Encryption secures information by translating it into computer code that’s unreadable to those who don’t have the means to access the information. These means of access can include passwords, credentials, and authentication of some form. Though encryption could still be broken or cracked, strong encryption is nearly impenetrable. SEE: Best Encryption Key Management Software (TechRepublic) Securing data both stored and in-transit through encryption is essential as part of an organization’s cybersecurity strategy. There are various encryption options out there. Here are our top picks. Semperis Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Enterprise, Large Features Advanced Attacks Detection, Advanced Automation, Anywhere Recovery, and more Top encryption software: Comparison table Product Name Price Offers Support Offers Password Manager On-the-Fly Decryption Enterprise-Grade Encryption VeraCrypt Free No No Yes No BitLocker Free with Windows OS Yes Unknown No Yes AxCrypt Premium $12.00 per month, per user for AxCrypt Business plan Yes Yes Yes Yes Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption Contact vendor but a license supporting 251 to 500 endpoints averages about $77-$83 per month Yes No No Yes NordLocker NordLocker Business for 1-year 2TB is priced at $29.99 per month Yes No Yes Yes Advanced Encryption Package Fully unlocked version: one-time fee of $49.95 No No Yes Yes ESET PROTECT Complete Contact vendor but can start at $462.16 for 5 devices, 1 year. Yes No Yes Yes Top encryption software VeraCrypt: Best overall Image: VeraCrypt VeraCrypt is my pick as my best overall encryption solution. It’s a free disk encryption software that you can use on Linux, macOS, and Windows systems. It’s also an open-source service, which forks off the TrueCrypt project, adding features to help with secrecy. VeraCrypt is my prime recommendation for privacy enthusiasts and tech-savvy consumers. I particularly like VeraCrypt due to it being open-source, wherein its source code is publicly available for easy spotting of vulnerabilities and points for improvement. Businesses that prioritize transparency and regular code audits in an encryption solution should have VeraCrypt high on its list. Why I picked VeraCrypt I chose VeraCrypt as my top solution for its easy hiding of encrypted data in sight, making internal resources more secure against prying eyes. In addition, it utilizes popular encryption algorithms and has wide support for multiple platforms. Pricing Free. Features Offers the ability to create encrypted containers. Can create hidden volumes. Supports nested encryption. Automatically protects files. Mounting a drive on VeraCrypt. Image: VeraCrypt Documentation VeraCrypt pros and cons Pros Cons Supports multiple encryption algorithms including Kuznyechik, AES and Serpent. Supports multiple platforms. Allows for easy hiding of encrypted data in sight. Dated GUI. No file-sharing option. Isn’t integrated for cloud storage. No formal support. BitLocker: Best for Windows environments Image: BitLocker For Windows-centric businesses, I recommend BitLocker. BitLocker is available on server and business editions and contains various encryption tools. The Redmond solution focuses on encrypting files and drives on a device right out of the box. I appreciate how you can set up recovery keys to retrieve data if you get firmware problems or errors. Personally, I think it’s an excellent choice for encryption software for Windows. As a Microsoft product, you’ll typically need a Microsoft account or will need to link a device to a Windows domain to use it. You can also configure it for a corporate environment using Group Policy. The settings help you decide which drives you want to encrypt and how to distribute your keys (certificates). Additionally, the computer must have a Trusted Platform Module that can support the encryption process. Why I picked BitLocker I chose BitLocker for its easy integration with Windows environments. This is on top of a user-friendly interface and full disk encryption. For users that are already deep into the Windows ecosystem or are planning to adopt a Windows-centered environment, BitLocker is my top recommendation. Pricing Free as part of Windows software. Features Encrypts full drives and other media. Supports Microsoft account-linking and domain-linking. Built into Windows software. Accessing a drive via BitLocker. Image: Microsoft Learn BitLocker pros and cons Pros Cons User-friendly. Comes built-in on Windows software. Offers whole-disk encryption of files and folders. Only works on Windows platform. AxCrypt Premium: Best for local storage encryption Image: AxCrypt If you plan to encrypt locally, I encourage you to try AxCrypt Premium. AxCrypt Premium allows users to encrypt files locally using the AES-256 encryption algorithm. Sharing is possible with its key-sharing option. The solution protects classified and sensitive information and provides access to a master password generator. SEE: Asymmetric vs Symmetric Encryption: What’s the Difference? (TechRepublic) Why I picked AxCrypt I selected AxCrypt for users that want to prioritize local storage encryption above all else. I also like that it uses the gold standard AES-256 encryption, has file and key-sharing support, and works well with the most popular operating systems and platforms. Pricing There’s a one-month trial period across its Password Manager, Premium, and Business subscriptions. But for organizations and businesses, AxCrypt’s Business plan is priced at $12.00 per month, per user. However, customers can get 20% off, or $10.42 per month per user, if they choose annual billing. Features Allows file and key sharing. Supports encryption and decryption of files on Android and iOS devices. Offers master password management. Using a master key in AxCrypt. Image: AxCrypt Info page AxCrypt pros and cons Pros Cons Good support options for enterprises. Compatible with Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Doesn’t support Windows and Linux phones by default. Locked files aren’t typically encrypted. Pricing A license supporting 251 to up to 500 endpoints averages about $77-$83 per month. Features Folder Lock allows for remote locking in case of stolen or lost devices. Provides transparent key management. Centralized encryption management. Automated enforcement of policy-based encryption. Encryption deployment. Image: Trend Micro Documentation Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption pros and cons Pros Cons Extends to user-owned devices. Offers pre-boot authentication. Recovery console available on Windows devices. Enforces the compliance requirements through detailed audits and more. Encrypts

By Andrew Karpan ( November 4, 2024, 10:10 PM EST) — The newspapers suing OpenAI and Microsoft Corp. over allegedly using copyright-protected news stories to train ChatGPT say they now have a “fundamental disagreement” with the tech companies “about who is responsible” for identifying which of their news stories were allegedly used by the artificial intelligence software…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

NordVPN and ExpressVPN both sit at the top of the food chain when it comes to modern VPN providers. Both VPNs are known for fast speeds, large server suites, and a strong reputation for quality. However, there are key differences between the two. NordVPN comes with impressive security and privacy-focused features, such as its Meshnet encrypted file-sharing system and Threat Protection against malware and ads. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN has a clean and easy-to-use interface and an impressive portfolio of third-party security audits. In this article, we figure out which VPN is best for you and your business. NordVPN: Best for most users that want a large server network and a variety of extra security features. ExpressVPN: Best for users that prioritize having a user-friendly interface and fast VPN download and upload speeds. Semperis Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Enterprise, Large Features Advanced Attacks Detection, Advanced Automation, Anywhere Recovery, and more ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Comparison Table NordVPN ExpressVPN Our rating 4.7 out of 5 stars 4.6 out of 5 stars Security protocols OpenVPN, NordLynx (based on WireGuard) OpenVPN, Lightway No. of servers 6,200+ 3,000 (reported) VPN server locations 111 countries 105 countries Simultaneous device locations 10 8 Supported platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Android TV, Apple TV, routers, game consoles Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chromebook, Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, Brave, Edge, Amazon Fire tablet, routers, media consoles, game consoles Free trial 7-day free trial via Android (can sign in on other platforms afterwards) 7-day free trial for iOS and Android only Starting price(annual plan $4.99 per month $6.67 per month NordVPN and ExpressVPN: Pricing NordVPN pricing NordVPN’s paid plans have three subscription tiers, namely NordVPN Basic, Plus, and Ultimate. Take note, I noticed that in some regions, NordVPN Ultimate will sometimes be called NordVPN Complete or Ultra. This means the top plan may be different depending on your location. Below is an overview of pricing and feature differences with each tier: Basic Plus Ultimate Monthly $12.99 per month $13.99 per month $15.99 per month 1 year $4.99 per month $5.99 per month $7.99 per month 2 years $3.09 per month $3.99 per month $5.99 per month Features Main VPN service All Basic features plusThreat Protection against ads, malware, and trackers; access to NordPass password manager; data breach scanning capabilities All Plus features plus 1TB encrypted cloud storage; identity threat recovery; cyber extortion protection Out of NordVPN’s plans, I feel its Plus subscription for one year brings the best value. It provides a good balance between a reasonable monthly fee while having a healthy amount of NordVPN’s additional security features. Among these are its Threat Protection feature that protects against malware and ads, as well as its data breach scanner. SEE: The Top 7 NordVPN Alternatives for 2024 (TechRepublic) Meanwhile, I commend NordVPN for including Nord Security’s dedicated password manager, NordPass, to its Plus subscription tier. This is essentially a second service on top of the main VPN — all in a single subscription. To me, this is a meaningful value-add, especially for users that are also in the market for a password manager. While NordVPN doesn’t currently have a free version, it has a seven-day free trial via Android. Once you sign up for the trial, you’ll be able to try NordVPN on desktop as well. While I laud Nord for offering a trial, I hope it opens this up for iOS users as well. This would allow more users to try and test NordVPN out. Fortunately, NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee for all its paid subscriptions. With this, you can pay for an initial plan and request a refund if you find it isn’t the right fit. Just make sure to request the refund within the allotted time period. If you want to learn more, read our full NordVPN review. ExpressVPN pricing Compared to NordVPN, ExpressVPN has more straightforward pricing that’s only divided depending on contract length. 1 month: $12.95 per month. 6 months: $9.99 per month. 1 year: $6.67 per month. As a consumer, I like this approach since it simplifies the whole buying process. However, this does mean that ExpressVPN carries less feature packages compared to NordVPN — a topic we’ll discuss more in-depth later. SEE: CyberGhost vs ExpressVPN (2024): Which VPN Is Better? (TechRepublic) Coincidentally, ExpressVPN also includes its own password manager, ExpressVPN Keys, to its paid subscriptions. While I find NordPass to be the more powerful password manager, I’m still happy that ExpressVPN bundles it with all the paid plans. Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plan options. While ExpressVPN also has a seven-day free trial, this is only available for its mobile apps on Android and iOS. If you want to learn more, read our full ExpressVPN review. NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Feature comparison Security protocols and encryption Winner: Tie Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN provide top-tier encryption and quality VPN protocols. In both services, we get the industry standard AES-256 encryption algorithm — well recognized as one of the most secure algorithms available. SEE: NordVPN vs Proton VPN (2024): Which VPN Should You Choose? (TechRepublic) For VPN protocols, NordVPN carries OpenVPN and its proprietary NordLynx protocol based on the speed-oriented WireGuard. On the flipside, ExpressVPN also offers the OpenVPN protocol and its own Lightway protocol, similarly built for speed. ExpressVPN’s VPN protocols. Image: Luis Millares I appreciate how, for both NordVPN and ExpressVPN, users have the option to choose from a security-focused protocol or one that provides more speed. For context, OpenVPN is known for its security as an open source protocol, while WireGuard is faster and more modern. In this way, you get the best of both worlds and aren’t confined to just prioritizing

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Of all the AI video models out there, arguably the one to see most success among mainstream creators and viewers — those outside the pro and amateur filmmaking community — is Pika. The Palo Alto, California-based startup co-founded by two Stanford AI PhD dropouts Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng and funded to the tune of $135 million so far, unveiled its new Pika 1.5 text-to-video and image-to-video AI generation model at the start of this month (October 2024) with a collection of six physics-defying special effects (Explode, squish, melt, crush, inflate and “cake-ify”) for its web app that users could add easily to their own photos, turning them into surreal and bizarrely captivating videos. Following this, brands with accounts on the social networks Instagram and TikTok — especially brands in cosmetics, skincare, and wellness — began using the effects, especially the “squish,” to advertise their services. It even sparked a whole trend of creators trying the “Squish It” effect — or Pikaffect, as the company calls its AI presents — on their own videos. Pika added four more Pikaffects two weeks later. Now, the company is hoping to continue building upon its success cracking through to the mainstream by releasing three new Pikaffects in time for Halloween: levitate, eye pop, and decapitate — all of which do what they sound like. They’re ALIIIIIIIVE! Our freaky new Pikaffects are ready just in time for spooky season. ??? Try levitating, eye-popping, and decapitating the whole family. pic.twitter.com/wx0fddcP91 — Pika (@pika_labs) October 29, 2024 “We’re trying to put fun at the forefront of AI—making it accessible not just for creators, but for anyone, from kids to grandparents,” said Matan Cohen-Grumi, Pika’s Founding Creative Director, in a video call interview with VentureBeat earlier this week. To use the new and prior Pikaffects, users of Pika follow the same simple steps: visit Pika.art, sign in with a Google Account, Discord Account, Facebook/Meta account or email address, and then navigate to the bottom menu bar to add a new image. After tapping the Image button marked with a paperclip icon (highlighted above in a screenshot) the user can take a new image or add a previously uploaded one from their device or cloud photo library. Then, tapping the Pikaffects button marked by a magic wand (encircled above in the annotated screenshot), the user can pull up all 13 preset Pikaeffects. Finally, the user can generate a video based on the screenshot by tapping the star button (encircled above in the annotated screenshot). “What I would suggest, is for everyone to go to our website and try it out,” advocated Cohen-Grumi. “It’s so, so accessible.” The creative director asserted that Pika’s effects only take a few seconds to generate a new video from a still image. However, in VentureBeat’s limited tests, the site appeared overloaded with traffic and stalled for a while with some images failing to generate videos so far on the company’s free tier, which offers 150 credits to the user each month — enough for 10 videos (1 video costs 15 credits on Pika’s scale). There are also Standard, Pro, and Unlimited tiers for $10, $35, and $95 per month (20% discount when paid annually) with gradually increasing numbers of credits. Asked about the time outs we experienced, Cohen-Grumi noted that Pika’s newfound success with Pikaffects had come with load bearing challenges. “We had a lot, a lot of traffic, more than created on the launch, but everything was resolved very quickly,” he told VentureBeat. And seeking to dispel notions Pika was competing on novelty over realism, he also asserted that Pika 1.5 “can deliver extremely realistic results with natural movement.” As for what’s next for Pika — more Pikaffects for every major holiday or season of the year? — Cohen-Grumi played coy. “We’re always working on the next thing, ensuring everything we release is fun and accessible for everyone,” he said. source

Another factor that increases gen AI risk and costs is the “massive ‘shadow IT’ in most organizations, as employees use personal accounts to use tools like ChatGPT with company data,” Baier says. One way organizations can get a handle on AI use is by implementing an AI governance platform, according to Gartner, which identified the technology as its No. 2 strategic trend for 2025, predicting that by 2028 organizations that implement AI governance platforms will experience 40% fewer AI-related ethical incidents compared to those without such systems. The benefits of AI governance platforms, Gartner claims, include creating, managing, and enforcing “policies that ensure responsible use of AI, explain how AI systems work, model lifecycle management, and provide transparency to build trust and accountability.” source

By Joyce Hanson ( November 4, 2024, 7:19 PM EST) — The Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Washington State Department of Commerce have signed a memorandum of understanding formally establishing their government-to-government relations, the fourth such MOU in the state that affirms tribal sovereignty…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Generative AI’s wildfire adoption is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, many people are using GenAI to work more efficiently, and businesses are trying to scale it in an enterprise-class way. Meanwhile, the courts and regulators aren’t moving at warp speed, so companies need to be very smart about what they’re doing or risk intellectual property (IP) infringement, leakage, misuse and abuse.   “The law is certainly behind the business and technology adoptions right now, so a lot of our clients are entering into the space, adopting AI, and creating their own AI tools without a lot of guidance from the courts, in particular around copyright law,” says Sarah Bro, a partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery. “I’ve been really encouraged to see business and legal directives help mitigate risks or manage relationships around the technology and use, and parties really trying to be proactively thinking about how to address things when we don’t have clear-cut legal guidance on every issue at this point.”  Why C-Suites and Boards Need to Get Ahead of This Now  GenAI can lead to four types of IP infringement: copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secrets. Thus far, there’s been more attention paid to the business competitiveness aspect of GenAI than the potential risks of its usage, which means that companies are not managing risks as adeptly as they should.  Related:IT Pros Love, Fear, and Revere AI: The 2024 State of AI Report “The C-suite needs to think about how employees are using confidential and proprietary data.  What gives us a competitive advantage?” says Brad Chin, IP partner at the Bracewell law firm. “Are they using it in marketing for branding a new product or process? Are they using generative AI to create reports? Is the accounting department using generative AI to analyze data they might get from a third party?”   Historically, intellectual property protection has involved non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and that has not changed. In fact, NDAs should cover GenAI. However, according to Chin, using the company’s data, and perhaps others’ data, in a GenAI tool raises the question of whether the company’s trade secrets are still protected.  “We don’t have a lot of court precedent on that yet, but that’s one of the considerations courts look at in a company’s management of its trade secrets: what procedures, protocols, practices they put in place, so it’s important for C-suite executives to understand that risk is not only of the information their employees are putting into AI, but also the AI tools that their employees may be using with respect to someone else’s information or data,” says Chin. “Most company NDAs and general corporate agreements don’t have provisions that account for the use of generative AI or AI tools.”  Related:Keynote Sneak Peek: Forrester Analyst Details Align by Design and AI Explainability Some features of AI development make GenAI a risk from a copyright and confidentiality standpoint.  “To train machine learning models properly, you need a lot of data. Most savvy AI developers cut their teeth in academic environments, where they weren’t trained to consider copyright or privacy. They were simply provided public datasets to play with,” says Kirk Sigmon, an intellectual property lawyer and partner at the Banner Witcoff law firm, in an email interview. “As a result, AI developers inside and outside the company aren ’t being limited in terms of what they can use to train and test models, and they’re very tempted to grab whatever they can to improve their models. This can be dangerous: It means that, perhaps more than other developers they might be tempted to overlook or not even think about copyright or confidentiality issues.”  Similarly, the art and other visual elements used in generative AI, such as Gemini and DALL-E, may be copyright protected, and logos may be trademark protected.  GenAI could also result in patent-related issues, according to Bracewell’s Chin.   Related:Sidney Madison Prescott Discusses GenAI’s Potential to Transform Enterprise Operations “A third party could get access to information inputted into generative AI, which comes up with five different solutions,” says Chin. “If the company that has the information then files patents on that technology, it could exclude or preclude that original company from getting that part of the market.”  Boards and C-Suites Need to Prioritize GenAI Discussions  Boards and C-suites that have not yet had discussions about the potential risks of GenAI need to start now.  “Employees can use and abuse generative AI even when it is not available to them as an official company tool. It can be really tempting for a junior employee to rely on ChatGPT to help them draft formal-sounding emails, generate creative art for a PowerPoint presentation and the like. Similarly, some employees might find it too tempting to use their phone to query a chatbot regarding questions that would otherwise require intense research,” says Banner Witcoff’s Sigmon. “Since such uses don’t necessarily make themselves obvious, you can’t really figure out if, for example, an employee used generative AI to write an email, much less if they provided confidential information when doing so. This means that companies can be exposed to AI-related risk even when, on an official level, they may not have adopted any AI.”  Emily Poler, founding partner at Poler Legal, wonders what would happen if the GenAI platform a company uses becomes unavailable.  “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the various cases that have been brought against companies offering AI platforms, but one possible scenario is that OpenAI and other companies in the space have to destroy the LLM they’ve created because the LLMs and/or the output from those LLMs amounts to copyright infringement on a massive scale,” says Poler in an email interview. “Relatedly, what happens to your company’s data if the generative AI platform you’re using goes bankrupt? Another company could buy up this data in a bankruptcy proceeding and your company might not have a say.”  Another point to consider is whether the generative AI platform can use a company’s data

By Gina Kim ( November 4, 2024, 7:07 PM EST) — A California federal judge on Monday recused herself from a hostile work environment and retaliation suit brought by a group of former SpaceX employees, saying she owns Tesla stock and is friends with a SpaceX human resource executive’s mother-in-law…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Discover the top tech conferences and events to add to your calendar in 2024, and stay updated on the latest trends and innovations. source

Sales compensation is one of the largest line items on most companies’ P&Ls and is a critical investment in achieving revenue goals. Optimizing this investment increases in complexity as companies grow and expand their products and sales structure, making it difficult to administer seller plans without the use of a sales performance management/incentive compensation management (SPM/ICM) solution. While sales performance management (SPM) platforms represent a broader set of capabilities such as planning, territory design, and quota management, most clients engaging with Forrester to evaluate SPM platforms focus on compensation optimization and administration, which includes plan design, deployment, management, and governance (see figure). The Forrester Sales Compensation Design And Management Model   Client requests for a better understanding of these capabilities led us to do a deeper evaluation of the incentive compensation elements of SPM platforms, which are focused on delivering: Decreased compensation administration costs by reducing manual work. The core reasons why companies buy SPM/ICM solutions are to prevent hiring additional resources or to implement technology to reduce the resources required to administer current compensation programs. These solutions allow companies to redeploy those resources to higher-priority initiatives. Reduced time to payment by better connecting performance to rewards. The combined challenge of complex compensation measures and the manual effort required to accurately pay sellers often creates lead times for payouts that result in a performance being rewarded months or quarters after they achieved their objectives. Companies want to close this gap and reward sellers at the point of success. This better connects payouts to results and keeps sellers focused on achieving current objectives. Increased motivation by enabling custom plans for complex organizations. While most organizations want simplification of their compensation plans, they also want to maximize motivation for each sales role. An SPM/ICM solution can enable organizations to maintain efficiency while also efficiently deploying compensation plans that are aligned to a wide variety of different roles in an organization. While the broader capabilities of SPM platforms are valuable, the primary goal of most clients evaluating this technology is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their compensation programs. Forrester’s SPM/ICM landscape and forthcoming Forrester Wave™ evaluation will focus on identifying the capabilities that are most critical and the companies that do this best. The planning elements of SPM platforms merit their own evaluation, which will follow the evaluation of this SPM/ICM market. Forrester clients can click here to read our landscape on this market. Connect with me on LinkedIn to talk more about this category and how it can improve the effectiveness of your compensation program. source