HARDWARE

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At first glance, a computer at one of Explore Learning’s almost 100 tutoring facilities in the UK might look pretty normal: monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

But tucked behind each screen is a Raspberry Pi, a small single-board device often used by hobbyists for prototyping hardware projects.

Explore Learning’s facilities provide math and English education to students between 4- and 16-years-old, using the company’s browser-based “Compass” software, onsite computers, and an in-person tutor.

Daniel Hyatt, the tutoring company’s head of IT infrastructure, and his team have been using thin-client Raspberry Pis since about 2014; thin clients refer to low-cost, limited-capability, but centrally managed computers. By 2016, Hyatt said, they had Raspberry Pis running on close to 3,000 machines. Each Explore Learning site features up to 50 computers, all pulling from a single server’s virtual machine. Hyatt sees the approach as an efficient one for other companies to potentially adopt.

Pi in the workplace.—BH

      

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IT STRATEGY

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If two roads diverged in the woods, Bloomberg would direct its IT professionals to take the one paved by their colleagues.

Bloomberg is known for its famous terminal, which provides real-time market data, news, and analysis, along with order management. Bloomberg engineers who work on the terminal and other company software also contribute to open-source projects and programming languages.

Part of the company’s engineering success could be linked to its reliance on “paved paths,” or established procedures that have been stress-tested by engineering teams over the years.

Paved paths. Bloomberg’s paved paths include best practices for both internal tools and third-party software. If the latter doesn’t meet the company’s standards, they will often build the equivalent internally.

No jaywalking, please.—CN

      

IT OPERATIONS

Amelia Kinsinger

Agentic AI is the cutting edge of the AI revolution. Tech vendors everywhere are working on building next-generation AI agents that will converse with human users and execute on complex workflows. Imagine an AI agent that can scan paper bills, convert everything it sees into machine-readable text, and then interact with Accounts Payable to pay certain vendors on a schedule.

While executives are excited about agentic AI taking on complex, multi-part tasks with little or no need for human oversight, IT professionals are justifiably concerned about the prospect of AI agents running amok within company infrastructure, creating cybersecurity nightmares.

In this e-book, you’ll learn about how agentic AI is evolving, how it’s already impacting companies and IT infrastructure, and why this technology still demands a human in the loop. These articles offer comprehensive advice for IT pros on how to successfully integrate agentic AI into their current workflows—or hold off on implementation for the time being.

Fear the future?—NK

      

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patch notes

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top IT reads.

Stat: 78%. That’s how many IT leaders say their organization’s IT department is driving AI adoption efforts. (CIO.com)

Quote: “It is very difficult, almost impossible, for a human-led defense to be effective against an AI and agentic defense; you need to use AI to fight AI.”—Francis deSouza, Google Cloud’s COO and president of security products, said during a media briefing (DarkReading)

Read: A program rotating cybersecurity workers through federal agencies to boost the workforce saw very little resulting efficiency. (CyberScoop)

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