Technology is adapting to our modern lifestyle and is changing the way we work and lead our lives. In the past decade, the rate of this change has increased to a great extent, and you need to improve your pace to make intelligent decisions. With innovation in technology taking a massive leap in the 21st century, the world is gradually transforming into a digitally enabled mesh of people, things and services. For 2018 and beyond, expect a thin line between what is real and what is digital. With the advancements in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, immersive experiences, etc., you need to be aware of these improvements that have high potential, and some of them are:

Artificial Intelligence:

2018 seems to be a year of increased expectancy for artificial intelligence as it aims to evolve into something that will take our breath away. In the future, artificial intelligence will be used extensively to improve customer service, to enhance decision making and to redesign business models. Robots are no more the way they used to be. Artificial intelligence has enabled them to behave like humans. They are capable of showing human emotions and are also the treasure houses of knowledge and intellect. Artificial intelligence has recently made robots life-like enough to provide satisfactory companionship.

Advanced Internet of Things (IoT):

The prospect of digitalizing everything will reach unexpected heights in 2018. Everything will be made smart, digitized and placed online by attaching chips or sensors. It will include cars, washing machines refrigerators, and wallets. Online finance will evolve and get rid of paper money. The sensor-based IoT devices will dominate the economy due to the emergence of a supportive 5G networking as well the continuously improved networking technologies. The efficiency of IoT data in supply chains, service capabilities, and customer experience and partner relationships is indispensable.

Digital Twins:

A digital twin is a digital depiction of a real-world system. In the context of IoT, digital twins are related to real-world objects and give information on the state of the equivalents, respond to innovations, improve operations and add value. With an estimated 21 billion connected sensors and endpoints by 2020, digital twins will exist for billions of things in a short time. Billions of dollars are expected to be used for maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) and optimized IoT asset performance is on the table.

Cloud on the Edge:

Edge computing includes technology in which the information source is closer to information processing and content collection and delivery. Cloud and Edge computing may appear to be similar, but they are competing in approach. If implemented together, Cloud could be used to recreate service-oriented models, and Edge would probably offer a delivery style for implementation of detached parts of a cloud service. Enterprises should begin using edge design patterns in their infrastructure architectures, particularly for those with significant IoT elements. A good starting point could be using collocation and edge-specific networking capabilities.

To understand the role of information and technology in controlling cybercrime, we need to define cybercrime first. Cybercrime involves illegal activities committed through the internet.  Cybercrime is usually a computer-oriented crime. It includes fraud, identity theft, hacking, phishing, spoofing, malware, software piracy, etc. It involves offences committed against individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm or bully the victim, to cause mental or physical harm, to cause loss to the victim directly or indirectly using modern communication networks such as the internet and mobile phones. Information technology plays a significant role in curbing cybercrimes.

Several types of technological countermeasures are developed to control cybercrimes, and few of them are listed below:

Firewall:

A firewall is a network system that secures and manages the incoming and outgoing flow or network traffic based on an applied rule set. A firewall guards the network against outside intrusion and to prevent users from accessing prohibited sites. A firewall creates a barrier between an internal network and the external network. Firewalls filter internet traffic.

Antivirus Software:

Antivirus software is used to make a computer system safe from viruses, computer bugs and Trojan Horses. It was developed to prevent, detect and remove dangerous software. Antivirus software prevents viruses from infecting a computer by scanning for virus signatures. For antivirus to be effective, it must be up-to-date and functional. Modern antivirus software can protect your system from malicious browser helper objects, ransomware, backdoors, browser hijackers, key loggers, rootkits, Trojan, worms, fraud tools, spyware, adware, and dialers.

Network Security Analyzers:

With Cloud, mobile and social computing creating new security vulnerabilities, traditional cyber security products such as firewalls and antivirus scanners cannot eliminate every threat. Professional services firms have introduced security offerings that combine the automation and analytical capabilities of information technology (IT) platforms with human intelligence to help victims cope. Such technological offerings can help organizations monitor, collect and analyze large data sets and identify patterns that indicate breaches or attempted breaches. This process allows institutions to respond to threats quickly, and it supports more thorough auditing of cybersecurity risks at a time when firms, especially public companies, face rising expectations to disclose their security risks and incidents.

Security Audit:

A company’s network is a primary means of communication. It comes under attack every day by professional hackers with an intention to use company information for their fortune. It is not compromised only by external individuals but also sometimes by people present in the company. While performing the audit,   any security policy can be used by the organization as a basis for the work that has been undertaken. The policy should be treated as a threat at the initial stage. The security audit is a policy based monitoring of existing procedures and practices of sites and accessing the risk associated with these actions.