The very same characteristics that make members of Gen Z who they are may also cause them to open up their workplace to cybersecurity risks.

The digital natives, known for their political consciousness and having grown up with ubiquitous internet access, are currently the youngest generation in the workforce. However, a digital-first lifestyle does not exclude the youngest generation in the workforce from being susceptible to cybersecurity risks. José-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University, said those in the generational cohort—currently ages 13 to 28—are used to forgoing privacy because of their early adoption of social media platforms.

“Their sense of privacy and the right to privacy is a little bit distorted, I would say,” Griffiths said, adding that this lack of awareness could make them vulnerable.

The unique cybersecurity challenges associated with zoomer employees.—BM

When KnowBe4 data-driven defense evangelist Roger Grimes reveals his employer to people, he is typically met with one response.

“The first year or two I was at KnowBe4, people would say, ‘Where do you work?’ I’d go, ‘KnowBe4,’ [and] they couldn’t pronounce it…Now, when I tell people I work for KnowBe4, they’re like, ‘Oh, I just failed one of your tests,’” Grimes said.

That’s because KnowBe4 has become ubiquitous in the cybersecurity industry. Almost 70,000 organizations rely on KnowBe4, with an upward of 50 million users using its platform everyday.

“You can go to London, you can go to Rome, you can go to New York, and everywhere it’s default. It’s KnowBe4,” co-founder and CEO of security platform Anetac Timothy Eades said.

How KnowBe4 turned the security awareness training industry on its head.—BM

While there’s no doubt agentic AI is one of the hottest trends affecting IT pros, the technology presents serious risks for companies looking to take humans out of the loop (and reduce team size) via automated workflows.

Experts point to lack of visibility as a reason humans need to be involved with agentic AI, especially when the latter is able to make independent decisions and drive a set of outcomes.

Thomas Squeo, the CTO for the Americas at Thoughtworks, called the first generation of agents “relatively simplistic” and said that providers were not typically able to offer them at scale in a production enterprise environment.

Why humans and agents still need to be a dynamic duo.—CN

Rolling out a new software tool? Emotions run high—fear, confusion, resistance. Learn how IT leaders can smooth the transition, engage employees early, and turn skeptics into super-users with a solid plan and clear communication.