IT STRATEGY

Illustration: Shannon May, Photos: Unsplash

For the last year or so, Fitz Nowlan watched with interest as Chinese open-weight models narrowed the performance gap against those offered by big-name labs.

The VP of AI and architecture for IT software company SmartBear, Nowlan said there are big potential draws to these free-to-download models, like Z.ai’s GLM-5 or DeepSeek v4: cost-efficiency, lower latency, and avoiding the risk that a lab could create a competing software product.

Now he’s undertaking an extensive experiment to see where these models might make financial sense.

Facing down the AI cost crunch.—PK

      

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CYBERSECURITY

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Like Batman telling Robin to get to the Batmobile, the US government has called on the private sector to act as its sidekick in the fight against foreign cybercriminals.

According to an Aug. 12 memorandum signed by President Donald Trump, the National Coordination Center (NCC) is slated to stand up a program that will enable private companies to conduct “cyber surveillance operations and cyber effect operations against foreign cyber-enabled Transnational Criminal Organizations.”

The program will be overseen by co-executive directors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Participants will undergo “rigorous vetting” and enter a contractual agreement with the federal government, putting aside at least $1 million that can be forfeited if that contract is violated.

Going on the attack.—BM

      

IT OPERATIONS

Illustration: Morning Brew Design, Photo: Adobe Stock

On July 19, 2024, a software update gone wrong at cybersecurity company CrowdStrike caused widespread outages across the country, shutting down flights, banks, and even some hospital operations.

CrowdStrike’s products and services provide software designed to protect IT infrastructure. But instead, an update triggered an error that cascaded into the outage.

Soon after the incident, we spoke with executives at Mass General Brigham (MGB), the largest health system in Massachusetts, about how it recovered. The outage caused 45,000 computers to get the blue screen of death—or crash—meaning MGB’s staff had to shift from digital to paper documentation. After the outage was resolved, the health system rushed to update electronic medical records (EMRs) and get their computers operational again.

How’s the recovery?—CM

      

patch notes

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top IT reads.

Stat: 97%. That’s roughly how many AI-assisted malware samples were unable to leave a sandbox, repository, or testing environment during a cybersecurity analysis to hit a real target. (SecurityWeek)

Quote: “Privileges were never a perimeter. The control that matters now is containment, scoped to task, and intent.”—Jaushin Lee, CEO of Zentera Systems, on the current state of AI supply-chain risk (Help Net Security)

Read: “Zombie” credit cards could be revived to make unauthorized payments. (The Register)

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Quiz

Amelia Kinsinger

The week’s biggest IT stories—now in quiz form. Test yourself on the latest cybersecurity headlines, software news, and tech breakthroughs in a quick, competitive challenge built for IT pros. Challenge your coworkers and see how your score stacks up!

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