Tech leaders are spending more time with the channel. HR execs are getting serious about GenAI. Network security is moving to the cloud. And online dating sites can be dangerous.
That’s some of the latest and greatest from leading IT researchers. And here’s your Performance Intensive Computing roundup.
Tech leaders spend more time with the channel
C-level technology executives in 2022 spent 17% of their time working with external customers and channel partners, up from 10% of their time in 2007, according to a recent report from the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR).
Good news, right? Well, conversely, these same tech leaders spent less time collaborating with their coworkers and working on their organizations’ technology stacks. Guess something had to give.
The report, published earlier this year, is the work of three MIT researchers. To compile the data, they reviewed surveys of CIOs, CTOs and CDOs conducted in 2007, 2016 and 2022.
Why the 7% increase in time spent with external customers and channel partners? According to the MIT researchers, it’s the “growing number of digital touchpoints.”
HR execs using GenAI
Nearly 4 in 10 HR executives (38%) are now piloting, planning to implement, or have already implemented generative AI, finds research firm Gartner. That’s up sharply from just 19% of HR execs as recently as last June.
The results come from a quick Gartner survey. This past Jan. 31, the firm polled nearly 180 HR execs.
One of the survey’s key findings: “More organizations are moving from exploring how GenAI might be used…to implementing solutions,” says Dion Love, a VP in Gartner’s HR practice.
Gartner’s January survey also found 3 top use cases for GenAI in HR:
- HR service delivery: Of those working with GenAI, over 4 in 10 (43%) are using the technology for employee-facing chatbots.
- HR operations: Nearly as many (42%) are working with GenAI for administrative tasks, policies and generating documents.
- Recruiting: About the same percentage (41%) are working with GenAI for job descriptions and skills data.
Yet all this work is not leading to many new GenAI-related job roles. Over two-thirds of the respondents (67%) said they do not plan to add any GenAI-related roles to the HR function over the next 12 months.
Network security moving to the cloud
Sales of SaaS-based and virtual network-security solutions surged last year by 26%, reaching a global total of $9.6 billion. By contrast, the overall network-security market shrank by 1%.
That’s according to a report from Dell’Oro Group. It calls the move to network-security solutions in the cloud a “pivotal shift.”
Dell’Oro senior director Mauricio Sanchez goes even further. He calls the industry’s gravitation toward SaaS and virtual solutions “nothing short of revolutionary.”
Also, nearly $5 billion of that $9.6 billion market was due to a 30% rise in spending on SSE networks, Dell’Oro says. SSE, short for Security Service Edge, incorporates various services—including network service brokering, identity service brokering, and security as a service—in a single package.
Looking for love online? Be careful
Nearly 7 out of 10 online daters have been scammed while using dating sites. Some of the victims lost money; others risked their personal security.
That’s according to a survey conducted for ID Shield. The survey was limited, reaching only about 270 people. But all respondents had at least used a dating app in the last 3 years.
The survey’s key findings:
- Financial loss: Six in 10 scam victims on dating sites lost more than $10,000 to the crooks. And slightly more (64%) disclosed personal and finance information that was later used against them.
- ID theft: Nearly 7 in 10 respondents were asked to verify their identity to someone on the dating app. And nearly two-thirds (65%) divulged their Social Security numbers.
- Repeat users: You might think the victims would learn. But 93% of users who were scammed once on a dating app say they continue to use the same app. Let’s hope they’re at least being careful.