Tech explainers - Resource from WhatIs.com (original) (raw)

With CISO burnout comes increasing cyber incidents and costly leadership turnover. Organizations must invest in support to prevent this growing security risk.

Cybersecurity products can get pricy, but there are many excellent open source tools to help secure your systems and data. Here's a list of some of the most popular.

Nation-state threat actors like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive data, so executives must prepare to defend against them.

The United States government takes aim at the viral video sharing application TikTok.

Shadow AI threatens enterprises as employees increasingly use unauthorized AI tools. Discover the risks, governance strategies, and outlook for managing AI in today's workplace.

AI-powered threat detection transforms cybersecurity by using machine learning to analyze network traffic, user behaviors and data access patterns.

Cyber risk quantification translates security threats into financial terms, so executives can prioritize risks, justify investments and allocate resources to protect the business.

OpenAI o3 and o4-mini are successors to the o1 model and are releases from the OpenAI reasoning model branch. These models became widely available on April 16, 2025.

Authors, artists and others are filing lawsuits against generative AI companies for using their data in bulk to train AI systems without permission.

This proactive approach protects business operations, ensures compliance and preserves reputation through comprehensive security practices.

Digital transformation offers companies some tantalizing possibilities. But new technologies usher in new vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity needs to play a key role.

Nvidia's market value surpassed $3 trillion in 2024, fueled by the generative AI boom, rebounding tech sector and 154% stock growth in 2024. However, there are questions if AI will sustain the hype cycle.

Identity has replaced network boundaries as today's security perimeter. Organizations must focus on protecting digital identities to safeguard their assets.

Intel's dramatic decline highlights its struggle to compete in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, as its market value lags giants such as Nvidia and AMD.

Explore risk maturity models and assessment tools for enhancing enterprise risk management. Improve ERM programs to mitigate risk and gain a competitive edge.

Ransomware locks an organization out of its data or digital services until it pays up. To minimize attacks, businesses can enhance security, train employees and back up data.

In the modern era, no individual tech vendor is an island; most prosper best through partnerships. That's certainly the case for GPU and AI innovator Nvidia.

Radio frequency identification uses radio waves to digitally tag items, so businesses can wirelessly identify and track goods. Near field communication is a subset of RFID.

Risk transfer shifts potential financial liability from one party to another through insurance contracts, legal agreements or financial tools to protect organizations from losses.

Amazon is expanding its horizons as Project Kuiper launched low earth satellites in April 2025. The goal is to bring connectivity to all areas, which is also Starlink's mission.

Automation bias is an overreliance by human operators on automated systems, such as computer hardware, software and algorithms, to make decisions, even when the machine-generated output is incorrect or contradicts human judgment.

Explore the benefits and challenges of IoT, as well as its consumer, business and industrial applications. Learn how it works, related concepts, history and more in this primer.

Data risk management identifies, assesses and mitigates threats to organizational data, safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized access.

AI in networking involves the application of artificial intelligence technologies, including machine learning, deep learning and advanced data analytics, to automate, optimize and secure network operations.

Semiconductors are the building blocks of modern technology and are essential for innovation in the modern age.

Semiconductor chips are predominantly made from silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide. Production is limited and mostly based in China, which could create future supply issues.

The Trump Administration's tariffs levy a minimum 10% tax on global imports, heavily affecting tech industry supply chains.

Infrastructure automation uses software tools to automate processes related to IT infrastructure provisioning, management and monitoring.

Cyberattacks are malicious attempts to breach computer systems. Types include phishing, ransomware and SQL injection. Prevention requires training, monitoring and encryption.

Semiconductors bridge conductors and insulators, enabling precise control of electrical flow. This complex process creates the foundation of modern electronics.

Tech companies are pledging to increase U.S. manufacturing by building new or expanding existing facilities as well as investing in research and development.

Finfluencers create personal finance content on social media, often appealing to Gen Z and retail investors, but the lack of regulation means there are risks involved.

CRM systems combine data, strategies and technology to manage customer interactions. Features include automation, lead tracking, and analytics to improve service and drive sales.

Meta released Llama 4 -- a multimodal LLM that analyzes and understands text, images, and video data. There are three primary versions of Llama 4 -- Scout, Maverick and Behemoth.

Pen testing uses six steps to test systems for vulnerabilities so organizations can remediate any problems and strengthen their cybersecurity against potential attacks.

Quantum error mitigation is a process used to reduce the impact of errors in quantum computing.

Google's latest multimodal model – Gemini 2.5 Pro – entered the AI race with enhanced reasoning and improved performance across coding, math and science benchmarks.

Neural networks are a type of machine learning model that mimic the human brain. With three different layers of processors, these networks are used in various industries.

SAP's enterprise resource management products under SAP ERP include ECC and S/4HANA. They are designed for enterprises across all business aspects, but are costly to implement.

Data science uses advanced analytics techniques to gain insights, especially for business use cases.

OpenAI released a new family of general-purpose models on April 14, 2025. The GPT-4.1 series includes three models with a developer focus – GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4.1 nano.

Cybercriminals have various methods at their disposal to hack and exploit credit card information. Learn what they are, how to prevent them and what to do when hacked.

A U.S. judge ruled Google violated antitrust laws with an illegal monopoly over online searches -- a landmark decision with major implications for Big Tech and consumer choices.

Quantum error correction detects and fixes fragile qubit errors caused by interference and decoherence, enabling fault-tolerant, reliable and scalable quantum computing systems.

Secure messaging uses end-to-end encryption, decentralized servers and open source code. The most secure messaging apps, such as Signal and Sessions, combine these features.

Digital detox apps are gaining popularity as they help users reduce screen time, fight digital addiction and improve mental well-being.

Cybercrime refers to criminal activity that uses a computer, networked device or network. Its many forms, from extortion to identity theft, can cause real damage to organizations.

After years of remote work, some companies are making employees return to the office. Experts predict good and bad results with mentorship opportunities or employee turnover.

TikTok wasn't the first of its kind, and it won't be the last. Check out these alternatives if you're looking for a new platform with similar features.

XAI introduced and expanded its large language model to the newest version -- Grok 3, which offers features such as advanced reasoning, knowledge retrieval and text summarization.

Cybercrime-as-a-service is quickly evolving, offering easy access to hacking tools for criminals. Learn how it works and steps to protect your organization from attacks.

Technology providers offer several paths to the promised land of quantum advantage, but customers must navigate the engineering tradeoffs among the varied types of qubits.

Everyone has personally identifiable information -- some of it sensitive and some of it not. Keeping PII safe is important, since bad actors can use it for malicious ends.

Software-as-a-service is a way for organizations to rent cloud computing services rather than buy and own applications. It has both advantages and disadvantages.

Teams responsible for APM must develop a clear strategy to identify performance risks, reduce APM costs and secure sensitive data collected as part of their initiatives.

Gemma is a collection of lightweight open source generative AI models designed mainly for developers and researchers.

Explore the nuances between application performance monitoring and application performance management, especially in enhancing application efficiency and the user experience.

Selecting an IT process automation platform requires organizations to evaluate processes, skill level and integration issues. These popular products are good options.

Before downloading an app, users should verify the publisher, look at reviews and consult the privacy policy to determine whether it is safe to install.

The Trump administration is already enacting new tech policies, seeking to establish the U.S. as a global leader in AI development and innovation while reducing red tape on Big Tech.

Another major cyberattack hit the U.S. Treasury, allegedly by Chinese state-sponsored hackers. Exploiting BeyondTrust software, they accessed sensitive unclassified documents.

GPT-4.5, OpenAI's latest model, enhances natural conversation and emotional intelligence. It supports content generation, multilingual proficiency and more.

With the rapid development of AI and the onset of generative AI, AI fatigue is becoming more common across businesses and negatively affecting the employee experience.

Tech giants will head to court to address antitrust cases, data privacy, content moderation and copyright. These cases may set key legal precedents for the future of tech.

Co-led by OpenAI and Softbank, Stargate AI aims to invest $500 billion in new AI data centers and infrastructure to help U.S.-based AI innovation, but it has raised concerns.

Google Gemini 2.0, announced in December 2024, will enhance generative AI with multimodal capabilities and agentic AI features, integrating across Google services.

2024's top healthcare cyberattacks each affected millions of patients, revealing vulnerabilities and showing how critical a strong cybersecurity system is to secure patient data.

ChatGPT brings a fresh take on internet search with conversational AI, but Google retains key advantages. Discover how these two platforms stack up and differ.

Generative AI helps security teams defend against threats, but it also lets bad actors infiltrate organizations. Learn about how each side is tapping into GenAI to gain an edge.

Get a clear view of cloud's historical milestones, how it evolved into the juggernaut it is today and transformed the commercial and working worlds for businesses and consumers.

People wanting to make money on the cryptocurrency market are becoming targets for scammers. Scammers are even looking for their next victim through dating and social media apps.

Prompt engineering is an artificial intelligence (AI) engineering technique that refines large language models (LLMs), with specific prompts and recommended outputs. It also is part of the process of refining input to various generative AI (GenAI) services to generate text or images.

Here are 35 eye-opening cybersecurity stats -- on cybercrime, vulnerabilities, costs, careers and other trends -- to consider while evaluating your 2025 security plan.

Social media disinformation is meant to be deceptive and can spread quickly. Here are some ways to spot it.

In March 2024, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging its smartphone market monopoly. However, this isn't the first time Apple has seen legal action.

Cryptocurrency values rose in 2021 but started to decline in 2022, causing some exchange platforms to fold. FTX appeared to stay strong -- until news broke of an elaborate scam.

The subscription economy is reshaping consumer habits, offering flexible access over ownership. It drives convenience, loyalty and predictable revenue.

PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the world's collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks via traditional circuit-switched networks.

Solar flares are intense sun explosions that can disrupt satellites, GPS, power grids and electronics.

ChatGPT search is a generative AI search engine that ingests information in real time.

Discover how the diffusion of innovations theory unravels the journey of ideas and tech, from bold innovators to cautious laggards, shaping adoption trends across industries today.

Companies are turning to passkeys as a secure login for consumers. Passkeys make it more difficult for thieves to steal information, and they are also more convenient for users.

A support vector machine (SVM) is a type of supervised learning algorithm used in machine learning to solve classification and regression tasks.

As AI continues to evolve, understanding the differences and collaborative potential of conversational AI and generative AI is vital to their role in shaping the digital landscape.

Augmented analytics uses machine learning, AI and natural language processing to help business users interpret complex data sets. Explore use cases across industries.

If you can touch it, it's hardware. If it's an application you can't touch, it's software.

Understanding the differences in the roles of data scientists, analysts and engineers can boost productivity and efficiency in a business.

Identity governance and administration (IGA) is the collection of processes and practices used to manage user digital identities and their access throughout the enterprise.

Companies are enforcing return-to-office mandates, and employees aren't thrilled. Boosting morale with perks and flexibility can ease the transition.

Social media usage continues to grow as people share posts, videos and photos. However, there are data privacy issues and risks with sharing on social media.

A CrowdStrike update caused a massive IT outage, crashing millions of Windows systems. Critical services and business operations were disrupted, revealing tech reliance risks.

Cloud compliance ensures the safe and secure use and storage of data through strict adherence to existing cloud computing rules and guidelines, including applicable federal or international laws and regulatory compliance, as well as industry frameworks and best practices.

Cloud architecture is how infrastructure components are connected and configured to create a suitable cloud computing environment for the performance, reliability and scalability needed to host user workloads and data.

Mixed reality refers to advanced technology that combines both virtual reality (VR), a fully immersive computer-generated experience, and augmented reality (AR), which integrates digital elements into the physical world.

Whether they are aware of it or not, businesses are increasingly using people's social media posts -- written content and images -- for their training AI systems.

The hurricane disrupted quartz mining essential for semiconductors. While some operations resumed, delays may affect chip supply chains and global industries.

Cloud networking is a type of IT infrastructure in which the cloud hosts some or all of an organization's networking resources.

A cyberattack on American Water disrupted customer systems. While water operations were unaffected, the incident underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.

The DOJ has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa, alleging it has unlawfully monopolized the U.S. debit card market, limiting competition and charging exorbitant fees.

AI speech recognition systems often struggle to understand certain accents and dialects due to insufficient training data.