DC: Careers, FOSS, Security, Techstrong.IT, Check Point, Cisco, Fortinet, Okta, Rubrik - Thu PM
#340, Issue 1 Part 8: Articles Posted Week: 2026-06-29 - 2026-07-05
IT News You Can Use - Full Weekly Issue - Vol 340 Issue 1
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Hottest Cybersecurity Open-Source Tools of the Month: June 2026
We Ditched 3 Popular Paid Subscriptions for These Open-Source, Self-Hosted Alternatives
Cybersecurity and Data Breach Statistics 2026: $20.9B Stolen, 1M Hit
Best Penetration Testing Platforms for Enterprise Security Teams
Building a Secure Customer Identity Strategy for Modern eCommerce
Protecting Against Rising Cybersecurity Risks in Data Centers
Embedded Network Security: The Ultimate Defense Against AI-Driven Threats
Cisco Nexus One, Next-Generation Data Center Networking Architecture
How AI Agents Generate Their Own Integration Tools on Demand
Beyond the Cloud Boundary: How to Build Resilient Infrastructure in Hybrid and SaaS Environments
Careers
The New Enterprise AI Expert Every Company Needs - and Why
A new enterprise AI expert role can decide whether a business wins or loses in the age of AI. more →
Which IT Jobs Will AI Change Most? Tech Leaders Weigh In
AI is reshaping IT roles toward orchestration, governance, and strategy rather than eliminating positions. more →
Two of the World's Fastest-Growing Skills Are in the Same Job Description
AI and cybersecurity, the two fastest-growing skills, are increasingly demanded of the same hybrid professional. more →
FOSS
Hottest Cybersecurity Open-Source Tools of the Month: June 2026
A curated roundup of seven open-source cybersecurity tools from June 2026, heavily focused on AI agent security. more →
We Ditched 3 Popular Paid Subscriptions for These Open-Source, Self-Hosted Alternatives
How-To Geek staff replaced three paid subscriptions with free, open-source self-hosted apps. more →
Open-Source 'OpenAN' Launched by Huawei and Partners
Huawei and telecom partners launch OpenAN, an open-source framework for autonomous network deployment. more →
Security
Cybersecurity and Data Breach Statistics 2026: $20.9B Stolen, 1M Hit
2026 breach data shows record $20.9B US losses, ransomware in 44% of breaches, and attackers logging in not breaking in. more →
Passkeys as the Future
The UK NCSC urges organizations to adopt passkeys as a phishing-resistant alternative to passwords. more →
3 Ways to Secure Enterprise Apps for the AI Age
Enterprises should use secure-by-design, autonomous defense, and extended zero trust to protect AI-enabled apps. more →
Best Penetration Testing Platforms for Enterprise Security Teams
Enterprises are moving from annual pen tests to continuous automated testing that prioritizes real attack paths. more →
Modern AI-Powered Pentesting Tools: In-Depth Benchmark
A benchmark shows the engineering harness around AI models matters more than raw model capability for pentesting. more →
Building a Secure Customer Identity Strategy for Modern eCommerce
Modern eCommerce needs customer identity strategies balancing frictionless experience with security across touchpoints. more →
Techstrong.IT
The Single Most Expensive Misconception in Network Automation Today
Assuming network automation needs dedicated software teams instead of skilled network engineers is a costly mistake. more →
Check Point
Shadow AI Is Not a Tool Problem. It's a Timing Problem.
Check Point argues shadow AI spreads from a timing gap between policy and adoption, not employee misconduct. more →
When AI Invents the Attack: Browser-Native Ransomware
Check Point Research finds an AI model independently generated working browser-native ransomware code. more →
Check Point and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud: Securing Europe's Digital Future
Check Point details how its security tools protect workloads on the new AWS European Sovereign Cloud. more →
Under Pressure: Insights From the 2026 Exposure Gap Report
Check Point's 2026 Exposure Gap Report finds critical vulnerabilities doubled but under 8% are truly urgent. more →
Cisco
Agents Securing Agents: The Agents Powering Policy Studio
Cisco details the multiagent architecture behind AI Defense's Policy Studio for building security policies. more →
Protecting Against Rising Cybersecurity Risks in Data Centers
Cisco outlines data center security risks from patching gaps, AI and quantum, proposing N9000 defenses. more →
Embedded Network Security: The Ultimate Defense Against AI-Driven Threats
Cisco makes the case for building security into network infrastructure to defend surging AI workloads. more →
Ten Years in the SOC at RSAC: What We Learned in 2026
Cisco marks a decade running the RSAC Security Operations Center, sharing 2026 threat and automation findings. more →
Stay on Track: Get Certified Before the CCNA Refresh
Cisco urges certification candidates to complete their CCNA exams before the refreshed version arrives. more →
Cisco Nexus One, Next-Generation Data Center Networking Architecture
Cisco unveils Nexus One, a flexible, open-standards data center architecture built for AI-ready infrastructure. more →
Fortinet
Analysis of Ongoing Ousaban Attacks Targeting the Iberian Peninsula
FortiGuard Labs details an ongoing Ousaban banking Trojan campaign targeting users in Spain and Portugal. more →
Okta
How AI Agents Generate Their Own Integration Tools on Demand
Okta introduces McProxy, an MCP-based platform letting AI agents auto-generate integration tools in seconds. more →
Beyond the Cloud Boundary: How to Build Resilient Infrastructure in Hybrid and SaaS Environments
Okta explains how to keep identity and authentication running during cloud outages in hybrid and SaaS setups. more →
Rubrik
Rubrik Forward 2026: All News
A roundup of Rubrik Forward 2026 announcements spanning AI agents, identity security, and autonomous cloud recovery. more →
Upcoming Webinars
Tuesday, July 14th, 2026
Wednesday, July 15th, 2026
Federated Learning & Differential Privacy: Architects for Secure AI Collaboration
From AI Adoption to AI ROI: Measuring What Coding Agents Actually Produce (July 15th)
The Zero-Friction SDLC: Leveraging Intent to Drive Autonomous Software Delivery (July 15th)
Thursday, July 16th, 2026
Tuesday, July 21st, 2026
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