Hope everyone has been keeping well…it’s been incredibly busy at ABC Service with IT support, print, design and telecom orders - so in this article, I will be covering online security, AI and the latest in telecommunications.
Security
Have you had a random phone call saying your PC has an issue? Even if it does have an issue don’t engage with the random stranger. Instead speak to your local IT engineer about it. Call centres claiming to be from Microsoft, BT, EE etc make thousands of phone calls in the hope of catching someone who happens to have an issue with their PC - they don’t know you have an issue whatever they claim. Calls will be on the rise over Christmas and New Year along with “friends” emailing you to purchase an Amazon voucher for them. Again, don’t respond to the email - ring your friend and let them know you have received the email from them and tell them to change their account password. Then delete the email!
AI
The rise of AI seems to be the latest big thing across the globe. It has actually been around for a long time, but because of the latest advancements the media is pushing AI chatter to the forefront. It is very advanced these days as it has been trained over the years of development (a bit like how we develop and learn). AI has been implemented in our devices for a long time even in its most basic form with assistance such as Cortana (Microsoft), Siri (Apple) and Alexa (Amazon). If you have used any of these then you have been helping the development of AI. It’s here to stay, and we are using it more and more to enhance our lives; it can help us create text, create images from a description and much more. It is constantly learning and evolving which means it could help us even more as time goes on. Imagine having a Baymax robot (From Big Hero 6) as a means of support but also looking out for your health and wellbeing! As with all technology there are pros and cons, and also concerns over AI, but sci-Fi is becoming sci-fact.
Telecoms
One of the big changes happening in telecoms, is moving phone lines over to digital phone lines. Don’t panic though, companies are notifying customers about supplying and upgrading lines. What does this mean? Well your phone line will run off your broadband. Different companies operate this slightly differently but ultimately the phone plugs into your router (or hub) rather than into the master socket on the wall. Additionally, there is a big push for full fibre broadband which is the future of broadband connectivity, offering fantastic speeds up to 1Gbps and even faster in some cities! If you have any questions on telecoms and how this works, please contact us.
Archie’s Corner
Yes, Archie is around and well, even if he hasn’t been in the window as much. If you would like a Christmas card from Archie the Husky, please email us on archie@abcservice.co.uk (last order date is 16 December).
Brett Kinsman-Daw
ABC Service