IT OPERATIONS

Francis Scialabba

John Ahlering took a Friday off this July.

For someone running a data center requiring 24/7 uptime, that’s a big deal.

Instead of another weekday among the racks—supporting online transactions and payroll that could affect “millions of customers”—he spent most of his time at the dog park, with “no technology whatsoever.”

“I don’t have a computer. If you need me, call me. I left it at that,” Ahlering, AI engineering and team lead at data-center services provider Salute, said about how he set expectations with staff.

For people who have dedicated their lives to 24/7 support, getting even 24/1 of rest can prove a challenge, especially at smaller companies where members of the IT staff are frequently on call. We spoke with these pros about how to take time off—and mean it—when their services must constantly stay on.

Follow these tips before logging off for PTO.—BH

      

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IT STRATEGY

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A recent analysis from the ADP Research Institute and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab has found that certain IT tasks have lost value since AI hit the scene.

When comparing pay between 2019–2022 (dubbed “pre-AI”) and 2023–2025 (dubbed “post-AI”), routine IT tasks such as diagnosing equipment problems and setting up computer systems and networks have depreciated in value, the report found.

Other IT tasks associated with lower pay included analyzing the performance of systems and maintaining technical equipment.

The findings are based on an analysis of payroll data from 7,000 IT workers, as well as “job posting descriptions of tasks and examined worker pay associated with the jobs” in the sample pool. ADP and Stanford identified 25 activities associated with IT jobs and estimated the wage premium or penalty associated with each task.

These were the tasks associated with a higher wage.—BM

      

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CYBERSECURITY

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Recent cyberattacks on municipal water systems in at least 12 states highlight the need to harden critical infrastructure—and resolve the tension between IT and operational technologies (OT).

States with water facilities impacted by the attacks include Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Dakota, and more, according to CBS reporting. While the identity of the attackers remains unconfirmed, investigators suspect Iran-based hackers; the tactics used in this instance resemble that of a 2023 campaign from CyberAv3ngers, which targeted Israeli-made programmable logic controllers (PLC) and other equipment in water and wastewater systems.

On July 30, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a statement urging the owners and operators of critical infrastructure to remove any publicly exposed PLCs and other operational technologies (OT) from the internet.

Why there needs to be more connectivity between IT and OT.—CN

      

Anna Kim

Ransomware attackers now have AI on their side. This e-book not only lays out the exact playbooks IT teams use to detect, contain, and recover but also includes a hands-on breach simulator you can run with your team.

patch notes

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top IT reads.

Stat: 55%. That’s the percentage of millennial internet users who believe their data will be exposed one day. (TechRadar Pro)

Quote: “How exciting is this? To be the one to say, ‘You want to take more risk? Let us help you. We can help you make smarter decisions.’”—Wolfgang Goerlich, IANS Research faculty member, on the evolving role of the CISO (CSO Online)

Read: The legal battle between one TV station and a defunct cloud storage provider. (Tom’s Hardware)

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