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Jan 23
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Tech News : Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Warning To Gamers

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A new review of existing research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), warns that video gamers who are listening to high-intensity sound levels for long periods of time may be risking permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.

Overlooked Area 

Whereas headphones, earbuds, and music venues have been recognised as sources of potentially unsafe sound levels, the review of available research, conducted by a team including experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the University of South Carolina, has focused on the overlooked area of the effects of video games, including e-sports, on hearing loss.

Video Gamers – Sound Exceeding Safe Limits 

The researchers conducting the review concluded that sound levels reported in studies of video of more than 50,000 video gamers often near (or exceed) permissible safe limits. Given that there are an estimated 3 billion gamers worldwide in 2022, the research, the researchers feel that greater public health efforts are needed to raise awareness of the potential risks.

What’s The Cause?

The researchers say that the hearing loss and tinnitus risks are the result of video gamers often playing at high-intensity sound levels and for several hours at a time. For example, after reviewing 14 studies from 9 countries, researchers found reported sound levels ranged from 43.2 decibels (dB) (mobile devices) up to 80-89 dB (gaming centres). Impulse sounds in some games were also found to have reached levels as high as 119 dB during game-play, and the researchers also found that the length of noise exposure varied by mode and frequency of access from least an hour at a time to an averaging of 3 hours/week.

The Role of Headphones 

The role of headphones in hearing damage risk to gamers was also highlighted by the researchers. For example, in one piece of source research, the author concluded that gaming headphones can reach unsafe listening levels, “which could place some gamers at risk of sound-induced hearing loss.” 

The researchers also highlighted studies such as:

– One study where the sound levels of 5 video games through headphones attached to the gaming console, were found to average 88.5, 87.6, 85.6 and 91.2 dB for 4 separate shooter games, and 85.6 dB for a racing game.

– One study reported that over 10 million people in the USA may be exposed to ‘loud’ or ‘very loud’ sound levels from video or computer games.

What’s Are The Permissible Levels? 

Permissible exposure limits to impulse sounds in video games (less than 1 second) are around 100 dB for children and 130–140 dB for adults. Also, the permissible noise exposure level for children is defined as 75 dB for 40 hours a week. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the daily level of sound exposure from video games is close to maximum permissible levels of sound exposure

What’s The Risk? 

Five studies reviewed by the researchers looked at associations between gaming and self-reported hearing loss, hearing thresholds, or tinnitus. Of these 5, 2 studies found that school pupils’ gaming centre usage was linked to increased odds of severe tinnitus and high-frequency sound hearing loss in both ears. Another large observational study also reported that video gaming was associated with increased odds of self-reported hearing loss severity.

Tinnitus is a condition characterised by hearing ringing, buzzing, or other noises in the ears and although, for some, it may be a mild background noise, for others, it can lead to concentration difficulties, sleep problems, and significant distress, affecting emotional well-being and quality of life.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Although gaming is a huge industry supported by 3 billion gamers worldwide (2022), the alleged negative aspects of video games have been the source of news stories, including social withdrawal, aggressive behaviour or desensitisation to violence, mental health concerns, addiction and more. This new review of existing studies adds the risk of hearing loss or tinnitus caused by prolonged exposure to loud video games while wearing headphones to the list. It highlights not just an overlooked area of risk in a much focused-on activity, but also the danger of unsafe listening practices, and perhaps an area where games producers need to study how they reduce the risk, such as changing aspects of the games, educating the gaming community, and more.

It’s been noted that there are, however, still several key gaps in the available evidence about a possible link between hearing damage and gaming, e.g. the impact of esports, geographic region, sex, and age, and that further research may now be essential to inform preventive measures and global policy initiatives. As the researchers conclude, the findings suggest “interventions” may now be needed, e.g. initiatives focused on education and awareness of the potential risks of gaming that can help promote safe listening among gamers.

However, for gamers (who mostly play in the confines of their own room, i.e. in an unmonitored and unregulated environment) and who may be caught up in the game and in competition with others, physical-risk may be the last thing on their minds. This is also often the case in competitive sports which, although more beneficial to overall health, also bring the risk of serious, lasting physical injury.

The risk of hearing damage when listening to music (such as at home, at concerts, or in clubs) is also a source of risk, particularly to hearing which has long been highlighted but is routinely ignored by music fans. That said, the news of the findings of this review has, however, raised some awareness about this overlooked risk of video games and prompted conversations about what needs to be done to help. It’s worth noting here that despite these legitimate concerns about hearing, and the other negative aspects of video gaming, there is also research to suggest that video gaming (at a sensible volume) offers many benefits, including cognitive development, improved coordination and motor skills, stress relief, and more.

Jan 23
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An Apple Byte : Apple Makes EU Concessions To Avoid Antitrust Fine

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It’s been reported that The European Commission is now seeking feedback from Apple’s rivals and customers over concessions agreed by Apple relating to its tap-and-go mobile payment systems, based on the independent technology called Near-Field Communication (NFC).

Following an antitrust investigation and the threat of a fine, Apple had agreed to open up these systems to third-party developers for their own apps, which would work independently from the Apple ones. This would make it easier for rivals to develop other payment options for iOS-based devices and compete with Apple Pay and Wallet apps.

Rivals and customers have one month to come back with their feedback. Apple has assured them (and the regulators) that it would stick to its agreed concessions saying: “We have offered commitments to provide third-party developers in the European Economic Area with an option that will enable their users to make NFC contactless payments from within their iOS apps, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.” 

Jan 23
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Security Stop Press : The Threat Of Sleeper Agents In LLMs

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AI company Anthropic has published a research paper highlighting how large language models (LLMs) can be subverted so that at a certain point, they start emitting maliciously crafted source code.

For example, this could involve training a model to write secure code when the prompt states that the year is 2024 but insert exploitable code when the stated year is 2025.

The paper likened the backdoored behaviour to having a kind of “sleeper agent” waiting inside an LLM. With these kinds of backdoors not yet fully understood, the researchers have identified them as a real threat and have highlighted how detecting and removing them is likely to be very challenging.

Jan 23
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Sustainability-in-Tech : Google’s AI Discovers 380,000 New Materials

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A new AI tool called GNoME from Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence lab has reportedly discovered and contributed nearly 380,000 new compounds to the Materials Project, the open-access database founded at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

GNoME 

The Graph Networks for Materials Exploration (GNoME), is an AI-powered deep learning tool and a state-of-the-art graph neural network (GNN) model. Originally trained with data on crystal structures and their stability, it is particularly suited to discovering new crystalline materials.

Why Is Finding New Crystalline Materials So Important? 

As Google’s DeepMind says: “Modern technologies from computer chips and batteries to solar panels rely on inorganic crystals. To enable new technologies, crystals must be stable otherwise they can decompose, and behind each new, stable crystal can be months of painstaking experimentation.” 

380,000 New Stable Materials Discovered  

DeepMind reports that using its GNoME AI model, not only has it discovered 2.2 million new crystals (the equivalent to nearly 800 years’ worth of knowledge) but has identified 380,000 of these as being the most stable, making them promising candidates for experimental synthesis.

Faster And Cheaper Than Past Methods 

As DeepMind has highlighted, the traditional methods of scientists searching for novel crystal structures have been adjusting known crystals or experimenting with new combinations of elements. These methods have proven to be an expensive, trial-and-error processes that could take months to deliver limited results. Using the GNoME AI model, therefore, has dramatically speeded up and reduced the cost of this process.

Work Already Under Way On The New Materials 

Google says that researchers in labs around the world have already independently created 736 of the newly discovered structures as part of experimental work. Also, in partnership with Google DeepMind, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have published a paper showing how the AI discoveries can be leveraged for autonomous material synthesis.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

Many essential modern technologies rely on a supply of stable inorganic crystals, e.g. for computer chips, batteries, and solar panels. However, up until now, old methods of finding these crystals have involved time-consuming and expensive trial-and error process. Having an AI tool like GNoME has dramatically increased the speed and efficiency of discovery by predicting the stability of new materials. In doing so, it has demonstrated the potential of using AI to discover and develop new materials.

This could mean that AI models (such as GNoME) have the potential to develop a range of future transformative technologies which could include superconductors, powering supercomputers, and next-generation batteries to boost the efficiency of electric vehicles. Also, Google DeepMind releasing its database of newly discovered crystals to the research community could reduce development times for these new transformative technologies.

This could benefit society and businesses (new opportunities and new industries) as well as contributing to achieving environmental targets and improving sustainability by accelerating the development green technologies.

Jan 23
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Tech Tip – Create Instant ‘To-Do’ Desktop Notes with Sticky Notes

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Jot down ideas, to-do lists, or important reminders for yourself using Sticky Notes in Microsoft Windows. This simple but effective tool allows you to place virtual notes on your desktop, freeing you from paper notes that can get lost, and ensuring you don’t forget critical tasks or information. Here’s how it works:

– To open Sticky Notes in Windows, press Win + S and type ‘Sticky Notes’, then press Enter.

– To create a new note click on the ‘+’ icon.

– Write your note.

– To organise your notes, drag to reposition them on the desktop or resize them for better visibility.

– To personalise and categorise your notes, choose different colours e.g., to organise by topic or priority.

Jan 18
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Featured Article : What Was Fun At CES?

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Following the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, we take a look at some of the more novel and fun gadgets (and claims from the show) and what lessons businesses can take away from this year’s event.

CES

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which this year took place in Las Vegas (from January 9th to 12th) once again acted as a global stage for tech innovation and a glimpse of things to come. It’s a place where industry leaders, startups, and tech enthusiasts converge to showcase and witness the latest advancements and future trends in technology and which sets the tone for the tech industry each year. Among the more ‘serious’ products, however, the show features many fun/novel and more left-field gadgets and claims. Here’s some standout examples of these from CES 2024.

LG’s Smart Home AI Agent. This AI device (a kind of robotic home manager) transcends traditional smart home functions. It’s capable of engaging in meaningful conversations, providing reminders for medication, and even contacting emergency services if needed, showcasing a new level of AI integration in home management. The Smart Home AI Agent is an example of a product that fits LG’s vision of a “zero-labour home”, something that many of us can only dream about!

For those who want to keep their conversations secret, how about Skyted’s Mobility Privacy Mask? This innovative gadget is essentially a Bluetooth-enabled face mask yet it’s designed to absorb voice frequencies, thereby ensuring private conversations in public spaces. The potential applications for the device highlighted by the company include conversations in public spaces, while travelling (for frequent travellers or regular commuters), plus those working in aeroplanes, in and in offices or call centres. It’s an interesting idea which highlights a growing demand for privacy in our increasingly connected world.

GlüxKind’s AI-powered Stroller (Pram), Ella. This gadget is a step forward (or a roll forward) in making the life of modern, connected parents that bit easier. It’s a pram that offers hands-free operation, automatic stopping on inclines, and a gentle rocking feature for the baby. Its built-in white noise machine adds another layer of innovation, showcasing how parenting can be assisted by smart technology.

The WeHead GPT Edition is an AI-powered head with a face that gives ChatGPT a physical form, providing a unique interactive experience. Some have criticised the face for appearing to be a little emotionless when it talks. It’s been designed for brainstorming and idea generation, and it represents an intriguing (some have said creepy) blend of virtual and physical AI interfaces.

Rabbit’s R1 Pocket AI Assistant. Developed by Teenage Engineering, this ($200) handheld AI assistant with a 2.88-inch touchscreen navigates smartphone apps on command, simplifying tasks like ordering food or managing apps. It operates on a language action model, pushing the boundaries of how we interact with our digital devices.

French startup MolluSCAN’s Smart Molluscs is a novel, environmentally-focused technology that uses sensors literally upon molluscs to monitor water quality and pollution. It represents a highly innovative approach to environmental monitoring, combining biology with technology.

For those who remember how some TVs used to fold into cabinets and be disguised as home furniture, SEED’s N1 Folding TV takes things quite a few steps further. This innovative TV transitions itself from a large 137-inch screen to a sleek sculpture. The seamless MicroLED panels provide an uninterrupted viewing experience, reflecting the fusion of technology and art.

On the subject of TVs, how about one you can’t see at all? Samsung’s Transparent TV can blend in with the background of your room when not in use, so it looks like a transparent piece of glass in a frame! The design uses Micro LED technology which Samsung says makes “the line between content and reality virtually indistinguishable.”

In the health industry, ADAM-X by Medical-X is essentially a robot patient that simulates a wide range of medical scenarios and reacts how a live patient would react, providing real-time feedback to trainees. It also has simulated bodily fluids. This advanced CPR dummy is designed for medical training and is a good example of how technology is enhancing medical training with lifelike simulations.

Again, in the health domain, the BMind AI-Powered Smart Mirror by Baracoda is a smart mirror that acts as a mental wellness health companion. For example, this mirror not only reflects your image but also gauges your mood using AI. It can engage in conversations, provide meditation exercises, and even offers light therapy, marking a new era in personal wellness technology.

The Clicks Technology’s BlackBerry-style iPhone Keyboard attachment transforms an iPhone into a device reminiscent of the BlackBerry era. It provides a tactile typing experience while liberating screen space, blending nostalgia with modern smartphone functionality.

Sound Drive’s Dynamic Sound Mixing, created by Will.i.am’s startup, is a system that adjusts your car’s music based on your driving speed and conditions. It dynamically mixes the music, adding or dropping lyrics as needed, to match the energy of your drive.

How about having a conversation with your bathroom furniture? A step too far? Not in the case of Kohler’s PureWash E930 Bidet Seat which features voice command capabilities. It allows users to control various functions such as activating the spray or dryer, or using its self-cleaning UV feature, all through voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. Just be careful not to say the wrong thing at the wrong time!

One novel piece of tech for pets presented at CES this year was the ‘Flappie,’ the AI-powered cat flap, described as “world’s most intelligent” cat flap.  Flappie uses cameras and AI to prevent unwanted visitors from following your pet indoors. It’s designed to recognise your cat and distinguish it from other animals, ensuring that only your pet has access. This product reflects the increasing use of AI in everyday household items, offering convenience and problem-solving in unexpected areas.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

It seems that CES 2024 has demonstrated how technology is becoming increasingly intertwined with every aspect of our lives. From smart-home advancements to groundbreaking developments in environmental monitoring and healthcare, even the more novel tech innovations offer a glimpse into a future where technology enhances and simplifies our daily experiences.

For UK businesses, these trends underscore the importance of embracing innovation, focusing on user experience, and exploring eco-friendly technologies. They also highlight how the integration of AI is changing everything and opening up so many more opportunities and avenues for product innovation and enhancement. The gadgets and AI advancements from CES 2024, therefore, not only reflect the current state of technology but also offer a roadmap for future developments. UK businesses can learn from these innovations to identify new opportunities, meet emerging consumer needs, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global tech landscape.

Although this selection focuses on the more novel and unusual gadgets, the key general takeaway from CES 2024 could be that the future is not just about technology for its own sake, but technology that enriches, simplifies, and adds value to our everyday lives.

Jan 18
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Tech Tip – Use ChatGPT Within Microsoft Word

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The ‘Add-Ins’ link on the menu (top-right) in Microsoft Word in Office 365 enables you to use many useful apps and tools directly within Word, including ChatGPT. Here’s how it works:

Open a Word document and click on ‘Add-Ins’ (a grid symbol) top-right in the horizontal menu bar at the top of the page.

From the dropdown of options, select ‘ChatGPT for Excel and Word’ and follow the very brief instructions to set it up.

Write your document and use the ChatGPT add-in, which appears in the right pane, to research details which you can copy directly into your document using the ‘Copy’ or ‘Insert’ button provided.

Jan 18
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Tech Insight : A Quick Guide To Flash Drives & HDD Storage

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In this brief guide to storage technology, we compare and contrast the benefits of flash drives and Hard Disk Drives (HDD) for enterprise storage and take a look at some other popular storage options.

What are Flash Drives? 

Flash drives, sometimes called Solid State Drives (SSDs), use ‘flash memory’ to store data. The flash memory (where the data is stored) is integrated circuits, i.e. an array of memory cells made from floating-gate transistors that hold the data when the drive isn’t powered. Unlike traditional hard drives, they don’t have moving parts and offer faster data access and increased reliability. Their compact size also makes them an ideal choice for devices such as laptops and mobile devices. Popular types include USB flash drives, SSDs for computers and servers for high-speed data access, and memory cards such as the type commonly used in cameras and mobile devices for lightweight, mobile storage.

Flash Storage in Business Use 

Businesses use flash storage for tasks requiring speed and efficiency, such as operating system installations, running applications, and data processing.

Enterprise flash storage, commonly found in enterprise-level datacentres, is a sophisticated solution designed for handling large-scale data storage needs in datacentres. In terms of its aggregated capacity, it can run from tens of terabytes (TB) to many petabytes (PB) – where a petabyte is one quadrillion bytes! It consists of multiple flash drives assembled in a rack-mounted array.  The system is operated and governed by controller hardware, i.e. a computer that handles the input/output from hosts to the storage. The controller also performs other advanced functions to help maintain optimal performance.

The Benefits 

Enterprise storage of this kind offers benefits like:

– High performance – superior speed and low latency, significantly enhancing performance for demanding applications.

– Reliability and efficiency. With no moving parts, flash drives are more reliable and consume less power compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).

– Scalability. The modular nature allows for easy expansion to meet growing data needs.

What Is QLC Flash Storage? 

QLC (Quad-Level Cell) flash storage is the latest advanced technology where each memory cell stores four bits of data (hence the ‘quad’ part of the name). This design allows for higher storage density, enabling more data to be stored in less physical space. As a result, QLC offers a cost-effective solution for businesses, particularly effective for managing large volumes of unstructured data.

While QLC increases storage capacity and reduces cost per GB, it also presents challenges around endurance. However, ongoing advancements are addressing these issues, making QLC a promising option for businesses seeking efficient and economical data storage solutions.

What About NVMe Flash? 

Another flavour of business flash storage is NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express). This is essentially a protocol tailored for flash storage, that can deliver significant performance improvements over older HDD-oriented protocols like SATA and SAS. It works by optimising data queues and buffers specifically for flash memory, which leads to faster data access and transfer speeds.

Some of the key benefits of NMVe include:

– It’s fast. NVMe greatly accelerates data processing and access, crucial for applications needing quick data retrieval.

– It offers expanded connectivity. NVMe-over-fabrics technology enables high-speed connections across datacentre networks, thereby supporting scalability.

– It’s future-ready. Using NVMe enables businesses to leverage the latest in flash storage technology for efficiency and growth.

Hard Disk Drives (HDD) Explained 

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), like the type found in desktop computers, store data on spinning magnetic disks. They offer larger storage capacities at a lower cost per GB compared to flash drives. This makes them suitable for storing vast amounts of data like archives and backups.

For enterprise storage, HDD rack-mounted arrays preceded flash storage arrays and are still widely used as pooled storage for multiple enterprise users.

Comparing HDDs and Flash Drives for Enterprise Storage

Here’s a quick and easy comparison between the advantages and disadvantages of flash storage compared to HDD in terms of performance, cost, reliability, and future-readiness.

Performance 

Flash storage, such as SSDs, significantly outperforms HDDs in speed. They offer lower latency, with access times in low milliseconds or even microseconds, compared to the multiple milliseconds of HDDs. This results in much higher input/output operations per second (IOPS) and throughput rates up to four or five times quicker than HDDs. The lack of moving parts in flash drives contributes to this rapid performance.

HDDs, however, are limited by their mechanical nature, i.e. the physical movement of the moving parts (spinning platters and read/write heads) results in slower access times and reduced IOPS compared to flash storage.

Cost 

In terms of cost, flash drives are historically more expensive per GB than HDDs, although the cost of flash storage has been decreasing. For example, as of October 2023, the cost averaged $0.075/GB. While still more costly, the price gap between flash and HDD is narrowing. For example, again in OCtober 2023, SAS HDDs averaged $0.05/GB, and SATA HDDs were even lower at $0.035/GB.

Reliability 

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are generally more reliable than HDDs due to the lack of moving parts, which makes them less susceptible to mechanical failures and physical shocks. The mechanical components in HDDs can also be more prone to wear and tear over time, potentially leading to higher failure rates compared to SSDs.

Future-Readiness 

With their superior speed and decreasing costs, flash drives are increasingly becoming the preferred choice for future-focused enterprise storage, offering scalability and efficiency for high-performance computing environments.

While HDDs still play a role in enterprise storage (especially for archival and low-cost, high-capacity storage needs), they may not be as well-suited for future high-speed, data-intensive applications as flash drives.

What About In the Cloud? 

Flash storage is ideal for cloud applications requiring high performance, such as databases (e.g. SQL, Oracle, SAP Hana) and computing environments with specific needs (e.g. Windows, Lustre, MacOS). It’s chosen for its speed, lower latency, and high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second). For example, major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offer solid-state storage options with varying levels of performance and cost. Customers can select service levels based on capacity and IOPS, tailored to their specific workload requirements. There are also specialised flash storage options for file storage and offerings from specific suppliers (e.g. Azure’s NetApp Files).

HDD storage in the cloud, however, is mainly suitable for data that doesn’t require the high-speed access of flash storage. It’s often used for bulk storage, backups, archives, and other less performance-sensitive applications where cost is a more significant factor than speed. As such, cloud HDD storage is generally offered with service levels focused on capacity rather than speed. Customers can choose HDD storage for cost-effective, large-scale data storage needs and cloud providers may automatically use HDDs for certain types of storage services, particularly where high capacity at a lower cost is more important than performance.

All-Flash Datacentres? 

An all-flash datacentre is a concept where traditional storage media like HDDs and tapes are entirely replaced by flash storage. This idea has been gaining traction for about a decade, driven by the decreasing cost of flash storage (e.g. QLC flash) and its advantages in terms of rapid data access.

All-flash datacentres are an attractive proposition because flash storage’s rapid access speeds are particularly beneficial for tasks like running analytics on large datasets, where quick data retrieval is essential. Also, with flash storage, there is the potential to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) on extensive datasets, extracting more value from the data. In scenarios like ransomware attacks, the ability to quickly recover data from flash media may also prove to be a significant advantage.

Arrival and Challenges

The transition to all-flash datacentres is ongoing but gradual. While suppliers of flash storage are optimistic, analysts suggest that flash will penetrate secondary workloads but won’t completely replace spinning disks in the near future. As of now, a sizeable portion of data is still stored on HDDs.

One major challenge to the introduction of all-flash datacentres is the current lack of flash capacity to fully replace HDD storage. Also, despite falling prices, the cost of flash storage is still a consideration, especially for vast data storage requirements where HDDs can be more cost-effective.  It’s also worth remembering that certain types of data and use cases may still benefit from the characteristics of traditional HDD storage, delaying the complete shift to all-flash solutions.

Other Enterprise Storage Solutions 

A few examples of other enterprise data solutions include:

– Network Attached Storage (NAS). This refers to a network-connected device providing centralised data access to multiple users.

– Cloud Storage. Clearly, this online storage method (which incorporates flash and HDD) is the one that most businesses would recognise. Cloud services offer a range of benefits including cost-effectiveness, ease of use, scalability, remote access, and often enhanced security features.

– Hybrid Storage Systems that combine the speed of SSDs with the capacity of HDDs can be a way to offer a balanced solution.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

In today’s data-driven world, understanding your business’s unique storage requirements is key to selecting the right technology. The choice between flash drives and HDDs isn’t just about current requirements but also about anticipating future needs. Flash drives, with their high performance and reliability, are ideal for operations demanding speed and frequent data access, whereas HDDs are still relevant for large-scale storage where cost-effectiveness is paramount.

Cost is always a major concern for businesses and while flash storage costs are decreasing, they are still higher than HDDs and it may be a case of balancing the need for speed and performance against budget constraints. The narrowing price gap, however, may now be making flash a more accessible option for a broader range of applications.

As stated above, the reliability of SSDs (due to their lack of moving parts) could offer peace of mind for businesses with critical data needs. Also, as technology moves towards faster and more data-intensive applications, SSDs are a future-ready choice, ensuring your business remains competitive and agile.

With cloud storage becoming a staple for many businesses, understanding the use of flash and HDD in the cloud is helpful. For example, flash is ideal for performance-hungry applications in the cloud, while HDDs serve well for less demanding, bulk storage tasks. This distinction can help guide businesses in optimising cloud storage expenses and performance.

Looking ahead, the concept of all-flash datacentres, while still developing, points to a future where rapid data access and processing will be standard. Businesses should monitor this trend, as it promises enhanced capabilities for data analytics and AI, alongside quicker recovery from data incidents.

Finally, many enterprises may want to consider a more holistic approach to data storage, possibly employing hybrid storage systems that combine the speed of SSDs with the high capacity of HDDs. This strategy allows businesses to leverage the best of both worlds, ensuring a balanced, efficient, and scalable storage infrastructure.

Hopefully, this brief guide has gone some way to demystifying some aspects of enterprise storage technologies.

Jan 18
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Tech News : Google Waives Exit Fees for Cloud Data Transfers

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Google has announced that Google Cloud customers who want to switch and migrate their network data to another cloud provider and/or on-premises will no longer be charged a transfer fee to do so.

How? 

The process for the free transfer away from Google involves contacting the Google Cloud account team (if one has been assigned), and completing and submitting an online form, after which there is a 60-day window for the user to transfer the data before terminating their Google Cloud agreement.

Who and When? 

The Google Cloud Exit free data transfers are available to Premium Tier Network Service Tier customers globally. Google says the change is effective immediately.

Why? 

As many tech commentators have noted, the charging of egress fees by cloud providers, such as Google, has come in for criticism by regulators, other public cloud providers, and customers. Egress fees, a lucrative source of revenue, are charges that cloud service providers impose when data is transferred out of their cloud infrastructure to another location, such as to a different cloud provider or to an on-premises data-centre. These fees can vary based on the amount of data being transferred, the destination of the data, and the specific policies of the cloud provider. Cloud providers claim that the purpose of egress fees is to cover the costs associated with data transfer and bandwidth usage.

Waiving the fees is therefore a way for Google to gain an advantage over competitors like Amazon (AWS) and Microsoft and put pressure on them in the highly competitive cloud market, and to escape further regulator criticism.

Swipe At Competitors 

In its announcement about stopping the fees, Google also took a swipe at its cloud provider competitors saying that the main issue stopping customers from working with their preferred cloud provider in the first place is “restrictive and unfair licensing practices.” Google explained that “Certain legacy providers leverage their on-premises software monopolies to create cloud monopolies, using restrictive licensing practices that lock in customers and warp competition.”  

Google gave examples of this among its competitors, highlighting how some may be using licensing restrictions to pick and choose their customers, charge then “5x the cost” if they want to use other competitors’ cloud, and “limiting interoperability of must-have software with competitors’ cloud infrastructure”.  It also claims that “these and other restrictions have no technical basis and may impose a 300% cost increase to customers”, and that, in contrast, “the cost for customers to migrate data out of a cloud provider is minimal.” 

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Egress fees (and licensing restrictions) are a major source of pain for many businesses that would like to switch their cloud provider. For example, a Global Market Intelligence report showed that more than a third of enterprises said that their use of cloud storage had been affected by egress fees, i.e. leading to them repatriating data on-premises or shifting to a provider who doesn’t charge for egress. Google’s move to waive egress fees will likely make it easier for enterprise cloud customers to switch and save themselves significant costs (egress fees can make up 6 per cent of cloud storage costs – IDC).

For Google, not charging egress fees and casting themselves as the ‘good guys’ who believe that “When customers’ business needs evolve, the cloud should be flexible enough to accommodate those changes,” the move could give them a competitive advantage and enable them to pick up users from other cloud providers. However, the move may put pressure on other providers to also stop or reduce their fees, making Google’s advantage temporary. In fact, it’s been reported that AWS claims that since 2021, over 90% of its customers haven’t been paying to transfer data out. Also, it could be the case that Google is simply preempting inevitable and impending regulations, such as the European Data Act which will require cloud providers to share certain data and lead to providers deciding to only charge cost for transfers anyway.

Jan 18
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Tech News : Microsoft Now More Valuable Than Apple

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Worries about smartphone demand have been blamed for Microsoft’s stock market value ending a trading session higher than Apple’s last week for the first time since 2021.

How Much? 

Microsoft adding 1 per cent to its stock value compared to just a 0.2 per cent rise from Apple saw Microsoft’s value (market capitalisation) reach an eye-watering $2.887 trillion, compared to Apple’s $2.875 trillion value. LSED data reported that this was Microsoft’s highest-ever valuation.

What Smartphone Demand Worries? 

Apple’s iPhone is still its main cash-cow and a recent cooling in demand for it has worried investors, affecting its market value. Most notably, recent demand worries over Apple’s iPhone can be attributed to:

– Apple facing increased competition from companies like Huawei in China at the same time as China’s economy is making a slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Market saturation in the US, meaning a slower pace of customers switching to the newer iPhone models. Analysts predict that Apple’s sales in the U.S. will struggle, experiencing a year-over-year decline.

– Global challenges to the smartphone industry in recent times, such as component shortages, inventory build-up, and lengthening replacement cycles, all compounded by an uncertain macroeconomic environment.

– Internal (but very public) Apple issues, e.g. the (temporary) pause in sales of its latest smartwatch models due to a ruling by the International Trade Commission, and the huge payouts due to those affected by the iPhone throttling scandal.

What Is Microsoft Doing Right? 

Microsoft’s stock value overtaking Apple’s isn’t just down to Apple underperforming. Things that Microsoft has done that have had a positive impact on its own stock value are mainly related to it being a major player and investor in AI. For example:

– The incorporation of OpenAI’s technology (with whom it is an investor and partner – a strategic relationship) across its suite of productivity software (Copilot) that also boost its cloud-computing business in the July-September quarter.

– Its move into AI and incorporating it in its products and Bing helping to challenge Google’s dominance of web search.

– The monetisation of Microsoft’s AI products and services, helping to drive its share value upwards.

– Diversification and growth in cloud computing and gaming. For example, the acquisition of video game developer Activision Blizzard has helped Microsoft to control popular titles.

– Substantial investments in AI infrastructure, including a $3.2 billion investment in expanding its AI data centre infrastructure in the UK, thereby strategically enhancing its AI capabilities, and asserting dominance in the AI sector.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Microsoft has been a dominant force in the technology world for over four decades but Apple, which has also been around over four decades became the first £3 trillion dollar company last summer. However, with Apple still reliant on its iPhone, which has been around since 2007 as its main cash cow, a slowing in demand (and slump in China), coupled with Microsoft’s gains in cloud computing with its Azure and its major investment in AI has resulted in Microsoft’s significant creep ahead.

Microsoft’s leadership by CEO Satya Nadella (who took over in 2014), its ability to adapt and innovate, and its strategic partnership with OpenAI has all played major roles in its resurgence. That said, it’s facing an antitrust investigation over its apparent closeness to OpenAI which could be a threat to Microsoft’s momentum.

For Apple, all this could signal a need to further innovate and diversify its product offerings and strategies to maintain its competitive edge. Broadly speaking then, Microsoft overtaking Apple’s value for the first time since 2021 could be viewed as reflecting the growing importance and impact of AI and cloud computing in the tech landscape.

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