And Microsoft isn’t the only one that is ramping up its investments into AI-enabled data centers. Rival cloud service providers are all investing in either upgrading or opening new data centers to capture a larger chunk of business from developers and users of large language models (LLMs).  In a report published in October 2024, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that demand for generative AI would push Microsoft, AWS, Google, Oracle, Meta, and Apple would between them devote $200 billion to capex in 2025, up from $110 billion in 2023. Microsoft is one of the biggest spenders, followed closely by Google and AWS, Bloomberg Intelligence said. Its estimate of Microsoft’s capital spending on AI, at $62.4 billion for calendar 2025, is lower than Smith’s claim that the company will invest $80 billion in the fiscal year to June 30, 2025. Both figures, though, are way higher than Microsoft’s 2020 capital expenditure of “just” $17.6 billion. The majority of the increased spending is tied to cloud services and the expansion of AI infrastructure needed to provide compute capacity for OpenAI workloads. Separately, last October Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said his company planned total capex spend of $75 billion in 2024 and even more in 2025, with much of it going to AWS, its cloud computing division. source

By Amy Gallegos and Isabel Farhi ( January 7, 2025, 5:40 PM EST) — The online ecosystem has become a vast and complicated place, with much of everyday life conducted on online platforms. Within this world, services — like social media platforms — allow users to disseminate information faster and to exponentially larger audiences than traditional media…. 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

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Everything is getting smart. A case in point is the Lymow One, which the company Lymow says is the world’s first smart robotic mower with mulching blades and tracked threads. Remember that movie The Lawnmower Man? Well, the AI smarts in your lawnmower might remind you of it, if you can remember that far back. Sure, it’s not the only smart lawnmower. But it’s pretty cool to see it with tracked threads, as if it were a tank. Lymow said the Lymow One features an upgraded front mulching deck, advanced LySee navigation, and unparalleled terrain adaptability. The company is showing the mower off at CES 2025. The Lymow One delivers five times more daily coverage than other competitors, setting a new benchmark in robotic mowers, the company claimed. With advanced RTK-VSLAM combined navigation and smart object detection, it ensures precise and effortless mowing. “Most robotic mowers today are built for small yards, but many U.S. homes have large, complex lawns. As a result, these mowers often serve as a supplement rather than a true replacement for traditional mowers,” said Wangshu Gao, CEO of Lymow, who spent eight years at the helm of the R&D department at SharkNinja, in a statement. “With Lymow One, we’re taking a different approach. Our product is designed to fully replace traditional mowers, delivering superior automated lawn care—better results, less time, lower costs, and minimal effort.” The Slick LyCut Mowing Deck: Revolutionizing Grass Cutting with Power and Efficiency Lymow touts the mowing efficiency with its LyCut Dual Blade Mowing Deck, designed to handle all types of grass with ease. At its core is a shift from the previous lateral scissor blades to two high-speed spinning mulching blades, paired with a powerful centrifugal fan integrated into the deck for optimal clipping discharge. This advanced system finely chops clippings without clumping, nourishing the lawn while keeping it impeccably clean. Its cutting-edge design effortlessly tackles tough grass, dense patches, wet or dry conditions, and debris like fruit, pinecones, and small branches. It features: ● Powerful Blades: Unlike other robotic mowers that use metal sheet swing blades attached to a revolving plate, the Lymow One features professional-grade mulching blades typically found on ride-on and traditional lawnmowers. Powered by an intelligent brushless motor with a peak output of 1200 watts, it drives the mulching blades to spin at 6000 RPM, effortlessly cutting through all types of grass. The Lymow One’s dual-blade front deck offers an effective cutting width of 16 inches, ensuring exceptional mowing efficiency.● High-Speed Fan Discharge: Ensures clippings are finely chopped and evenly distributed, nourishing the lawn without clogging. Seen in action here, users can choose from a side or rear discharge with a ClipFlex accessory.● Versatile, Terrain-Adaptive Floating Deck: The front deck of the Lymow One offers an adjustable cutting height from 1.2 to 4 inches, providing users with mowing flexibility. The mowing deck follows the ground with its omniwheels, guaranteeing even cuts on uneven terrain. Smart LySee Navigation: No More Lost Mowers on the Lawn Lymow One’s LySee Multi-Fusion Navigation System combines Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite positioning and Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) technologies for autonomous lawn care. The advanced navigation technology eliminates the need for boundary wires, allowing for map editing of multiple zones and no-go areas. Its stereo camera also enables the Lymow One to perceive its surroundings and avoid obstacles for uninterrupted mowing. By replacing traditional perimeter wires with RTK-VSLAM navigation, which provides centimeter-level accuracy, the Lymow One offers the convenience of easy setup and map management through the app. However, as a satellite-based system, RTK signals can be affected by trees, roofs, walls, or even bad weather. To address this, the Lymow One combines RTK with VSLAM technology, ensuring seamless navigation even during temporary RTK signal loss. Lymow One’s stereo camera combines image-based semantic recognition with depth-sensing for a comprehensive understanding of its surroundings. Advanced algorithms allow it to identify and react to objects like hedgehogs, sprinklers, and pet waste, avoiding them with ease. Users can customize its response to items such as fruits or pinecones through the Lymow app—either bypassing them or cutting them using the LyCut Mowing Deck. The tech is highly adaptable. Safety is built into every aspect of Lymow One. Its advanced sensor array includes five ultrasonic sensors, a pair of front bumpers, and off-ground sensors in the blade deck, creating multiple layers of protection. The blades can stop in under a second from full speed, offering reliable, responsive safety in any mowing scenario. And Lymow One’s smart path planning feature ensures perfectly aligned stripes, not random paths. Users can adjust the overlap between parallel stripes to their preference and even set the stripe angle to create checkerboard or diamond grid patterns. Savage Traverse System for Sturdy, Speedy, Superior Mowing Lymow One’s tracked tread propulsion delivers unrivaled speed, stability, and agility. Covering up to five times more area than other mowers, it covers 0.23 acres/hour, 0.57 acres/charge, and 1.73 acres/day.Seen in action here, its superior traction allows it to glide through rough, uneven terrain, clear obstacles up to 2 inches in height, and tackle slopes with a 45° (100%) gradient with ease—even climbing stairs and performing reliably in wet weather and slippery conditions. This rugged performance ensures consistent operation in any environment. The Lymow One is built for performance and to last. Featuring FEM analysis for collision testing, it boasts a one-piece die-cast aluminum alloy frame, similar to those found in sports cars. The LiFePO4 battery delivers over double the charge cycles of standard lithium-ion batteries. With an upgraded IPX6 waterproof rating, the Lymow One is designed to withstand all weather conditions, ensuring lasting reliability for years to come. Availability and pricing After a highly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $3.5 million, the newly enhanced Lymow One is now in production and slated for delivery in April 2025, priced at $3,000. For further information or to place

As we move into 2025, Europe continues to be exposed to dramatic changes, with trade slowing and geopolitics fracturing the region — all while technological change is accelerating. Meanwhile, several key industries, such as the automotive industry, are undergoing their own structural changes that are further increasing volatile dynamics. Given the uncertain times we live in, adapting your sourcing strategies by revisiting location strategies is even more relevant and pertinent these days; these measures are taken up owing to the prevailing economic situation forcing enterprises to prioritize cost optimization and resilient strategies. In previous research and a blog, we wrote about a plethora of factors that companies should consider to choose their European nearshore destinations to help streamline operations and reduce cost.   While we at Forrester are neither economists nor political analysts, it’s our intention to nudge our clients to keep their antennas in extended animation to anticipate and take proactive decisions against any current or future geopolitical tsunami. Some of the countries/locations I cover as part of my research on European nearshore strategies are particularly exposed to these developments. Here are some practical tips on how technology decision-makers should adapt their nearshore location strategies to these new realities: Lesson from the pandemic: Don’t be caught flat-footed; be resilient. The pandemic was an eye-opener to a lot of our clients, and that “wait and watch” strategy won’t fly; instead, proactively consider and implement resilient solutions. What this means is you should be alerted in real time on any location-impacting events or happenings, such as new labor laws, looming risks, general elections in countries, expansion of Schengen states, new memberships in NATO, new memberships in the EU, and global geopolitical turmoil. Use technology to stay aware of your risks as well as risks from your supplier ecosystems in real time: For example, leverage modules of supplier value management suites or best of breed. The EU has zero tolerance for noncompliance with regulations/laws. Europe has seen a plethora of regulations enacted recently. Most of these regulations came into place during the past two years and are here to stay (and evolve). Europe may have earned the nickname “Regulated Europe,” but these laws mean business. Regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive all have a carrot-and-stick angle and even extend to small- and medium-sized businesses. Tech execs are urged to stay abreast of the applicable laws and follow them diligently as they take stock of their existing location strategies or evaluate newer locations. Keep a close watch on what’s happening in the US and China. Almost every country is dependent on the US and China for trade or other reasons. The political and economic events in these countries individually and interdependently have various levels of impact on trade and business in the rest of the world. Tech execs need to be nimble and agile to commune in the board rooms and revisit strategies at short notice, as changing circumstances require them to adapt and respond quickly. As stated before, a “wait and watch” approach won’t help you, but it will help competition get past you. A blog from my colleague George Lawrie provides ample variables to ponder. European nearshore locations need your complete attention. There are pros and cons for European-headquartered organizations: The EU border-free zone is being expanded, which could ease free movement of staff for agile scrum collaboration workshops, for example. Six new western Balkan countries are accelerating their momentum to join the EU, which is likely to drive political stability and freedom to work. But be mindful of the flip side: Countries with political instability that exhibit acrimonious relationships with the EU, or countries with unnecessary affinities to trade-embargoed countries, unfriendly labor laws, and currency collapse, need to be on your watch list. The old common-sense law applies here: “You are the captain of the ship; bring back the ship safely if you see it navigate into troubled waters.” In 2025, I will continue my research on nearshore locations, extending my coverage to also include Latin America and Far East Asia. Watch this space! source

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Acer unveiled new models in its Acer Swift Go and Acer Aspire Vero laptop families with the latest components from Intel and AMD. The Acer Swift Go 16 and Swift Go 14  laptops deliver the latest performance with up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 285H (Series 2), featuring Intel Arc graphics and onboard AI tools to deliver up to 99 total on-device AI TOPS. Both laptops come with the option of a 3K OLED or 2K IPS touch display (16-inch and 14-inch, respectively) and they both have long battery life. They also include WiFi 7, a 1440p QHD webcam with three mics, a wide range of ports (including two USB Type-A ports), all wrapped up in a thin/light chassis. The Swift Go 14 has up to 1TB of storage. The Swift Go 16 provides up to 22.3 hours of video playback, while the Swift Go 14 provides up to 27.5 hours of video playback. The Acer Swift Go 16 (SFG16-73/T) will be available in North America in April, starting at $950. And the Acer Swift Go 14 (SFG14-74/T) will be available in North America in May, starting at $900.  Acer Vero 16 laptop. The Aspire Vero 16 (AV16-71P) laptop is committed to carbon neutrality throughout its lifecycle, based on its calculated carbon footprint offset. It features a chassis of which more than 70% is made from a blend of post-consumer recycled plastic and bio-based oyster shell material, and is made with an easy-to-repair design. A CES Innovation Award 2025 Honoree, the carbon-neutral Aspire Vero 16 is the world’s first laptop made with bio-based oyster shell material. I never thought I would see that. The Vero 16 is powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processors and provides up to 10.5 hours battery life. The 16-inch display brings clear, sharp images with 100% sRGB color gamut support and a wide aspect ratio thanks to slim bezels. Collaboration and security are enhanced with a high-resolution 1440P QHD webcam, privacy features, vital connectivity options in Wi-Fi 7, HDMI 2.1, DTS Audio and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. The laptop weighs 3.97 pounds and it has a 65-watt lithium ion battery. The Acer Aspire Vero 16 (AV16-71P) will be available in North America in April, starting at $800. The Acer Connect M6E 5G mobile Wi-Fi device, with sim card, virtual sim, and SignalScan technology support, provides high-speed 5G network access in over 135 countries, eliminating the hassle of weak signals and dropped connections. The 8,000 mAh high-capacity battery supports fast-charging through a USB Type-C port, while users can enjoy up to 28 hours of uninterrupted high-speed internet connectivity.  The Acer Connect M6E 5G Mobile Wi-Fi device will be available in North America in Q1, starting at $250.  The Acer Wave D7 Wi-Fi Dongle delivers congestion-free Wi-Fi 7 speeds of up to 2,880 Mbps (6 GHz) with tri-band technology. With USB Type-A and a base with USB Type-C connector, flexible installation plus faster transfer speeds are possible through direct plug-and-play. The powerful dongle can support Wi-Fi 7 BE6500 combined throughput across all bands (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz). MLO+ multi-link switching minimizes network fluctuations and supports load balancing by connecting to two wireless access points simultaneously.  The Acer Wave D7 Wi-Fi Dongle will be available in North America in Q1, starting at $80.  AI models The Acer Swift Go 14 AI model. In addition to the Swift Go models listed above, Acer has also launched the Swift Go 16 AI (SFG16-61/T) and Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-64/T).  These new Copilot+ PCs deliver the latest AI capabilities powered by new AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series (Ryzen 7 350 or Ryzen 7 340) processors that deliver up to 50 NPU TOPS and the latest AMD Radeon 800M graphics for improved streaming, editing and more while providing long battery life. The 16-inch or 14-inch displays (respectively) come in three display options: 3K OLED, 2K OLED or 2K IPS touch. They  feature an all-new anodized aluminum chassis design with a dual arrow pattern that highlights the laptops’ svelte form factors. They also come with the latest features, ports and more.  The Swift Go 16 AI (SFG16-61/T) provides up to 18 hours of video playback and the Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-64/T) provides up to 24.9 hours of video playback. The Acer Swift Go 16 AI (SFG16-61/T) will be available in North America in April 2025, starting at $950. And the Acer Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-64/T) will be available in North America in May 2025, starting at $900. Another new Copilot+ PC is the Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop (A14-52M/A14-52MT). It combines all the essentials and up to 22 hours of video playback on a battery charge. It’s powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) and an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) to accelerate AI workloads. The 180-degree hinge lets the display lay flat for collaboration, while its 3.09-pound lightweight design means it’s easy to transport. It comes with either a 14-inch 16:10 OLED option or WUXGA touch-enabled panel. It also features up to 32 GB LPDDR5X memory, two powerful Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports and HDMI 2.1, which can support up to an 8K monitor. And it has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. It weighs 3.09 pounds. The Acer Aspire 14 AI (A14-52M/A14-52MT) will be available in North America in February, starting at $800. Featuring a minimalist white profile, the Acer Aspire S AI AIOs elevate home computing with a sleek style. The series includes the Aspire S24 AI (S24A-GLNL/S24A-TLNL) with a 23.8-inch Full HD 120 Hz display and the Aspire S27 AI (S27A-ELNL/S27A-TLNL/S27A-ULNL) with a 27-inch display available in both Full HD and QHD (2560×1440). They come with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (Series 2) (Intel AI Boost Capable) Both models offer touch panel options. The flexible design allows for optimal viewing angles with a tilt range of -3 to 25 degrees. It’s powered by up to Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) with up to 48 NPU TOPS and integrated Intel Arc graphics.  A variety of ports include HDMI 2.0, two USB 3.2, two USB 2.0, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. They come with LPDDR5X memory. The Acer Aspire S24 AI ($1,300) and the Acer Aspire

By Madeline Lyskawa ( January 8, 2025, 8:38 PM EST) — Satellite communications company Ligado Networks accused a satellite service provider of breaching a $1.7 billion cooperation deal aimed at facilitating Ligado’s terrestrial network operations by failing to upgrade its own satellite terminals and deliver portions of its spectrum…. 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

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Advanced Micro Devices unveiled a new set of processors and graphics processing units (GPUs) at its CES 2025 press event. The big chip design company showed off processors for desktops, laptops and gaming handhelds, as well as new graphics chips. Jack Huynh, SVP of AMD’s computing and graphics group, said that the company’s technology is revolutionizing industries from fish farming to nuclear power, with AI processing massive amounts of data. “Whether you know it or not, you probably interact with AMD technology every day,” said Huynh. And he added that the company is “just getting started” across gaming, AI PCs and enterprise. At a press event at the big tech trade show in Las Vegas, Huynh said that the company is launching its AMD Ryzen 9000 Series, including the “world’s best processor for gamers and creators,” the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. AMD said it “touches the lives of billions” every day thanks to its AI and gaming chips. The chip has 16 Zen 5 CPU cores, the fifth generation of the cores that helped AMD leapfrog Intel in x86 chip performance. It has a max boost frequency of 5.7 GHz, and 144 MB total cache with second-generation AMD V-Cache technology. Microsoft Xbox executive Matt Booty said in a guest message at the event that AMD has been driving innovation across every level of gaming, from the latest PC hardware to Xbox game consoles. The chip can run games 8% faster on average across 40 games tested, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth Wukong compared to the predecessor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D. And the company said it is 20% faster based on 40 games tested compared to the Intel Core i9 285K processor. The chip is also 13% faster on average at content creation on 20 apps test versus the AMD Ryzen 9 790X3D. And, it’s 10% faster than the Intel chip. AMD said it has two versions available, one with 16 cores and 32 threads and another with 12 cores and 24 threads. They will be available in the first quarter of 2025. AMD mobile processor AMD Ryzen 9000HX delidded chip. AMD also introduced the Fire Range HX3D, which the company called the best gaming and content creation mobile processor. That chip is coming in the first half of 2025. The HXD family ranges from 12 cores and 24 threads to 16 cores and 32 threads, with max boost frequency ranging from 5.2 GHz to 5.4 GHz. The cache memory ranges from 76MB to 144MB, and the TDP (a power measurement) is 54 watts. AMD graphics with RDNA 4 Meanwhile, AMD showed off its RDNA 4 architecture for graphics and AI chips. It is based on optimized compute units, supercharged AI compute, improve raytracing per CU and better media encoding quality. AMD said the RDNA 4 architecture will be used in second-generation AI accelerators and will be built with a 4nm process. It will also be used in third generation raytracing accelerators and the second-generation AMD Radiance Display Engine. AMD also said its AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 tech with machine learning (ML)-powered upscaling will enable high-quality 4K upscaling, high performance with FSR + FG and low latency with AMD Anti-Lag 2. For gaming graphics, AMD is introducing the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 9070. The chips will be available in Q1 2025 from Acer, Asus, Sapphire, XFX, ASRock, Gigabyte, PowerColor and Yeston. Gaming handheld processor AMD Ryzen Z2 Series is aimed at portable gaming machines. AMD also announced its AMD Ryzen Z2 Series processors targeted at handheld PC gaming devices. It will feature “console-class” gaming in a handheld and allow users to stay unplugged for hours to game wherever they roam. These Z2 processors will be part of the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally and the Valve Steam Deck. The SKUs include the AMD Ryzen Z2 extreme with eight cores and 16 threads, the AMD Ryzen Z2 with eight cores and 16 threads, and the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go with four cores and eight threads. They will be available in the first quarter of 2024. AI processors AMD Ryzen AI PRO 300 Series AMD also introduced the AMD Ryzen AI Pro 300 Series processors. It has a premium series AMD Ryzen 9 processor, with other processors including the AMD Ryzen AI 7 and the AMD Ryzen AI 5. AMD said the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 it has the fastest multitasking performance in its class ahead of the Qualcomm X Plus X1P-42-100 and the Intel Core Ultra 7 285V. It said the AMD Ryzen AI 7 has the world’s best performance in next-gen AI PCs in running Windows NPU in Procyon AI. AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro chip. AMD Ryzen also has multi-day battery life for mobile applications. The family will be available in the first half of 2025. Further, AMD unveiled the Halo series, with the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ and the AMD Ryzen AI Max processors. These have up to 16 Zen 5 performance cores, 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, 50 TOPs with XDNA 2 NPU, and 256GB/s bandwidth in a new memory interface. The company said the Ryzen AI Max Series performance will be up to 402% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V. And, the graphics performance will be as much as 251% better. It also said its 3D rendering performance will be better than the Apple Mac M4 Pro. It will be the world’s first Copilot+ PC processor to run 70B LLM with 2.2 times better performance than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 24GB and 87% lower TDP. The AI Max+ and the AI Max Pro will be available in the first half of 2025. Among the machines to use it will be the HP ZBook Ultra G1a, the HP Z2 Mini G1a and the Asus ROG Flow Z13. AMD CEO Lisa Su said that there will

Every so often, taking a step back and going through the basics is good. It not only helps to ground me as a tech writer, but it helps a lot of people who are just learning the ropes of whatever piece of technology I’m talking about. This time it’s all about the Apache web server, a piece of software that’s been around for decades, happily serving up small and large websites without fail. Apache works seamlessly with MySQL, PHP, and a host of other packages, so you can serve up simple static or incredibly dynamic websites. How do you install and configure the server? Where do you place files? Let’s walk through this, one step at a time. I’ll be demonstrating on Ubuntu Server. But first, a bit more information. SEE: How to Host Multiple Websites on Linux with Apache (TechRepublic Premium) The difference between Apache on Ubuntu and Red Hat-based distributions The reason why I have to specify what Linux distribution I’m using is because Ubuntu- and Red Hat-based variants Apache differently — from installation to configuration. For example, on Red Hat-based distributions, Apache is installed via the httpd package, whereas on Ubuntu-based distributions, the apache2 package will do the trick. Another difference is where and how Apache is configured. In Red Hat-based distributions, much of your Apache configuration will happen in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf. In Ubuntu-based distributions, the configurations are in /etc/apache2/apache2.conf and /etc/apache2/sites-available/. There are still more differences to be had, but you get the idea. SEE: Apache Maven — Build Automation Tool Review (TechRepublic) How to install Apache on Ubuntu Server There are several ways you can install Apache on Ubuntu. If you simply want the basic server software, you can open a terminal and issue the command: sudo apt-get install apache2 -y However, if you want a full-blown Linux Apache MySQL PHP (LAMP) stack, you’d issue the command: sudo apt-get install lamp-server^ Once you run either of those commands, you’ll have Apache up and running. You’ll also want to make sure to enable Apache to start upon a server reboot (or boot). To do that, issue the command: sudo systemctl enable apache2 You can verify your installation by opening a web browser and pointing it to http://SERVER_IP (where SERVER_IP is the IP address of the server hosting Apache). You should be greeted by the Apache Welcome Page as shown below. The official Apache Welcome Page running on Ubuntu Server. Image: Jack Wallen What is that page Apache is serving up? If you look in /var/www/html, you’ll find the index.html file. Let’s change it. Back at the terminal window, rename that index.html file with the command: sudo mv /var/www/html/index.html /var/www/html/index.html.bak Now, let’s create a new welcome file. Issue the command: sudo nano /var/www/html/index.html In that file, paste the following two lines: How are you doing? Save and close the file. Reload the web page in your browser and you should see the change as shown below. Our new index.html page is being served by Apache. Image: Jack Wallen How to create a site for Apache What we’re going to do now is create a virtual host for Apache to serve up. A virtual host is a fancy name for a website that’s served by Apache. You can have numerous virtual hosts served up on a single Apache server. In fact, you are only limited to the power of your hosting server and the bandwidth of your network. So let’s create a virtual host called test. The first thing we’re going to do is create a directory to house test with the command: sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html/test Next, we’ll give the new directory the proper ownership with the command: sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/html/test Finally, we’ll grant the proper permissions with the command: sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/test Copy our new index.html file into the test directory with the command: sudo cp /var/www/html/index.html /var/www/html/test/ Now we have to create the virtual host configuration so Apache knows where test is. This will be housed in /etc/apache/sites-available. To do that we’ll create the test.conf file with the command: sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/test.conf In that file paste the following: ServerAdmin [email protected] example.comServerAlias www.example.comDocumentRoot /var/www/html/testErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.logCustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined The most important line above begins with DocumentRoot, as that instructs Apache where the files for the virtual host will be found. Save and close that file. At this point, we’ve created the directory to house the files, given it the proper ownership and permissions, and created a configuration for the virtual host. However, Apache is still not aware of the new site. Why? Because the configuration file lives in sites-available. What we have to do is create a link from that configuration into the /etc/apache2/sites-enabled directory. Only those configurations found in sites-enabled are active on the Apache server. On non-Ubuntu servers, you have to use the ln (for link) command to do this. However, on Ubuntu there’s a handy utility that will create that site for you. Said utility is a2ensite. If we run the command: sudo a2ensite test.conf Our test virtual host will then be enabled. After that command succeeds, you then must reload Apache (which will only reload the configuration files, not restart the web server) with the command: sudo systemctl reload apache2 Now, if you point your browser to http://SERVER_IP/test (where SERVER_IP is the IP address of the server) you should see the same “Hello, TechRepublic!” welcome as you did with the basic index.html file, only it’s being served from our newly-created virtual host. You’ve just installed the Apache web server, edited the index.html file, and then created your very own virtual host. You can take this simple how-to and use it as a basis for spinning up all the Apache-served websites you need. This article was originally published in October 2020. It was updated by Antony Peyton in January 2025. source

In November 2022, retailer Balenciaga launched an ad showing children holding teddy bears that appeared to be wearing what looked like bondage gear. This enraged social media users.  As a result, Balenciaga lost 100,000 Instagram followers and saw a decline in sales.  Initially, Balenciaga denied responsibility and even levied a lawsuit against its production company, but that didn’t quell the backlash. So, the company changed course by issuing an apology and announcing that it would use new content validation techniques to prevent an incident like this from occurring again.  Balenciaga is one of many companies that have faced a brand crisis in social media.  Companies including Kellogg’s, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Dove, and KFC have all faced such crises.  When brand-damaging incidents on social media occur, those who deal with them include executive management, marketing, and even the board. But since social media is an online technology, does that mean IT has a role to play as well?  The answer is unclear in many companies. Often, IT isn’t part of the frontline response group, but that doesn’t mean that your IT team shouldn’t be involved.  How IT Should Get Involved  Mitigating a social media brand attack falls under the category of disaster recovery, which means that there should be a step-by-step sequence of responsive actions that are documented in a DR plan. In addition, there is the question of risk management and avoidance. If a risk policy is defined and documented, preemptive steps can be taken that reduce the chances of a brand attack being levied.  Related:Damage Control: Addressing Reputational Harm After a Data Breach IT has a role in both scenarios.   Risk Management  Vetting Software and vendor. When marketing launches e-commerce and informational websites, it also enlists outside firms to monitor Internet activity concerning the company’s online assets, and to report on any unusual or potentially damaging online activities. The goal is to preempt incidents like brand damage, and the monitoring software does this by “listening” for potentially damaging posts and then reporting them.  HR departments also use third-party software for internet monitoring. They use it to check the social media activities and posts of potential job hires and employees.  In both cases, IT can help in vetting the vendors of these services before marketing or HR enters into contractual agreements. This can be a value-add because technology vendor vetting is not a well-developed practice in either marketing or HR, and it is possible that they may contract with vendors that cannot meet their goals, or that fall short of corporate security, privacy and governance requirements.  Related:What Social Media Has to Offer Threat Intelligence Validate Content. As a best practice, IT can encourage marketing to secure content validation software that can vet internally developed messaging before the company publishes it online.   Employee message monitoring. The monitoring and surveillance of employee messaging and internet activities while employees are at work is a common and accepted corporate practice today. This right to monitor employee communication and internet activity extends to remote employees who are not in a corporate office.  Should there be IT involvement in this seemingly personnel-focused matter? Yes, because in many cases, it is IT that is called upon to select and administer the communications monitoring software and to issue monthly activity reports to user departments and management. Even if IT doesn’t do this, it’s still in IT’s best interest to stay involved. That’s because of IT’s significant role in corporate governance, and the necessity of weighing policy against employees’ personal privacy rights.   In more than one case, it was IT that first asked the question of whether employees had been informed upfront that their communications and internet activities would be monitored by the company, and if there was a written policy to that effect that employees were required to acknowledge and sign as a condition of employment.  Related:How to Detect Deepfakes Attack Response and Mitigation  Security breaches. It’s possible for a bad actor to pass malware into an e-commerce website through a message to the site. Or they could post a fake website of the company that fraudulently resembles the real one.  In both cases, IT should be involved with the security and monitoring of corporate online assets to ensure that the assets are free from cyberattacks and fakes. If unusual activities are detected from IT monitoring and management software, they should be promptly reported to management, marketing and other important stakeholders. If a security breach occurs, the DR response should be swift. Threat mitigation and elimination procedures should be written into the corporate DR plan.  Failover. When corporate e-commerce sites are taken over, or they are being pummeled by cyberattacks that are disabling the sites’ functions, a failover plan to an alternate e-commerce site should be executed. It should work in the same way that a physical retail store fails over to a generator when local power service fails.   In this way, a smooth failover allows the e-commerce site to keep working, and it reduces the number of social media posts that complain about the company, the site or the brand. Failover is an IT operation, and IT should take the lead by crafting the technical processes of the failover, testing them, and making sure that they work.   Summary  Social media crisis management is everybody’s business, but all too often, IT gets overlooked. Yet, because social media is an online activity that involves technology, it is almost guaranteed that IT will be called upon to get involved when a brand attack occurs. Consequently, it’s in CIOs’ best interests to stay ahead of the issue by assuming an active role in brand protection and defense.   “Brand protection is more than ‘protection’ and acts as a source of sustainable competitive advantage,” according to De La Rue, a banknote printing firm. It is a multifaceted approach that requires ongoing diligence and adaptability in the face of evolving threats.”   source

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