Spiceworks

(Credits: J Studios/Getty) In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the incoming wave of AI regulations and what they mean for the IT professionals tasked with enforcing them. Waiting for lawmakers to finalize their rules is a terrible risk management strategy. While the legal landscape settles, your business units are already testing generative AI tools, and your marketing team is likely pasting company data into public large language models right now.

(Credits: Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images) Enterprise networks have always evolved alongside major technology shifts. Cloud computing moved applications from on-premises data centers to the cloud. Mobile devices made the internet the backbone of enterprise connectivity. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the next transformation. Unlike previous tech waves, AI changes how data flows across the network.

(Credits: Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images) You may have heard of Systems Administrator Appreciation Day (A.K.A. SysAdmin Day), an annual observance that takes place on the last Friday in July. The day was created to raise awareness of the hard work of IT professionals do to get them the recognition they deserve. Who is a sysadmin, exactly? In the context of the holiday, the term has been used interchangeably to mean almost any IT support professional. Is that accurate though?

(Credits: cherdchai chawienghon/Gettyg) If you have your eye on a DevOps job, the good news is that demand for this role remains strong. You should be aware that the role is also evolving, and generic DevOps Engineer job postings are beginning to decline. On the rise are more specialized titles that rely on DevOps experience but combine those with other skill sets, such as in infrastructure, security, and developer workflows.

(Credits: Leon Neal/Getty Images) You probably turned on multi-factor authentication (MFA) a while back, and if so, it was the right call at the time. After companies switched on the text-message codes and tap-to-approve prompts, cybercriminals spent several years learning to walk around them. The attacks kept improving while most defenses stood still. The good news is that phishing-resistant MFA, which used to cost enterprise money, is now within reach.

(Credits: Bloomberg/Getty Images) If you’re a regular reader of Root Access, you know the column offers a behind-the-scenes look into the important, yet often underappreciated world of IT with a focus on the dedicated professionals who make everything in our connected, digital world possible.

(Credits: J Studios/Getty Images) Much of the AI boom has been powered by the cloud, which remains the default destination for enterprise workloads. Whether generating content, analyzing documents, or powering virtual assistants, AI applications have largely relied on remote data centers packed with GPUs. The model gives companies advanced processing power without requiring heavy investments in specialized hardware.

(Credits: Yuliya Taba/Getty Images) In April, according to a Department of Justice , two U.S. citizens were sentenced to seven and nine years in prison for compromising the identities of 80 U.S. nationals by using their social security numbers to apply for remote software development and IT jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies.

(Credits: Eugene Mymrin/Getty) If you are a tech pro that can remain calm under pressure, who likes to take ownership of a situation, who boasts strong communication skills and intellectual curiosity, and who has a systems-thinking mindset, you may be a perfect candidate for the role of a site reliability engineer (SRE). Demand for SREs is very high right now, as organizations continue to build complex systems and wrestle with how AI should be woven into their processes.

(Credits: CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty) You likely handle your company’s phone numbers in some way. Direct Inward Dialing (DIDs) typically function as a set-it-and-forget-it asset. Once configured, there’s not much to do with them. They’ve been the same for years, and they feel about as permanent as the office address. They’re not, though. Each number is a lease the carrier can hand to whoever convinces them they’re the account holder.