 years since it opened its first outlet in the Break opened by the M1 at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, in the summer of celebrate, food artist Michelle Wibowo created a bright yellow car entirely of cake - with the design based on the Austin Morris 1100, the most popular car at the Steele, operations director at the services chain, said so much had changed in the last 65 years, adding: "We're grateful we've been able to help travellers in this century and the last on their journeys across the UK." The specially made cake - which weighed in at 90kg (14 stone) - was later served to the staff at Newport Pagnell Services. In 1959, Motorway Service Ltd (a union consisting of Fortes and Blue Star) won the bid to build and operate the services at Newport before its launch, the then Ministry of Transport asked Blue Star to set up a temporary petrol station, which opened alongside a recovery truck and a temporary toilet block.A footbridge was installed in April 1960 during one of the first weekend motorway 15 August 1960, the northbound café opened, followed by The Grill & Griddle restaurant two days later. The footbridge and southbound area opened later on 30th who visited the restaurant enjoyed table service with a view of the new motorway. Welcome Break Newport Pagnell now has 24-hour service station, shower facilities, 28 fuel pumps - and 52 electric vehicle charging Steele said: "I wonder if the first people who stopped at Newport Pagnell way back in 1960 would have thought that in 65 years there would be electric cars, a variety of different food from across the globe at the roadside, and the opportunity to listen to your favourite tunes via your mobile phone." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
AI Is Ushering In A New Era Of Cybersecurity Innovation—Here's How
By embracing AI now, individuals and organizations can strengthen their security posture and ... More position themselves for a safer digital future. The world of cybersecurity is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Historically, businesses and individuals relied on conventional, human-driven methods to protect digital assets — an approach that often struggled to keep pace with the rapidly evolving tactics of cybercriminals. Of the many innovations being ushered in by AI, few may prove more impactful than AI's role in cybersecurity. Much of this stems from the fact that AI creates both opportunities and challenges in the world of cybersecurity. From enhancing threat detection to automating response times, AI is revolutionizing the way we think about cybersecurity. AI can be used to enhance organizational security, even as bad actors use AI to make their hacking attempts more sophisticated. With this framework, the cybersecurity innovations being introduced by AI will undoubtedly shape the industry's future for years to come. Global cybercrime damages are projected to reach $10.5 trillion in 2025, with much of that growth attributed to the malicious use of AI. As nefarious players increasingly use AI to make their own attacks more sophisticated, it becomes imperative that organizations use AI to counter these threats. Writing for the World Economic Forum, Gary Steele, president of Cisco, explains, 'We will see AI bring enormous value by automatically detecting anomalies, leveraging predictive models to provide better ways for security teams to distill information, find patterns and prioritize threats, as well as recommending actions and focusing users' attention where it's most needed based on intelligent assessment of risk. Having a foundation of AI built into an organization's cybersecurity strategy will be crucial in its journey to becoming more digitally resilient. It is likely to be one of the first frontiers within the business that adopts AI to drive real impact.' This foundation of AI is particularly important given the current talent shortage facing cybersecurity as a whole. Microsoft estimates that 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals are needed globally, with regions such as South America seeing more pronounced shortages due to strict certification requirements. With the support of AI models, organizations have a powerful tool that can help mitigate the talent shortage and extend the capabilities of their existing teams. Given the existing talent shortage in cybersecurity, AI's introduction doesn't pose a threat to current security professionals. Instead, it provides an opportunity to support operational needs for teams that might currently be stretched thin. While generative AI is most commonly associated with content generation, its inherent machine-learning capabilities can be leveraged to improve the functionality of cybersecurity measures like those found in a web application firewall. With AI, cybersecurity systems utilize complex algorithms allowing them to conduct behavioral analyses of traffic and other cybersecurity data. These analyses allow the AI systems to set traffic baselines and quickly detect patterns and anomalies that could be linked to an attack. These same analyses can also highlight persistent risks or patterns that have contributed to previous cyberattacks — including issues that might be overlooked by a team of human cybersecurity experts. AI's advantage largely stems from the ease with which it analyzes and learns from massive data sets, at a capability well beyond what human engineers can handle. This can make AI systems both faster and more accurate at detecting attacks and flagging suspicious activity. And since AI can analyze this data in real time, it can immediately alert security teams to potential threats. It's also worth noting that as part of these processes, AI can help automate and streamline repetitive and time-consuming cybersecurity tasks. Letting AI take on work such as firewall configuration and security scans allows human cybersecurity experts to focus on higher-level strategic work. Another advantage of implementing AI in cybersecurity is that it allows organizations to develop a more proactive security profile. Rather than simply responding to attacks, AI can enable organizations to develop systems and implement practices that reduce their security risk. For example, as The Hacker News reports, social engineering attacks have become more advanced, growing to include video deepfakes, voice cloning or scaling realistic conversations through the use of large language models (LLMs). At the same time, AI tools can simulate these attacks so security teams can identify and address organizational vulnerabilities before an actual attack takes place. Such simulations can also provide opportunities for cybersecurity teams to strengthen their own skills and response efforts with realistic training. AI's reporting and analytical capabilities also enable it to suggest actionable steps that cybersecurity teams can take to improve organizational security. For example, AI-powered biometrics have become an increasingly popular security measure, especially for Internet of Things (IoT) products. AI powers accurate authentication of fingerprints, facial features and even DNA as a more secure solution than passwords and PINs. In addition, the simple fact that AI can help automate and streamline many cybersecurity-related tasks helps teams become more proactive by allowing them to essentially outsource the busywork that is required of any cybersecurity system. This gives them more time to focus on implementing strategic measures that reduce risk and enhance the overall security profile of their organization. AI is already completely transforming cybersecurity. Sixty-seven percent of IT and cybersecurity professionals have begun implementing AI to enhance security, while an additional 27% plan to test its capabilities. As AI systems become more sophisticated, we will see even greater advancements in threat detection, response and prevention. Here are a few areas where AI is expected to have a significant impact soon: AI is ushering in a new era of cybersecurity. It is faster, smarter and more proactive than ever before. As the technology evolves, it will continue to reshape how we defend against cyber threats, offering new tools and capabilities to stay one step ahead of malicious actors. While challenges remain, the potential benefits are undeniable. By embracing AI now, individuals and organizations can strengthen their security posture and position themselves for a safer digital future.
Bloomberg
12-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Defense Tech Unicorn Shield AI Names Former Splunk Chief as New CEO
Drone and defense technology startup Shield AI has named Gary Steele as its new chief executive officer, adding a veteran tech leader less than a week after announcing a new funding deal at a $5.3 billion valuation. Steele was previously the CEO of Splunk Inc., the software maker Cisco Systems Inc. agreed to buy in 2023 for $28 billion, the company's largest-ever acquisition. Steele later served as Cisco's president of go-to-market.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cisco Gains Most in 6 Months on Demand for AI Infrastructure
(Bloomberg) -- Cisco Systems Inc. gained after the company gave an upbeat sales forecast for the current quarter, helped by companies spending more on computing infrastructure to take advantage of AI technology. Why American Mobility Ground to a Halt Can Portland Turn a Corner? Saudi Arabia's Neom Signs $5 Billion Deal for AI Data Center SpaceX Bid to Turn Texas Starbase Into City Is Set for Vote in May Cutting Arena Subsidies Can Help Cover Tax Cuts, Think Tank Says Revenue in the quarter ending in April will be $13.9 billion to $14.1 billion, Cisco said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts had predicted a figure at the bottom end of that range. The company — the largest seller of networking gear — also raised its fiscal 2025 target by about $1 billion to just more than $56 billion. That compared with a $55.97 billion average estimate. Corporate clients have been bolstering their networking systems to help speed the creation and use of artificial intelligence. The outlook suggests that spending by those customers is helping make up for weaker orders from the federal government, which had put some projects on hold after the change of administration in Washington. 'As AI becomes more pervasive, we are well positioned to help our customers scale their network infrastructure, increase their data capacity requirements and adopt best-in-class AI security,' Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins said in the statement. Cisco shares climbed as much as 6.4% after markets opened in New York on Thursday, their biggest same-day gain in six months. Cisco's switches and routers are the key pieces of equipment that direct data traffic in and out of networks and around the internet. The company has also pushed further into software and services, a shift accelerated by last year's acquisition of the data-crunching business Splunk. Product orders rose 29% from a year ago in the fiscal second quarter, which ended Jan. 25. Minus the contribution from Splunk, new orders were up 11%, the company said. In a separate filing, Cisco said that Gary Steele, president of the company's go-to-market division, is leaving. The executive, who previously ran Splunk, is taking a CEO job at an unidentified business. Government Slowdown Though public sector demand isn't at levels that Cisco has previously experienced, the weakness is mainly confined to a slice of that market. Cisco gets the majority of its US government business from the Department of Defense and only about 25% from other agencies. It's those civilian divisions of the government that are ordering less, Chief Financial Officer Scott Herren said in an interview. During a conference call, executives fielded questions about proposed tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico and China. Analysts asked whether customers were rushing orders now to avoid the possibility of higher prices later. Cisco downplayed concerns, saying that it learned valuable lessons from the supply crunches of the pandemic. The company now has a more diverse supply chain and uses contract manufacturers with facilities in multiple locations. That will help the company make adjustments to mitigate the impact of tariffs, Herren said. Raising prices will be the last lever it pulls. The company's financial projections include the impact of tariffs on costs, he added. 'I feel like we've de-risked that,' Herren said. Recurring Revenue Sales rose 9% to $14 billion in the second quarter, just above the average estimate of $13.9 billion. The revenue expansion in the period was the company's first in a year. Profit climbed to 94 cents a share, minus some items. Wall Street projected 91 cents. Under Robbins, Cisco has been trying to become less reliant on one-time sales of big-ticket equipment. That company has made headway on that front. Products such as security and remote management tools, which are hosted in the cloud, have helped add billions of dollars in recurring revenue. Deferred revenue — a sign of future sales — now totals $27.8 billion, the company said. That's up 8% from a year ago. The company's board also approved the addition of $15 billion to its stock repurchase program. That brings the budget for buybacks to $17 billion. (Updates with share move in the sixth paragraph.) Elon Musk's DOGE Is a Force Americans Can't Afford to Ignore Japan Perfected 7-Eleven. Why Can't the US Get It Right? How Silicon Valley Swung From Obama to Trump How Oura's Smart Ring Bridged the Gap From Tech Bros to Normies The Game Changer: How Ely Callaway Remade Golf ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
