Keumars Afifi-Sabet
Keumars Afifi-Sabet is the Acting Features Editor for IT Pro, Cloud Pro and Channel Pro. He oversees the commissioning and publication of in-depth and long-form features across all three sites, including opinion articles and case studies. He also occasionally contributes his thoughts to the IT Pro Podcast, and writes content for the Business Briefing.
Having previously trained as an NCTJ-qualified journalist with News Associates, Keumars joined IT Pro as a staff writer in April 2018. Writing news articles, features and reviews, he specialised in the public sector, smart cities and fintech, while writing across a breadth of core topics including cyber security and cloud computing.
Before joining IT Pro, Keumars contributed to several online media outlets, including the Independent newspaper, Metro.co.uk, Huffington Post and London Student. He is a graduate of Queen Mary, University of London, where he earned a BSc in biomedical sciences.
You can reach Keumars at keumars.afifi-sabet@futurenet.com or on Twitter at @Keumars
2021 in review: 12 IT Pro features you may have missed 
Technology
2021 in review: 12 IT Pro features you may have missed
Sample some of the best and most incisive content from team IT Pro this year
16 Dec 2021
What is network forensics?
cyber attacks
What is network forensics?
Taking a closer look at how cyber threats are investigated at a network level
7 Dec 2021
Oppo Find X3 Lite review: Solid as a rock
Mobile Phones
Oppo Find X3 Lite review: Solid as a rock
This well-designed and sophisticated mid-budget contender offers plenty for its price
17 Nov 2021
Oppo Find X3 Lite review gallery
Mobile Phones
Oppo Find X3 Lite review gallery
This well-designed and sophisticated mid-budget contender offers plenty for its price
17 Nov 2021
What is NetOps?
Business strategy
What is NetOps?
How can businesses adopt this broad school of thought, and what is its relationship with DevOps?
16 Nov 2021
A guide to cyber security certification and training
Careers & training
A guide to cyber security certification and training
Cyber security skills are in demand from every organisation, but what training and certification is needed?
9 Nov 2021
Windows 365 is generally available: Here's how to get started with Microsoft's Cloud PC service
Microsoft Windows
Windows 365 is generally available: Here's how to get started with Microsoft's Cloud PC service
How much does Windows 365 cost, what packages are available, and is it suitable for my business?
22 Oct 2021
What is hacktivism?
hacking
What is hacktivism?
From Anonymous to Omega, here’s everything you need to know about hackers with a conscience
1 Oct 2021
Digitising Leeds: How to build a smart city
smart city
Digitising Leeds: How to build a smart city
The return of an in-person Leeds Digital Festival coincides with a ratcheting up of plans to digitally transform the region
28 Sep 2021
LG continues automotive pivot with $240 million Cybellum acquisition
mergers and acquisitions
LG continues automotive pivot with $240 million Cybellum acquisition
The Israeli startup detects vulnerabilities in automotive hardware and software services using digital twins
23 Sep 2021
Microsoft exposes BulletProofLink 'phishing as a service' criminal enterprise
phishing
Microsoft exposes BulletProofLink 'phishing as a service' criminal enterprise
The sophisticated outfit handles everything from template design to web hosting and credentials processing
23 Sep 2021
Facebook launches Portal for Business device management service
video conferencing
Facebook launches Portal for Business device management service
The new package is being launched alongside fresh Portal Go and Portal+ hardware
22 Sep 2021
Nutanix and Citrix forge partnership over hybrid work technology
cloud computing
Nutanix and Citrix forge partnership over hybrid work technology
This strategic partnership sees Nutanix and Citrix deploy DaaS tools over HCI hybrid and multi-cloud environments
22 Sep 2021
MoD data breach ‘put lives of Afghan interpreters at risk’
data breaches
MoD data breach ‘put lives of Afghan interpreters at risk’
The blunder exposed the email addresses of 250 interpreters seeking relocation
21 Sep 2021
JPMorgan launches challenger bank Chase in the UK
Mobile
JPMorgan launches challenger bank Chase in the UK
This expansion aims to put legacy UK banks on the backfoot as they contend with the rise of the likes of Monzo
21 Sep 2021
Irish DPC threatens probe over Facebook’s Ray-Ban smart glasses
privacy
Irish DPC threatens probe over Facebook’s Ray-Ban smart glasses
The Irish data regulator is concerned about the potential for users to engage in covert filming
20 Sep 2021
Chipmakers should brace for 'oversupply' in 2023 with crisis set to clear
components
Chipmakers should brace for 'oversupply' in 2023 with crisis set to clear
Foundry capacity is currently at near 100%, with efforts to fight the shortage set to kick in by 2022
20 Sep 2021
BT brings free gigabit Wi-Fi to London's streets with Street Hub 2.0 rollout
Network & Internet
BT brings free gigabit Wi-Fi to London's streets with Street Hub 2.0 rollout
The first of 300 units have been unveiled in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea
17 Sep 2021
Alphabet’s laser-powered broadband demonstrates 99.9% uptime within first 20 days
Network & Internet
Alphabet’s laser-powered broadband demonstrates 99.9% uptime within first 20 days
X, the Moonshot Factory trials ‘fibre without fibre’ across the Congo River with 700TB of data transmitted in its first few weeks
17 Sep 2021
What is a DNS server?
Domain Name System (DNS)
What is a DNS server?
We explain what a DNS server is, how it works and how to avoid DNS hijacking
16 Sep 2021
Weekly threat roundup: Microsoft Patch Tuesday, HP Omen, Apple
exploits
Weekly threat roundup: Microsoft Patch Tuesday, HP Omen, Apple
Pulling together the most dangerous and pressing flaws that businesses need to patch
16 Sep 2021
Nadine Dorries appointed digital secretary in government reshuffle
public sector
Nadine Dorries appointed digital secretary in government reshuffle
The former mental health minister replaces Oliver Dowden only days after he announced major GDPR reforms
16 Sep 2021
Citrix mulling potential sale after tumultuous 2021
mergers and acquisitions
Citrix mulling potential sale after tumultuous 2021
Share prices have tumbled due to consecutive quarters of "mixed" financial results
15 Sep 2021
Microsoft patches Internet Explorer zero-day under active attack
vulnerability
Microsoft patches Internet Explorer zero-day under active attack
The latest wave of Patch Tuesday fixes also included several updates to address the Print Spooler component in Windows
15 Sep 2021
Patch management vs vulnerability management
enterprise security
Patch management vs vulnerability management
What exactly is patch management, and why should IT pros sit up and take notice of doing it properly?
14 Sep 2021
Intuit plans end-to-end SMB platform after $12 billion Mailchimp acquisition
mergers and acquisitions
Intuit plans end-to-end SMB platform after $12 billion Mailchimp acquisition
The firm wants to give customers a full suite of tools to manage their businesses, from marketing to accounting
14 Sep 2021
Apple patches zero-day flaw abused by infamous NSO exploit
exploits
Apple patches zero-day flaw abused by infamous NSO exploit
The ForcedEntry flaw affects all Apple devices and allows hackers to compromise systems without any user interaction
14 Sep 2021
Irish data regulator fails to resolve 98% of big tech GDPR cases
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Irish data regulator fails to resolve 98% of big tech GDPR cases
Campaigners accuse the Irish DPC of being the ‘bottleneck’ for GDPR enforcement with 160 unresolved complaints
13 Sep 2021
WhatsApp activates end-to-end encrypted cloud backups
encryption
WhatsApp activates end-to-end encrypted cloud backups
The messaging service will grant users a password-protected key when they save their chat histories to the cloud
13 Sep 2021
Dell launches new security services to tackle surging data demands
cyber security
Dell launches new security services to tackle surging data demands
These new products aim to mitigate against data protection anxieties and the rising threat of ransomware
10 Sep 2021
DCMS lifts the lid on UK GDPR reforms, including ICO restructure
data protection
DCMS lifts the lid on UK GDPR reforms, including ICO restructure
The government hopes to clarify ambiguities in the law and give businesses peace of mind when processing personal data
10 Sep 2021
Google and Microsoft's hybrid work battle shows the narrative is just as important as the technology
collaboration
Google and Microsoft's hybrid work battle shows the narrative is just as important as the technology
Two of the biggest workspace collaboration players have finally decided what ‘the new normal’ means to them and their customers
9 Sep 2021
Weekly threat roundup: Atlassian, Microsoft Office, Zoho ManageEngine
vulnerability
Weekly threat roundup: Atlassian, Microsoft Office, Zoho ManageEngine
Pulling together the most dangerous and pressing flaws that businesses need to patch
9 Sep 2021
REvil ransomware gang resurfaces after brief disappearance
ransomware
REvil ransomware gang resurfaces after brief disappearance
Elements of the notorious ransomware group's infrastructure have come back online
8 Sep 2021
Hackers exploit Windows zero-day to target users with Office files
vulnerability
Hackers exploit Windows zero-day to target users with Office files
This ‘reliable and dangerous’ flaw is being abused to launch remote code execution attacks against specific targets
8 Sep 2021
Estonia is making its internal government testbed free to use
public sector
Estonia is making its internal government testbed free to use
One of the world’s most digitally advanced governments is opening up its tech stack, expertise, and live-testing environment
7 Sep 2021