Domenico's Tech Corner

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Artificial Intelligence: A Force for Good

- June 26, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing technology with the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. While there are some concerns about the potential negative impacts of AI, there are also many ways that it can be used for good. Here are some examples of how AI is being used for good: Healthcare: AI is being used to develop new drugs and treatments, improve diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and provide personalized healthcare. For example, AI-powered systems are being used to analyze medical images and data to detect cancer and other diseases earlier and more accurately than ever before. Education: AI is being used to personalize learning, provide real-time feedback, and help students learn at their own pace. For example, AI-powered tutors can provide personalized feedback to students on their homework and help them identify areas where they need additional help. Environment: AI is being used to monitor and protect the environment. For ex...

Cybersecurity: A Modern Crisis

- June 14, 2023

In today's digital age, cybersecurity is more important than ever. With more and more of our lives being conducted online, we are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hackers can steal our personal information, financial data, and even our identities. They can also disrupt our businesses and critical infrastructure. Cybersecurity is not just a matter of protecting our personal and financial information. It is also about protecting our national security. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cyberattacks on government agencies and critical infrastructure. These attacks have had a significant impact on our economy and our way of life. The good news is that there are things we can do to protect ourselves from cyberattacks. We can use strong passwords, keep our software up to date, and be careful about what information we share online. We can also educate ourselves about the latest cybersecurity threa...

What Makes a Security Plan?

- September 17, 2021

Hello, and welcome back to my blog. This week, I would like to quickly discuss the levels that go into making a security plan. These types of plans are an important tool for IT departments and Cybersecurity Administrators to design a plan that will help protect or slow down an attack on the network. Of course, security plans can vary from company to company; however, their purpose remains the same, with threats looming every day. With IT managers adjusting in response to the ever-changing threats, the created security plan must be designed to stop or slow down any attempt to breach network defenses. Below we will look at the principal components of a security plan and what they entail. Separate Networks As the name suggests, having more than one network can protect company assists from hackers and the like. The reason being is that having every computer on one network would lea...

The Differences between Hubs, Bridges, and Switches, and which one I would recommend using in your home or office

- January 22, 2021

There are many challenges that a network engineer will face when creating a network for a business. Even a homeowner may wish to design their network layout in the hopes that it will connect every room in their home. But what happens when you have multiple devices on a network and more than one device in a room? This can pose a problem if the tools available are not entirely understood by the one that is designing or implementing the network. This week, I will go into what a hub, a bridge, and a switch and their differences to help those looking for the differences and assist them in making the best choice for their home and business. What is a Hub? Hubs provide a dedicated physical connection for each device that is connected to it. This can help reduce the possibility of one computer were to fail; it would not affect the other computers connected lose connectivity. The downside of a hub is that it shares bandwidth with other attached devi...

Public vs. Private Clouds: A quick look at the Pros and Cons

- December 14, 2020

Hello, and welcome back to my blog! This week we will be discussing the positive and negative sides of using public and private clouds. For many small businesses, turning to the cloud would seem like a daunting and challenging task. Just thinking about the many different types of Cloud services and various companies that offer them would take time to sort out what you want and how to make the change. I will cover the pros and cons of using public and private clouds in the hopes that you will come away with a little bit more knowledge on the matter than when you arrived. Of course, if you would like to know more about the different types of cloud services outside of these two, I am about to discuss, here is a link to one of my earlier postings here, Link So, let us go and dive into what these two types of cloud services are. If you have heard of companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, you may also ...

What is Cloud gaming?

- December 04, 2020

Hello, and welcome back to my blog! This week, we will be talking about gaming through the cloud and Internet speeds. If you have been following your favorite tech blogger on YouTube or have been in the loop of the world of gaming, you may have heard of the topic regarding gaming through the use of the cloud. If not, do not worry. You are not alone in this topic, as many may not have heard of this yet. But how does this work? I am glad you asked because the way this would work is this, instead of playing a game on your favorite console or PC, you would play your game over the internet. That game would is located on a server in a data center located in a far-off place. What you are doing is sending commands through the internet with your console controller or keyboard and mouse as you would if you had the game playing on your PC or console. You could call this remote gaming as you are accessing the game from somewhere else. This is not like playing a multiplayer game on your...

A Look At Windows Maintenance Tasks

- November 08, 2020

Hello again, and welcome to my blog! This week we will discuss the importance of maintaining your computer, more specifically your Windows-powered computer. We will touch on several vital maintenance tasks that you should try doing on a regular’s basis. Let us begin! Owning your computer, much like owning a car, requires maintenance every so often, some more than others. As with all things, having a well-maintained machine will save you down the line and keep you going because nothing could be more frustrating when your computer fails, and that project you have been working on is now gone forever. Not a great feeling! Windows Update One of the most important things to do, and sometimes overlooked, is keeping your machine up to date. Though some operating systems do this automatically, it is best to check if there are updates that require manual installation as Windows may not install essential security updates. ...

Virtualization Overview

- November 08, 2020

Hello, and welcome to my blog! This week, we will discuss virtualization. But what is virtualization, and why is it used? Well, virtualization is the process of running an operating system in an app window on your desktop that behaves like a physical computer. Another great feature of virtualization is the ability to run applications in a sandbox environment. Meaning, you can test applications in a safe place protected from interacting with your computer, or you can try different operating systems like Linux to see if it is right for you. There are different types of virtualizations, such as Hardware Virtualization, Desktop visualization, Application Virtualization, Memory Virtualization, and my favorite, Video Game Console Emulation. Of course, there are many more types of virtualizations, but I will not be going over all of them today as this blog could take a long time explaining each one of them. I will be going over the ones I j...

Outsourcing vs. Cloud Computing, a quick look

- October 11, 2020

This week we will discuss an exciting topic of outsourcing and cloud computing. To understand what the two are, let’s look at both and how they benefit or hinder a company. Outsourcing , as we come to know it, is the method where a company hires a third-party provider who then performs a specific task or function on behalf and for the benefit of a business. This method can perform functions that cloud computing cannot do or does not execute. Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers that are hosted over the internet to manage, store, and process data, rather than doing so on a local server or a personal computer. *Cloud computing is not the same as outsourcing* The difference between the two is that cloud computing can do computing betwe...

The Different Types of Cloud Models

- October 11, 2020

This week we will discuss the different types of cloud models. These are Public, Private, Community, and Hybrid cloud models, which will thoroughly go into some detail with examples of what they are and how they are used. For many, some of us used cloud storage, either for work or personal use. A majority of users that store their photos, music, or documents may be using a private cloud, such as Apple's iCloud Drive, Microsoft's One Drive, or Google's Drive, to name a few. However, large companies may use services, such as Amazon Web Services or Services from Google that are suited for business logistics. These services will have different features than your regular cloud services. Whether it be for personal use or business, cloud services can vary on what features are available. Let us look at the different types of cloud models and how they are used. ...

GPT vs. MBR Partitioning, A Quick Look

- September 15, 2020

Partitioning is a way to manage space for your server or PC that ensure the OS is in the right place to manage data. When a new medium is installed on a server or a personal computer, the operating system will not install data until the new storage device has been partitioned. However, some users may not understand which partition method to use when prompted. Below will outline the difference between GPT and MBR partitions, their limitations, and level of security. What is GPT and MBR partitions? Master Boot Record or MBR is an older method that is used for the standard BIOS partition table. Simultaneously, GUID Partition Table or GPT is used in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI. “ GPT is new. But the new one is not always better than the old one. Many vendors utilize MBR technology since it is still predominantly used in the real world. GPT disks have the advantages o...

The different operating systems and peripherals that we use every day

- September 15, 2020

Have you ever taken a stroll through your local tech store or browsed through your favorite tech website and saw all the crazy peripherals on sale? From the different keyboards, mice, webcams, mousepads, to the components that help cool your machine to the sleek cases that house everything, all these accessories can be overwhelming to those that are unfamiliar with what these attachments do. Though essential peripherals, such as the keyboard and mouse, can become confusing as there are many different arrangements and choices for one to choose. From gaming-focused to minimalist design, indeed, there are different flavors for everyone. The keyboard that I use at home is a cheap mechanical board that I purchased on Amazon a few months ago. Though the board does what I want it to do, I tend to find myself looking at other boards on the market. I use an Apple wireless keyboard with my iPad for my travel setup, which works reasonably well. Now I am leaning toward using flat style...

Using Cloud Computing: What to consider

- September 06, 2020

Many users who access applications through the Cloud seem to do so without understanding the complications that can arise if something were to go wrong. However, the benefits of using apps from the Cloud, such as iCloud, for example, which allows apple users access applications like Keynote and Pages, can create documents easily from any desktop with a web browser. The benefits of these types of services can be easy to use, be cost-efficient, and where backup and recovery can be quickly made. These hosting services can also offer another benefit, which is 24/7 support as well. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to these types of services. As many businesses may use services already, the biggest issue is trusting these services with your business's sensitive data. There have been cases where Software as a Service or SaaS providers have been targeted by hackers more frequently and have been easily compromised. This can be trouble...

32-bit vs. 64-bit: What are the differences

- August 31, 2020

As with all Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, there are many different flavors. From Home to Pro editions from 32-bit to 64-bit, there is something for everyone. In terms of architecture, what are the differences? A quick history In 1993, Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, which was a fully 32-bit operating system. This version of Windows brought NTFS to the masses. In 2003, Microsoft would introduce a 64-bit Windows XP edition that took advantage of the 64-bit processors released. What are the differences? 64-bit processors are more complex than 32-bit versions. This is because 64-bit processors can handle more data at once compared to the 32-bit processors. It can store more computational values, including memory addressing, which means it can access over four billion times the physical memory of a 32-bit version. In terms of Windows Server, having the 64-bit version of the Server OS would allow for better performa...

The Five Ways to Migrate Applications to the Cloud.

- August 21, 2020

Hello, and welcome to my blog! This week we will be discussing the Five Ways to Migrate Applications to the Cloud. Before we begin, perhaps it would be best to chat about what is Cloud computing. So, Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Now, to make things clear from some, the Cloud is a server that is located in another location. On that server, the user may store applications, which then he or she can have access to that information at a later time via the Internet. However, there can be some issues when trying to migrate applications to the Cloud, which we will be discussing. Organizations seeking to move applications into the Cloud have five options: rehost on infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), refactor for platform-as-a-service (PaaS), revise for IaaS or PaaS, rebuild on PaaS, or replace with ...