Technology

Two of the DC Cinematic Universe's (DCU) most anticipated shows just received some big cast updates – and one has particularly caught the attention of DC fans.

Yesterday (October 9) was certainly a big day for James Gunn's and Peter Safran's rebooted comic book-inspired cinematic universe, with news surrounding the cast of two exciting Max shows receiving significant cast upgrades. The first of those concerns Lanterns, the forthcoming Green Lanterns TV show that Gunn has previously described as an intergalactic take on one of the best Max shows in True Detective.

Until now, nobody had been cast in the upcoming superhero series but, in recent days, rumors have swirled online that Kyle Chandler (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), and either Rebel Ridge's Aaron Pierre or Homecoming's Stephan James, were being eyed for Lanterns' lead roles. Well, it turns out that the gossip mill was actually right this time, with Chandler and, after a "long and grueling set of auditions", according to Gunn on X/Twitter, Pierre being hired for the DCU Chapter One project.

Meet your #Lanterns. Aaron Pierre is John Stewart and Kyle Chandler is Hal Jordan in the new HBO Original Series from DC Studios coming soon to Max. pic.twitter.com/bXbU9l4PjsOctober 9, 2024

As this article's headline and the above tweet confirm, Chandler and Pierre will play iconic Green Lantern characters in Hal Jordan and John Stewart in Lanterns. Alan Scott and Guy Gardner – the latter will also appear in Lanterns, where he'll be played by frequent Gunn collaborator Nathan Fillion – notwithstanding, Jordan and Stewart are the most famous and popular members of the Green Lantern Corps, so Gunn and company had to get their casting right.

In my view, they've done so, too. A veteran of the big and small screen, Chandler is an ideal candidate to play the experienced, older head of Lanterns' pairing. Jordan was previously played by A-lister Ryan Reynolds in 2011's Green Lantern film, which was a critical and commercial dud. Meanwhile, Pierre, who recently wowed fans and critics alike in one of 2024's best Netflix movies in Rebel Ridge, has the charisma, stoicism, and on-screen presence to bring life to Stewart in a live-action DC project for the first time.

There's no news on when Lanterns will start filming but, with the forthcoming Max superhero show's chief creative team also in place, plus rumors that DC Studios is talking to numerous directors about helming the series, it might not be long until principal photography gets underway. While we wait, here's the show's official log line, courtesy of a Max press release: "The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland."

Which cult DC character is James Gunn teasing ahead of Peacemaker season 2's debut?

A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn)

A photo posted by on

Possible Peacemaker season 2 spoilers follow.

As I alluded at the start of this article, some interesting casting news regarding Peacemaker season 2 was also revealed yesterday. Unlike Pierre and Chandler's hirings, though, Gunn was playing it coy (as you'll have seen in his Instagram post above) about the identity of this new enigmatic individual.

Who, then, might this be? Comic book fans haven't been shy in putting theories forward, with many commenting on threads that have appeared on numerous Reddit pages, as well as those replying to Gunn's Instagram and X/Twitter posts, to postulate who it is.

Right now, the frontrunner is Apache Chief, a deep-cut Native American DC superhero with the power to grow or shrink to unlimited sizes. He first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera kids cartoon The All-New Super Friends Hour, but has also featured in TV shows Challenge of the Superfriends and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and periodically appeared in various DC comic runs.

There are, though, other candidates. Some observers believe this individual is Snowflame, a supervillain with superhuman strength, the ability to conjure fire (that would be handy when you're trying to make a camp fire, eh?), and the ability to give people a contact high by, well, making them inhale cocaine. Manitou Raven, a superhero and expert in the art of magic derived from American shamanism, and John Butcher, a Native American vigilante, have also been name-dropped by DC diehards.

In theory, any of these fictional characters could be the person in Gunn's image. After all, the DC Studios co-chief has turned C-list and D-list comic book characters into household names – just look at his track record for doing so with The Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and various superpowered beings in projects, such as Peacemaker season 1 and The Suicide Squad, in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU). If anyone can give one or more of these characters a new lease of life in a live-action capacity, I'm confident Gunn can and will.

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Companies are increasingly being hit by 'undetectable' attacks, wreaking havoc on their infrastructure and leading to data compromise, outages, fines, audit failures, and reputational damage, new research has claimed.

The Security Operations Trends Report from Red Canary, based on a survey of 700 security leaders from the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Nordics, found over the past year, 87% of respondents experienced security incidents they could’t spot and neutralize.

Digging deeper to find the causes, Red Canary found for the majority of the respondents (73%), their attack surface widened by 77%, meaning they have introduced new endpoints and new software, both of which can be targeted with malware. Furthermore, two-thirds (64%) said they struggle with knowledge gaps when it comes to securing new tech.

AI, staff shortages, and other woes

But that is not the only reason for the rise in invisible threats. For two-thirds (62%), AI adoption has made security more difficult, and so has the cloud. At the same time, hackers are moving through intrusion chains faster (says 77% of the respondents), while the time between detection and resolution stayed the same, at best, for 85% of the respondents.

Finally, IT teams are having to juggle too many tools, and too many security notifications, straining them to the point of breaking. Security teams use more than 90 tools on average, yet 60% reported “too much noise”. Things would be easier if companies had enough staff to handle the workload, but that isn’t the case. In fact, 83% struggle to hire and retain skilled professionals, and 62% are facing high employee churn, as a result of overworking and stress.

“The scale of risks facing the business today is unprecedented, and traditional security approaches are failing," said Brian Beyer, CEO & Co-founder of Red Canary. "For too long, companies have tried to tackle this escalating problem by throwing more money, tools, and people at it. But with technology advancing at breakneck speed for both defenders and adversaries, cybersecurity teams are drowning, unable to keep up.”

Beyer argues that businesses need a new approach to security, which involves “strategic partnership and expert detection engineering.”

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Video conferencing giant Zoom has announced a series of AI-powered features designed to improve worker productivity, including digital avatars for those who don’t want to show their face.

Announced at its Zoomtopia 2024 event, the new releases included AI Companion 2.0, an upgraded version of its assistant, which promises to deepen the integration of generative AI within the company’s app.

Zoom AI Companion 2.0 will include a persistent side panel that integrates across Zoom Workplace, contextual understanding based on ongoing interactions and previous conversations, advanced synthesis of information from emails, calendars and uploads, web connectivity for real-time information gathering and action tracking to automatically detect and complete tasks across workflows, likening the feature to a personal assistant.

Zoom goes all-in on AI

The company confirmed that the upgraded AI Companion will roll out in the coming weeks at no additional cost for paying Zoom Workplace customers.

Further blurring the boundaries between digital and real life, mobile devices running the Zoom Workplace app can leverage AI Companion to create summaries and action items from face-to-face interactions.

To coincide with the announcement, Zoom also announced a custom add-on for AI Companion for $12 per user per month. Set to arrive in the first half of 2025, it will bring a more customized AI Studio, integration with third-party apps like Atlassian, Workday and Asana, and AI-generated avatars for Zoom Clips for presentations.

Speaking about AI Companion 2.0, CEO Eric Yuan added: “This is more than an evolution; it’s a complete overhaul of how we get things done in the digital age.”

Besides Zoom’s efforts to improve its Companion-branded assistant, the company also announced a suit of upgrades to its Workplace ecosystem – apps and features with specific purposes that benefit from artificial intelligence enhancements.

The new Zoom Tasks uses this AI to detect, recommend and complete tasks based on conversations across Workplace, while Zoom Phone has gained support for real-time queries and summaries.

Users can also generate voicemail greetings based on their voiceprint to avoid having to manually change voicemail messages according to calendar schedules, such as when they’re away on vacation, while Zoom Docs gets a handy upgrade including new data table views and upgraded permission controls.

“Our vision is to create an AI-first work platform for human connection that empowers teams to achieve more than ever," Yuan noted.

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China is racing to unseat the United States as the world’s technological superpower. Not if Jake Sullivan can help it.

Our OnePlus Open review will tell you we were hugely impressed with the first foldable from OnePlus – and a new leak may have given us some idea of when the eagerly awaited follow-up is going to see the light of day.

According to tipster @Rodent950 (via Android Authority), the OnePlus Open 2 is scheduled to come out in the first quarter of next year: so we're looking at January, February, or March 2025. This is a tipster who doesn't have a perfect track record, but who has been accurate with some predictions in the past.

The leak doesn't actually mention the OnePlus Open 2, but it does reference the Oppo Find N5, which is expected to be rebranded as the OnePlus Open 2 outside of China (remember Oppo and OnePlus are now part of the same company).

More information from this source says the same camera system from the OnePlus Open will be used in its successor: a triple-lens 48MP primary plus a 64MP telephoto and 48MP ultrawide setup with 3x optical zoom. It's capable of grabbing some very good photos and videos, so a lack of an upgrade in 2025 wouldn't be too disappointing.

What comes next?

Find N5 and X8 Ultra are coming in Q1 N5 is tested with X8 Ultras quad camera setup, but seems that they're ditching it and continue with current tricam setup. #OppoFindN5 #OppoFindX8Ultra pic.twitter.com/jYvmaJ5PBMOctober 9, 2024

"The only big foldable phone that doesn’t feel like a compromise," we wrote in our OnePlus Open review, on the way to giving the foldable 4.5 stars out of 5. It's currently very near the top of our best foldable phones list as well.

That raises the question: exactly how is OnePlus going to top it next time around? From the rumors we've heard so far, the OnePlus Open 2 could be thinner than its predecessor. We're also expecting the handset to come running the as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, up from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

We do have a few ideas about how the OnePlus Open 2 might make its mark: we'd like to see improved water and dust resistance, a larger battery, the addition of wireless charging support, and the option to use a stylus with the device.

Of course, when it comes to a foldable phone, upgrades get even trickier to implement – but we should find out soon what Oppo and OnePlus have been working on. Considering the original OnePlus Open launched in October 2023, sometime in early 2025 would make sense for the next model.

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“He’s very intelligent, very innovative. He understands what’s happening to the United States. And he truly cares about the future of our country,” one Trump supporter said of Musk at a Pennsylvania rally.

When it comes to the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max (or indeed any new iPhone), most Apple fans don’t expect to hear much about the design process outside of official Apple events.

It’s a pleasant surprise, then, to see that two Apple designers have spoken out about the motivations and design process behind one of the iPhone 16 family’s most interesting new features – the Camera Control.

With Apple Intelligence still not ready, the brand-new Camera Control is one of the few concrete reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 16. That may be why Apple senior product designer Rich Dinh and human interface designer Johnny Manzari chose to talk up the new button's benefits on Cool Hunting magazine’s Design Tangents podcast.

The Camera Control concept

Dinh explained that the Camera Control exists to make capturing photos and videos easier: “We set off asking the question ‘how can we get closer to one of our visions in the camera experience?’ which is ‘never missing a moment’ [...] I think the magic of Camera Control is that fast capture experience, getting us a little bit closer."

Manzari added: “What’s exciting about Camera Control is that it delivers a lot of improvements on the real fundamentals, so if you click it quickly launches into the camera, click again and it takes a photo, click and hold and it will take a video. All of this is without you having to readjust your grip or make any changes, it’s really just the fastest experience we’ve ever had.”

Camera Control on the iPhone 16 (Image credit: Future)

He also noted that the Camera Control is a technological first for Apple: “This is a combination of a force sensor and a capacitive sensor on this mechanical button, which is an Apple first – we’ve never really done that before, but it unlocks all these new experiences.”

Dinh added: “You are physically moving the button for the half-press, and we use that force sensor underneath to detect that tiny micron-scale movement, send a signal over to the Taptic engine, and really give you that haptic feedback.”

He also said that the Camera Control was designed with the “best materials”, for durability and aesthetics: “you have sapphire, you have stainless steel trim, and on the iPhone 16 you have aluminum all around it – all of those things have to be color matched.”

Dinh continued: “The amazing thing about the button is that it is flush. We’re hoping that the phone feels very much like your phone today in how you grip it and handle it, but we’ve added a little chamfer in there to give that really lovely half-press and full-press experience.”

Family-focused functionality

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

In usual Apple style, the pair were sure to link the Camera Control – and iPhone more generally – to real-world and family-focused experiences.

Manzari said: “When my daughter [...] was little, I was using a lot more traditional camera equipment back then. And over the years it’s really shifted to iPhone [...] It’s just much easier to hang out with your kids when you’re not bringing a lot of equipment with you.”

He added that the "precise, but also playful” tools included in the iPhone should be as useful to a small child as they are to a professional photographer.

Dinh said: “I have two little kids, a two-and-a-half-year-old and a six-year-old, and they both do the funniest stuff, but having camera control be able to get you up and running and capture that video – I have videos that probably wouldn’t have been captured otherwise.

He continued: "When you ask someone to do something again it isn’t the same, so having that instantaneous capture has been amazing.”

The full 27-minute episode of Design Tangents is available on Apple Podcasts, and for the latest tech news and analysis be sure to also check out the TechRadar Podcast.

And, as ever, check out our iPhone coverage for the latest news, tips, and updates on Apple’s smartphone lineup.

Camera control: our verdict

So, is the Camera Control actually as "amazing" as Apple suggests? The people who designed it are hardly going to mention any downsides, so here's a more balanced take.

Firstly, the Camera Control is genuinely exciting, and as the designers say, it the first time Apple has implemented this kind of technology – that's a fact, not an opinion.

In our reviews of the iPhone 16 lineup, we found the Camera Control to be an "excellent addition to the iPhone", adding a lot of utility in an intuitive way.

Similarly, we found that Dinh's claims that the Camera Control was made with premium materials to be accurate, finding that the new button feels "super high-end, even on the affordable iPhone 16."

The Camera Control button isn't immune from the staggered – well, messy – rollout of the iPhone 16's full feature set. The most natural use for a button like this is a half-press focus and full-press shutter combo, but this isn't available yet.

We also found the button to be awkwardly placed for vertical photo and video capture.

However, connecting with the ergonomics of traditional cameras, and thereby encouraging landscape photographs, fits with Apple's more traditional stance on photography in the age of AI – Cupertino has sided firmly with the idea that photographs are images of what actually happened, rather than the more ambiguous "memory"-based approach adopted by Google.

Vertical video is an increasingly popular and important format, though, and as it is the Camera Control is inconvenient to use this way - and any ideas of tradition are somewhat undercut by upcoming AI cleanup tools, anyway.

Ultimately, the Camera Control is a great addition, and we're thrilled to see Apple bring such an inventive and useful feature to the entire iPhone lineup – but in typical Apple style, it's best used in a certain predetermined way.

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Honor has confirmed that Circle to Search will begin rolling out to two of its most popular smartphones, the Honor Magic V3 and Honor 200 Pro, in the coming months, signaling an end to the feature’s exclusivity for Samsung and Google Pixel phones.

The AI-powered Google tool – which allows users to search the web for anything they see on their phone screen with a simple circle, scribble, or tap – debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series in January, before trickling down to the Google Pixel 8 line in February. Google then expanded Circle to Search to mid-range Samsung and Galaxy phones in August.

The feature is available now on the Honor Magic V3 foldable, though Honor 200 Pro owners will have to wait until “later in the year” for access. A recent tip hinted that Circle to Search could be coming to the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 soon, too, so it’s safe to expect that flagship devices from all manner of manufacturers – think OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola, and so on – could likewise benefit from Google’s innovative search tool in the near future.

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For Honor, this is a big deal. The best Honor phones are among the best phones money can buy in the UK and Europe, but despite their market-leading hardware, the company’s flagship devices have arguably lagged behind their flagship Android counterparts in the software department.

That’s not to say Honor’s mobile software is downright bad – the company’s AI-powered camera modes are some of the most interesting on the market, and its Magic Portal feature is similarly impressive – but Honor’s Magic OS operating system has certainly proven a quirkier beast than, say, the stock Android interface you’ll find on the best Pixel phones.

Magic Capsule in action on the Honor Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)

The addition of Circle to Search to Magic OS brings a reassuring dose of familiarity to the best Honor phones, and with Honor’s Magic Capsule tool already mimicking Apple’s Dynamic Island, devices like the Honor Magic V3 now offer a potent mix of Android and iOS-like features; arguably the best of both worlds.

As for Google, this latest expansion of Circle to Search brings the company one step closer to fulfilling its internal goal of adding the feature to 200 million phones by the end of 2024. iPhones next, Google? Pigs might fly.

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In June, Microsoft postponed the introduction of its controversial Recall feature following a series of serious security concerns. The AI-powered tool, designed to capture all user activity over the previous six months, was positioned as a solution that helps users track their activities and efficiently find previously visited websites, documents and applications. Microsoft developed Recall to allow users to 'retrace their steps' by capturing screen snapshots every five seconds. The tool saves these images, cataloguing the viewed content using AI, and then offering it back to the user through a search functionality.

For cyber investigators, Recall could be a transformative force in gathering and analyzing evidence, improving both the investigative process and its outcomes. However, noise around cybersecurity concerns is loud – and for good reason. The tool’s ability to capture and duplicate data means that sensitive information could be exposed and leveraged by threat actors.

Transforming forensics, though gaps remain

Setting security concerns aside, Recall has the potential to revolutionize forensic investigations in the event of cyber incidents. First, its searchable format can dramatically speed up investigations by removing the arduous and time-consuming task of processing large quantities of evidence.

When digital evidence is lost – be it through browser history clearing or file deletion – Recall’s screen capturing ability would step in to ensure that it remains accessible. Equipped with Recall, investigators would also be able to visually verify their results, empowering greater confidence in the veracity of forensics findings.

Despite its advantages, Recall has critical blind spots. Most significantly, the absence of an audit log renders the access of Recall data by threat actors and users untraceable. Threat actors can also evade detection by using applications like Edge’s InPrivate mode, which Recall can’t track, and by engaging in activities hidden from the screen or by user settings. Looking at Recall as a whole, the advantages speak for themselves, but there’s no suggestion that it is the complete solution for investigators aiming to stop threat actors in their tracks.

Unintentionally handing threat actors the upper hand

Recall inherently risks exposing sensitive information that threat actors could exploit, which in the end was the driving force behind Microsoft’s decision to delay its rollout.

Following news of the release of Microsoft Recall, security researchers developed and released a tool named TotalRecall, which can locate, duplicate, and translate the data gathered by the Recall feature in a plaintext database, which is instantly searchable. Since attackers routinely exploit existing tools and systems to achieve their objectives, it is likely they would add TotalRecall to their arsenal, exploiting its insights where possible.

Lastly, Recall would likely elevate the risk of extortion. With access to snapshots of user activity and computer usage data, attackers will possess enough sensitive data to create a powerful incentive to pay a ransom. The likelihood that this data could contain personal information that poses a threat to an employee’s personal life, and even their safety, significantly increases the risks of exposure.

Meeting regulatory requirements

If Recall functions as designed, we must operate under the assumption that all data accessed by the user over the past six months could potentially be exfiltrated if compromised. The wide range of data collected by the technology makes it difficult to accurately categorize sensitive or regulated information. Aside from the risk of threat actors exploiting this data, Microsoft faces the difficult task of ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and preventing serious breaches.

Addressing concerns, but the door remains open

In response to concerns about TotalRecall and its duplication feature, Microsoft announced the implementation of two new security features. First, the company implemented just-in-time encryption on the database. While this encryption could potentially prevent the exfiltration of databases containing sensitive information, cybersecurity experts have not yet confirmed its effectiveness.

Additionally, Microsoft introduced a requirement for users to re-authenticate through Microsoft Hello before accessing the Recall feature. However, if attackers manage to bypass additional layers of security, unauthorized access remains a real concern, and sensitive data could still be compromised.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the Azure AI tool, which analyses the snapshots captured by Recall, processes data locally on the device’s AppData folder, ensuring sensitive information won’t be sent to the cloud. While this might allay the concerns of some, there is concrete evidence of AI prompts being manipulated to bypass security measures in other AI systems. Developers must remain vigilant about the possibility that threat actors could exploit these very prompts to gain unrestricted access to a device and the information within.

Microsoft’s acknowledgement of these concerns is promising, however additional preventive security measures are required to safeguard users from attackers who are on the sidelines looking for ways to exploit new technologies for their malicious activities.

Suggestions for future use

Looking ahead, there are a number of preventive security measures to bear in mind for the yet-to-be released tool for future users. Following these guidelines should increase security safeguards.

After enabling Recall, users should be meticulous in configuring its settings, strategically deciding which apps and websites shouldn’t fall under its remit. However, it is crucial for users to understand that not all applications and browsers are compatible with Recall’s privacy settings.

Users are also advised to deploy robust anti-malware tools or endpoint detection solutions that can alert you if there are suspicious attempts to access Recall data.

Finally, although it is still unclear whether Recall offers the option of shortening the retention period of its database, the implementation of such an option would limit the amount of data and reduce the potential for attackers to exploit it.

Recall promises a transformative shift in digital forensics, offering a powerful tool for evidence gathering and analysis thanks to its ability to retrieve data that would otherwise be out of reach. However, before it is implemented, Microsoft must address pressing security concerns and make user safety the overarching priority. We’ll need conclusive evidence that data exposure and the threat of extortion are eliminated before we can be confident in its functionality.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

In today's evolving digital landscape, businesses must face two new paradigm shifts: remote work and its link to escalating data breaches. For organizations navigating this, IT Asset Management (ITAM) has quickly become important in bridging the gap between remote work and cybersecurity.

The New Reality: Remote Work and Cybersecurity Risks

The global shift to remote work changed how businesses function. Even if the model has offered flexibility and cut costs, it has also increased security vulnerabilities. Every remote device now represents a potential entry point for cyber threats, creating new obstacles for IT teams:

More Devices: Employees use a mix of company-issued and personal devices, making it difficult to maintain consistent security standards.

Network Vulnerabilities: Home and public Wi-Fi networks create security risks.

Shadow IT: Remote workers sometimes use unauthorized software solutions.

Data Protection: Sensitive information is now spread across multiple locations.

At the same time, the financial impact of data breaches increases substantially every year. IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024 reports that the average breach now costs $4.88 million—a 10% increase from the previous year. Alarmingly, 40% of these costly breaches involved data distributed across multiple environments.

Here's what this means: the era of remote work has increased cybersecurity threats, costing companies more money each year.

Understanding ITAM: More Than Just Inventory Management

IT Asset Management is more than just tracking laptops. It's a strategy to manage an organization's entire tech ecosystem. This includes:

Asset Inventory: Identifying and cataloging all IT assets, including hardware, software, and cloud resources.

Lifecycle Management: Tracking assets and software through the entire lifecycle, including setup, maintenance, and eventual disposal.

License Compliance: Ensuring software licensing compliance to avoid legal risks.

Cuts Expenses: Reducing costs by identifying idle assets and negotiating better vendor contracts.

Security Standards: Allows IT teams to ensure all assets meet cybersecurity standards.

Here's what this means: In the context of remote work and escalating breach costs, ITAM serves as a critical link for both operational efficiency and resilient security measures.

The Evolution of ITAM in the New Normal

As organizations begin utilizing ITAM, it is important to note that the industry is making some key changes as well:

Cloud Integration: Modern ITAM solutions now monitor physical and cloud-based assets. This is essential as businesses adopt to cloud computing environments.

IoT Management: ITAM is expanding to manage all Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Automation: Standard ITAM processes can now be automated. This allows IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks.

Here's what this means: Organizations now have the opportunity to track and optimize a broader range of assets, from traditional hardware to cloud services and IoT devices, which ultimately leads to more flexible and secure operations.

Implementing Effective ITAM: Best Practices

For organizations looking to leverage ITAM in their overall cybersecurity strategy, consider the following best practices:

Establish Clear Policies: Develop clear ITAM policies that address remote work environments, including BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) guidelines.

Invest in Efficient ITAM Tools: Invest in ITAM solutions that track IT equipment and software in real-time, automate compliance checks, and integrate with existing security tools.

Prioritize and Classify Assets: Use ITAM to rank company data and equipment based on how sensitive they are.

Conduct Regular Audits: Perform frequent audits of IT assets to maintain inventory accuracy and compliance with security policies.

Work Across Teams: Promote collaboration between IT, security, finance, and other departments.

Provide Ongoing Training: Inform all employees about the importance of proper IT asset management and how it contributes to the organization’s safety.

Here's what this means: Organizations can foster safety and security by leveraging ITAM effectively. This can be done by performing regular IT asset audits, having clear device policies, encouraging cross-team collaboration, and investing in modern ITAM solutions.

A Call to Action

In an era where remote work is the norm and data breaches are rising, ITAM is no longer a nice-to-have—it's a must-have. It's the strategic bridge that connects security measures with cost-saving initiatives, making it necessary for modern organizations.

Organizations that invest in advanced ITAM practices will thrive. They can navigate the complexities of distributed work environments, protect their digital assets, and build a more secure and efficient future.

The question is now whether organizations can afford to invest in robust ITAM practices but whether they can afford not to. ITAM is a cornerstone of effective business strategy, enabling companies to survive and excel in the digital age.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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