Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office.
It is primarily used for document management and storage, but it also provides features such as intranet portals, social networking, and business intelligence.
SharePoint in Microsoft 365 empowers teamwork with dynamic and productive team sites for every project team, department, and division, Share files, data, news, and resources.
Collaborate effortlessly and securely with team members inside and outside your organization, across PCs, Macs, and mobile devices.
Benefits of SharePoint
Improved data management:
SharePoint allows you to store, organize, share and access critical business information from any device.
You can also use features such as file versioning, document check-in/check-out, indexing and searching to manage your documents more efficiently
Integration with Office 365 tools:
SharePoint integrates with Microsoft products such as Outlook, MSTeams, and OneDrive.
This means you can access your SharePoint files from your email, chat with your team members, and sync your files across devices.
Customization and branding:
You can quickly and easily customize the look of your SharePoint site to reflect your professional style and brand.
And also you can choose one of the default SharePoint themes or a company theme with approved branding.
You can also adjust the site header, footer, logo and background.
Collaboration and communication:
SharePoint enables you to create team sites for every project, department and division, and also share files, data, news and resources with your team members.
You can also use SharePoint pages to create engaging web content with rich media and web parts.
You can also use SharePoint news to keep everyone informed about the latest updates and announcements
The latest version of Apple’s wireless earbuds is the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).
Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous one and Spatial Audio takes immersion to a remarkably level.
The new Apple‑designed H2 chip is the force behind AirPods Pro and its advanced audio performance.
It works in concert with a custom‑built driver and amplifier to deliver crisp, clear high notes and deep, rich bass in stunning definition — so every sound is more vivid than ever.
As for the Apple Airport, there is no recent news about a new version of it. However, you can use an Apple Airport Express to turn any speakers into Airplay speakers.
What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial audio is a technique that simulates a surround-sound setup using headphones. It creates the illusion of sound coming from different directions and distances, making the listener feel more immersed in the audio environment.
Spatial audio can be used for various purposes, such as enhancing video games, movies, music, or virtual meetings.
Apple’s spatial audio implementation combines the multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos format with their spatial audio processing to create that experience through Apple Music or a video streaming service.
When you use an iPhone or iPad with compatible headphones like AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, you can use head tracking to improve the experience even further.
It uses built-in gyroscopes to track your head and adjust the audio experience accordingly
A little history about Active noise cancellation (ANC)
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is a method for reducing unwanted sound by adding a second sound that cancels the first.
It is a feature in headphones, mobile phones, and vehicles that uses microphones and speakers to block outside noise. Some ANC systems can automatically adjust to the surroundings.
The basic principle of ANC is to create a sound wave with the same amplitude but with inverted phase (also known as antiphase) relative to the original sound.
The waves combine to form a new wave, in a process called interference, and effectively cancel each other out – an effect which is called destructive interference.
ANC can be useful for reducing periodic sounds, such as engine noise, or random sounds, such as traffic noise. However, it may not be very effective for cancelling out speech or music, as these sounds are more complex and unpredictable.
ANC also requires power to operate, which may affect the battery life of the device
Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others.
It features a three-dimensional interface, a high-resolution display system, and a breakthrough design that integrates custom Apple silicon.
It was announced on June 5, 2023 and will be available early next year in the U.S.A
Why you should try Apple Vision Pro
There are many reasons why you might want to use Apple Vision Pro, depending on your needs and preferences. Here are some of them:
You can enjoy an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by your eyes, hands, and voice.
You can also use it as a portable 4K monitor for your Mac.
You can experience entertainment in an immersive way, with movies, shows, and games that expand up to the perfect size while feeling like you’re part of the action with Spatial Audio.
You can also play games that blend digital content with the physical world.
You can capture and relive spatial photos and videos in 3D, then relive those cherished moments like never before with immersive Spatial Audio.
You can also view your existing library of photos and videos at remarkable scale, and feel like you’re standing right where you took them.
You can collaborate and connect with others in FaceTime, with life-size video tiles that expand in your room as new people join.
You can also use apps to work on the same documents simultaneously with your colleagues
You can enjoy a breakthrough design that integrates incredibly advanced technology into an elegant, compact form, resulting in an amazing experience every time you put it on.
It features an ultra-high-resolution display system, custom Apple silicon, and a light seal that blocks out stray light.
Team TAWI, winners in the education category of the 2023 Imagine Cup world finals qualifying round have gone on to win the World Championship. The team qualified from 48 competing global teams to be selected among the top 3 to compete in the World Championship at Microsoft Build. They win the grand prize of USD 100,000, a mentorship session with Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, and Level 2 access to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.
They faced winning teams from the Americas and Asia regions; Eupnea from the United States, and CS-M Tool from Thailand, respectively. Winning the competition showcasing their solution that seeks to help people with auditory processing disorder communicate more easily. It leverages speech recognition tools from Azure Cognitive Services and OpenAI Whisper to enhance speech, reduce background noise, and transcribe speech to text in real-time.
The team will work to take their solution to the next phase and scale it. Watch the full 2023 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship event and hear more about their solution.
New research from Microsoft reveals that attackers are increasingly making use of operational technology to gain new entryways into company networks.
Microsoft’s latest Cyber Signals report highlights how cybercriminals are using Operational Technology (OT) as gateways into an organization’s network. This comes at a time when IoT connections in the region are growing with the GSMA predicting that 1.1 billion IoT connections are expected by 2025 in MENA. It’s this growth in OT and IoT that has given cybercriminals more opportunities to breach an organization’s network.
Microsoft’s Cyber Signals report is a regular cyberthreat intelligence brief spotlighting security trends and insights gathered from Microsoft’s 65 trillion daily security signals and 8,500 security experts. The latest edition has found that converging IT, Internet of Things (IoT) and OT systems pose a wider risk to critical infrastructure.
For CIOs in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), the impact of a possible security breach is top of mind in an increasingly complex threat environment. This can be seen in the 11.2 percent rise in cybersecurity spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for 2022.
The growing rate of digital transformation within the African region is facilitating the emergence of new attack vectors and opportunities for cybercriminals. The Kenyan government has identified cybersecurity as a key enabler for digital economy. Kenya faces increased cybersecurity challenges and risks that threaten national security and the country’s digital transformation agenda. Cybersecurity statistics indicate that the number of cyber threats detected in Kenya has significantly increased in the last three years. The Communications Authority of Kenya reported 278,030,354 threats detected in the period from July to September 2022, an increase of 99.478% from threats detected between April to June of the same year.
The increase in digital transformation across the region has enabled organizations to manage their buildings, emergency systems and access control with smart devices connected to a network. In addition, we have seen an increase in IoT devices in the workplace to better enable hybrid work such as smart conference rooms with microphones and cameras.
As the threat landscape continues to expand and become more complex, organizations need to rethink their cyber risk approach to stay one step ahead of would-be attackers. Cyber Signals found that there are currently over 1 million connected devices publicly visible on the Internet running Boa, an outdated and unsupported software still widely used in IoT devices and software development kits.
“Organizations are more connected than ever before. From the humble Wi-Fi router to the everyday office printer, IT teams need to view their IoT devices differently and secure them as they would any company laptop to prevent security breaches,” says Phyllis Migwi, Country Manager for Microsoft Kenya. “Gaining complete visibility of an organization’s OT systems and protecting its IoT solutions will go a long way in preventing cyberattacks.”
