E-Business
Gartner Predicts Global IT Spending to Grow 1.1% in 2019
Worldwide IT spending is projected to total US$3.79-trillion in 2019, an increase of 1.1% from 2018, according to the latest forecast by Gartner.
“Currency headwinds fuelled by the strengthening US dollar have caused us to revise our 2019 IT spending forecast down from the previous quarter,” said John-David Lovelock, research vice president at Gartner. “Through the remainder of 2019, the US dollar is expected to trend stronger, while enduring tremendous volatility due to uncertain economic and political environments and trade wars.
“In 2019, technology product managers will have to get more strategic around their portfolio mix by balancing products and services that will post growth in 2019 with those larger markets that will trend flat to down,” said Lovelock. “Successful product managers in 2020 will have had a long-term view to the changes made in 2019.”
According to Gartner the datacentre systems segment will experience the largest decline in 2019 with a decrease of 2.8%.
The research and market analysis firm says this is mainly due to expected lower average selling prices (ASPs) in the server market driven by adjustments in the pattern of expected component costs.
The shift of enterprise IT spending from traditional (non-cloud) offerings to new, cloud-based alternatives is continuing to drive growth in the enterprise software market.
In 2019, the market is forecast to reach US$427-billion, up 7.1% from US$399-billion in 2018. The largest cloud shift has so far occurred in application software.
However, Gartner expects increased growth for the infrastructure software segment in the near-term, particularly in integration platform as a service (iPaaS) and application platform as a service (aPaaS).
Lovelock added, “The choices CIOs make about technology investments are essential to the success of digital business. Disruptive emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), will reshape business models as well as the economics of public- and private-sector enterprises.
“AI is having a major effect on IT spending, although its role is often misunderstood. AI is not a product, it is really a set of techniques or a computer engineering discipline. As such, AI is being embedded in many existing products and services, as well as being central to new development efforts in every industry.
Gartner’s AI business value forecast predicts that organisations will receive $1.9 trillion worth of benefit from the use of AI this year alone.”
In November 2018 Gartner said IT spending in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) would reach US$973-billion in 2019, representing a 2% increase compared with 2018.
Lovelock was quoted at the time as saying: “2018 is not a good year for IT spending in EMEA. The 5.8% growth witnessed in 2018 includes a 4% currency tailwind driven by the euro’s increase in value against the US dollar.”
E-Business
Cybersecurity Firm Warns of Phishing Threats Targeting Telegram Premium
Kaspersky has warned that fake Telegram Premium offers have been spreading globally, targeting users with phishing scams and malware disguised as alternative app versions.
These attacks aim to steal account credentials or compromise devices. The scams capitalise on Telegram Premium’s popularity and gifting feature, making it crucial for users to remain vigilant.
Telegram Premium is a subscription that offers exclusive features, such as faster download speeds, voice-to-text conversion, premium stickers, an ad-free experience, and more. Users can gift a subscription, and scammers capitalise on this gifting feature and the Telegram Premium topic in general.
One of the tricks begins when a user receives a message that appears to come from someone in their contact list, whose account may have been hacked. The message claims: “You’ve been sent a gift — a Telegram Premium subscription”.
Below, there’s a link that looks legitimate but actually redirects the user to a phishing page, prompting them to log in to Telegram. If victims scan the code or enter their credentials, their account is immediately compromised, giving scammers access to their login details, password, and potentially their authentication code.
There are other tricks referencing the Telegram Premium theme, and not all of them necessarily start with messages on Telegram. Attackers may also use other methods to send phishing links, for example, email.
For instance, perpetrators host fake “giveaways” for Telegram Premium subscriptions. Victims are lured into participating, and in a series of steps, they are directed to a phishing site where they are prompted to enter their Telegram account credentials, ultimately resulting in their account being compromised.
Another machination involves cybercriminals sending victims an invitation to download a ZIP archive that claims to contain a version of the messenger service with a “Premium” subscription. The download link redirects users to a phishing page where they are once again asked to log in to Telegram.
Yet another fraud involves distributing malicious software disguised as an alternative version of the Telegram app with a “built-in” Premium subscription. Scammers send victims links to download APK files claiming they are modified versions of the app, but they turn out to be malware.
“Phishing schemes capitalising on the Telegram Premium topic has been observed in several languages, suggesting that the perpetrators operate globally. Even if these scams haven’t yet reached a specific region, there is a probability they could eventually make their way there.
Therefore, it’s always important to remain cautious and skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true. Additionally, make sure your Telegram security and privacy settings are up to date, and your device has a robust security solution,” advises Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky.
E-Business
FG to Add Iris Biometrics to Digital ID for more Inclusion
National Identity Management Commission of Nigeria (NIMC) has said that it is looking at ways of streamlining and expanding the rollout of digital ID in Nigeria and one of the options on the table is adding iris biometrics to its digital ID enrollment.
Iris biometrics is a biometric authentication technology that uses the unique patterns of the iris to identify a person
The hint was dropped recently by Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general and chief executive officer, NIMC, during a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship training which took place in Abuja.
Speaking through a representative, the NIMC boss said this idea is among a litany of innovations which they are planning to introduce to the digital ID system in order to make it more inclusive, The Sun reports.
At the moment, biometric enrollment for the National Identification Number (NIN) in Nigeria involves face and fingerprints.
Adding the iris modality, according to the official, will make it possible for citizens with disabilities to be equally issued the important credential which is necessary to access a wide range of services in the country.
“We are exploring the use of iris recognition technology to cater to the specific needs of individuals with disabilities,” the representative was quoted as saying. Uganda is one other African country which has announced the addition of iris biometrics to its new generation biometric national ID card.
The NIMC CEO said despite the challenges the ID authority faces, its commitment to build an inclusive ID system and expand coverage remain unwavering.
She emphasized the important of the NIN as an essential tool in getting access to several services.
In order to streamline access to services, Odusote said they have been working tirelessly with their partners to enhance interoperability among government agencies to facilitate identity verification.
This, she says, will save Nigerians the stress of having to register many times with government agencies to obtain services.
The innovations envisaged by the NIMC are part of a broader reforms plan which aims to give the ID authority a new legislative framework for more efficient identity management.
It also comes at a time when the World Bank has extended its support for the country’s digital ID program by another two years, with a target to issue 180 million digital IDs by the close of the extension.
The Nigeria ID4D has pledged in the past to create the enabling environment to the issuance of NINs to persons living with disabilities.
A recent investigative report however suggests that many aged and physically challenged citizens in Nigeria go through tough times seeking the NIN.
Some have reportedly had their SIM cards blocked while others have been locked out of their bank accounts for their inability to register for a digital ID.
E-Business
Kaspersky Reviews Main Business Headache Related to IT Security
According to the recent Kaspersky IT Security Economics report, the majority of companies surveyed globally find the loss of productivity, securing complex tech environments, and enabling data protection to be the most concerning business issues, driven by growing IT security needs and requirements.
The Kaspersky IT Security Economics report is released every year to analyse the changes in budgets, breaches and business challenges affecting IT Security decision makers.
This report is compiled from interviews with IT and IT security professionals from organisations of different sizes and industries. The survey was carried out in 27 countries across Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, North America, the Middle East, Turkiye and the Africa (META) region, including in Egypt, KSA, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkiye, UAE.
According to the report, downtime and lost productivity are the most concerning business problems caused by ineffective IT security, an opinion expressed by 38% of companies globally and 34% in the META region. They encounter this problem mainly because of the long-time taken to detect and remediate threats.
Data protection is another important concern that was expressed by 33% of companies globally and 34% in the META region.
Respondents were worried about this because they regularly encountered the physical loss of devices by employees and experienced leakage of data from corporate systems caused by both external and internal reasons.
Securing complex technology environments and ensuring data connectivity were also on the list of key concerns, according to 33% of respondents globally and 26% in the META region.
Among the main IT issues that cause this challenge, respondents pointed to the rising number of incidents involving non-computing connected devices and incorrect operations of cybersecurity solutions that leave systems exposed.
Additionally, difficulties in managing security across different computing platforms play a crucial role in their inability to build a reliable all-encompassing cybersecurity system.
“It is crucial for organisations to safeguard every aspect of their operations from potential breaches. Attackers no longer solely rely on zero-day exploits, as a simple click on a malicious link or a vulnerability in a contractor’s infrastructure can lead to devastating consequences.
“This underscores the idea that information security should be based on a comprehensive and systematic approach, rather than being limited to the implementation of individual point-specific measures,” comments Alexey Vovk, Information Security Director at Kaspersky.
- E-Financial2 days ago
SEC to Strengthen Borrowing Framework for Governments, Corporates
- Telecom2 days ago
Bismarck, Economist Claims Planned Tariff Hike by Telcos Will Reduce Inflation
- E-Business2 days ago
Kaspersky Reviews Main Business Headache Related to IT Security
- General News1 day ago
Nigeria Recovers $52.88m in Assets Linked to Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke
- General News1 day ago
Transform Your Health with QNET’s BELITE 123: The Ultimate Weight Management Solution
- E-Business2 days ago
FG to Add Iris Biometrics to Digital ID for more Inclusion
- E-Business1 day ago
Cybersecurity Firm Warns of Phishing Threats Targeting Telegram Premium
- News2 days ago
NBS Website Still Down More than 3 Weeks after Cyber Attack