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IBM Watson: A Cheat Sheet

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IBM Watson is designed to make businesses more intelligent, so every member can perform at their best. It first garnered worldwide attention in 2011 as the computerized “brain” that won one million dollars on the TV game show Jeopardy! by beating human contestants. Since then, IBM has widely deployed Watson in many industry verticals and areas of application, and it has become the gold standard for purposeful analytics processing.

IBM Watson is an excellent data analysis platform integrated with advanced application programming interfaces, software-as-a-service application and specialized tooling. It leverages these tools for complex data analysis use cases and can be integrated with different platforms for optimizing daily tasks and enabling businesses to make the right decisions.

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What is IBM Watson?

IBM Watson is a data analytics processor, named after IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson, that leverages natural language processing. This technology offers speech analysis to understand the syntax, context and meaning while translating it into actionable and practical answers.

SEE: Explore all of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and smart person’s guides.

Watson was originally developed in IBM’s DeepQA research project. The primary goal was to develop a natural language-responsive system that could interpret questions asked in a human language, analyze vast amounts of data and return answers that it would take human researchers days, weeks or even months to derive.

Key features of IBM Watson

Cloud environment

IBM Watson’s cloud availability means companies can start small and pay for what they use. In addition, this means businesses won’t have to invest in in-house computing devices or hardware, which can be expensive.

API integration

IBM Watson is integrated with various APIs, allowing developers to combine different features of Watson into the business apps.

In addition, Watson APIs make incorporating conversation, language and advanced text analytics into applications easy. For example, Watson’s Natural Language Understanding can analyze text and return a five-level taxonomy of the content, concepts, emotion, sentiment, entities and relations.

Watson Orchestrate

Orchestrate provides automation for employees by streamlining processes and repetitive tasks accessed through open APIs and robotics process automation integrations. With Orchestrate, employees free up time to pursue more things on their “want-to-do” list, making them more effective.

Watson Assistant

Assistant builds better virtual agents to quickly get accurate answers across applications and devices from customer service to internal IT help desk and human resources teams. It delivers consistent and intelligent customer care across all channels and touchpoints with conversational AI.

Watson Code Assistant

Code Assistant enables developers with various levels of expertise to write code with AI-generated recommendations, making it easier for anyone to write code. Code Assistant brings the power of IT automation to the entire organization as a strategic, accessible asset for more users — not just the subject-matter experts.

How does IBM Watson work?

IBM Watson is deployed across a cluster of IBM Power servers, each running an instance of the software, and these servers communicate and work together to process large amounts of data and carry out complex tasks.

As a result, Watson can leverage parallel processing, meaning it can perform many tasks simultaneously by distributing them across multiple servers. Its parallel processing capability makes Watson extremely scalable, as additional servers can be added to the cluster to increase its processing power.

Use cases of IBM Watson

More stories

IBM Watson was initially developed to take months of research and provide answers within a few seconds or minutes. As a showcase of its processing power, in 2011, Watson won against human contestants on the game show Jeopardy!

Two years later, IBM announced the first commercial application of Watson with cancer research. Since then, IBM Watson has since become a common choice for various industries, including healthcare, engineering, education and entertainment.

Healthcare

Watson’s ability to process and understand large amounts of complex data makes it extremely valuable in healthcare. Watson can analyze medical literature, clinical guidelines and patient records to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases and suggesting treatments.

For example, the Watson for Oncology application can analyze a patient’s medical information and provide a list of potential treatment options based on current medical guidelines and data from similar patients.

Finance

Watson has been used in the financial industry to enhance customer service, risk management and financial forecasting. Watson’s natural language processing capabilities in customer service can build sophisticated chatbots that handle customer inquiries.

In addition, Watson can analyze various data sources for risk management to detect potential signs of fraud or other financial risks. Watson’s machine learning algorithms can also create more accurate financial forecasts by analyzing market trends and other relevant data.

Retail

Watson’s machine learning and natural language processing abilities create personalized shopping experiences in retail. For instance, Watson can analyze a customer’s shopping history and preferences to recommend products they might be interested in. Watson can also optimize inventory management by analyzing sales data and predicting future demand trends.

Who should use IBM Watson?

IBM Watson is one of the best choices for data scientists who want to develop unique algorithms and queries, as it can derive answers based on a variety of industry knowledge bases. As such, IBM Watson can be applied to different public sector organizations, companies and institutes.

IBM Watson APIs allows developers to incorporate advanced AI functionalities into their applications without developing and maintaining complex AI models. This can significantly accelerate development timelines and empower developers to build more intelligent and innovative solutions.

IBM Watson vs. other analytics applications

IBM Watson stands out from other analytics applications because it focuses on artificial intelligence and cognitive computing capabilities. While traditional analytics applications provide valuable insights based on historical data and statistical methods, Watson goes beyond that by incorporating AI, machine learning, natural language processing and other advanced technologies:

  • AI-powered insights: IBM Watson’s AI offers the ability to analyze unstructured data like text, images and audio to provide deeper insights from diverse data sources, unlocking valuable information that would otherwise remain untapped.
  • Natural language understanding: NLU capabilities enable users to interact with systems using natural language queries, making IBM Watson more user-friendly and accessible to a broader range of users and allowing nontechnical stakeholders to gain insights and make data-driven decisions easily.
  • Machine learning integration: IBM Watson seamlessly integrates with ML algorithms, allowing users to build predictive models and perform advanced analytics tasks as well as streamlining the process of developing and deploying AI-driven solutions.
  • Domain-specific solutions: IBM Watson’s domain-specific applications come with pretrained models, making it quicker for businesses to adopt AI in their specific fields.
  • Natural language generation: IBM Watson’s NLG capabilities enable it to generate human-like written responses or summaries, which can be beneficial for creating reports, communicating insights and automating content generation.

Other analytics applications may excel in providing traditional business intelligence and data analysis capabilities, but IBM Watson’s AI and cognitive computing capabilities set it apart. All in all, IBM Watson allows organizations to derive deeper insights, automate processes and drive innovation in various industries and use cases.

IBM Watson’s competitors

MATLAB

MATLAB is a high-level programming language and interactive environment primarily used for numerical computing, data analysis, visualization and algorithm development. It allows users to perform complex mathematical operations and create applications for various scientific and engineering applications.

RapidMiner

RapidMiner is a powerful and user-friendly data science platform that enables organizations to efficiently build, deploy and operationalize predictive models and advanced analytics. It offers a visual workflow interface that simplifies the entire data mining and machine learning process, making it accessible to data scientists and business users.

Vertex AI

Vertex AI is a machine learning platform offered by Google Cloud that simplifies and accelerates the development and deployment of AI models. It provides a unified interface for data preparation, training, evaluation and deployment. This makes it easier for developers and data scientists to build scalable and production-ready machine-learning solutions.

Alteryx

Alteryx is a self-service data analytics platform that empowers users to prepare, blend and analyze data from various sources without the need for complex coding. Alteryx also offers a visual workflow interface that enables data blending, advanced analytics and data science tasks. This makes it accessible to both data analysts and business users for faster and more insightful decision-making.

SEE: Explore how IBM Watson compares to other competitors like Microsoft Azure and AWS IIoT Core.

How can I get IBM Watson?

Companies that can afford an investment into multiple millions of dollars can purchase an in-house IBM Watson system, which consists of futile servers tethered together into a processing cluster. For companies without these resources, Watson can be accessed for free through the IBM cloud. For example, IBM offers a software developer’s cloud powered by Watson. It also provides a cloud-based global healthcare analytics cloud.



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Boosting Cybersecurity for Small Businesses: Effective Strategies for Task Automation

Small businesses face increasing cyber threats that can jeopardize their sensitive data, finances, and reputation. While implementing robust cybersecurity measures is crucial, small business owners often struggle with limited resources and expertise. However, with the advancements in automation technology, small businesses can leverage automated tools and processes to enhance their cyber defense. This article explores the best ways for small businesses to automate cybersecurity tasks, empowering them to safeguard their digital assets effectively.

Employing Automated Threat Detection

One of the primary challenges in cybersecurity is the timely identification and response to potential threats. Small businesses can automate threat detection by deploying security information and event management (SIEM) or intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS). These tools analyze network traffic, log files, and system events, promptly alerting business owners to suspicious activities or potential breaches. Automating threat detection reduces the burden of manual monitoring and ensures faster incident response.

Implementing Patch Management Systems

Cybercriminals often exploit software vulnerabilities to illicitly gain access to systems. Small businesses can automate the patch management process to keep their software and systems current. Patch management tools can scan the network, identify outdated software, and deploy necessary updates automatically. By automating patch management, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation through known vulnerabilities.

Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Weak or stolen passwords are often responsible for security breaches. Small businesses can enhance authentication security by implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) systems. MFA adds a layer of protection by requiring users to provide multiple credentials, such as a password, a unique code generated by a mobile app, or a biometric scan. By automating MFA, businesses can fortify access controls and prevent unauthorized access attempts.

Automating Security Auditing and Compliance

Compliance with industry regulations and standards is crucial for small businesses, as non-compliance can lead to severe penalties. Automating security auditing and compliance processes can help small businesses meet these requirements efficiently. Utilizing automated tools that scan systems for vulnerabilities, assess configurations, and generate compliance reports simplifies the auditing process. This automation ensures that businesses can identify security gaps and address compliance issues promptly.

Deploying Automated Data Backups and Recovery

Data loss can have catastrophic consequences for small businesses. Automating regular data backups and implementing disaster recovery solutions is essential. Cloud-based backup services can automatically back up critical data, minimizing the risk of data loss due to hardware failures, cyberattacks, or natural disasters. Automated backups ensure that businesses can quickly restore their systems and operations in the event of a breach or data loss incident.

Educating Employees with Security Awareness Training

Cybersecurity incidents are often attributed to human error, making them a prominent contributing factor. Automating security awareness training can help small businesses educate their employees and cultivate a strong security culture. Deploying automated training modules or simulated phishing campaigns can teach employees about common threats, safe browsing practices, and incident reporting procedures. Automating these training initiatives ensures consistent and ongoing education for all staff members.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, small businesses must adopt proactive cybersecurity measures to protect their sensitive data and operations. By embracing automation, small businesses can effectively enhance their cyber defense capabilities. From automated threat detection and patch management to multi-factor authentication and data backups, these automation strategies provide small businesses with robust security solutions despite limited resources. Small businesses can mitigate risks, safeguard their digital assets, and focus on growth and innovation by automating cybersecurity tasks.

What Is Ethical Hacking? Unraveling the Enigma of Cybersecurity's Guardians

In the vast realm of cyberspace, where shadows dance and digital footprints intertwine, the concept of hacking often conjures up images of malicious cyberattacks and occult breaches. But hidden within this landscape, some cybersecurity professionals use their skills to protect and defend. They are known as ethical hackers, the unsung heroes of our technology-driven world.

The Vital Role of Ethical Hackers in Cybersecurity

The role of an ethical hacker is vital within the cybersecurity industry. Armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience, these experts embark on a noble quest: to uncover vulnerabilities and safeguard the integrity of digital systems. Their mission? To perform risk assessments and test the foundations of security in organizations.

To achieve their goal, ethical hackers immerse themselves in the expanse of security breaches, exploits, and vulnerability scenarios. They leave no stone unturned. Their goal is to protect organizations from malicious attacks, ensuring that the digital fortress remains untouchable.

Don't underestimate the importance of ethical hacking. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, cybersecurity has never been more pressing. According to a report by Emergen Research, the cybersecurity industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0% to 13.4% from 2022 to 2030. This surge in demand reflects the critical importance of ethical hackers in fortifying digital infrastructure against the relentless onslaught of cyber threats.

Embracing the Journey: Continuous Learning and Certification for Ethical Hackers

Becoming an ethical hacker requires diverse skills and knowledge. Understanding the types of hackers is crucial, as it provides insights into how they operate. Armed with this knowledge, ethical hackers delve into cutting-edge tools and techniques. They leverage their skills to identify vulnerabilities and devise countermeasures.

The responsibilities of an ethical hacker transcend merely identifying weaknesses. They also recommend solutions and implement robust security measures. Their expertise helps organizations fortify their defenses, minimize breaches, and protect sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.

The Tools of Ethical Hacking

Curious about the tools an ethical hacker uses? They have access to a diverse range of tools. These tools allow them to probe and analyze digital systems, uncover weaknesses, and assess the resilience of security measures. While the specific tools vary based on the objectives and preferences of individual ethical hackers, there are several standard tools they employ. 

One such tool is the ever-popular Nmap (Network Mapper). Nmap is a powerful network scanning and mapping tool that allows ethical hackers to examine hosts and services on a network. It helps identify open ports, detect potential entry points, and provides a comprehensive overview of the network's structure. By leveraging Nmap's capabilities, ethical hackers gain valuable insights into the system's vulnerabilities, enabling them to devise targeted strategies for fortification.

Another essential tool in the ethical hacker's arsenal is Metasploit. Metasploit is an open-source framework that facilitates penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. It offers a wide range of exploits, payloads, and auxiliary modules, empowering ethical hackers to simulate real-world attack scenarios. Employing Metasploit's extensive collection of exploit codes, ethical hackers can uncover weaknesses, gain unauthorized access, and assess the system's defenses against potential threats.

WireShark, a network protocol analyzer, is another indispensable tool for ethical hackers. It allows them to capture and examine network traffic, providing deep insights into the packets traversing the network. With WireShark, ethical hackers can scrutinize individual packets, analyze network protocols, and identify suspicious or malicious activity. This tool enables them to detect anomalies, trace the origin of potential security breaches, and assess the security posture of the network.

Additionally, Burp Suite, a web application security testing tool, plays a significant role in the ethical hacker's toolkit. Burp Suite allows hackers to intercept, analyze, and modify HTTP/S traffic between web browsers and servers. It helps uncover vulnerabilities in web applications, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery). Ethical hackers can use Burp Suite to identify weaknesses in web applications, effectively fortify defenses, and protect against potential attacks.

These are just a few examples of the standard tools ethical hackers use. Ethical hacking is constantly evolving, and new tools and techniques regularly emerge to adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape. Ethical hackers leverage these tools to assess and strengthen the security posture of organizations, helping safeguard sensitive information, protect against cyber threats, and ensure the resilience of digital systems in an increasingly interconnected world.

Ethical Hackers Need Ongoing Education

For aspiring ethical hackers, continuous learning and certification awaits. Acquiring industry-recognized certifications not only validates their skills, but also opens doors to a myriad of career opportunities. Certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) provide the credentials to excel in this demanding and ever-evolving field.

Conclusion

The expertise of digital hackers safeguards digital life, upholding the principles of integrity, confidentiality, and trust. The growth of the cybersecurity industry reflects the need for ethical hackers, stressing the ever-present demand for their unique skills. So, acknowledge and appreciate these unsung heroes, the vanguards of cybersecurity who tirelessly battle in the shadows to preserve the sanctity of the digital realm -- and be glad they're there. 

References:

"Cybersecurity Market, By Component (Hardware, Solution, Service), By Security Type, By Solution, By Application (IT & Telecom, Retail, BFSI, Healthcare, Defense & Government, Manufacturing, Energy, Others), By Region Forecast to 2032". Www.Emergenresearch.Com, 2023, https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/cyber-security-market. Accessed 25 May 2023.

Cyber Insurance: Why Every Business Needs Coverage

Businesses in all industries are heavily reliant on technology. Unfortunately, this also makes companies a prime target for a variety of cyber attacks. Despite the best efforts in cybersecurity, no company is entirely immune to these risks. One way to help limit these concerns is to purchase cyber insurance for your business. Often overlooked or deemed unnecessary in the past, cyber insurance is quickly becoming a business necessity, providing a safety net for whenever things go wrong.

The Ever-Present Threat of Cybercrime

Cybercrime remains a big threat in the digital landscape. The lucrative nature of these attacks makes businesses of any size a top target of cybercriminals. The cost of a data breach can often cost millions of dollars, which is why it's essential for companies to take additional steps to protect themselves. Cyber threats are also becoming much more sophisticated and more difficult to avoid.

A cybersecurity incident isn't just about financial loss. One incident can also lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, regulatory fines, and even business closure. Developing a robust cybersecurity system is crucial, but it's not foolproof. Investing in cybersecurity insurance for your business can give you much-needed protection against these threats.

Cyber Insurance: An Essential Safety Net

Like any insurance, cyber insurance covers financial losses related to cyber incidents. This can include costs associated with data recovery, notification of affected parties, legal fees, public relations efforts, business interruption, and even extortion payments demanded by hackers. In essence, cyber insurance is designed to help a company recover from a cyber attack by mitigating the financial impact. It provides an essential safety net that can make the difference between a company going out of business and staying afloat after a cyber-attack.

Coverage Tailored to Your Business

One of the key advantages of cyber insurance is that it can be tailored to fit the specific needs and risk profile of your business. Different businesses have different cyber risks. For example, a healthcare provider may need coverage for patient data breaches, while a retail business might require protection against credit card fraud. Cyber insurance policies can be customized to provide the coverage your business needs most.

The Rising Importance of Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance is growing in importance as businesses become more digital and data-driven. It's not just about whether your business will experience a cyber-attack, but when it will happen. Data privacy laws are becoming more stringent, which means businesses can face hefty fines for failing to adequately protect customer data. Cyber liability insurance can provide coverage for these regulatory fines.

Cyber Insurance - An Investment Worth Making

Investing in cyber insurance is like putting on a seatbelt while driving. It doesn't prevent an accident, but it can significantly mitigate the damage if one occurs. Cyber insurance is an essential part of a comprehensive risk management strategy, providing financial protection and peace of mind in a digital age fraught with cyber threats. Regardless of your business size or industry, having cyber insurance can help you navigate the aftermath of a cyber-attack by protecting your financial resources.

PSL’s Easy Guide to Understanding Cybersecurity

The world of cybersecurity can often feel like a maze of technobabble and obscure acronyms. Yet in an era where our lives increasingly depend on digital infrastructure, it's important to have a basic understanding of the terminology involved. Learning about cybersecurity can help you avoid common mistakes and limit the chance of becoming a victim of these crimes.

Here is an overview of common cybersecurity terms.

1) Cybersecurity

Let's start with the basics. Cybersecurity is simply the defense against digital attacks that target computers, mobile devices, networks, and servers. These attacks are typically aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information, extorting money from users, or interrupting normal business processes.

2) Malware

Malware is any malicious software that can damage or infiltrate computers without the user's consent.

Here are the most well-known types of malware.

Virus

Like a biological virus, a computer virus attaches itself to a host (in this case, a file), and spreads when the file is shared, infecting other files and systems.

Worm

A worm is a standalone type of malware that will replicate itself to easily spread to other computers through a network.

Trojan

Named after the Greek myth, the Trojan horse, a Trojan is a form of malware that attempts to disguise itself as a normal program or file to trick users into either downloading or installing it.

Ransomware

This type of malware encrypts the user's files and demands payment to unlock them.

Spyware

Spyware is malware that's specifically designed to spy on user activity without their knowledge.

3) Phishing

Phishing is a common attack that tries to gain personal information by using deceptive emails and websites. The attacker, masquerading as a trustworthy entity, uses a variety of strategies to trick the victim into opening an instant message, email, or text message.

4) Firewall

A firewall is an IT security tool that controls network traffic using predetermined security rules. Think of it as a digital barrier limiting unauthorized access to your network or computer.

5) VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN masks your internet protocol (IP) address to make your online actions nearly untraceable. VPN services establish encrypted connections to provide much greater privacy while using the internet.

6) Encryption

Encryption converts data into a code to prevent unauthorized access. When data is encrypted, it appears as gibberish unless you have the decryption key to convert it back to its original form.

7) Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA is a common security process in which users must provide two different authentication factors to gain access to an account. For example, in addition to a password, you might also need to enter a code sent to your phone.

8) Darknet/Dark Web

The darknet or dark web refers to encrypted online networks that aren't indexed by search engines, and they are often used for illicit activities. You need special software (like Tor) to access it.

9) Data Breach

A data breach happens whenever secure or private information is released into an untrusted environment. This is often due to a cyberattack on a database, leading to sensitive data being exposed, copied, or used.

10) Botnet

A botnet uses a group of private computers that are unknowingly infected with malicious software and are controlled as a group to perform various tasks. Many times botnets are created to send out spam emails or carry out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

Closing Thoughts

Understanding cybersecurity is not just for the tech-savvy; it's for everyone. We are all potential targets for cyber threats, and comprehension of basic cybersecurity terminology can make a significant difference in safeguarding ourselves and our digital assets.

Employing cybersecurity measures also helps to keep your digital data safe. This might include using a VPN, enabling two-factor authentication, or simply being wary of suspicious emails to prevent phishing attacks.

Ultimately, it's not necessary for everyone to be a cybersecurity expert, but a basic understanding of the key terms can be an empowering first step in better securing your digital life. This newfound knowledge can provide you the confidence to navigate the online world with more safety and assurance.