The construction of the new data centre is expected to commence later this year, with completion targeted for within the coming three years.
The planned data centre marks the first in a series of hyper-scale data centres that the collaboration plan to introduce to the Egyptian market in the future, aiming to leverage Egypt’s strategic location.
UAE’s Khazna Data Centers has signed the joint venture shareholding agreement with Benya Group to step up the first hyper-scale data centre in Egypt on first day of the Cairo ICT 2023 event.
The project will be located at Egypt’s Maadi Technology Park, Egypt’s first specialised investment zone.
“We are thrilled to mark this occasion with the signing of the shareholders agreement with Benya Group. This collaboration represents a pivotal step in our continued efforts to boost digital infrastructure not only in the UAE, but also the wider region, laying the groundwork for a technologically advanced future,” Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO Khazna Data Centers, said.
Moreover, he said the new data centre will provide crucial support to businesses in Egypt seeking to expand internationally, offering solutions that cater to the needs of multinational corporations striving to grow and innovate in the Middle East and North African markets.
The planned data centre marks the first in a series of hyper-scale data centres that the collaboration plan to introduce to the Egyptian market in the future, aiming to leverage Egypt’s strategic location.
It’s just the beginning
The construction of the new data centre is expected to commence later this year, with completion targeted for within the coming three years.
“We are eager to embark on the next phase of our partnership with Khazna Data Centers. This agreement that we are signing today mark an essential milestone in our journey to solidify our presence in constructing advanced data centres in the country, supported by our partner, Khazna Data Centers, who is renowned for its unparalleled expertise in this field,” Ahmed Mekky, Chairman and CEO of Benya Group, said.
“The establishment of this data centre will help Egypt to become a focal point for technological innovation and digital transformation, reaffirming its stature within the global digital landscape. It will also elevate operations in Africa and the Middle East, driving investments and fostering cloud computing and content systems.”
Meeting the escalating demand
The data centre will provide an additional 25 MW of IT load and is strategically positioned to meet the escalating demand for advanced digital infrastructure which enhances the digital resilience of enterprises.
In an era characterised by the rapid growth of data-driven by AI, the new data centre will become a critical asset poised to support Egypt’s growing digital ecosystem.
Egypt has recently undertaken a series of investments, digital government services reforms, and infrastructure upgrades to enhance the contribution of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to the country’s economic growth.
The telecom industry is already witnessing constructive competition between mobile vendors, operators, and chipset and cloud providers, with several ongoing partnerships to become a commercial reality.
ABI Research believes that RIC will be a make-or-break feature for Open RAN to become a 6G product.
The industry needs to start developing the RIC ecosystem to enable the full potential of Open RAN architecture.
A technology gap still exists between legacy RAN and Open RAN in terms of higher order and large-scale mMIMO deployments.
Small-scale Open RAN deployments have already started in 2023 and large-scale brownfield deployments are expected to kick off during the first half of 2024.
The Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) ecosystem is developing and the industry is already witnessing constructive competition between mobile vendors, operators, chipset and cloud providers, with several ongoing partnerships to become a commercial reality.
After extensive research, Proofs of Concept (PoCs), trials, and certification processes that took almost a half-decade since the O-RAN Alliance was established in 2018, Open RAN is now slowly becoming a commercial reality.
The Open RAN ecosystem and supply chain started to become established during 2023 with several mobile operators, along with mobile vendors, having started small-scale commercial Open RAN deployments.
Several equipment vendors have implemented organic and inorganic growth strategies by launching new products, software upgrades, partnerships, and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) to broaden their Open RAN offerings in the market.
These include Mavenir, Nokia, NEC Corporation, Ericsson, Samsung, Fujitsu, Parallel Wireless, Rakuten, etc. On top of that, all major chipset providers (Intel, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Marvell, etc.) have joined this competition by announcing several products and partnerships with major mobile vendors and operators.
Considering the ongoing paradigm shift from traditional RAN toward vRAN and cloud-native Open RAN, the mobile industry is adopting O-RAN Alliance standards and has started to compete in the market and 2023 has proven to be a year full of advanced Open RAN developments.
Open RAN:A step forward
However, Saqlain Ali, Senior Analyst on the 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure team at ABI Research, said that there is still a long way to go for Open RAN to prove its full potential as an E2E solution by combining all the RAN components, including the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO), Centralised Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), RAN intelligent Controller (RIC, the brain of open RAN), and Radio Unit (RU), and their integration with core networks and other existing technologies, including MEC, Network Slicing (NS) and Self-Organising Networks (SONs).
“Open RAN is not restricted to any particular generation of mobile networks; instead, the industry should expect to observe implementations across different “Gs” and consider Open RAN as a step forward toward the next generations of mobile networks.”
However, he said that there are still other promising features that need further development and full integration with Open RAN.
Game changer
“A technology gap still exists between legacy RAN and Open RAN in terms of higher order and large-scale mMIMO deployments. Small-scale Open RAN deployments have already started in 2023 and large-scale brownfield deployments are expected to kick off during the first half of 2024,” Ali said.
However, he said that this will happen without RIC and ‘the game changer’ that can bring further advantages, including automation, agility, and efficiency for mobile operators to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Maturing the RIC programmability is critically important to help mobile operators fulfil their network requirements, he said and added that more work is needed across various domains of the RIC ecosystem such as the integration of multiple RICs and scalability; testing and integration of rApps and xApps in multi-vendor environments; conflict mitigation between xApps/rApps; and security.
“The industry needs to start developing the RIC ecosystem to enable the full potential of Open RAN architecture. Few vendors have already developed their versions of a RIC, but significant collaboration is needed to avoid unbalanced and incompatible development of technology,” Ali said.
ABI Research believes that the RIC will be a make-or-break feature for Open RAN to become a 6G product.
Resolution further calls on ITU Member States to support the inclusion of women in all aspects and levels of ITU‑R activities.
Adopts a resolution for the development of standards and radio interface technologies for the sixth generation of IMT systems.
WRC-23 will meet in Dubai from November 20 through December 15, 2023.
The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly 2023 (RA-23) has set the agenda for the development of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT-2030) for 6G and sustainable use of spectrum and orbital resources.
The Assembly, that concluded in Dubai, UAE, adopted a resolution for the development of standards and radio interface technologies for the sixth generation of IMT systems.
Among other outcomes, RA-23 also adopted a resolution on gender equality to strengthen, accelerate and widen the active involvement of women in the work of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R).
Ensuring a promising future
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of ITU, said that the work of the Radiocommunication Assembly helps us shape how “we live together in our interconnected world.”
“The outcomes of this meeting ensure a promising future for ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector and, through the groundbreaking resolution on gender equality, for women in the radiocommunications field.”
Mario Maniewicz, Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau, said this Radiocommunication Assembly has achieved significant accomplishments and the outcomes will establish the framework for the activities of the ITU Radiocommunication Study Groups in the upcoming four-year study period..
“We have set the stage for the development of new technologies with the potential to deliver better capacity and coverage everywhere, bridging the digital divide, as well as providing possible solutions to the challenges and impacts they will have on our lives.”
Women empowerment
The adoption of the gender resolution was called for by the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference’s “Declaration on Promoting Gender Equality, Equity and Parity in the ITU Radiocommunication Sector.”
The resolution calls on the ITU Radiocommunication Sector to strengthen and accelerate all efforts to ensure that its policies, work programmes, information dissemination activities, publications, study groups, seminars, courses, assemblies and conferences reflect the commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
With Australia’s Carol Wilson serving as the first woman to chair an ITU Radiocommunication Assembly, the resolution further calls on ITU Member States to support the inclusion of women in all aspects and levels of ITU‑R activities and to undertake a variety of specific actions to promote and increase the interest of, and opportunities for, women and girls in STEM fields, particularly in electrical engineering and computer science.
Over 1,300 delegates from 128 ITU Member States attended the Dubai event which meets every four years to set the future work programmes for the ITU Radiocommunication Sector, approve radiocommunication standards (ITU-R Recommendations) and resolutions.
Agreement on “IMT-2030″ as the technical reference for the 6th generation of International Mobile Telecommunications;
Revision of ITU-R Resolution 65, paving the way for studies on the compatibility of current regulations with potential 6th generation IMT radio interface technologies for 2030 and beyond;
Adoption of the new Recommendation ITU-R M. 2160 on the “IMT-2030 Framework,” setting the basis for the development of IMT-2030. The next phase will be the definition of relevant requirements and evaluation criteria for potential radio interface technologies (RIT);
Adoption of a new resolution on the use of IMT technologies for fixed wireless broadband;
In accordance with Resolution 219 (Bucharest, 2022), adoption of a new resolution on space sustainability to facilitate the long-term sustainable use of radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite orbit resources used by space services. This will be supportive of further cooperation with other United Nations organisations and beneficial to the satellite industry;
Conclusion of a new ITU-R Recommendation on the protection of the radio navigation-satellite service and amateur satellite services;
Revision of Resolution ITU-R 8-3 to promote the participation of engineers and scientists from developing countries in propagation campaigns in tropical and subtropical regions of the world for which there is limited data monitoring.
One of the reasons for the proliferation of fake apps is the accessibility of ChatGPT as it makes it easy to build a mobile app even for those with minimal coding knowledge.
Fake apps’ names can differ by only one to two letters from the legitimate versions and users must verify spelling accuracy.
Keeping applications up to date and ensuring that installations and updates are always done through official stores is vital.
To verify an application’s authenticity, you may visit the developer’s official website. Download the app directly from the store link provided.
In the first three quarters of 2023, there was a 32 per cent increase in fake applications impersonating popular services.
Banking and cryptocurrency applications are the most common targets. And many gaming applications are exploited to install malicious code on gadgets.
With more people turning to digital content, the mobile application market is becoming a new target for cybercriminals. More often than that, their goal is to steal users’ credentials or payment data and spread malware.
Dan Chernov.
My advice to users is to check several critical parameters when installing the app to protect themselves:
The developer’s name. Is it someone you can trust?
The number of downloads, the more the better
Reviews. Do they look credible?
The application’s update history. Keep in mind that on average, a fake app can remain in the store for 64 days.
Developers
One of the reasons for the proliferation of fake apps is the accessibility of ChatGPT. This tool makes it easy to build a mobile app even for those with minimal coding knowledge.
Revolutionising the tech world, ChatGPT now makes mobile app development accessible to all.
This unparalleled breakthrough empowers even complete beginners to craft their applications guided by intuitive coding and real-time error debugging.
This highlights a trend of rapid and relatively effortless development of counterfeit applications. As we find ourselves amid this new era, there is a surge in the number of malicious applications in app stores.
Nowadays, even an untrained teenage hacker could create a fake app in a few days. Dark Web malware templates and artificial intelligence services are available to generate convincingly authentic replicas of existing apps. And the rest is simple – just post them across users’ favourite platforms.
The main goal of a fake app is to mimic the appearance and functionality of the original, enticing users to download it. Fake apps’ names can differ by only one to two letters from the legitimate versions. This means that users must verify spelling accuracy.
Downloads
Top apps usually have a large download number. A recently published app with an unusually high download count could be a red flag.
Reviews
Examining the tone of user reviews can also provide valuable insights. Negative reviews may highlight potential issues, while plenty of positive reviews might hide manipulation, as cybercriminals know how ratings and reviews impact user choices.
By entering a login and password into a fake app, users are granted access to all personal information stored on their devices.
Thus, it is crucial to meticulously review all requested permissions before granting access. Cyber hygiene practices, such as two-factor authentication, create an extra layer of data protection.
Keeping applications up to date and ensuring that installations and updates are always done through official stores is vital. Antivirus software provides additional protection, helping detect and eliminate viruses in real time.
To verify an application’s authenticity, you may visit the developer’s official website. Download the app directly from the store link provided.
For extra control, use app security control tools such as DerScanner. Checking an application’s safety with DerScanner is as easy as copying and pasting an application URL from the app stores.
The scanner doesn’t need any source codes for a check. The application will be extracted from an app store providing a security rating as well as the full vulnerability report.
Dan Chernov is the CEO of DerScanner, a comprehensive application security solution that combines static (SAST), dynamic (DAST) and software composition (SCA) analysis methods in a single interface.
To stay secure in today’s digital landscape, we need to embrace modern best practices and adopt a holistic approach to cybersecurity.
We should educate ourselves and others, collaborate across all levels of our organisations, and continuously adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape.
In the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, old myths and misconceptions can be as dangerous as the threats themselves.
Outdated advice often lingers, well past its “sell-by date,” and can lead to false notions about digital security. Here are ten common cybersecurity myths that need to be debunked.
Regular password changes are good
This advice dates back to at least 1989 when Clifford Stoll wrote in The Cuckoo’s Egg“Treat your password like your toothbrush.
Don’t let anyone else use it and get a new one every six months”. The reason for this seems obvious, so why is it wrong? Forced regular password rotation has several outcomes; passwords become more predictable as people are more likely to increment a number at the end of the password than to change the whole thing.
Rik Ferguson.
Passwords are more likely to be used for several different systems, as memorising an array of constantly changing passwords is impossible. For the same reasons, they are more likely to be written down, either digitally or physically.
Paradoxically, they are more likely to be memorable (as opposed to complex), and at the same time more likely to be forgotten.
Today’s cybersecurity experts, including organisations such as NIST and the NCSC recommend strong, unique passwords that don’t need constant changes, backed by robust security measures like multi-factor authentication.
Having a good antivirus is sufficient
Many still believe that a dependable antivirus program is all you need for digital protection. But as cyber threats become increasingly complex, relying solely on antivirus software is outdated. Even the best antirust in the world, even one with zero false positives and a 100% detection rate will not keep you safe.
So many other routes into the modern home or business exist; phishing, SMiShing, Vishing, social engineering, vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, insecurity by design, IoT and other unmanaged and unagentable devices.
Modern cybersecurity demands a layered approach, based on full visibility of the network including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, XDR, and comprehensive user education.
People are the weakest link
The age-old belief that users are the weakest link in cybersecurity neglects the importance of empowering individuals as the first line of defence.
Today, education and user awareness are key components in the fight against cyber threats. If a person clicking on a link, executing an attachment or being socially engineered out of their password is enough to take down your entire organisation.
The problem is not with the person, it’s with the architecture and processes. Is the network properly segmented? Is data encrypted?
Have you applied principles of least privilege and need to know? Are your business processes secure and robust, for example, Is one person empowered to make large financial transfers without a second approval?
Properly prepared and empowered people are your strongest asset rather than your weakest link. Blaming users is outdated; educating them is the future.
Cybersecurity is the job of infosec
Cybersecurity was often believed to be the sole domain of IT departments or security professionals. Everyone has a responsibility today.
We should all be concerned about cyber risks, so it is crucial to promote cybersecurity knowledge within an organisation.
Everyone is accountable for exercising caution and learning about best practices and safety. Cybersecurity must be a cornerstone of corporate strategy in the boardroom.
Equally fundamentally, all employees—not just the select few who are interested in cybersecurity—should be aware of the significance of common cybersecurity practices, such as avoiding phishing scams, using strong passwords, and keeping data secure both on and off the network.
It is all about computers and data
Cybersecurity is no longer limited to protecting computers and data. In our interconnected world, it encompasses safeguarding critical infrastructure, IoT devices, and even your digital identity. As technology evolves, so does the scope of cybersecurity, requiring us to think beyond data and devices.
Of course, your “traditional” technology estate is important to your business and attractive to cybercriminals, but the truth is that our networks are becoming ever more distributed, ever more diverse and ever more unmanageable.
Attackers are increasingly focusing on IoT devices such as cameras and NAS, unpatentable devices like VPN concentrators and routers, and less visible network segments containing OT as both initial routes into your organisation and as attack targets.
Don’t forget, that cybersecurity is as much about processes as it is about technology. A vulnerability is not a phenomenon restricted to software; it is equally possible for a process to be vulnerable.
Backups will save you from everything
Backups are a crucial part of a cybersecurity strategy, but they won’t protect you from every threat. Ransomware already looks for backups to encrypt if they are connected to your network.
Backups are an essential part of cybersecurity, but they are not the only part. Ransomware threat actors have got wise to the increased focus on effective backup strategies in recent years, as a response to the boom in ransomware attacks.
They are switching their tactics. Rather than encrypting your data and holding it to ransom, they now simply steal it and threaten to leak it. Backups won’t save you here.
You will know if you are breached
In the past, detecting a cyber breach might have been easier. Today’s attackers are more sophisticated and stealthier, often remaining undetected for extended periods. The “assume breach” mentality is now standard, emphasizing continuous monitoring, incident response plans, and proactive threat hunting.
Small businesses don’t need to worry
Many still believe that small businesses are less likely to be targeted by cybercriminals. In reality, they are often seen as easier prey due to weaker security measures. So a relatively smaller payout is balanced by the lower investment of criminal effort.
Additionally, small businesses often serve as links in the supply chain to larger organizations. According to the US National Cyber Security Alliance, 60 per cent of small businesses that suffer a cyber-attack go out of business within half a year.
SMBs must prioritize cybersecurity just as much as large enterprises because the consequences of a breach can be equally, if not more, devastating.
Securing internet-facing systems is enough
Otherwise known as “crispy on the outside with a soft chewy centre”. Outdated advice suggests that securing external-facing systems, such as websites or email, was sufficient.
There are plenty of ways into an organisation that do not involve breaking through the perimeter, social engineering, phishing, telephone calls, physical access, misconfiguration, zero-days and more.
Once inside that soft chewy centre, attackers can freely move laterally within your network. A comprehensive cybersecurity strategy involves securing all aspects of your infrastructure, from external to internal systems.
Penetration testing, compliance ensure security
While penetration testing and compliance are valuable components of cybersecurity, they do not guarantee overall security.
This snapshot mentality relying on point-in-time measures has already been shown to be insufficient to ensure security in the world of vehicle safety. In addition, penetration tests may not uncover all vulnerabilities and compliance standards can lag emerging threats.
A robust security posture goes beyond mere compliance to proactively address evolving risks. Compliance lays out minimum security requirements; it is emphatically not the same thing as security.
The world of cybersecurity and the threat landscape continues to evolve every day, and this renders well-meaning advice and received wisdom obsolete regularly.
The greatest enemy of security is complacency. To stay secure in today’s digital landscape, we need to embrace modern best practices and adopt a holistic approach to cybersecurity.
We should educate ourselves and others, collaborate across all levels of our organisations, and continuously adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape.
It’s not about sticking to outdated wisdom; it’s about staying vigilant and responsive in the face of new challenges.
Rik Ferguson is the Vice President of Security Intelligence at Forescout.
The notable companies looking for GPT-4 professionals are Microsoft, Citigroup, Merck & Co, Thomson Reuters and The Travelers Companies.
As more companies are adopting chatbots and other large language model (LLM) AI technologies to improve customer service and operational efficiency, the need for talented individuals to develop, maintain, and operate these systems is also increasing.
LLM is a rapidly growing field, and the demand for skilled professional with expertise in deep learning, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and related technologies is on the rise.
Generating buzz online
Against this backdrop, companies across sectors are posting jobs related to GPT-4, finds data analytics company GlobalData.
An analysis by GlobalData reveals that some of the notable companies looking for GPT-4 professionals are Microsoft Corp, Citigroup Inc, Merck & Co Inc, Thomson Reuters Corp and The Travelers Companies Inc.
“GPT-4 has been generating buzz online ever since its launch. Recently OpenAI launched GPT-4 Turbo. Microsoft is partnering with OpenAI to introduce the next generation of language and multi-modal models using generative language like GPT-4 and ChatGPT,” Sherla Sriprada, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, said.
Microsoft Corp’s “Skype Senior Software Engineer” role looks at working on AI integrations into Skype, such as Bing Chat, a conversational agent powered by GPT-4 that can chat with users on various topics, and news filtering, a feature that uses AI to personalize and curate relevant news articles for users based on their interests and preferences.
Citigroup Inc’s “Generative AI Full Stack Engineering Lead – Codified Controls” role looks at driving and contributing to the technical direction of products and services, instilling engineering best practices into the team, and promoting cultural change across the organisation. The role also works with Generative AI technologies, such as GPT-4, embedding capabilities through prompt engineering in systems.
Merck & Co Inc’s “AI/ML Engineer” role looks at exploring and applying latest large language models GPT-3, GPT-3.5, GPT-4, Lama, Bert, etc to help in assessing AI technologies, building prototypes for divisions, and delivering enterprise AI projects to maximize the value.
Thomson Reuters Corp is hiring “Sr. Sales Specialist – MLF Growth Team”, a new role that requires searching for leads and generating sales by selling the highest growth opportunity products including CoCounsel, Practical Law, and Document Intelligence. Additionally, this role will also be responsible for driving net new growth selling CoCounsel, which is the newest acquisition and the world’s first reliable AI Legal Assistant powered by GPT-4.
The Travelers Companies Inc’s “Senior Data Engineer (Generative AI, Cloud, AWS, Python, Snowflake)” role looks at designing complex data solutions, including incorporating new data sources and ensuring designs are consistent across projects and aligned to data strategies.
Furthermore, the position requires experience in Python with the more recent large language models (GPT-4, Stable Diffusion models, and other more focused language models).
Related Posts:
The future of work in the age of AI
Why Mercedes leveraged the power of ChatGPT in their cars?
