New Password Guidelines

    Believe it or not, these were the locks prohibiting anyone from entering our facility without a key.  Very simple deadbolt lock and doorknob lock.  I know its the not the most secure system in the world but it worked.  I will admit we did have a break-in.  The perpetrator entered the facility using a key that my realtor left in a lockbox.

    Today, computer users all over the world use password as a way to keep the bad guys out of systems and documents.  In the early days it was a very simple process to simply add password, like "12345678" or "MyDogsName", to their systems,  It was very simple back then and worked for the most part.  Protecting systems and documents have gotten increasingly more difficult.  We've resulted to using two-factor authentication, multi-factor authentication, passkeys, and a whole host of things in order to protect our digital assets.  Today, we have software that assist us with managing passwords for the plethora of systems that we must log into daily.  Software like 1Password and others do a decent job of helping us manage it all.

    Never fear more guidelines are here.  Today, while reading the Wall Street Journal, I discovered that the National Institute of Standards and Technology, otherwise known as NIST, is proposing guidelines that may make things more secure while ensuring that the process is user-friendly.  Websites could be pushed to allow spaces, brackets, quotation marks and even emojis, the articles goes on to say.  The article's author, Jackie Snow, does a great job of breaking out the new standard.  I'll park this here for right now and add the guidelines once I finish research on the topic.

Stay Safe,

Greg

2024 Accomplishments 

We're approaching the end of the year and just celebrated our 23rd Christmas with employees.  I'd like to take a second and list a ferw of accomplishments so far:

• Municipal Software Implementation - Online Payment Portal allowing residents to pay their Utility Bill online.  This solution was launched for a municipality that have a population of 80,000.
• Manufacturing Network Management System - One of our manufacturing customers recently moved into a larger facility and needed a network to connect employees, devices, on premise servers and cloud systems.  Our team designed and installed a new network with a fiber backbone to move data at lightening speed.
• SCADA System Upgrade - Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, otherwise known as SCADA, is a major facet of manufacturing and municipal systems.  This year our team has been commissioned to support, modernize, and consolidate SCADA systems.  

I'm still compiling our accomplishments for 2024, so stay tuned for more entries.

My Thoughts On The Use of Artificial Intelligence

 

    Some of you may be wondering why I would use images of a plate of shrimp and grits to convey my thoughts on using artificial intelligence for work, hang in there, it will make sense in a second.  So, my question to you is, which one is authentic and which one is a generated image from an artificial intelligence app?  One of the images is a photo that I took and represent my creation of shrimp and grits, the other is fake.  I'll let you leave a comment below as to which one is authentic.

    There is much that can be said about these images and which one is authentically mine.  Imagine further if this was a article I was writing for a publisher or employer.  Can I use the artificially created image and claim it as my collective work?  Is it my "Intellectual Property" even though I didn't produce it?  Would it be appropriate for me to charge money for something that was created by an artificial intelligence (AI) engine like Meta AI or ChatGPT?  Let's explore these questions.

    Merriam-Webster dictionary describes Intellectual Property (IP) as property (such as a concept, idea, invention, or work) that derives from the effort of the mind or intellect.  I would go further and expand that definition as ...effort of your mind or your intellect.  And this is where the rubber meets the road, I cannot bundle the artificially generated image into my collective work and try to IP the entire work as mine.  I don't think that is ethical or fair unless I give credit to the AI engine that generated it along with compensation for the use of it.  Since, these are my early thoughts on the matter and will change as I continue research, I'll move on to drafting an acceptable use policy that can be added to your collective policy documents (i.e. Information Technology, Intellectual Property, etc.).

Acceptable Use Policy - Artificial Intelligent Engines (c) 2024 GAD Group Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Said company establishes that its core products are a result of the collective works of its employees.  These works include our extensive research and development along with exhaustive testing and modifications.  As it relates to our use of tools and technologies to accomplish our results, we can attest that our employees have followed generally accepted principles, scientific methods, and collegiate norms to aid in product development.  Our employees will use such tools and technologies on a regular basis and will not abuse the privilege of using these tools.  These tools may consist of calculators, computers, and other scientific instruments.  To that extent, our employees will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms to assist with mundane processes or calculations.  Our business relies heavily on standards such as the Periodic Table of Elements and other scientific methodologies.  Employees will acknowledge use of AI for these mundane processes, calculations, and methodologies and will NOT substitute human "know how" for generated content from any AI engine.  

Ok, hopefully you see where I'm going with the above policy.  I have much more to add on this subject so check back often for updates.