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Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Backups are lifeline to your digital lifestyle

Celebrate World Backup Day this Sunday by creating backup copies of your essential data to safeguard your digital lifestyle against potential loss. — Image by freepik 

It is said that memories you make are priceless, but in this digital age, our data, whether text, audio, or video, has become equally invaluable.

And its value is not lost to cybercriminals, as data breaches have become so common that protecting personal information has become an ongoing challenge for individuals and organisations alike.

Last year, cybersecurity firm Sophos reported that over 90% of cyberattacks reported by its customers involved data or credential theft.

But hackers are not the only threat to your data – the device holding your information may suffer a hardware failure, be stolen, or even be destroyed in an incident such as a fire or flood.

Despite happening over two decades ago, the near loss of Pixar’s Toy Story 2 assets due to accidental deletion during the 1990s remains a memorable story.

The studio was “saved” by Galyn Susman, a supervising technical director who had been working from home after childbirth and had a remote backup.

Even though much of the film was eventually remade due to quality concerns, the character models and environments from her backup were integral to the final film.

Arina hopes that as awareness increases and user-friendly backup options become more widely available, more people will incorporate backups into their digital routines. — Image by rawpixel.com on FreepikArina hopes that as awareness increases and user-friendly backup options become more widely available, more people will incorporate backups into their digital routines. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Last year’s layoff of Susman, along with 74 other employees, struck a chord with fans who remember her as the person who saved Toy Story 2.

As we approach World Backup Day this Sunday, March 31, it’s crucial to remember that although incidents of data loss might seem distant, nobody is immune to such occurrences.

Data dilemmas and disasters

Head of operations at Lucid Analytica, an analytics consultancy, Firdaus Jefri experienced data loss for the first time during his childhood when the hard drive of the family computer failed, resulting in the loss of numerous personal files.

“When my first PC, which I had as a kid, crashed due to a hard drive failure, it was devastating. I had important family photos, videos, and memories stored on it. I also made some great friends while playing games like Runescape and Halo Combat Evolved.

“Unfortunately, as a kid, I didn’t keep track of my passwords and didn’t know how to recover my accounts, losing contact with most of them,” he says.

He adds that his mother’s work documents were lost as well, though they weren’t devastating since she had hard copies on hand, requiring extra effort to recreate everything on a computer.

Cloud storage services can be set up to back up files from a mobile device or a PC, but it’s important to maintain enough free space. — Image by rawpixel.com on FreepikCloud storage services can be set up to back up files from a mobile device or a PC, but it’s important to maintain enough free space. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Fast forward to today, and Firdaus has become a staunch believer in backups, having invested a significant amount into a self-built networked-attached storage (NAS) solution.

He estimates that he has spent approximately RM10,000 on storage for multiple drives totalling 20TB, with each drive serving as a backup for another. This setup enables him to recover data in the event that one drive fails.

Firdaus describes his solution as overkill for most users, though it’s a necessity for him, as his work involved handling large files.

When studying for his PhD, computer system engineer Lee Yang Yang was shocked to witness a fellow student fail his course due to losing his files just before the thesis submission deadline.

In Lee’s experience, users typically only begin to prioritise the security of their files after a personal encounter with data loss.

“If you think a file is important, back it up. It is worth your money to have the extra storage. This would include private and confidential files that could cost you a fortune or even your job if the data is lost,” he says.

Better safe than sorry

While data recovery programs and services (read “Get Your Data Back”, StarLifestyle, May 29, 2023; online at bit.ly/datalostandfound) are available that could help restore lost files, the costs involved are steep.

Sin says that having a comprehensive backup strategy is crucial for recovering from such incidents, likening it to 'insurance' for digital assets. — Synology MalaysiaSin says that having a comprehensive backup strategy is crucial for recovering from such incidents, likening it to 'insurance' for digital assets. — Synology Malaysia

According to Jason Sin, Malaysia country manager for Synology, a company that specialises in NAS storage, the substantial price tag doesn’t guarantee complete data retrieval.

To save oneself from the headache and hefty fees involved in recovering lost files, it’s best to have a backup system in place.

Nur Arina Ramlee, chief technology officer at Cybersolution Technologies, stresses the value of having proper backups.

“Unfortunately, typically, users do not regularly backup their data as often as they should. Usually, this comes down to a few key elements.

“Many users underestimate how upsetting data loss may be when it occurs to them or believe it only happens to other people.

“People are sometimes discouraged from starting because they believe that creating backups is complicated and time-consuming,” she says.

Arina hopes that as awareness increases and user-friendly backup options become more widely available, more people will incorporate backups into their digital routines.

She recalls an incident involving a restaurant, which was exploring franchising opportunities at the time. The restaurant owner had stored all the key components of the company, including financial records, designs for its franchising plan, and even his beloved recipes – which he spent years perfecting and digitising – on a laptop.

That laptop was stolen at an airport during a business trip, resulting in the loss of years’ worth of data.

The rise of ransomware is another threat to data. In a ransomware attack, the files on a computer system are encrypted, in most cases rendering them unusable, with the threat actor demanding a ransom payment to decrypt the data.

Sin says that having a comprehensive backup strategy is crucial for recovering from such incidents, likening it to ‘insurance’ for digital assets.

Arina recommends a straightforward approach to backup by starting with identifying the data crucial to your daily digital activities. — Cybersolution TechnologiesArina recommends a straightforward approach to backup by starting with identifying the data crucial to your daily digital activities. — Cybersolution Technologies

“Ensuring data security and continuity is paramount for users and businesses alike.

“Creating a backup strategy is like providing a safety net, allowing users to restore their data to a previous state and resume normal operations swiftly.

“As digital lifestyles become more prevalent, the potential impact of data loss on both personal and professional fronts has heightened, underscoring the importance of robust backup practices,” he says.

As for companies, Sin highlights cost concerns and limited resources as major reasons why small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often neglect backing up their data.

This is due in part to hardware, software and maintenance costs, along with the lack of a dedicated IT team to manage backup infrastructure. Time constraints, data fragmentation, and the need to evaluate security risks are other factors that can also hinder efforts.

In the long run, such neglect can make it significantly more difficult for a company to recover from cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches and ransomware attacks.

Sin highlighted that the Personal Data Protection Department (PDPD) reported a staggering increase in data breach cases. It received 130 reports by June 2023, a four-fold increase compared to the entire year 2022.

“Such breaches lead to significant financial losses due to causes like configuration errors, hardware damage, data leaks, and malicious encryption,” he says.

Seeking simple solutions

According to a report from data recovery service provider Reno Research Lab, over half of data loss cases in 2023 resulted from user error, primarily accidental deletion (56.38%), with drive corruption coming a distant second, accounting for only 18.09%.

These incidents could have been avoided if users simply made one backup copy.

According to a report from data recovery service provider Reno Research Lab, over half of data loss cases in 2023 resulted from user error, primarily accidental deletion (56.38%), with drive corruption coming a distant second, accounting for only 18.09%. — Photo by Markus Spiske on UnsplashAccording to a report from data recovery service provider Reno Research Lab, over half of data loss cases in 2023 resulted from user error, primarily accidental deletion (56.38%), with drive corruption coming a distant second, accounting for only 18.09%. — Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Fortunately, thanks to the widespread availability of free cloud storage, hefty investments are often unnecessary.

Popular and easy-to-setup options that offer free storage space include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Apple iCloud.

However, without a subscription, the free storage is limited, with Google Drive offering 15GB for free, while both OneDrive and iCloud provide only 5GB each at no cost.

The cloud storage services can be set up to back up files from a mobile device or a PC, but it’s important to maintain enough free space.

The services provide a range of subscription packages with different storage spaces, with family options typically offering better value for money.

To backup your PC with OneDrive’s desktop client, access the settings menu and navigate to the “Sync and Backup” tab.

From there, select “Manage Backup” to choose which folders, such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, and Videos to back up.

Unfortunately, OneDrive doesn’t support custom folders for backup, so users have to move their files to one of the listed folders.

Android smartphone users can check out Google Drive for backups. It can be turned on by going to the settings menu and selecting “Backup and reset” and then switching on the “Backup by Google One” option.

This feature automatically backs up various types of data, including apps, SMS and MMS, call history, and device settings when connected to WiFi.

However, remember to manually enable backup for photos and videos in this menu, as it is turned off by default.

For faster access and complete control over your backups, consider using a NAS (network-attached storage) device. It’s a dedicated storage server that connects to your home WiFi network.

It also provides a centralised location to store and access files and data from multiple devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets, over the network.

Essentially, it functions as a personal cloud storage solution, offering other features like file sharing, media streaming, and remote access.

However, NAS devices, which come in various configurations and storage capacities, are not cheap.

Those who are more technically inclined could opt to assemble their own unit, but this will require researching various topics and familiarity with terminologies like RAID (redundant array of independent disks) and learning NAS-specific operating systems like TrueNAS and Unraid.

However, if you’re seeking a robust backup plan, consider adopting the popular 3-2-1 backup principle.

It’s a straightforward rule – though very demanding – that is designed to ensure that your data stays safe no matter what happens.

Let’s break it down: “3” stands for having at least three copies of your data; “2” means storing them on two different types of media; and “1” emphasises keeping one copy offsite or on the cloud. This method ensures that your data is well-protected against accidents, hardware failures, and other unexpected events.

Arina recommends beginning with a simple approach: identify the data essential to your daily digital life, such as chat messages, pictures, and documents.

“The key to this is to back up regularly or set your backups to run automatically. Some applications that users use daily may already have this readily integrated into their cloud accounts.

“And remember to test your backups once in a while to ensure they work when needed,” she says.

Sin emphasises the importance of education and awareness in establishing a strong backup culture.

“We encourage everyone to share the significance of backups with friends, family, and colleagues,” says Sin, “in order to collectively cultivate a more secure digital environment.”

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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Behind the plot to break Nvidia's grip on AI by targeting software


Big draw: Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang speaking at an industry event in California. Some big tech companies are trying to show developers how to migrate away from Nvidia’s dominance in AI. — Bloomberg

Exclusive: Behind the plot to break Nvidia's grip on AI by ...

Nvidia's grip on AI by targeting software.html

Alliance seeks to use alternative open source software 

SAN FRANCISCO: Nvidia earned its US$2.2 trillion market cap by producing artificial-intelligence (AI) chips that have become the lifeblood powering the new era of generative AI developers from startups to Microsoft, OpenAI and Google parent Alphabet .

Almost as important to its hardware is the company’s nearly 20 years’ worth of computer code, which helps make competition with the company nearly impossible. More than four million global developers rely on Nvidia’s Cuda software platform to build AI and other apps.

Now a coalition of tech companies that includes Qualcomm, Google and Intel plans to loosen Nvidia’s chokehold by going after the chip giant’s secret weapon: the software that keeps developers tied to Nvidia chips.

They are part of an expanding group of financiers and companies hacking away at Nvidia’s dominance in AI.

“We’re actually showing developers how you migrate out from an Nvidia platform,” Vinesh Sukumar, Qualcomm’s head of AI and machine learning, said in an interview with Reuters.

Starting with a piece of technology developed by Intel called OneAPI, the UXL Foundation, a consortium of tech companies, plans to build a suite of software and tools that will be able to power multiple types of AI accelerator chips, executives involved with the group told Reuters.

The open-source project aims to make computer code run on any machine, regardless of what chip and hardware powers it.

“It’s about specifically – in the context of machine learning frameworks – how do we create an open ecosystem, and promote productivity and choice in hardware,” Google’s director and chief technologist of high-performance computing, Bill Magro, said in an interview.

Google is one of the founding members of UXL and helps determine the technical direction of the project, Magro said.

UXL’s technical steering committee is preparing to nail down technical specifications in the first half of this year. Engineers plan to refine the technical details to a “mature” state by the end of the year, executives said.

These executives stressed the need to build a solid foundation to include contributions from multiple companies that can also be deployed on any chip or hardware.

Beyond the initial companies involved, UXL will court cloud-computing companies such as Amazon.com and Microsoft’s Azure, as well as additional chipmakers.

Since its launch in September, UXL has already begun to receive technical contributions from third parties that include foundation members and outsiders keen on using the open-source technology, the executives involved said.

Intel’s OneAPI is already usable, and the second step is to create a standard programming model of computing designed for AI.

UXL plans to put its resources toward addressing the most pressing computing problems dominated by a few chipmakers, such as the latest AI apps and high-performance computing applications.

Those early plans feed into the organisation’s longer-term goal of winning over a critical mass of developers to its platform.

UXL eventually aims to support Nvidia hardware and code, in the long run.

When asked about the open source and venture-funded software efforts to break Nvidia’s AI dominance, Nvidia executive Ian Buck said in a statement: “The world is getting accelerated. New ideas in accelerated computing are coming from all across the ecosystem, and that will help advance AI and the scope of what accelerated computing can achieve.”

The UXL Foundation’s plans are one of many efforts to chip away at Nvidia’s hold on the software that powers AI. Venture financiers and corporate dollars have poured more than US$4bil into 93 separate efforts, according to custom data compiled by PitchBook at Reuters’ request.

The interest in unseating Nvidia through a potential weakness in software has ramped up in the last year, and startups aiming to poke holes in the company’s leadership gobbled up just over US$2bil in 2023 compared with US$580mil from a year ago, according to the data from PitchBook.

Success in the shadow of Nvidia’s group on AI data crunching is an achievement that few of the startups will be able to achieve.

Nvidia’s Cuda is a compelling piece of software on paper, as it is full-featured and is consistently growing both from Nvidia’s contributions and the developer community. — Reuters

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Dutch PM begins working visit to China amid chip tensions in spotlight; expansion of cooperation expected

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is on a working visit to China from Tuesday to Wednesday, at a time when the Netherlands' chip export policy has been in the spotlight. Chinese analysts pointed out that Rutte's visit is perfectly timed, as his country's largest company, the semiconductor equipment maker ASML, is seeking to expand outside the Netherlands after raising concerns about the country's business climate.

China's economic prospects, opening-up pledges help global growth, stability as Boao Forum kicks off annual meeting

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) convened its annual conference in Boao, South China's Hainan Province on Tuesday, with officials and other participants calling for unity and cooperation in Asia and around the world to jointly tackle rising regional and global challenges, ranging from trade protectionism to geopolitical tension.

At Boao Forum, Asian central bank officials eye greater use of local currencies to fend off risks

Central bank officials and financial regulators from several Asian countries on Wednesday called for expanding currency swap arrangements through both bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to support cross-border trade and investment and reduce reliance on the US dollar, as part of the region's efforts to bolster financial safety nets and fend ...

Central bank officials and financial regulators from several Asian countries on Wednesday called for expanding currency swap arrangements through both bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to support cross-border trade and investment and reduce reliance on the US dollar, as part of the region's efforts to bolster financial safety nets and fend off risks.

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

China zooms ahead in space race - Advancement of China’s space programme is serving as a wake-up call for the US

;China Just Won the Space Race Against America...NASA is in Shock!

China Space Station Tian Gong is now complete and China is in a position to dominate the future of space and replace America as the number one space nation in the world. But how did this happen? How did China become a supreme space nation? Let's break it down

A staff member stands before a Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft, on the launch pad encased in a shield at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China on Oct. 25, 2023. — AFP

SHORTLY after New Year’s Day in 2019, China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the far side of the moon, where no mission had gone before. United States intelligence officials say they did so quietly, taking their time to verify the rover had landed in one piece and protecting themselves from embarrassment. Hours passed before Beijing announced its historic achievement to the world.

The landing was a wake-up call in Washington. China’s space program was advancing with unexpected speed. Beijing would soon assemble in record time a space station orbiting Earth, catching US officials off guard once again.

US intelligence officials acknowledge that China’s sudden advances had surprised them. They are no longer surprised. The intelligence community now assesses with confidence that China is poised to succeed in landing humans on the moon and constructing a permanent base camp at the lunar south pole by the end of this decade, four intelligence officials said, just as American space agency Nasa has fallen behind its own deadlines to achieve similar milestones.

It is the first time intelligence officials have publicly detailed their concerns that China may win the race to return people to the moon and establish a lunar outpost – an achievement that could set back US plans for human space travel for decades to come.

“It wasn’t too long ago that China said they were intending to land by 2035. So that date keeps getting closer and closer,” Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said in an interview. “I take it very seriously that China, in fact, is in a headlong race to get to the moon.”

Neither country plans to stop at the moon. Both see it as a training ground for missions to Mars in the 2030s, vying to make history by sending humans deep into space and landing them for the first time on another planet.

“Before, it was more of an afterthought – China was nowhere to be seen,” one US intelligence official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters. “Today, China gets the lion’s share of intelligence attention.”

A second US intelligence official said “space is very evident to China as a place they need to counter US power.”

“They don’t want to be the space power of the 2020s,” the official added. “They want to be the space power of the 21st century, the way we were in the 20th.”

More than half a century after the US put men on the moon, a space race is on for the new millennium. The first great competition of world powers since the end of the Cold War is spurring a new era of exploration that could send humans on missions far beyond those of the Apollo program 50 years ago.

But if the original space race with the Soviet Union was a sprint, this new competition with China is going to be a marathon.

“The United States will continue to lead the world,” Vice President Kamala Harris, who also serves as director of the National Space Council, said in a statement. “Our unrivaled network of allies and partners will power our deep space exploration, inspire the next generation of explorers, and will ensure that advancements in space benefit all of humanity.”

At Nasa, all of these goals are linked, forming a “ Moon to Mars Architecture” that is breaking modern precedent in Washington for space initiatives with sustained support and funding from consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations.

“Is China a catalyst? It should be. Chinese ambitions for both the moon and Mars should be taken very seriously,” said Dean Cheng, senior adviser to the China program at the US Institute of Peace. “Because from their perspective, it’s not just about planting a flag. There’s a whole freight train worth of baggage and meaning associated with both of these missions.”

“This is to establish presence,” Cheng said, “but then to establish the rules.”

Competition is already inching toward conflict closer to home. Since landing a rover on the far side of the moon, China has more than doubled its number of satellites orbiting Earth, and has launched a space plane that remained in low-Earth orbit for several months before ascending and releasing a projectile, defense officials said. Beijing is already fielding weapons in space, including electronic and cyberspace equipment, but also devices that can stalk and latch on to satellites to disrupt their orbit.

Nelson expressed concern that China may reach its lunar milestones first – a development that could allow Beijing to monopolize resources critical to a sustained presence on the surface, such as frozen water hiding in crevices of permanent darkness, and solar energy from mountain peaks bathed in eternal sunlight.

“If China were to land and begin an outpost there, I think it would be a Sputnik moment for the American people,” said G Scott Hubbard, Nasa’s first Mars czar and former director of the Ames Research Center at Nasa who now chairs SpaceX’s crew safety advisory panel. “They could claim it as their own.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said in a statement that “outer space is not a wrestling ground, but an important field for win-win cooperation. The exploration and peaceful uses of outer space is humanity’s common endeavor and should benefit all.”

Senior officials in the Biden administration said that China’s program could be the motivation the US needs to reestablish the wonder and drive of spaceflight that once captured the American imagination. “There are positive aspects to competition,” one official said, adding, “one person’s pressure is another person’s inspiration.”

Beijing surprised Washington once again last May, when its military-run Manned Space Agency held a press conference ostensibly to deliver a routine announcement.

Agency officials were introducing three new Chinese astronauts who would depart for China’s Tiangong Space Station the following day – part of a steady cadence of new crew members being sent into orbit every six months, an impressive achievement in and of itself. Then officials added that Beijing intends to land humans on the moon by 2030, moving their timeline up by years.

China’s Academy of Military Sciences has previously said that space “has already become a new domain of modern military struggle.” Neither the China National Space Administration nor the China Manned Space Agency responded to multiple email requests for comment.

China’s public plan is to use robots to scout the south pole for lunar water in 2026 and begin establishing its base there, to be called the International Lunar Research Station, in 2028. Beijing aims to complete a new Long March 10 rocket system for its crewed missions by 2027.

US intelligence officials say it would be “high risk” for the Chinese to attempt their first human landing at the south pole, but also believe Beijing will try to distinguish their first landing from Apollo.

“If there is a prestige goal,” one intelligence official said, “it is the south pole of the moon.” — TNS

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US and China vie for lunar real estate | The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2024/02/25/us-and-china-vie-for-lunar-real-estate#:~:text=SPURRED%20to%20action%20by%20China's,crewed%20orbital%20mission%20in%202022.

The sunrise casts a golden glow on the Artemis I Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. – NASA/TNS

Malaysia's giant leap into the stars

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2024/02/25/malaysias-giant-leap