In case you missed it: January tech roundup.

Throughout the month of January, the news was awash with major tech developments and changes. From the widespread implementation of AI ChatGPT at Microsoft to the large-scale job cuts at companies such as Google, there was a lot to take notice of in the sector. Today we’ve rounded up some of the biggest stories in tech this January, so you can get a brief overview of the year so far.

Microsoft Updates: AI Integration, Patching, and more.

In possibly the most exciting news of 2023, Microsoft have recently integrated the newly-invested in ChatGPT into their Microsoft Teams Premium offering. In Microsoft’s own words, the Teams team have integrated ‘Large Language Models powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, to make meetings more intelligent, personalized, and protected—whether it’s one-on-one, large meetings, virtual appointments, or webinars.’

The AI integration is designed to expedite and simplify processes associated with meetings, for example, AI-generated chapters allow users to easily pick and choose meeting content that Is most relevant to them.

Read more about Teams Premium and the integration of ChatGPT here.

As well as integrating ChatGPT into MS Teams Premium, Microsoft have also integrated the AI model into its search engine, Bing. In an effort to compete with Google, the newly revamped Bing features conversational capabilities. Users who won't to experience the fully-revamped Bing are currently on a waitlist.

Read more about the newly revamped Bing here.

Microsoft also highlighted a need for widespread on-premises patching of Exchange servers, in order to protect servers against potential hacks and system exploits. As explained by the Microsoft Exchange team, ‘"Exchange Server CUs and SUs are cumulative, so you only need to install the latest available one. You install the latest CU, then see if any SUs were released after the CU was released. If so, install the most recent (latest) SU." It is also always recommended by Microsoft that system admins run the Exchange Server Health Checker Script follow a system patch, in order to ensure no configuration issues have occurred that will cause performance issues and future system problems.

Read more about Exchange patching here.

Tech Sector Job Losses

Over the past month, a number of tech giants have made significant job cuts, reflecting global economic downturn and changing business practices. Early in the month, Microsoft announced its intentions to axe thousands of jobs - primarily in human resources and engineering divisions. Most starkly, Google announced 12,000 job cuts via email - immediately beginning the contract terminations of employees in the US and globally. And most recently, PayPal have laid off 2,000 people - taking the US total to over 66,000 job cuts in the tech sector alone.

Espionage in the News

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre issued warnings around Russian and Iranian backed espionage attempts last month; the agency identified how “Russia-based” SEABORGIUM and “Iran-based” APT42 (also known as Charming Kitten) were duping victims into exposing their details through seemingly legitimate malicious websites. The NCSC highlighted that individuals working in “academia, defence, government organisations, NGOs, think-tanks, as well as politicians, journalists and activists” were being specifically targeted.

Read more about the hack attempts here.

Threat of fake apps?

Security experts recently warned that users’ apps and Windows devices could be threatened by the presence of ‘fake apps’. Allegedly a critical flaw in Windows-powered applications and datacentres remained unpatched in numerous devices, keeping users at risk of malware attacks. The best solution to this issue is regular patching and updates, with a primary risk source being old versions of Chrome and similar applications.

Read more about this system vulnerability here.

Religious Leaders Tackle AI Ethics

In an unusual turn of events, multifaith leaders recently met with Microsoft and IBM executives in a bid to tackle the ethics surrounding use of AI. The meeting, hosted by Pope Francis, was aimed at ensuring novel technologies and Artificial Intelligence are being used in an ethical manner, with good intentions.

Read more about the Rome Call for AI Ethics here.

Staying in the Loop

While tech news may not be crucial to your business’ daily processes, remaining aware of current cybersecurity threats is an important element of protecting your business and personal online security. Even without regular reference to the news, it’s important to keep your systems patched and updated to prevent data loss and hack attempts.

Similarly, it’s important to stay updated to ensure you’re getting the most out of your apps and subscriptions - especially when it comes to providers such as Microsoft. If you’re currently subscribing to Microsoft Services, you may need to do a system review to ensure you’re not overpaying for features you don’t make use of. To help clients and businesses ensure they’re getting the most for their money, Fitzrovia IT is currently offering a free Microsoft Consultation to cut costs and improve service provision.

Contact us today to get your free Microsoft Consultation!