Friday Five for October 6th, 2023

1. Cybersecurity Awareness Month Week 2: Secure Your Digital Home & Office

As we continue to recognize October as Cyber Awareness Month (CAM) at UCLA, we would like to introduce the Week Two theme, “Secure Your Digital Home & Office.”

Secure Your Digital Home & Office Overview

Mobile devices and other technologies (e.g., Zoom) allow us to create a virtual classroom/office and connect with others on the road or at home. Although convenient, everyone should try to navigate these environments with vigilance. To “Secure Your Digital Home & Office,” start by taking the following steps:

• Protect Personal Devices

 Protect personal devices at home and on the go by making sure your Wi-Fi is secure.

• Update Software

 Update software frequently and only install software from trusted sources.

• Safeguard Sensitive Data

 Safeguard sensitive data and avoid unintentional sharing. 

This Monday, visit the Cybersecurity Awareness Month website for more information on how you can Secure Your Digital Home & Office. Otherwise, follow the #SecureUCLA Slack Channel.

2. UC Information Technology Policy and Security Community of Interest

The UC ITPS group is a community of interest dedicated to information security, and is open to any UC workforce members who work directly with information security and to anyone in the UC interested in cybersecurity. The group meets once a month to share info about cybersecurity programs, case studies, risk management and more. With Cybersecurity Awareness Month underway, this is a great chance to get involved in cybersecurity discussions on a broader scale than solely UCLA!

When: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 9:00 am (PST)

Where: Online

To join the UC ITPS listserv and get your meeting invite, email Director of Cyber Risk Program Monte Ratzlaff.

3. Gartner membership available to UCLA staff and faculty

Gartner is a technological research and consulting firm that provides its clients with insights and advice on how to develop strategies revolving around IT. If that piqued your interest, here’s a tip: As a UCLA staff member, you can use UCLA’s Gartner membership, which gives you access to the company’s research as well as discounted registration fees for events like Gartner conferences.

Check out the data in Gartner’s research, or reach out to Pat McCarthy at Gartner if you’d like to register for a conference!

4. The new macOS Sonoma update

Apple launched its newest operating system macOS Sonoma on September 26. To all our Apple aficionados, are you thinking about upgrading? If you haven’t checked out the update yet, take a look at this review from The Verge to learn about key features, and this article from Digital Trends to learn about common issues users have experienced after upgrading. 

5. 2023 IDEAS Global AI Conference

The International Data Engineering and Science Association (IDEAS) is hosting its 2023 IDEAS Global AI Conference, an annual event that brings data scientists and AI enthusiasts together to showcase cutting-edge technology and spark discussion about the AI industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle and participate in talks about trending topics, including but not limited to automation, Big Data and infrastructure, and machine learning.

When: Saturday, October 14, 2023, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (PST)

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Learn more about and register for the 2023 IDEAS Global AI Conference!