Software development has come a long way. That’s largely due to containerization, which allows an application to run flawlessly on-premises and in multiple cloud servers, moving and scaling as needed via isolated, consistent environments.

Docker is an open-source platform that allows developers and systems administrators to package applications into containers. Those containers can then be pushed onto a deployment platform, such as on-premises servers or servers in the cloud, and then executed directly. You can run many Docker containers, each with its own application, on a single server—and those applications will be isolated from one another, thus providing data security and reliability.

The flexibility to run Docker containers on any compatible server is one of the technology’s greatest strengths. Docker was first introduced by visionary software engineer Solomon Hykes, who presented the concept at the PyCon 2013 conference. Hykes, along with a dedicated team, aimed to address challenges around deploying applications to servers, a job that often-involved resource-intensive, cumbersome, and error-prone processes. Docker was conceived to simplify and optimize the entire application lifecycle.

Today, Docker containers are used for business-critical, large-scale deployments involving thousands of containers and hundreds of servers. Inspired by the fundamental concept of containerization, Docker brought a fresh and innovative approach to application deployment. It elevated containerization to new heights by introducing a set of powerful features.

Why Containers?

Linux containers have been in use since 2008, but it took the emergence of Docker containers in 2013 to make the technology widely adopted. A big benefit of containers is that they hold everything needed to run an application or a specific service, including all the libraries, graphics such as icons or user-interface components, system tools, and the runtime executable. A Docker container is designed to run on a specific operating system, such as Linux or Windows. Most of the time, Docker containers can be deployed onto any server—or laptop or desktop—running that operating system, with no configuration changes required.

Docker vs. Kubernetes

The Docker ecosystem is involved in creating containers, putting all the application parts into those containers, and packaging them up for deployment. That’s fine for a few containers, but what about hundreds or thousands? That’s where the Kubernetes automation platform comes in.

Like Docker, Kubernetes is an open-source project widely supported across the tech industry. It’s the tool you use to automate the process of deploying Docker containers to servers, monitoring their performance, starting up new containers when needed, updating containers to the newest versions, and shutting them down when the time comes.

The main benefit of Kubernetes is that it helps manage the operational complexity of deploying many containers across multiple servers—as such, it’s essential for any large-scale deployment of container technology, be it in the cloud or on-premises. Kubernetes automatically orchestrates the container lifecycle, distributing application containers across the hosting infrastructure. Kubernetes can quickly scale resources up or down depending on demand.

Key Takeaways

• Containers package everything needed to run an application, including its binary executables, libraries, images, and other data, along with the application’s configuration details.
• Docker is one of the most common formats for creating containerized applications; it’s open source and broadly supported by all major cloud providers.
• With Docker, there’s no need to manually install and configure an app because that process is done when a container is constructed.
• With isolation, many containers can be installed onto a single server, maximizing the value of server hardware.
• Industry-standard tools such as Kubernetes can automate the deployment of hundreds or even thousands of containerized applications across a network.

Docker Explained

Docker is an open-source application development framework that’s designed to benefit both developers and systems administrators. It enables a DevOps model, where developers are responsible for managing cloud-based applications, instead of the more traditional method where developers built the code and “threw it over the wall” to a separate administrative team that then deployed and managed the application.

Using Docker, developers can easily build, pack, ship, and run applications on almost any system as lightweight, portable, self-sufficient containers. Now, developers can focus on making sure their application meets the needs of the organization rather than worry about the underlying operating system or deployment system.

Additionally, developers can select from thousands of open-source containerized applications made to run in a Docker environment. For DevOps teams, Docker lends itself to continuous integration and development toolchains and reduces system architecture constraints and complexity. With Docker and container orchestration cloud services such as Kubernetes, any developer can create containerized applications locally and then run them in production on cloud services.

Benefits of Using Docker

Docker containers democratize development: Individuals in the software industry often separate developers by specialization—front end, back end, or any concentration in between. With Docker, anyone familiar with the basic concepts can create, deploy, and manage containers. Docker’s containerization services offer many additional advantages over the traditional method of installing software directly onto a server.

These advantages include:

• Consistency: Encapsulating applications and their dependencies within containers can yield consistent runtime behaviour and performance.
• Efficient resource management: Docker’s shared kernel architecture lets multiple containers run on a single host with minimal overhead, maximizing hardware resource utilization.
• Enhanced scalability: When an application running inside a container becomes overloaded, the Kubernetes manager can create another instance of that container on another server. A load balancer can then divvy up work between the running instances.
• Isolation and security: Containers provide process isolation, which improves security for each application running on a server.
• Microservices architecture: Containerization technology is a key enabler of a microservices architecture, where applications are broken down into smaller, independent services that run in their own containers. This enhances modularity, scalability, and maintainability.
• Portability: Containers provide application portability across diverse environments, from development to production, which allows for easy movement between different infrastructure setups.
• Rapid deployment: With fast startup times and efficient resource utilization, containers are easily stopped and started, facilitating simple updates to runtime code and effective load balancing.
• Reliable and efficient resource utilization: A server can be dedicated to a single Docker container. However, if the container doesn’t need all the server’s resources, that server can also be used to run additional containers, thereby leveraging the hardware in full.
• Simplified management: Docker’s intuitive interface and robust set of tools and commands help simplify container management, making it easier to monitor, update, and scale applications.
• Speedier deployment and CI/CD integration: The process of installing and configuring software on a server can take minutes or hours. Deploying a container? A few seconds. The Kubernetes automation platform is essential for the modern continuous integration/continuous deployment approach commonly used to run cloud native applications.

How Docker Works

The core concepts of Docker are images and containers. A Docker image contains everything that’s needed to run software: the executable code, drivers, tools, scripts, libraries, deployments, and more.

Docker container is a running instance of a Docker image. However, unlike in traditional virtual machines, a Docker container runs on the kernel of the host operating system, so the image contains no separate operating system. While that makes the container lightweight and portable, it also requires the container to be configured for a specific operating system. A Docker container holding an application written and compiled to target Linux can be run only on a Linux-based server; the same is true of an application written and compiled to target Windows.

Every Docker container has its own file system, its own network stack and therefore its own IP address, its own process space, and defined resource limitations for CPU and memory. Since a Docker container does not have to boot an operating system, it starts up almost instantly. Docker is about isolation, separating the resources of a host operating system from the application. That’s why it’s possible to run many containers on a single server, each securely separated from each other but sharing the base operating system and hardware.

Docker Architecture Explained

The architecture of a Docker production system requires a Docker daemon, a Docker client, container images and registries, and container orchestration and management. These pieces can be running in the cloud or on-premises.

• The Docker daemon is a background process that runs on each server, or desktop or workstation, that will host Docker containers. It manages all interactions with the containers, such as starting them, stopping them, and routing network communication to and from them.
• The Docker client is the tool that developers and administrators use to interact with the Docker daemon. Once sporting a command-line interface, the Docker client now offers a graphical interface.
• A container image is a read-only template used to provision a container. The Docker daemon reads the container image, which tells it how to launch and configure the container on the server and then start the application inside that container.
• Container registries are centralized resources that store Docker images, along with their descriptions. The Docker client or Kubernetes automation platform instructs the Docker daemon to access the container registry and retrieve and launch each container image as required.
• Container orchestration is the process of managing many containers—hundreds or thousands, perhaps on dozens or hundreds of servers in the cloud or in an on-premises data centre. For relatively small deployments, organizations may use Docker Swarm, a capability built into the Docker platform. For bigger deployments across an enterprise, Kubernetes is the industry standard.
• Container management involves orchestration as well as scaling, load balancing, logging and log analysis, and security and access control.

Docker vs. Virtual Machines

The difference between traditional virtual machines (VMs) and containers is significant. A VM is a complete software simulation of a server (or of any computer) that includes the operating system, device drivers, applications, and data. In a VM setup, a hypervisor runs on the server and orchestrates the virtual machines, performing the same function that the Docker Engine performs with containers.

A container, by contrast, holds only applications and data; it uses a host computer operating system and device drivers.

VMs are used to run multiple operating systems and provide secure, isolated application environments on a single physical machine. But while VMs offer certain advantages, they also have limitations:

• Inefficient resource use: Each VM requires a full operating system, leading to substantially more memory, storage, and processing resource consumption than containers.
• Limited scalability: Because VMs are a simulation of an entire computer, a lot more resources are required just to manage the overhead. That limits the computer’s capability to perform useful tasks.
• Slow startup times: Booting up a VM involves loading an entire operating system. That process takes time, hampering overall system performance.

Containers, on the other hand, provide an isolated environment for running applications while sharing the host operating system kernel, eliminating the need for a full OS installation within each container. This shared kernel architecture delivers several benefits:

• Efficient resource use: Containers share the host’s kernel, resulting in reduced memory and storage requirements versus VMs.
• Enhanced scalability: Scaling containerized applications horizontally is a primary goal of Docker. Its design allows for the rapid deployment of multiple instances with minimal resource overhead.
• Rapid startup times: With no need to boot a full operating system, containers can start up in a matter of seconds, delivering faster application deployment and improved system performance.

A comparison of a virtual machine architecture versus Docker containers.

Containerization vs. Traditional Deployment

In traditional deployments, software is either loaded on a server or a virtual machine configured with an operating system, device drivers, applications, and data. This is a slow process best suited to large, monolithic applications that usually run on a dedicated server, either in the cloud or in a data centre.

Conversely, containers offer a lightweight way of packaging an application and all its dependencies into an image. That image is then stored in a repository, where it can be extracted and run on a target server in a matter of seconds. The Docker container model is easier to scale with automation tools, plus it’s cost-effective and allows developers to maximize their servers’ capabilities.

Key Components of Docker

The core concepts of Docker are images and containers, described earlier. Here are additional components of a Docker container system:

• Docker Engine: The Docker Engine is the core runtime environment responsible for building, running, and managing containers. It provides an interface between the host operating system and the containers, enabling optimal resource allocation and performance.
• Docker Hub: Docker Hub is a cloud-based repository that provides a vast collection of public and private images and serves as a platform for sharing and collaborating on Docker-related projects.
• Docker Compose: Docker Compose is a tool that simplifies the definition and management of multi-container applications. It allows developers to define and configure multiple containers and their dependencies within a single file, called a YAML file, thus making it easier to deploy and scale complex applications.
• Docker Swarm: Docker Swarm is a clustering and orchestration tool that creates groups of Docker Engines. It allows for the management of many containers across multiple hosts, providing features such as load balancing, service discovery, and scalable application deployment. Docker Swarm has largely been superseded by Kubernetes, an open-source platform for container management and orchestration.
• Docker CLI and API: Docker’s command-line interface (CLI) provides intuitive commands for developers and administrators and simple scripting tools to manage containers, including processes to start, stop, and monitor their status. The Docker API allows more sophisticated automation and orchestration tools, such as Kubernetes, to perform those same functions more easily than the CLI.

Common Docker Use Cases

The versatility and powerful features of Docker containerization have made it a preferred choice for organizations across various industries. Here are the most common uses of Docker, often in conjunction with Kubernetes:

• Big data and analytics: Efficient resource utilization and scalability make containers an ideal choice for big data and analytics applications. Companies in data-intensive sectors such as finance and healthcare have used containers to process and analyse large data sets, optimizing resource allocation and improving performance.
• Cloud native applications: With the rise of cloud computing, containers have become a key enabler for building cloud native applications. The ability to package and deploy applications as containers provides portability and flexibility across cloud providers, offering the benefits of cloud computing without vendor lock-in.
• DevOps and continuous integration: Organizations such as Spotify and Pinterest have leveraged containers to simplify their DevOps processes and enable continuous integration. Containers provide a consistent and reproducible environment, simplifying testing and deployment of code changes across the development pipeline.
• Microservices-based architectures: Leading consumer technology companies such as Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb have embraced containerization technology to build and manage their microservices-based architectures. Containers’ ability to handle complex application landscapes with multiple services running in parallel has been vital to their success.
• Web application deployment: Containers are widely used for deploying web applications, providing consistent and reliable performance. They offer a scalable and highly secure environment for simple blogs and complex ecommerce platforms alike.

Getting Started with Containers

For those new to Docker and containers, here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started:

1. Install Docker. The first step is to download and install Docker on your preferred operating system. Docker provides installation packages for Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
2. Create a Docker image. Start by creating a Docker image, which serves as the blueprint for your container. This involves writing a Dockerfile, a text file that defines the steps required to build your image, including the base image, installation of dependencies, and application configuration. A Docker image is built up in layers, each representing one of the steps in the Dockerfile.
3. Build and run. Once your Docker image is ready, you can build and run your first container. Docker’s command-line interface provides intuitive commands to manage containers, allowing you to start, stop, and monitor their status.
4. Explore Docker’s ecosystem. Docker offers a rich set of tools and services you can use to enhance your containerization experience. Docker Hub, a cloud-based repository, provides a vast collection of ready-to-use images and serves as a platform for sharing and collaborating on Docker-related projects. Docker Compose simplifies multi-container application management.

Docker Best Practices

As you explore the use of Docker within your organization, consider some best practices employed by many companies that have embraced cloud native development:

• Optimizing image size and layers: Smaller Docker images are easier to build, test, and deploy. You can start with a small base image by removing unnecessary files from your system before building the image.
• Managing security and permissions: Only authorized users should be allowed to access containers, and misbehaving applications in those containers shouldn’t be able to corrupt or threaten security. Standard guidance applies—never run applications as the root user, keep up to date on patches, and use Docker’s access control features to limit the Linux or Windows privileges of your containers.
• Efficient networking and load balancing: Containers are most efficient when they’re loosely coupled— that is, when you can create and move containers wherever it makes sense on the network instead of being tied to a fixed location. You can use Docker Network to define a flexible network architecture, and tools such as Nginx to route and load balance the traffic between containers in a large-scale deployment.
• Monitoring and logging for Docker: Unlike monolithic applications deployed on a single server, monitoring the health of large-scale containerized applications can be tricky without using automation tools. Plan for centralizing the logs for each container and then use monitoring tools to detect faults and visualize performance metrics.

Optimize Your Container Strategy for Growth

Docker and associated technologies including Kubernetes have seen widespread adoption and tremendous success over the last several years. From an almost unknown and rather technical open-source technology in 2013, Docker has evolved into a standardized runtime environment that’s proven fit for the largest enterprise deployments.

Docker is an essential component of today’s modular, cloud native software that delivers scalability, resilience, flexibility, and cost savings.

Docker FAQs

What are containers?

Containers bundle all the code and dependencies of an application in a standard format, allowing it to run quickly and reliably on most servers. Docker is an industry-standard open-source format for containers.

Why use Docker over traditional deployment methods?

Traditionally, administrators have had to install an application’s files, including the executable binaries, libraries, and data, onto a server and then configure everything to work correctly. To install and run multiple applications on a server at the same time to maximize hardware utilization, they would need to ensure that those applications won’t interfere with each other, and that if one failed, it wouldn’t cause the others to crash. This can be very complex, to say the least, and is difficult to automate.

By contrast, creating a container that holds an application means that container also has the executable binaries, libraries, and data—and everything is preconfigured. To run the application just requires copying the container onto the server and the Docker Engine and Docker daemon will handle the rest. What’s more, containers are isolated, so if one application fails, it won’t affect what’s running in other containers. Tools such as Kubernetes can also automate the deployment and management of containerized applications on a very large scale.

Can Docker replace virtual machines completely?

Consider Docker and virtual machines as complementary technologies. Containers use the host computer’s operating system and device drivers. That makes them fast and efficient, and generally the more attractive option in most cases.

However, there may be situations when a virtual machine is a better choice. These include running applications in a dedicated operating system without sharing any of its resources, requiring specialized device drivers, or running multiple operating systems on the same server.

How does Docker integrate with Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is an open-source system that manages Docker containers. It deploys them, starts and stops them, scales them up with multiple instances when needed, and even restarts containers if an application fails or stops responding. Docker Compose, a part of the base Docker system, can handle small-scale container deployments, while Kubernetes is ideal for scaling to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of containers.

What role does Docker play in enterprise cloud strategies?

Docker containers are perfect for deploying software in the cloud. That can mean either traditional applications that run inside one container, or microservices-based cloud native applications consisting of dozens of separate services running in their own containers. Containers can simplify the development and deployment of services in the cloud and improve scalability, security, compliance, testing, and availability of enterprise applications. Docker and Kubernetes can even maximize the utilization of cloud servers, which can reduce runtime costs.

1. Twingate

In testing a lot of the solutions today for remote access, I have settled on Twingate for secure remote access for home lab. It is really easy to setup and they have a free account which is great for home labs. With the free account, it is free for 5 users, you get the enterprise connectors, split tunneling, and conditional access policies.

Some may not like the fact that it is a paid solution with a proprietary cloud dashboard, but so far, this has not been a show stopper for me. The cloud dashboard actually makes it easier to manage from wherever you are and since it is free as part of the solution, this is an added bonus in my opinion.

Also, since you can spin up the connectors that you run on-premises using Docker, Raspberry Pi or many other options that are available. I have these spread out through my network on different devices, including:

• Running a connector on my Synology NAS.
• Running a connector on one of my Docker hosts.
• I have one also running in a dedicated virtual machine.
• A Raspberry Pi which I can plug into any network with an internet connection.

What is Twingate?

Twingate is more of a hybrid of VPN and proxy technology. Compared to traditional VPN solutions, it has a much more modern approach to segmentation, access control, and other features like zero-trust.

Reasons I use it:

• No open ports on my firewall – How? Well, the traffic is established from the connector so as long as it can egress, it can establish the tunnel
• Granular access control per user and device
• Easy to deploy on Docker, VMs, or Raspberry Pi
• Works great with dynamic IPs or CGNAT
• Built-in DNS resolution for internal services you may be hosting

Even when I am traveling, I can hit any internal service in my home lab. This includes Proxmox dashboard, pfSense, Netdata, Gitea, Portainer, etc, just like I was local on the LAN.

Twingate also lets me separate services. I can restrict certain resources to certain devices or accounts. This is perfect if I want to allow read-only access to others (or segment off something sensitive).

2. Tailscale mesh VPN built on Wireguard

One of the other very popular choices in this space is Tailscale. It is a mesh VPN that is built on Wireguard. Home labbers love the solution because it is dead simple. You install the agent on your devices, sign into it, and when you do, everything is connected with each other. Each device that is on the Tailscale network gets a private IP address in the 100.x.x.x range. Using this IP address, between devices, you can talk to other devices directly.

What makes Tailscale awesome to use:

• No port forwarding is required
• It works behind NAT, CGNAT, double NAT
• It supports ACLs, MagicDNS, subnet routers
• Free for up to 100 devices at this time

Tailscale is great if you want an always-on private network where your laptop, phone, Raspberry Pi, and server all “see” each other like they’re on the same LAN.

I’ve used Tailscale to:

• Connect remote machines together without hassle
• Connect to Home Assistant remotely
• Access Proxmox web GUI on my phone

It just works and the WireGuard-based performance is excellent. The main trade-off is that all devices must use Tailscale to communicate.

3. Plain WireGuard

For those that want a totally vanilla VPN solution, WireGuard is a great option. It’s the leanest, fastest VPN protocol out there. In fact many of the other solutions that we know and love are using Wireguard under the hood. And the great thing is that it is totally free and open-source.

You can use it to:

• Install it on Linux, routers, Docker containers
• Set up point-to-site or site-to-site tunnels
• Build roaming VPNs with static peers or dynamic endpoints

Why choose vanilla WireGuard:

• Full control over the config
• Zero cloud dependencies
• Extremely fast and secure
• Tiny footprint

WireGuard is the most “bare metal” of the solutions here. If you’re comfortable editing config files and managing keys, it’s rock solid. WG-Easy is a solution I have written about before that makes configuring Wireguard much easier.

4. Cloudflare Tunnel

If you have a web service that you want to make available over the public Internet but you want to do this securely, Cloudflare tunnel is probably the right tool to use. Instead of opening ports like we have always done through the firewall, Cloudflare tunnels has you run a lightweight agent inside your home network (much like Twingate) that establishes a websockets over HTTPS tunnel outbound.

The cool thing is Cloudflare Tunnel can connect more than just HTTP web servers. It can connect SSH servers, remote desktops, and other protocols. Your “origin” servers serve the traffic through Cloudflare without being vulnerable to attacks that bypass Cloudflare. It then handles all the incoming requests made and routes them back to your internal network service.

If you want to make a service accessible via the public Internet, Cloudflare Tunnel is probably the right tool.

Why it’s awesome to use:

• No open ports, no NAT config
• Built-in DDoS protection behind Cloudflare’s network
• Automatic SSL with Let’s Encrypt
• Supports access rules with Cloudflare Access

With Cloudflare Tunnel, you can expose a service like Gitea, Portainer, or Grafana at https://myapp.mydomain.com, but only allow access to certain users or IPs. You can even integrate it with identity providers like GitHub or Google.

I’ve used this to:

• Share dashboards with others
• Demos
• Access services from mobile without VPN connections
• Test webhooks or third-party integrations

Just remember, with Cloudflare tunnels, this is still exposing your service to the public, but through a heavily protected proxy. It’s better than port-forwarding, but not as private as Twingate or Tailscale.

Conclusion

Exposing your home lab to the Internet is sometimes a sledgehammer approach that can work to get your services out there quickly, but from a security perspective, it is not worth it. I have self-hosted a few things that I have exposed directly to the Internet with firewall rules and other hardening, but given enough time and persistence, attackers can find a way to get into a machine, especially for dangerous services like RDP, etc.

Since there are great tools available out there for secure remote access for home lab, this is why I stopped exposing my home lab entirely. The services we have covered are what I think are some of the best and each has its strong suite. Whatever tool you choose, stop punching holes in your firewall and start using one of these modern solutions.

If you’re struggling to keep track of your online passwords, you’re not alone. Almost everything you do on the internet beyond simple web browsing requires a login. Some people use easy-to-remember passwords, while others have one complex password for all their accounts. Neither option is recommended since they make it easy for identity thieves and other criminals to steal your credentials. A much better option is a password manager – but what are they, how do they work, and are they safe?

What is a password manager?

A password manager is software that helps users create strong passwords, store them in a digital vault protected by a single master password, and then retrieve them as needed when logging into accounts.

Should you use a password manager?

Using a password manager certainly offers benefits. Password leaks have become common – that is, when websites are hacked, and user data such as usernames and passwords fall into the hands of criminals. If hackers obtain your login credentials, they can try them on other websites. If you use the same credentials across multiple websites, then a leak of one website’s data could enable criminals to access all your online accounts. That is why it’s essential to use strong and unique passwords for each website. A strong password comprises at least 12 characters – ideally more – and is a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. It also avoids obvious or commonly-known information about you, such as your date of birth or names of family members.

However, most of us have many online accounts – one 2020 study suggested the average internet user has around 100 – so keeping tracking of numerous, long, complex passwords become difficult. That’s where password managers come in – they simplify the process by generating secure, random passwords for you and remembering them, so you don’t have to. Ultimately, the only password you need to remember is for the password manager itself.

How does a password manager work?

There are various password managers on the market. Once you’ve decided which one is right for you, the first thing to do is set it up and protect it with a master password. You will be keeping all your passwords in one place – i.e., in your digital vault – and your master password will be your key to that vault. Since your master password encrypts the contents of your vault, the password you choose must be a strong one. It’s also important not to lose it – otherwise, you will need to reset the passwords for all your online accounts – so make sure it’s something you won’t forget. On mobile devices, some password managers allow access via fingerprint or face ID.

Once the password manager is installed, it will capture your username and passwords and save them in your digital vault whenever you log into an app or site. A good password manager should keep track of any changes made to usernames and passwords within the vault and offer to update the stored information for that website or app. Many password managers use auto-fill – that is, they automatically fill in your login credentials on websites and apps when you visit the relevant pages.

As well as saving time, the autofill function can help alert you to phishing – for example, if you find yourself on a site that resembles your normal banking site, but the form fields don’t automatically populate with your login information, it could be a sign that you’re on a phishing website with a different URL, potentially using a typo squatting domain.

Password managers don’t just remember password information either: most password managers will also remember your personal information, such as name, address, and credit card details, and autofill these where appropriate on web forms. This saves time when carrying out a transaction like online shopping. A good password manager will also store documents, medical records, and photos in an encrypted vault which only you can unlock.

When creating new accounts, a password manager will offer to generate a new secure random password for you, which saves the hassle of creating new passwords each time. Good password managers should also let you know if existing passwords are weak or have been compromised in a data breach.

One way that users can maximize the security of their password manager is by enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) to their accounts. MFA means that unlocking your password manager requires something in addition to your master password. This might be a fingerprint, facial recognition, a code sent to a mobile authenticator app, or a hardware security key.

Once you have created your master password and set up multi-factor authentication on your account, you can make your password manager easier to use by installing a browser extension. A good password manager will offer extensions for popular browsers.

Are password managers safe?

Given the information they hold – all your passwords, contact details, credit card details, and potentially other important documents – it’s reasonable to ask, how safe are password managers, and are password managers secure?

Some password managers can be hacked. But in those cases, there’s an important caveat: the information contained within your password manager should be encrypted. Assuming your password manager uses industry-standard encryption such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), it should be almost impossible for criminals to decipher the contents. While each password manager offers different features, it is generally true to say that password managers are safe to use.

The password managers themselves do not store or access your master password or the encrypted information in your password database. This provides an additional layer of security. A key aspect of password manager security lies in the strength of your master password – so it’s essential to choose something strong (and to keep it safe).

Tips for choosing a password manager

Here are some useful tips on choosing the right password manager for you:

• Choose software that has strong encryption.
• Check for a lockout feature, which is helpful in case you forget your password.
• Should something go wrong, be prepared to understand how the vendor will reach out to help you — telephone, email, or chat.
• Check whether the software offers identity theft protection and whether it takes other measures to protect against other malicious behaviours.
• Be comfortable using the software. Look into the usability of any password manager you are considering and ensure you will be able to integrate it with whatever devices or browsers you typically use.
• Calculate the costs and benefits. A full-featured password management suite certainly brings the best value, but there are also free password manager applications that you can download as a trial to test your interest.

A word on browser-based password managers. Some web browsers have integrated password managers. These tend not to compare favourably with dedicated password managers since they usually store passwords on your computer in an unencrypted form. This means that, unless you encrypt your computer’s hard drive, people could access the password files on your computer and view them. In addition, some browser-based passwords don’t automatically generate random passwords, and they may not offer cross-platform syncing.

FAQs about password managers

How do password managers work?

Password managers store all your passwords in a digital encrypted vault. When using a password manager, when you visit websites, the password manager will auto-fill the appropriate login information for that website. This means that you don’t have to remember your username, password, and email address for each website – the password manager does it for you.

Why use a password manager?

It’s recommended to use strong, unique passwords for each site you log into. But most of us have numerous passwords, and keeping track of them can be difficult. A password manager simplifies the process by generating secure, random passwords and remembering them, so you don’t have to. Ultimately, the only password you need to remember is for the password manager itself. In addition, most password managers will allow you to store documents, medical records, and photos in an encrypted vault that only you can unlock.

How safe are cloud-based password managers?

Most cybersecurity experts agree that cloud-based password managers are safe to use and, in fact, are the most secure way to store your passwords. A password manager with AES-256 encryption – that is, military-grade encryption – is almost impossible to crack. A good password manager should operate from a zero-knowledge principle – that is, the software creator should not know anything at all about your data, nor should anyone else. In addition, the ability to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your password manager provides an additional layer of security. No matter which password manager you choose, avoid accessing it on public networks because your data can still be captured at any time.

A password manager helps protect your data online

When used daily, password managers are a convenient solution that can help secure your most private and sensitive information on the internet. There are various password managers on the market, and it’s worth taking the time to find one that is right for you. The right password manager will help to protect your data online.

We live in an age when data is more plentiful than ever, and where media consumption is more prevalent than ever. Not too long ago when it came to computer data storage, files were only a few megabytes or a few gigabytes at most. Now it’s extremely common for there to be hundreds, if not thousands of files taking up storage space into the Terabytes.

If you have a lot of content that you consume, home media servers will make your life so much easier by giving you a new way to interact with that content. We live in an age when data is more plentiful than ever, and where media consumption is more prevalent than ever. Not too long ago when it came to computer data storage, files were only a few megabytes or a few gigabytes at most for large files. Now it’s extremely common for files to be dozens, if not hundreds of gigabytes in size. File sizes have gotten larger because data has gotten more complex. When it comes to content like TV shows and movies, there are multiple different resolutions that those shows and movies can be captured in. Standard definition picture quality has an extremely low file size because of its low resolution.  Standard definition shows and movies typically only weigh a few hundred megabytes at most depending on how long the run time of the content in question is.

However, when you find content at higher resolutions, say High-Definition content, which is rendered in 1080p resolution or 4K resolution, those files are often in the dozens, if not hundreds of gigabytes. This is because of the amount of data necessary to be able to render and display high-resolution content. These larger file sizes are a perfect example of why having a home media server can be so beneficial, because having a home media server will allow you to store all of your data, large in small in one location and access it whenever you want to.

Where Am I Going To Put All That Data?

As data sizes have increased, data storage needs have increased. So, people find themselves in need of data storage solutions that allow them to hold all of the media that they want to consume, or preserve, and by far the best solution is to have a home media server.

Some people like to use cloud storage servers, which means that they upload their data directly to a cloud service such as Dropbox, Microsoft Azure, or Google Drive, and trust a third party to hold, manage, and maintain their data. 

This is a good option for people that are not technologically savvy enough to build or maintain a server on their own. However, it is cost prohibitive because in many cases these services cost money to use every month. If you don’t pay the monthly fee, your data could be deleted, and if you don’t have that data backed up, you’ll lose everything.

With a personal data server, you never have to worry about paying a monthly subscription fee to access your data. You can buy a pre-built file server like a Synology DS 220+ and install hard drives in it that will meet your storage needs. For instance, someone that just wants to fill a server with pictures and home movies is often not going to need the same amount of storage as someone that’s storing audiobooks, movies, and TV shows.

What Can I Do with A Home Media Server?

Storing files isn’t the only thing that you can do with a personal media server. You can configure your server to let you access your data at any time, in whatever form is most convenient.

Services like Plex and Emby give you the ability to categorize the content you own by the type of media it is. So, you can have your TV shows, movies, audiobooks, music, documentaries and more all in one place. So instead of having to pay for subscriptions to multiple streaming apps every month to be able to access the content you want to consume, you can have it all stored on your server and access it from one central location! The days of switching apps to be able to keep up with all of your favourite shows and movies are over when you have your own server and host your own content.

I’m sure we’ve all been devastated when our favourite TV show or movie got taken off the streaming service that we pay for every month, whether that be Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or something else. If you buy a digital download of that show, you have legal access to do whatever you want to do with it, so you can store that content on your server and never have to worry about losing access to your favourite media again. Eventually, you may get to the point where you’ve cut the cord altogether and stopped paying for subscription services because you prefer to host everything you want to consume on your server instead of paying every month to use someone else’s service.

Remote Access

Another great feature of having a personal server is that you can configure it for remote access, so you can access your content not only anywhere in your home, but anywhere in the world should you give yourself remote access permissions. This means you can access your content anywhere that you have an internet connection, and bypass the limits that services like Netflix have of a limited number of authorized devices being able to access content at once.

Never Lose Your Data Again

Finally, one of the best things about having a personal server is the ability to back up the data that’s most important to you. Some things like pictures, home movies, and important documents are priceless and cannot be replaced. Natural disasters can happen at any time and destroy the physical copies of something like a birth certificate, but if you have a digital backup of it, you’ll never lose it. Personal servers allow you to quickly back up all of your data and easily get access to it if and or when you should need it.

Final Thoughts on Home Media Servers

Having your own server may seem daunting at first, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Worrying about which server you want to buy, or how to repurpose an old computer into a server can seem scary, especially since the upfront cost can be high. But when you really sit down and look at the peace of mind that can come from having a personal server that allows you to store and access all of your data at a moment’s notice, whether that be TV shows and movies or backups of important documents, it can be well worth the price you have to pay.

Microsoft, as per its product roadmap for Exchange Server, has released the Microsoft Exchange Server SE (Subscription Edition) to meet the needs of on-premises customers. As the name states, this new iteration of Exchange Server will be subscription-based, similar to the SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. This means that it will require subscription licenses or active Software Assurance (SA) licenses, and licenses for users. The Exchange Server subscription will include access updates, security patches, and support.

Features and Changes in Exchange Server SE

Although the Exchange Server SE is based on the Exchange Server 2019, there are a number of improvements and new features in the new edition. These are:

• One of the major new features is the support for the new operating system of Microsoft, which is Windows Server 2025.
• With regards to product key or license, if you are upgrading from a previous Exchange Server version, a new product key will be needed.
• There is an exception to hybrid setups, where a free license will be available via the Hybrid Configuration Wizard (HCW).
• To improve security, support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 is added in the Subscription Edition.

However, there are a few features that will not be available in Exchange Server SE, such as:

• It will not support Outlook Anywhere (RPC/ HTTP protocol) service. So, if you have any systems which are dependent on the protocol, you need to upgrade the systems or change the integration part with the Exchange Server.
• The new version will not support the Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA 4.0) and instant messaging in Outlook.

Upgrading to Exchange Server SE

Exchange Server SE (Subscription Edition) will block the coexistence support with Exchange Server 2013. With Cumulative Update 1 (CU) for the Subscription Edition, coexistence will be blocked with all the unsupported versions of Exchange Server, i.e., Exchange Server 2013, 2016, and 2019. This means that if you’re running an older version of Exchange Server (Exchange Server 2013 or earlier), you need to decommission it prior to upgrade. After the release of Cumulative Update (CU) 1, you need to decommission any other older version of Exchange Server.

If you are running an Exchange Server 2016 or 2019, you should consider to first upgrade to the latest Cumulative Update (Exchange Server 2016 CU23 or Exchange Server 2019 CU13/CU14).

 To upgrade from Exchange 2016 or 2019 to the new Exchange Server SE, there are two methods:

• Legacy Upgrade: In this, you need to introduce the new Exchange Server version in the organization, move all the mailboxes and other resources to the new server, and then uninstall the old server. This type of upgrade is suitable when migrating from Exchange 2016 to Exchange 2019 or from Exchange 2016 to Exchange Server SE.

• In-Place Upgrade: It is similar to installing a cumulative update (CU). This method is available only for upgrading from Exchange Server 2019 (with CU14 or CU15) to Exchange Server SE.

Things to Consider before Upgrading to Exchange Server SE

If you’re planning to upgrade to the Exchange Server Subscription Edition, you must ensure that all the requirements and guidelines set by Microsoft are fulfilled beforehand. Here are some things you should consider before upgrade:

• Check the Compatibility and Guidelines: It’s important to follow the coexistence guidelines and check compatibility of the operating system. If you’ve Exchange Server 2019, it’s important to update it to the Cumulative Update (CU) 15.
• Backup the Infrastructure: It’s a best practice to take backup of the servers, along with the mailbox databases prior to upgrade. If something happens, this will come in handy.
• Maintenance Window: The upgrade operation should be scheduled outside office hours. Also, inform the involved parties accordingly.
• Obtain the License: You should have the Subscription Edition license in hand so that you can activate the system once it has been fully upgraded. You can obtain the license from Microsoft or through their respective vendor.
• Post Upgrade Tasks: Post upgrade, you should perform tests (mail flow tests and other tests) to ensure that everything is working correctly.

Conclusion

So, if you’re running the Exchange Server 2013/2016, it is suggested you can upgrade to Exchange 2019. This will allow you to perform the legacy upgrade (from Exchange Server 2016 to 2019). For this, you need to install the Exchange Server 2019 in the organization and move all the databases and other resources to the newer version. Once complete run the in-place upgrade and follow the wizards

Install Exchange Server step by step on Windows Server. Before you start installing Exchange Server, make sure to install Exchange Server prerequisites first. After that, prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server. After doing both tasks, you are ready to install Exchange Server. In this article, you will learn how to install Exchange Server.

Download Exchange Server

Go to the Exchange Server build numbers and release dates page. The page lists all Exchange Server build numbers and release dates. Download and save the Exchange Server ISO image.

Note: We recommend downloading the latest Exchange Server build version.

In File Explorer, right-click on the Exchange Server CU ISO image file and select Mount. It will mount the ISO to a drive. For example, the E:\ drive. The E:\ drive contains the Exchange installation files.

Mount the Exchange ISO image before proceeding to the next step.

Before installing Exchange Server

Before you can proceed further with the Exchange Server installation you must complete the following:

1. Install Exchange Server prerequisites
2. Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server

After you have walked through the above configuration, install the Exchange Mailbox Server Role.

Install Exchange Server prerequisites

Install Exchange Server prerequisites before you start to install Exchange Server. Ensure you have an operating system that supports the Exchange Server version that you want to install. In this article, we will look at how to install Exchange Server prerequisites on Windows Server.

Mailbox and Edge Transport server roles

The Mailbox server contains:

• Transport services that are used to route mail
• Mailbox databases that process, render, and store data
• Client Access services that accept client connections for all protocols

The Edge Transport server is:

• An optional role that handles all external mail flow for the Exchange organization
• Protecting the Exchange organization from viruses and spam as mail enters and leaves
• Installed in an Exchange organization perimeter (DMZ) network

Supported operating systems

Have a look at which operating systems support Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019.

Exchange Server 2016

• Windows Server 2016 Standard or Datacenter (Exchange Server 2016 CU3 or later)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter
• Windows Server 2012 Standard or Datacenter
• Windows Server Desktop Experience

Exchange Server 2019

• Windows Server 2022 Standard or Datacenter (Exchange Server 2019 CU12 or later)
• Windows Server 2019 Standard or Datacenter
• Windows Server Desktop Experience
• Windows Server Core

Install Exchange Mailbox server prerequisites

Follow the steps below to install Exchange Mailbox server prerequisites for Windows Server.

Step 1. Run PowerShell as administrator. Run the following command to install the required Windows components.

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, NET-Framework-45-Core, NET-Framework-45-ASPNET, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, NET-WCF-Pipe-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-PortSharing45, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS

Step 2. Install .NET Framework 4.8 (restart required).

Step 3. Install Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012.

Step 4. Install Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013.

Step 5. Install IIS URL Rewrite Module.

Note: The IIS URL Rewrite Module is required with Exchange Server 2016 CU22 and Exchange Server 2019 CU11 or later.

Step 6. Install Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime.

Install Exchange Edge Transport server prerequisites

Follow the steps below to install Exchange Edge Transport server prerequisites for Windows Server.

Step 1. Run PowerShell as administrator. Run the following command to install the required Windows components.

Install-WindowsFeature ADLDS

Step 2. Install .NET Framework 4.8 (restart required).

Step 3. Install Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012.

Install Exchange Management tools prerequisites

Follow the steps below to install Exchange Management tools prerequisites:

Step 1. Install Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012.

Step 2. Run PowerShell as administrator and run the following command to install the required Windows components.

Windows Server OS:

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase

Windows 10 and Windows 11 OS:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-ManagementConsole, IIS-Metabase -All

Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server

You want to prepare Active Directory (AD) schema and domains for Exchange Server. Before you prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange, install Exchange Server prerequisites. After that, you can install Exchange Server in the organization.

Information

Before you start, sign in to the Windows Server that will be the Exchange Server, and go through these steps:

• Install the latest Windows Updates
• Restart after installing Windows Updates
• Join the server to the domain

Prerequisites extending the Active Directory

Before extending the Active Directory schema, the following needs to be installed on the Exchange Server:

• .NET Framework must be installed
• The RSAT-ADDS feature must be installed
• Account needs to be added to the Schema Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups

Install .NET Framework

.NET Framework is already installed if you have followed Install Exchange Server prerequisites. If you didn’t, find the correct .NET Framework version on the Exchange Server supportability matrix. Go to the download page of .NET Framework and download the appropriate version.

In our example, we have to install .NET Framework 4.8. If the download finishes, right-click the file and choose run as administrator. Install the .NET Framework on the Exchange Server. Restart when the installation completes.

Note: You can extend the Active Directory Schema from the domain controller or any other server in the organization. The feature RSAT-ADDS is already installed on the domain controller. If you want to prepare the schema on the Domain Controller, you only need to install the .NET Framework. Some organizations have different teams because of different administrative responsibilities in the environment.

Install RSAT-ADDS feature

RSAT-ADDS feature is already installed if you have followed Install Exchange Server prerequisites. Suppose you didn’t install the RSAT-ADDS feature. Run PowerShell as administrator. Run the Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet, including the RSAT-ADDS feature.

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS

The output below appears.

Success Restart Needed Exit Code Feature Result

——- ————– ——— ————–

True    No             Success   {Remote Server Administration Tools, Activ…

Schema Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups

Before you can extend the schema, your account needs to be a member of the Schema Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups. Open Active Directory and add both groups to your account if it’s not set already. These are high privilege groups. We recommend removing your account from the groups when you’re done with this task.

Note: If you’ve just added yourself to these groups, you’ll need to log out and back into the server for the new group membership to take effect.

Prepare Active Directory Schema

The first step in getting your organization ready for Exchange Server is to extend the Active Directory schema. Exchange stores a lot of information in Active Directory, but before it can do that, it needs to add/update classes and attributes.

In File Explorer, right-click on the Exchange Server CU ISO image file and select Mount. It will mount the ISO image to a drive. For example, the E:\ drive. The E:\ drive contains the Exchange installation files. Make sure to mount the Exchange ISO image before proceeding to the next step.

Run Command Prompt as administrator. Run the following command to extend/prepare the schema for Exchange Server.

E:\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataOFF /PrepareSchema

You will see the COMPLETED messages in the output. The extend/prepare schema for Exchange Server went successfully.

Prepare Active Directory

After the Active Directory schema has been extended, you can prepare other parts of Active Directory for Exchange Server. During this step, Exchange will create containers, objects, and other items in Active Directory to store information. The collection of the Exchange containers, objects, attributes, and so on is called the Exchange organization.

If you followed the article, you are already a member of the Schema Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups. Open Active Directory and add both groups to your account if it’s not set already. These are high privilege groups. We recommend you to remove your account from the groups when you’re done with this task.

Note: If you’ve just added yourself to these groups, you’ll need to log out and back into the Server for the new group membership to take effect.

If you do not already have an Exchange organization, you’ll need to provide a name for the organization.

Note: You need to select a name for the Exchange organization. The organization name is used internally by Exchange. It isn’t typically seen by users and doesn’t affect the functionality of Exchange. Also, it doesn’t determine what you can use for email addresses. The organization name can’t contain more than 64 characters and can’t be blank. Valid characters are A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9, hyphen or dash (-), and space, but leading or trailing spaces aren’t allowed. You can’t change the organization name after it’s set.

Run Command Prompt as administrator. Run the following command to prepare Active Directory for Exchange Server.

E:\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataOFF /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:”EXOIP”

The output will then display “The Exchange Server setup operation completed.

If you’re installing Exchange Server into an existing Exchange organization, you do not need to specify the organization name.

Run Command Prompt as administrator. Run the following command to prepare Active Directory for Exchange Server.

E:\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataOFF /PrepareAD

Prepare Active Directory domains

The final step to get Active Directory ready for Exchange is to prepare each of the Active Directory domains where Exchange will be installed. This step creates additional containers, security groups and sets permissions so that Exchange can access them.

If you have more than one domain, you can run the following command in Command Prompt to prepare all the domains for Exchange Server.

Note: If you have only one domain, you can skip this step because the /PrepareAD command in the previous step has already prepared the domain for you.

E:\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataOFF /PrepareAllDomains

You will get this at the end “The Exchange Server setup operation completed successfully.”

Check Exchange Active Directory versions

After you prepare AD for Exchange Server, you like to check if the Active Directory is updated. Run PowerShell as administrator. Make sure that you set the Execution Policy to Unrestricted. If you don’t, the script will not run.

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force

Run the following commands one by one.

# Exchange Schema Version

$sc = (Get-ADRootDSE).SchemaNamingContext

$ob = “CN=ms-Exch-Schema-Version-Pt,” + $sc

Write-Output “RangeUpper: $((Get-ADObject $ob -pr rangeUpper).rangeUpper)”

# Exchange Object Version (domain)

$dc = (Get-ADRootDSE).DefaultNamingContext

$ob = “CN=Microsoft Exchange System Objects,” + $dc

Write-Output “ObjectVersion (Default): $((Get-ADObject $ob -pr objectVersion).objectVersion)”

# Exchange Object Version (forest)

$cc = (Get-ADRootDSE).ConfigurationNamingContext

$fl = “(objectClass=msExchOrganizationContainer)”

Write-Output “ObjectVersion (Configuration): $((Get-ADObject -LDAPFilter $fl -SearchBase $cc -pr objectVersion).objectVersion)”

Important: After you install Exchange on a server, you must not change the server’s name. Renaming a server after you’ve installed an Exchange server role is not supported.

Install Exchange Server with command line

There are two options for installing Exchange server. You can choose to:

1. Install Exchange Mailbox server using the setup wizard
2. Install Exchange Mailbox server using unattended mode (this article)

The Exchange setup wizard will guide you to install Exchange Server with GUI. The Exchange unattended mode will install Exchange Server with the command line.

Note: The Exchange Server installation will fail if there is a pending reboot available on the system. We recommend restarting the Windows Server before you start the installation.

Run Command Prompt as administrator. Install the Mailbox Server Role and the management tools in the default folder on the local server.

Exchange Server Mailbox Role finished installing. Reboot the server.

Sign in to Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

Sign in to Exchange Admin Center (EAC). Start your favourite browser and go to https://hostname/ecp. Change the hostname to yours. Another way is to use https://localhost/ecp.

You will get a certificate warning in your browser. Accept the risk and continue.

In our example, the Exchange Server hostname is EX01-2016.

Fill in the domain and administrator credentials. Then, click sign in.

The mailboxes area is almost empty, except for one mailbox that shows up. That’s the account that you used for installing Exchange Server.

Conclusion

You learned how to install Exchange Server step by step on Windows Server. An excellent way to install the Mailbox Server Role is with the command line. After a reboot, verify that you can sign in to the Exchange Admin Center.

Understanding AI: A Simple Explanation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the ability of machines, particularly computer systems, to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. These tasks include understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, making decisions, learning from experience, and even mimicking creativity.

AI is not one single technology, but rather a broad field made up of multiple subfields, each contributing to different capabilities. AI systems work by analyzing large amounts of data, identifying patterns, and using those patterns to make predictions or take action.

Core Technologies Behind AI

To understand how AI impacts business, it helps to know the main types of AI technologies:

1. Machine Learning (ML): Enables computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time without being explicitly programmed.
2. Natural Language Processing (NLP): Allows machines to understand and respond to human language.
3. Computer Vision: Enables machines to interpret visual data such as images and videos.
4. Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Automates repetitive, rule-based tasks across software systems.
5. Generative AI: Creates new content—text, images, code, or videos—based on prompts.

How AI Is Transforming the Way Businesses Operate

AI is reshaping business models, processes, and strategies in significant ways:

1. Operational Efficiency and Automation: Automates mundane and repetitive tasks to increase efficiency and reduce errors.
2. Enhanced Data Analysis and Decision-Making: Analyzes large datasets to support better business decisions.
3. Improved Customer Experiences: Powers chatbots, virtual assistants, and personalized product recommendations.
4. Cost Reduction and Scalability: Cuts labor costs, minimizes waste, and enables more efficient scaling.
5. New Business Models and Innovation: Creates new markets and transforms industries like healthcare, finance, and agriculture.
6. Talent Management and Workforce Evolution: Changes the workforce by replacing some jobs and creating new AI-related roles.

Industry Examples of AI in Action

Retail: Personalized promotions, inventory management, and AI chatbots.
Finance: Fraud detection, algorithmic trading, and loan underwriting.
Healthcare: Diagnostic imaging, virtual health assistants, and predictive analytics.
Manufacturing: Predictive maintenance and quality assurance.
Marketing: AI-generated content, customer segmentation, and dynamic pricing.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite its benefits, AI implementation comes with challenges:
1. Data Privacy and Security: Responsible data handling and compliance with regulations like GDPR.
2. Bias and Fairness: Addressing bias in AI training data to prevent unfair outcomes.
3. Skills Gap: Shortage of skilled AI professionals.
4. Ethical and Legal Risks: Ensuring transparency and accountability in AI decision-making.

The Future of AI in Business

AI will become a business necessity rather than a competitive advantage:
– AI as a co-pilot assisting workers with daily tasks.
– Edge AI bringing faster decision-making by processing data on devices.
– Explainable AI (XAI) for building trust in AI decisions.
– AI Governance frameworks to ensure ethical and responsible use.

Conclusion

AI is transforming every aspect of business—from how we work, make decisions, and engage customers to how we manage resources. Companies that embrace AI early will gain a strategic edge, while others may struggle to keep up. The key steps include:
– Start experimenting with AI.
– Train staff and build AI literacy.
– Prioritize ethical, responsible AI use.
– Collaborate with AI experts to accelerate adoption.

AI is no longer science fiction—it’s a vital business tool of the present and future.

Advantages and Disadvantages

In an increasingly digital and remote-first world, IT service providers and internal IT departments need efficient ways to monitor, maintain, and manage networks and endpoints. Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software has become an essential tool in achieving this, enabling IT professionals to proactively support systems without being physically present.

RMM tools have become especially vital in the wake of hybrid and remote work models. They provide IT teams with the visibility and control necessary to support a distributed workforce, manage endpoints across different geographies, and maintain strong cybersecurity hygiene from a central console.

What is RMM?

RMM stands for Remote Monitoring and Management. It is a type of software designed to help IT professionals monitor client endpoints, networks, and computers remotely. With RMM tools, administrators can track performance, deploy updates, manage patches, automate maintenance tasks, and address issues before they impact users.

Commonly used by Managed Service Providers (MSPs), RMM platforms are also increasingly adopted by internal IT teams to improve efficiency and reduce downtime.

At its core, RMM software acts as the digital eyes and hands of IT professionals. It not only monitors the health and performance of systems but also provides the ability to apply patches, reboot machines, install software, and run scripts — all without interrupting the end-user experience. This makes it an indispensable tool for both reactive troubleshooting and proactive system health management.

Advantages of RMM

• Proactive Maintenance: RMM tools allow for continuous monitoring of systems, enabling issues to be detected and resolved before they cause significant disruption.
• Increased Efficiency: Automation of tasks like software updates, patch management, and system scans saves time and reduces manual workload.
• Remote Access and Support: Technicians can troubleshoot and resolve problems without needing to be on-site, speeding up resolution times.
• Improved Security: RMM software helps ensure that devices are always updated and compliant with security standards, reducing vulnerability exposure.
• Scalability: As businesses grow, RMM tools make it easier to manage a larger number of endpoints without a proportional increase in IT staff.
• Cost Savings: Reduces the need for on-site visits, travel costs, and reactive fixes — leading to long-term savings.

Disadvantages of RMM

• Initial Setup Complexity: Deploying RMM tools can be technically complex and time-consuming, especially in larger or more diverse environments.
• Cost of Licensing: High-quality RMM platforms often come with significant subscription or licensing costs.
• Learning Curve: IT teams may need training to fully utilize all the features and capabilities of the RMM solution.
• Potential Privacy Concerns: Remote access capabilities may raise concerns among employees about monitoring and data privacy.
• False Positives and Alert Fatigue: Misconfigured alerts can result in excessive notifications, making it difficult to identify genuine threats or issues.

Conclusion

RMM solutions are a cornerstone of modern IT support strategies, offering a range of benefits from proactive monitoring to cost savings. However, they are not without challenges, and organisations should weigh the pros and cons carefully. When implemented correctly and with the right training, RMM tools can dramatically improve IT service delivery, reduce downtime, and enhance user satisfaction.

RMM tools are particularly beneficial for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), allowing them to support dozens or hundreds of client environments efficiently. For internal IT departments, RMM systems help manage infrastructure with minimal resources, which is crucial in today’s landscape where many teams are expected to do more with less.

Before implementing an RMM solution, it’s important to assess your specific needs, compare feature sets, ensure integration with existing tools, and provide adequate training. Done right, an RMM strategy can future-proof your IT operations, improve service levels, and enable more strategic use of technical resources.

Cloud computing is a term that refers to the use of remote servers to store, manage, and process data. The cloud is a metaphor for the internet, which is why it’s also sometimes referred to as on-demand computing or utility computing. 

So, what exactly is cloud computing? And is it worth it?

This IT solution is typically implemented with the help of a cloud computing service provider, made up of a team of experts to ensure the transition process is as smooth as possible.

But even with the rampant use of cloud computing, many business executives across various industries still ask that exact question. And with the near-endless list of options cloud computing offers businesses, it’s only crucial that you (as a decision-maker) know what it is and if it’s the right option for your company.

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know about cloud computing and whether it’s a worthy investment or not.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is still a relatively new concept to many businesses. It’s only been in the last few years that cloud services have become widely adopted, with more and more businesses seeing the benefits of moving to the cloud.

Cloud computing is the method to deliver computing services (e.g., data and applications) via the internet. It uses a cloud-shaped symbol representing the internet infrastructure in network flowcharts, where it makes software, hardware, and processing work on any device.

In simple terms, cloud computing is only accessible through the internet in an on-demand function. It means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet anytime and anywhere instead of your computer’s local hard drive.

The cloud is just a way of describing a remote server that’s accessible via the internet since the processing takes place on a remote machine. Your data gets collected, stored, and processed in a remote server maintained by a cloud service provider. So, your device is not working as much as it used to since all processing happens in the cloud.

There are many benefits of cloud computing, including that you can access your data from anywhere in the world and that you won’t need to worry about losing confidentiality.

So, is cloud computing worth it?

The short answer is yes.

The benefits of cloud computing for businesses

There’s no doubt that cloud computing has taken the business world by storm. By enabling businesses to access data and applications from anywhere in the world, the cloud has opened new opportunities for growth and innovation.

But what are the specific benefits of cloud computing?

Here are just a few of our favorites:

Cost savings

One of the significant advantages of cloud computing is that it can help businesses save money. With on-demand scalability and pay-as-you-go pricing models, you only have to pay for the resources you use when you use them.

There’s no need to make expensive upfront investments in hardware or software that you won’t need anytime soon.

Hardware and software are expensive! You must buy, install, and maintain these assets to ensure everything’s working well, especially during peak business times.

This function is especially critical because once your system goes down (whether from equipment breaking or applications becoming legacies), your profits and customers’ happiness are in deep trouble.

With cloud computing, you are less likely to experience these issues that could potentially cost you a lot of money to fix.

Cloud computing’s pay-as-you-go model is ideal for businesses that want a transparent and predictable IT budget. So, if your goal is to have a trusty infrastructure without hurting your pockets, cloud computing is a worthy asset!

Increased agility and flexibility

The cloud gives businesses the ability to be more agile and flexible.

With cloud computing, you can quickly scale up or down depending on your business needs without worrying about managing complex infrastructure.

If your business tends to have seasonal spikes or unforeseen events that may increase customer demand, cloud computing can assist you with that. Cloud computing is a flexible solution you can use anytime to adapt to expected/unexpected circumstances that will affect your business.

Improved security posture

Cloud computing can help businesses improve their security posture by taking advantage of the latest security technologies and services by cloud providers.

Data loss is horrible. It is a heavy burden that affects both you and your customers. You’re highly prone to data disasters if you don’t have (cloud or local) backups. With cloud computing, you can back up your data on remote servers that you can access anytime when the need arises.

Cyber security is not only about preventing disasters. There should also be a solution to mitigating a disaster once they’ve breached your IT. Cloud backups will help you get back up and running in no time in case your local backups are unusable.

When it comes to security, cloud computing will ensure that a copy of your data gets stored on a very secure remote server that you can use to restore your data and systems without any hitch.

Workplace mobility

Remote work is getting more relevant even after quarantine restrictions have died down. This demand means that the office is wherever you want it to be (as long as there’s an internet connection).

You no longer have to be tied down and work in the office to access business data. You can be productive anytime and anywhere without the restrictions of on-premises servers.

Cloud computing is worth your while if you’re looking to be more agile in your processes. And it is cloud-based apps like Microsoft 365 that make this a reality. You can communicate with team members, collaborate on projects, be more productive and efficient with work, etc.

On-premise servers are starting to become a thing of the past. Adapting to cloud computing puts your business forward to further innovation that would make target goals easier to reach.

The drawbacks of cloud computing for businesses

Cloud computing has a few disadvantages that businesses should be aware of before switching.

Possibility of security breaches

One such drawback is the potential for security breaches. Because data is stored off-site on remote servers, it could be more vulnerable to hacking.

That’s why cloud service providers only implement industry-level security solutions to ensure their clients’ data are safe from criminals.

But that’s not all there is to security.

You also have to do your part in maintaining the security posture of your cloud environment. Because cloud computing, although reliable, can be a pathway for cyber criminals to gain access to your most important asset.

So aside from choosing a reputable cloud provider, you also need to ensure the levels of protection and mitigation solutions maintained in your business. You can always start by going through a security awareness webinar we hold every month.

Possibility of service interruptions

Another downside is that you may experience service interruptions if your internet connection goes down or your cloud service provider has technical issues.

Cloud computing is based on the internet, and without a reliable connection, you can experience IT-related inconveniences such as downtime, reboots, and outages. If left unattended, it will affect your entire business operations from unproductive to lost profit.

When setting up your cloud environment, business continuity and uptime should be at the top of your list.

The goal is not to prevent disruptions/outages entirely (because that’s nearly impossible) but to minimise them as much as possible.

Possibility of extra costs

Finally, businesses will need to weigh the cost of using a cloud computing service against the benefits.

While it can save businesses money on hardware and software costs, the PAYG (pay-as-you-go) pricing model also comes with its downsides. For one, it may become more expensive in the long run since there will come a time when you’ll need to scale up your cloud usage according to your growing business needs.

If you’re unsure what’s the best package and pricing for you, you can try out a variety of offers or talk to your IT partner directly.

Is cloud computing worth it for your business?

In today’s business world, the cloud is becoming increasingly popular. But is it worth it?

There are certainly some costs associated with cloud computing, but there are also many benefits.

For example, cloud computing can help businesses save money on hardware and software costs. It can also improve efficiency and collaboration between teams.

Cloud computing will be an asset to businesses worldwide.

Whether you have a full cloud infrastructure or a hybrid one, you’ll still enjoy the benefits that come with it. Yes, you can have both an onsite and cloud solution – and this is a great solution if you still want to move some data to the cloud and keep what you need in your on-premises servers. This way, you can keep up with the industry without the need to fully transition to the cloud.

One thing to keep in mind before you switch to cloud computing is to investigate how you can use it to your benefit and help you reach your ROIs. For starters, you should expect less expense and less IT-related work.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not cloud computing is worth it depends entirely on a business’s needs and budget. But as we’ve concluded in this article, the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the costs.

Two-factor authentication (2FA), sometimes referred to as two-step verification or dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves.

2FA is implemented to better protect both a user’s credentials and the resources the user can access. It’s typically used as part of a broader effort to prevent data breaches and the potential loss of personal data.

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to the authentication process by making it harder for attackers to gain access to a person’s devices or online accounts. Even if the victim’s password is hacked, a password alone isn’t enough to pass the authentication check.

Two-factor authentication has long been a cybersecurity strategy to manage account security by controlling access to sensitive systems and data. Online service providers are increasingly using 2FA to protect users’ credentials from being used by hackers who stole a password database or used phishing attacks to obtain user passwords.

What are authentication factors?

There are several ways in which someone can be authenticated using more than one authentication method. Most authentication methods rely on knowledge factors, such as a traditional password. Two-factor authentication methods add either a possession factor or an inherence factor.

Authentication factors, listed in approximate order of adoption for computing, include the following:

• Knowledge factor. A knowledge factor is something the user knows, such as a password or a personal identification number (PIN).
• Possession factor. A possession factor is something the user has, such as an ID card, a security token, a mobile phone or a smartphone app, to approve authentication requests.
• Biometric factor. A biometric factor, also known as an inherence factor, is something inherent in the user’s physical self. It might be a personal attribute mapped from physical characteristics, such as fingerprints authenticated through a fingerprint reader. Other commonly used inherence factors include facial and voice recognition or behavioural biometrics, such as keystroke dynamics, gait or speech patterns.
• Location factor. A location factor is usually the location from which an authentication attempt is being made. Authentication attempts can be limited to specific devices in a particular location or the geographic source of an authentication attempt can be tracked based on the Internet Protocol address or some other geolocation information, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) data, derived from the user’s iPhone, Android phone or other mobile device.
• Time factor. A time factor restricts user authentication to a specific time window in which logging on is permitted and restricts access to the system outside of that window.

Most two-factor authentication methods rely on knowledge, possession and biometric authentication factors. Systems requiring greater security use multifactor authentication (MFA), which relies on additional independent credentials for more secure authentication.

How does two-factor authentication work?

Enabling two-factor authentication varies depending on the specific application or vendor. However, two-factor authentication processes involve the same general, multistep process:

1. The user is prompted to log in by the application or the website.
2. The user enters what they know, usually their username and password.
3. The site’s server finds a match and recognizes the user.
4. For processes that don’t require passwords, the website generates a unique security key for the user. The authentication tool processes the key and the site’s server validates it.
5. The site prompts the user to initiate the second login step. Although this step can take several forms, the user must prove that they have something only they would have, such as a biometric feature, security token, credit card, ID card, smartphone or other mobile device. This is the inherence or possession factor.
6. The user might have to enter a one-time passcode that was generated during Step 4.
7. After providing both factors, the user is authenticated and granted access to the application or website.

Two-factor authentication involves two of three potential authentication factors.

Elements of two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is a form of MFA. Technically, it’s in use any time two authentication factors are required to gain access to a system or service. However, using two factors from the same category doesn’t constitute 2FA. For example, requiring a password and a shared secret is still considered SFA as they both belong to the knowledge authentication factor type.

SFA that relies on usernames and passwords isn’t the most secure. One problem with password-based authentication is it requires knowledge and diligence to create and remember strong passwords. Passwords require protection from insider threats, such as carelessly stored sticky notes with login credentials and carelessly discarded hard drives. Passwords are also prey to external threats, such as hackers using brute-force, dictionary or rainbow table attacks as well as social engineering exploits.

Given enough time and resources, an attacker can usually breach password-based security systems and steal corporate data. Passwords have remained the most common form of SFA on laptops and other devices because of their low cost, ease of implementation and familiarity.

Multiple challenge-response authentication questions can provide more security depending on how they are implemented. Standalone biometric verification methods can also provide a more secure method of SFA.

Adaptive multifactor authentication introduces a gatekeeper element into the process. The authentication system has knowledge of specific characteristics or patterns associated with a specific user. The process of authenticating a user’s identify starts when a user interacts with the adaptive authenticator app. The app analyses the user’s known characteristics and behaviour – for example, how many prior access requests have been made or a time-based analysis of when the requests were made — to determine if a match can be made. Once a match is confirmed, the user proceeds to the next step in authentication or access process.

Types of two-factor authentication products

There are many different devices and services for implementing 2FA, from tokens to radio frequency identification cards to smartphone apps.

Two-factor authentication products make use of two basic features:

• Tokens that are given to users to use when logging in.
• Infrastructure or software that recognizes and authenticates access for users who are using their tokens correctly.

Authentication tokens can be physical devices, such as key fobs or smart cards, or software, such as mobile or desktop apps that generate PIN codes for authentication. These authentication codes are known as one-time passwords (OTPs). The authentication code is a short sequence linked to a particular device, user or account and can be used only once as part of an authentication process. Servers generate OTPs, and authentication devices or apps are used to recognize them as authentic.

Organizations need to deploy a system to accept, process, and allow or deny access to users authenticating with their tokens. These systems can be deployed in the form of server software or as a dedicated hardware server. Third-party vendors also provide authenticating services.

An important aspect of 2FA is ensuring the authenticated user is given access to all resources they’re approved for and only those resources. As a result, one key function of 2FA is linking the authentication system with an organization’s authentication data.

Microsoft, for instance, supports 2FA in Windows 10 using Windows Hello, a non-password option for Microsoft accounts. It also authenticates users through Microsoft Active Directory, Azure AD and the Fast Identity Online 2 authentication protocol.

Two-factor authentication for mobile devices

A trusted mobile device is one that a specific user controls and regularly uses for transactions requiring secure access. The authentication system knows the device and, with that knowledge, uses it to bypass steps in the authentication process. For instance, a trusted phone number can be used to receive verification codes by text message or automated phone call. A user must verify at least one trusted phone number to enrol in mobile 2FA.

Smartphones offer a variety of 2FA capabilities, enabling companies to use what works best for them. Some devices can recognize fingerprints, use the built-in camera for facial recognition or iris scanning, or use the microphone for voice recognition. Smartphones equipped with GPS can verify location as an additional factor. Voice or Short Message Service (SMS) can also be used as a channel for out-of-band authentication.

Apple iOS, Google Android and Windows 11 all have apps that support 2FA, enabling the phone to serve as the physical device to satisfy the possession factor. Platforms such as Cisco Duo, Microsoft Authenticator and RSA Security SecurID let customers use their trusted devices for 2FA. They establish that a user is trusted before verifying that the mobile device can also be trusted as an authentication factor.

Authenticator apps replace the need to obtain a verification code using text, voice call or email. For example, to access a website or web-based service that supports Google Authenticator, users type in their username and password as their knowledge factor. They are then prompted to enter a six-digit number. Instead of having to wait a few seconds to receive a text message, an authenticator generates the number for them. These numbers change every 30 seconds and are different for every login. By entering the correct number, users complete the verification process and prove possession of the correct device, which is their possession factor.

Authentication standards

The following are open standard authentication protocols that form the basis for different authentication tools that support 2FA:

• FIDO. The FIDO Alliance developed this open standard, which uses public key cryptography. It’s designed to eliminate the need for passwords, replacing them with phishing-resistant passkeys.
• OAuth 2.0. An abbreviation of open authorization, OAuth is an open standard that defines an authorization framework that protects system resources, such as files and applications. It provides authorization for application programming interfaces (APIs). It doesn’t support mobile applications.
• OpenID Connect (OIDC). Developed by the OpenID Foundation, OIDC adds layers to the OAuth 2.0 protocol that support authentication and identity management. It also supports mobile applications, APIs and browser-based apps.
• Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). Developed by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, SAMLis an open standard for single sign-on access to browser-based applications such as web sites.

Push notifications for 2FA

A push notification is password less authentication that verifies a user by sending a notification directly to a secure app on the user’s device, alerting the user that an authentication attempt is happening. The user can view details of the authentication attempt and either approve or deny access, typically with a single tap. If the user approves the authentication request, the server receives that request and logs the user in to the web app.

Push notifications authenticate the user by confirming that the device — usually a mobile device — registered with the authentication system is in the user’s possession. If an attacker compromises the device, the push notifications are also compromised. Push notifications eliminate threats such as unauthorized access, social engineering and man-in-the-middle attacks.

While push notifications are more secure than other forms of authentication, there are security risks. For example, users can accidentally approve a fraudulent authentication request because they are used to tapping approve when they receive push notifications.

Is two-factor authentication secure?

Two-factor authentication improves security, but these systems are only as secure as their weakest component. For example, hardware tokens depend on the security of the issuer or manufacturer. One of the most high-profile cases of a compromised two-factor system occurred in 2011 when security company RSA reported its SecurID authentication tokens had been hacked.

The account recovery process in these systems can also be subverted when it’s used to defeat two-factor authentication. Recovery processes often reset a user’s current password and emails a temporary password to enable the user to log in again, bypassing the 2FA process. The business Gmail accounts of the chief executive of Cloudflare were hacked in this way.

Although SMS-based 2FA is inexpensive, easy to implement and considered user-friendly, it’s vulnerable to numerous attacks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has discouraged the use of SMS in 2FA services in its “Special Publication 800-63-3 (2023): Digital Identity Guidelines.” NIST concluded that OTPs sent via SMS text are too vulnerable due to mobile phone number portability attacks, attacks against the mobile phone network and malware that can be used to intercept or redirect text messages.

Future of authentication

Environments that require higher security are starting to use three-factor authentication. It typically involves possession of a physical token and a password used in conjunction with biometric data, such as fingerprint scans or voiceprints. Factors such as geolocation, type of device and time of day are also used to determine whether a user should be authenticated or blocked.

Other authentication factors emerging include behavioural biometric identifiers, such as a user’s keystroke length, typing speed and mouse movements. These are discreetly monitored in real time to provide continuous authentication instead of a single one-off authentication check during login.

Relying on passwords as the main method of authentication is common. But it often no longer offers the security or user experience that companies and their user’s demand. Even though legacy security tools, such as a password manager and MFA, attempt to deal with the problems of usernames and passwords, they depend on an essentially outdated architecture: the password database.

Consequently, many organizations are turning to password less authentication. Methods such as biometrics and secure protocols let users securely authenticate themselves in applications without having to enter passwords. For businesses, this means employees can access their work without passwords while IT still maintains control across every login. In addition, blockchain use has brought attention to decentralized identifiers and self-sovereign identity as an alternative to traditional authentication methods.