Fishing for Data, data storage, data center, AI, cloud gaming and DevOps, discover latest news with Mission Control Center by Mindquest.
Fishing for Data, cloud storage, data center, AI, cloud gaming and DevOps, discover latest news with Mission Control Center by Mindquest.
Data storage & Liquid cooling
Some weeks ago we
learnt how a future where cloud gaming was the norm could see emissions rise by
30%.
Maintaining a data centre and a data storage is a costly endeavour. Especially because of how much power is devoted to cooling the hardware. But Microsoft has a solution.
Earlier this week, the company retrieved a cylinder-shaped data centre it had sunk off the Scotland coast two years ago. Albeit covered by algae and barnacles,; the data centre is in perfect working order and has in fact proven to be more reliable and efficient than traditional server rack environments.
Researchers attribute the positive results to a combination of less human interaction and cooler temperatures; as well as to the nitrogen that was used for ventilation instead of the usual oxygen. Which reduces corrosion.
Although one could wonder how an ocean floor full of servers would affect global water temperatures.
An international coalition of medical experts has introduced the
world’s first standards for clinical trials involving artificial
intelligence.
The standards, which were published on Nature Medicine and The
Lancet, are aimed at tackling the current hype around AI and preventing
interested parties from leveraging the media attention to sell dubious
research.
The move comes at a time when the entire world is laser-focused on Covid vaccine clinical trials. An area in which AI can help speed up things immensely. Applied wrongly, however, the technology could endanger millions of people.
In an interview with
SiliconANGLE, Gene Kim, the DevOps guru behind books like “The Phoenix
Project” stressed how vital DevOps is to the future of the
enterprise.
At a time when ensuring effective data storage, management and
analytics is so pressing, businesses are prioritising developer operations to
make informed business decisions.
Kim argues that DevOps not only helps organisations’ bottom
line; it is the new bottom line.
A focus on empowering developers, Kim says, will undoubtedly reward companies with unprecedented freedom and agility.
Technology is reshaping not only the ways in which we live and communicate but also how we work. Discover the Mindquest Manifesto.
Technology is reshaping not only the ways in which we live and communicate but also how we work. Discover the Mindquest Manifesto.
The skills we need to be successful in our careers and business projects—that means both hard and soft skills—are constantly evolving. The ways in which companies and teams operate are changing dramatically, even more so since the start of the pandemic. But that is just the beginning. The classical employee-employer relationship is being fundamentally redesigned.
These sudden and
profound changes can be confusing for both companies and employees, creating a
great deal of uncertainty and posing a new set of challenges.
Today’s IT
professionals are concerned about how to best manage and build a successful
career of their choosing in an ever-changing environment where skills must be
constantly updated to stay relevant. On top of that, tech workers, like any
other professional collective, have personal lives to attend to and want to
figure out a way to achieve career success while ensuring that all their needs
are covered at each stage of their life cycle. Should they work as a permanent
employee, or as a freelance contractor? The answer might change depending on
which point of their lives they are in.
For companies and IT
managers, it is all about how to adapt to and stay ahead of this changing
landscape while retaining agility, competitiveness and a cohesive approach to
talent and operations. New ways of working require shifts in company structure,
as well as new ways of managing teams that are increasingly composed of both
permanent employees and external contractors. Aspects like maintaining a
unified company culture, securing the best talent before the competition does,
and preparing for upcoming regulations are of major importance to today’s
business leaders.
At Mindquest we like
to think of these changes as a journey, for professionals as well as for
businesses.
The journey requires
all parties to be in constant motion, to step out of one’s comfort zone, to
make a few mistakes and learn a lot to keep on advancing.
Some people can get
lost along the way and make the wrong decisions, resulting in greater concerns,
anxiety, and a waste of talent and energy.
Mindquest – This is where we come in.
Our mission is to
provide people and businesses with the best possible guidance and support
throughout their entire professional journey. For us, it’s all about people,
and it’s all about growth — personal and business growth.
We are here to uncover
the true potential of brilliant and unique minds and help them build their
desired career paths, working with companies and projects where they will be
able to excel and achieve their professional goals.
We are here to help
business leaders find the best IT talent and develop comprehensive talent
strategies that generate as much value as possible.
We are here to create
a new kind of community within the tech sector, to create long-lasting
professional relationships and partnerships from a win-win perspective.
We are here to help
our partners live up to their full potential in this new technology-driven
world of work.
Spoiler alert: Artificial Intelligence is the future of work. Or at least part of it. This is not to say that everyone will become an AI engineer. But in just a few years from now, a large part of job positions will require or reward AI skills that help employees be more efficient and dedicate themselves to higher-level tasks. Especially in areas like IT, where human error can have dire consequences. So what online AI courses are best to get you up-to-speed with this booming discipline?
AI has experienced a major explosion in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the fastest-growing roles in job markets across the world. Indeed, just at the beginning of the 2020, a LinkedIn report identified AI-related skills as the fourth most in-demand skills group among employers. And that was before the pandemic set in.
Since then, Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a compelling choice for students and professionals who want to keep up with innovation and trends. Analytics Insight points out very good reasons to study AI in 2023.
Bottom line: believe the hype. It’s about time you put on your AI boots if you still haven’t done so. Here are five courses to get you started that touch upon some of today’s core AI skills.
Find your next assignment on our freelance and permanent IT recruitment platform, or join Mindquest so you don’t miss out on any job opportunity!
If you are not quite sure, start with the fundamentals. This Coursera course by IBM provides a good introductory overview of artificial intelligence and its many aspects:
2. One of the most popular online AI courses : Python
Pythonis to AI what English is to Shakespeare’s plays. Thus, this nimble yet powerful language is one of the most popular among programmers and engineers, and, if you haven’t gotten around it already, well – you should.
This course on Udemy kicks
off with a Python crash course and then gets into its data science and machine
learning applications, covering the most widely used Python libraries and tools
for AI (NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib…):
In essence, machine
learning is the use of algorithms to process data, learn from it and then act
according to these learnings. Machine learning allows computers to autonomously
learn and improve processes and assessments through experience, without being
explicitly programmed beforehand. It’s pretty much ubiquitous these days –from
your phone’s predictive keyboard to web searches.
Moreover, developed by Google Brain Team, TensorFlow is an open-source library for numerical computation with powerful AI capabilities. TensorFlow is Python-friendly and is currently one of the most in-demand AI skills.
This video offers a
great hands-on introduction to building neural networks with TensorFlow:
The course requires
previous Python literacy, so you should not jump into it before learning the
language.
Last but not least, NPL is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on analyzing, understanding and producing human language. It is an integral technology to many everyday features of the digital economy, from autocorrects to chatbots.
This Codecademy course
provides a practical and project-based introduction to NPL:
Are you looking for IT mission opportunities in the Tech and IT sectors on a freelance or permanent basis? Mindquest can help you find your next IT mission opportunity. Find your next mission by browsing our freelance and permanent vacancies available on our digital recruitment platform.
Knowing how to improve your online visibility is key to your career success. Here’s how to optimise your LinkedIn profile as a tech or IT consultant.
Knowing how to improve your online visibility is key to your career success. In terms of visibility on the web, LinkedIn is a must. Here’s how to optimise your LinkedIn profile as a tech or IT consultant and get that dream job.
IT consultants: how to highlight & optimise your LinkedInprofile
With more than 600 million users worldwide, 40% of whom are active every day, LinkedIn is a major tool for freelancers of all backgrounds. IT freelancers who manage to build a complete and optimized profile are way more likely to appear first in search results and attract the most interesting recruiters. Here are a few steps to make your LinkedIn profile shine and set yourself apart from other IT consultants.
Take care of your LinkedIn profile
The first element to take care of is your profile’s presentation. Your profile should be cared for and frequently updated, allowing you to appear in the best light possible for your future clients. This implies taking care of several elements:
A professional and impactful title
LinkedIn allows you to describe your activities in 120 characters. You need to choose an impactful title, being creative to attract the attention of recruiters while remaining professional. Note that the title is the element that appears directly in the search engine results. It is therefore important to pay particular attention to it. In addition to appearing after your name, the title will largely impact the recruiter’s first impression.
It is advisable to include in the title the mention of your consultant status as well as your area of expertise. The title should include the main search keywords related to your profile.
A professional photo that represents you
A profile with a photo is always more likely to stand out. The photo must be taken from the front, always clear and of good quality. Preferably, you should be smiling –, without exaggeration of course.
A concise summary of your profile and
the opportunities you seek
In this rather summary, list your skills and detail your professional experience. So, if you are hyper-specialized in a particular sector, do not hesitate to include that in your summary: this may interest recruiters looking for very technical skills. It is also an opportunity to add your diplomas, your most significant professional successes and everything that makes a company more likely to choose you than another consultant. Try to demonstrate as much as possible that you know how to anticipate the needs of a business.
Also do not forget that your LinkedIn profile allows you to give information on what you are looking for: types of job, location, aspirations in terms of projects and professional development … With this simple step, you will avoid being contacted by recruiters who would approach you with ill-suited assignments or positions.
A more detailed summary of your past experiences to optimise your LinkedIn profile
Your LinkedIn profile is the ideal support for detailing your experience and the various positions you have held — just as you would do on your CV. You can provide background information, technical stacks, and tasks associated with these projects. Focus on your accomplishments by highlighting concrete results.
Share relevant content about IT consulting on LinkedIn
To improve your visibility on LinkedIn as an IT freelancer, it is strongly advised to share content frequently. You can share all kinds of content, including:
Links to articles related to your area of expertise and your favourite subjects
Infographics or videos to spread a message visually and thus make it more impactful
Posts in text form, to share news about your professional life for example.
Articles that you have written on the platform, to highlight your knowledge of specific subject. This requires a certain investment in terms of time but can really help you enhance your profile.
It is better to share content regularly, without necessarily looking for the quantity. Unlike other platforms where the organic reach of posts requires sharing content on a daily basis, LinkedIn works differently. Also, remember that LinkedIn now accepts user tags and hashtags, which improves thematic search.
Last tip: don’t hesitate to share and comment on the posts of other people in your network. Taking part in conversations about your areas of expertise will allow you to position yourself as an expert and to be identified by recruiters for the best missions.
A new report from SolarWinds suggests that IT professionals are feeling more confident during the pandemic. Thus, according to the survey, tech experts admit to having been more proactive in bringing new ideas to the table and taking on a bigger role.
Also, experts believe this newfound confidence is the result of IT pros being used to sudden shifts and unexpected situations – a quality that has helped them ride the Covid-19 wave as opposed to being swept by it.
IT has been
pivotal to business resilience during this unprecedented crisis, elevating tech
experts within their organisations and putting them closer to the
decision-making process.
IT professionals: Bye to VS Codespaces and Flash Player
Microsoft has decided to end Visual Studio Codespaces (formerly known as Visual Studio Online). The cloud-based development environment will then be merged with GitHub’s version of the same product.
Microsoft’s move comes after some developers expressed confusion between the two nearly-identical products. Unfortunately for developers, there is currently no way to migrate existing projects from one platform to the other.
The company has also warned businesses to get ready for the end of Adobe Flash Player support. Microsoft and Adobe first announced the phase-out of the popular internet media player in 2017. From January 21, Flash will be disabled in both IE 11 and Microsft Edge browsers.
IT professionals are feeling more confident so that the government-funded think tank Tech Nation reports a 36% increase in tech vacancies between June and August.
The sector is
experiencing a fast recovery compared to other industries, with 90,000 new jobs
being advertised every week across the UK.
The most sought-after skills identified in the report include:
Tiobe Software’s latest Programming Community
index points at a revival of C++.
The
35-year-old language is the fastest growing language in terms of popularity,
while C tops the list of most used languages.
Experts at the company believe the new C++20 standard is responsible for the recent uptick, moreover, the standard includes a new modules feature which replaces the infamous include mechanism function.
Other languages gaining popularity are R and C#, whereas Java has experienced a drop compared to last year.
This quick Microsoft Certifications Guide will provide you with a bird's view of all the company's official trainings and help you advance your career.
This quick Microsoft certifications guide will provide you with a bird’s-eye view of all the company’s official trainings and thus help you advance your career.
Microsoft’s Learn portal offers a multitude of courses and Microsoft certifications for anyone to explore. Obtaining one of these certifications is therefore the first step when starting a career in the ecosystem or advancing or shifting your existing one.
Beyond providing you with theoretical and practical knowledge these certifications will validate your expertise within the industry and among recruiters. This is because, certifications demonstrate that you are up-to-date with current best practices and new tools, with some of them requiring to be renewed every year.
Courses to obtain certifications are free through the Learn platform and can be taken at your own pace from the comfort of your home. There are also several MS-vetted third-parties offering guided lessons and complementary coursework.
Students need to pay only for the practical exams, which can be taken online or at designated testing centres. Microsoft has expanded its online testing capabilities since the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
To start, there are several ways in which you can approach Microsoft training programs. You can focus on a particular platform within the Microsoft Technology Stack, or opt for a specific role and then choose a platform to focus on. You can also choose a specific career path or focus on a very concrete skill that you would like to acquire. Then, Microsoft outlines all available career paths, defining the series of certifications you will need to obtain to reach your career goal.
Certifications are divided according to the level of expertise and seniority: Fundamentals, Associate and Expert. Our Microsoft Certifications Guide will give you an overview, but you will have to dig deeper to find what really makes you tick.
Microsoft Certifications guide: Fundamentals certifications
First, as their name suggests, these certifications are the recommended starting point for anyone starting their career or looking to move into another platform within the MS tech stack. They cover:
To continue, some MS certifications encompass more than one platform and require you to multiple individual certifications. Also, each of these certifications is tailored to a specific area of IT (security, networking, cloud, etc.)
Also, there are three tiers of certifications depending on the level of expertise:
Microsoft
Technology Associate (MTA)
Microsoft
Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
Microsoft
Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) /Microsoft Solutions Developer (MCSD)
Certifications targeting specific roles are a great way of specializing or moving from one role to the other within the Microsoft ecosystems. Moreover, roles can comprise multiple MS platforms or focus on a particular one, and include:
Administrator
Administrators oversee the implementation of Microsoft platforms, thus maintaining solutions for storage, networking, computing and security.
AI Engineer
Then, AI engineers design and implement artificial intelligence solutions by leveraging different MS tools.
Data Engineer
Being in charge of mapping out and executing the management, monitoring, security, and privacy of data, Data Engineers are therefore proficient in a platform’s different data services and tools.
Data Scientist
Not to be confused with a Data Engineer, this role requires a deep knowledge of data science and machine learning. Moreover, expertise in data modelling is a must.
Developer
At the frontlines of deployment and operations, Developers partner with architects and administrators to design, create, test, also they maintain cloud applications and services.
DevOps Engineer
Advocates of agile methodologies for software development, DevOps professionals unify teams, processes and technologies in order to streamline the product pipeline.
Functional Consultant
Moreover, functional consultant implements core application setup processes that help businesses in areas like marketing, sales or supply chain management.
IoT Developer
On the other hand, IoT Developer designs, develops and maintains Internet of Things solutions and devices within MS environments. From coding to the set-up of physical devices.
Security Engineer
As the title suggests, security professionals protect the integrity of data, applications and networks by implementing threat detection and security controls.
Solutions Architect
To conclude, the Solutions Architect is the first person to be involved in a platform deployment process. Moreover, Architects must have a deep understanding of the entire ecosystem to design solutions that run on it.
In charge of mapping out and executing the management, monitoring, security, and privacy of data. Data Engineers are proficient in a platform’s different data services and tools, using them to:
Implement data storage solutions
Manage and develop data processing
Monitor and optimize data solutions
Design data storage solutions
Design data processing solutions
Design for data security and compliance
Data Scientist
Not to be confused with a Data Engineer, this role requires deep knowledge of data science and machine learning. Expertise in data modelling is a must.
A good MS Data Scientist knows well how to:
Set up data lake relationships
Learning workspace
Run experiments and train models
Optimize and manage models
Deploy and consume models
Developer
At the frontlines of deployment and operations, developers partner with architects and administrators to design, create, test and maintain cloud applications and services.
Among the core competences of developers:
Development of infrastructure and storage
Development of platforms and solutions
Implementation of security
Monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimising solutions
Connecting to third-party services
DevOps Engineer
Advocates of agile methodologies for software development, DevOps professionals unify teams, processes and technologies to streamline the product pipeline.
Designs, develops and maintains Internet of Things solutions and devices within MS environments. From coding to the set-up of physical devices, the IoT Developer is responsible for:
Implementing the Azure IoT solution infrastructure
Provision and management of devices
Implementing Edge Processing and managing data
Monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimising IoT solutions
Implementing security
Security Engineer
The title here says it all. Security professionals protect the integrity of data, applications and networks by implementing threat detection and security controls.
Functions include:
Managing identity and access
Implementing platform protection
Managing security operations
Securing data and applications
Solutions Architect
The Solutions Architect is actually the first person to be involved in a platform’s deployment process. Architects must have a deep understanding of the entire ecosystem to design solutions that run on it.
They must have expertise in:
Deployment and configuration of infrastructure
Implementing workloads and security
Creating and deploy apps
Implementing authentication and securing data
Developing for cloud and for other storage
Determining workload requirements
Designing for identity and security
Designing a data platform solution and a business continuity strategy
Designing for deployment, migration, and integration
Designing an infrastructure strategy
Want to learn more about the various Microsoft career paths and how to pursue them? Explore our comprehensive Microsoft Technologies careers guide.
The next generation of video game consoles is hitting the shelves this holiday season. Discover news about Game Streaming and Emissions...
Game Streaming and Emissions, or Game vs. the environment
The next generation of
video game consoles is hitting the shelves this holiday season. An epic
marketing battle precedes its launch, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X fighting
to get a head start on each other by selling more consoles than the other.
Yet, ironically, this new generation of consoles might be the
last.
Like it happened in other industries, video games are moving
away from local hardware in favour of a distributed computing model. Why spent
money in a pricey box when you could stream higher-quality video games directly
to your TV or phone in real time?
With companies like Google and Microsoft having already released
their proprietary cloud gaming platforms, it’s just a matter of time before
most gaming is done this way. But, as convenient as it sounds, this could have
severe environmental implications.
A new report suggests emissions could rise as much as 30% in a future where game streaming was the norm.
Earlier this year,
Microsoft announced it was building a low-code Dataflex solution for Teams that
would allow users to easily develop custom applications without leaving Teams.
We got more details this week.
Code-named Project Oakdale, the platform will let teams create
quick applications based on shared databases. No need for third-party tools to
build an HTML or JavaScript feature that runs on Teams. Just install Project
Oakdale and use an Access-like table and form creator to get the job done.
Each team will get its dedicated data environment so that team
members can exchange actionable insights and access more relevant information.
The applications will also be able to connect with the rest of Microsoft’s
ecosystem.
Although it has its limitations, Project Oakdale will be included in the Teams subscription — a big step towards democratising low-code development within the enterprise.
React.js is a JavaScript code library. React.js Developer is mainly responsible for front-end web application development.
The pentester is a role related to the field of cybersecurity security. Its name comes from “penetration test.” The main role of a pentester is to ensure the security of information networks and applications (back end of a site, applications, etc.) and protect systems against cyber attacks.
What is the role of the Pentester?
Check website reliability
As the name suggests, the pentester performs tests with controlled intrusions into the company’s computer systems to find possible vulnerabilities.
Fix issues
After the testing stage, the pentester has to find and implement solutions to resolve the flaws identified. They will then have to reinforce and optimize the security of the applications.
Provide advice and guidance
The pentester also plays an advisory role. They must anticipate threats, put in place best practices and recommend more effective protection tools.
Required skills
Programming mastery
The pentester should be proficient and familiar with programming and web programming languages, cryptography, coding systems, and network security auditing (Python, C / C ++, Java, PHP, etc.)
An educational vocation
The pentester must be able to effectively convey encountered flaws to site and application developers. They must therefore be educators with the ability to communicate well with the developers and technical teams, to know how to clearly communicate problems to help manage them as well and quickly as possible.
Rapid action
When an intrusion occurs or a security problem is identified in a computer system, it must be resolved quickly. A poorly protected system can be devastating for the business. The pentester must therefore demonstrate reactivity and proactivity.
Within the industry
A pentester can progress to a managerial position or any other senior position in the field of cybersecurity. Their job is critical in an IT world where cyber attacks are growing more and more recurrent.
Salary
The average daily rate of a pentester fluctuates between €300 and €600.
Training
To be a pentester, you usually need to have an undergraduate or graduate degree in an IT-related discipline and demonstrate at least a base level of cyber security knowledge and experience.
Python, Matlab, Julia -- R. Who would win the battle of the best language for economic research? Hint: the winner has a woman's name.
The Best Language for Economic Research
Python, Matlab, Julia — R. Who would win the battle of the best language for Economic research? That’s probably one of the most common online queries in the programming world. There is just something about humans and our obsession with chasing the very best of the best.
In reality, of course, each language has its nuances and areas
in which it shines. Anyone claiming to have a definitive answer on the matter
should come up with some solid arguments to back their verdict.
And that’s exactly what two London School of Economics researchers did. They looked at different languages based on the power of available libraries, the speed and possibilities when handling large datasets, and the speed and ease-of-use for a computationally intensive task.
Hint: the winner has a woman’s name.
Thanks, but no thanks
That’s the polite
version of what UK students were shouting in front of the Department of
Education over a week ago. The cause of their anger was an algorithm.
University admission exams had been cancelled because of the
pandemic. Teachers proposed predicting their student’s scores as a way to
compromise. The education department dismissed the idea on the grounds that
previous research had proved such estimates to be biased. Instead, they decided
to use an algorithm.
