About Maria Korolov

Maria Korolov is an award-winning tech journalist who covers cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and extended reality.

She’s also a science fiction author and the editor and founder of MetaStellar, an online magazine of speculative fiction, and of Hypergrid Business, one of the world’s top virtual reality blogs.

Contact her at maria@korolov.com to pitch articles or to hire her as writer, editor, or speaker at your event.

Latest AI articles

Real-time analytics presents challenges to unlock benefits

Real-time analytics presents challenges to unlock benefits

Mar 27, 2023

Real-time analytics tools promise faster insights and improved business processes, but they also pose challenges to organizations adopting them. As use of real-time analytics grows in 2023, implementation mistakes cost time and money, lead to bad business decisions, and cause staff to lose faith in the potential of the technology. The top area of investment in advanced analytics is complex event processing, as 52% of companies are already investing in…

6 dimensions of data quality boost data performance

6 dimensions of data quality boost data performance

Oct 14, 2022
Generate accurate data analysis and predictions by mastering the six dimensions of data quality — accuracy, consistency, validity, completeness, uniqueness and integrity.
Measuring the business impact of AI

Measuring the business impact of AI

Sep 7, 2022
Taking stock of AI ROI is challenging but essential. IT leaders and industry observers lend insights on how to get a clear idea of whether your AI efforts are paying off.
A New Strategy to Address the AI Talent Shortage

A New Strategy to Address the AI Talent Shortage

Aug 22, 2022
Companies struggling to hire new talent are turning to training existing employees in internal “talent factories.”

Latest quantum computing articles

Quantum Computing for the Supply Chain – Delivering New Efficiencies

Quantum Computing for the Supply Chain – Delivering New Efficiencies

Feb 22, 2023

A new report from Enter Quantum explains how supply chain enterprises are turning to quantum computers to solve routing problems. Finding optimal delivery routes gets incrementally more difficult the more stops are added. Factor in the other variables that might affect the supply chain and you quickly exceed the constraints of current classical computing, leading some companies to resort to heuristics, or rules of thumb, to determine routes. Quantum computers,…

What is quantum cryptography? It’s no silver bullet, but could improve security

What is quantum cryptography? It’s no silver bullet, but could improve security

Mar 12, 2019
In the arms race between white and black hats, the infosec industry looks to quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution (QKD). That may be just part of the answer, however.
A New Type of Network Is on the Rise to Combat the Quantum Threat to Encryption

A New Type of Network Is on the Rise to Combat the Quantum Threat to Encryption

Jan 10, 2019
“Quantum-proof” encryption algorithms won’t be entirely quantum-proof. Quantum key distribution networks could be the answer.
8 old technologies that still play roles in security

8 old technologies that still play roles in security

Dec 10, 2018
Newer isn’t always better, at least where cybersecurity is concerned. For some applications, these older technologies are still effective ways to protect data and systems.

Latest Cybersecurity articles

Siemens focuses on zero trust, legacy hardware, supply chain challenges to ensure cybersecurity of internal systems

Siemens focuses on zero trust, legacy hardware, supply chain challenges to ensure cybersecurity of internal systems

Apr 25, 2023

Siemens has been working to be on top of vulnerabilities found in its products, but more importantly, to ensure the security of its internal operations. The manufacturing giant that works across several different lines of business, including industrial, smart infrastructure, health care, financial services, is protecting its systems by focusing on three main areas: zero trust, supply chain, and legacy systems. Siemens has grown exponentially through acquisitions in its 166…

NTT, Palo Alto partner for managed SASE with AIOps

NTT, Palo Alto partner for managed SASE with AIOps

Feb 2, 2023
Using a managed services provider to deliver SASE can streamline deployment and free up enterprise resources.
Pros and cons of managed SASE

Pros and cons of managed SASE

Jan 20, 2023
Managed SASE can be appealing for enterprises that want a single provider for deployment and management of WAN and security infrastructure, but there can be tradeoffs depending on provider flexibility, platform interoperability, and cost.
How AI chatbot ChatGPT changes the phishing game

How AI chatbot ChatGPT changes the phishing game

Jan 17, 2023
The Microsoft-backed free chatbot is improving fast and can not only write emails, essays but can also code. ChatGPT is also polyglot and that could facilitate and increase exponentially phishing attacks.

Latest Networking articles

Enterprises turn to single-vendor SASE for ease of manageability

Enterprises turn to single-vendor SASE for ease of manageability

Feb 2, 2023

Before the start of the Covid epidemic, a traditional WAN architecture with centralized security worked well for Village Roadshow. “Advanced security inspection services can be applied, firewalls can provide separation, and a demilitarized zone can be implemented,” said Michael Fagan, chief transformation officer at Village Roadshow, the largest theme park owner in Australia. But it required backhauling traffic from remote sites to a data center or hub for security inspection,…

How SASE uses AI

How SASE uses AI

Apr 18, 2022
SASE vendors are applying AI and machine learning to the network- and security-related data they collect to sharpen analytics, tighten security and boost performance.
Who’s selling SASE and what do you get?

Who’s selling SASE and what do you get?

Apr 7, 2022
SASE rolls networking and security into a cloud service, making it easier for enterprises to provide simple, secure access to corporate resources. Many vendors offer SASE services, but what they actually provide and how they provide it varies widely.
10 ways IT can navigate the chip shortage

10 ways IT can navigate the chip shortage

Mar 23, 2022
Buying used gear, extending the life of existing IT equipment, and considering cloud alternatives are among the tactics industry watchers recommend for dealing with the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
Gartner: SSE is SASE minus the SD-WAN

Gartner: SSE is SASE minus the SD-WAN

Mar 7, 2022
Security service edge (SSE) bundles a cloud access security broker, secure web gateway and ZTNA, according to Gartner.
Top 10 outages of 2021

Top 10 outages of 2021

Jan 31, 2022
Cisco-owned network intelligence company ThousandEyes reveals the 10 biggest outages of 2021.

latest Awards

2020 National Gold Award Winner, ASBPE Awards of Excellence

Maria Korolov’s Network World article, Private 5G keeps Whirlpool driverless vehicles rolling, received top national honors.

2018 New England AZBEE award winner: In April 2018, Maria received the Silver Impact/Investigative award at the New England ASBPE Awards of Excellence for the article “What is a supply chain attack?

latest Appearances

older Awards and Appearances

Judge, 2019 CSO50 awards

Maria is one of the judges of the annual CSO50 awards, which recognize 50 organizations for their security project or initiative that demonstrates outstanding business value and thought leadership.

Judge, Epica Awards

Maria is a member of the jury of the 2018 Epica awards, the only global creative prize judged by journalists.

Jan. 2018: Maria Korolov talks with Sine Wave about “Succeeding As A Retailer In Immersive Worlds.” 

Dec. 2017: Speaker at Stereopsia conference in Brussels, Belgium. Topic was women in virtual reality. Click here for slides.

Dec. 2017: Speaker at OpenSimulator Community Conference. Topic was a statistical overview of OpenSim development. Click here for slides.

Apr. 2017: Profiled in Viar360’s Women of VR – 35 Ladies Who Are Killing It In Virtual Reality

Aug. 2016: Mentioned in Marie Claire’s Virtual Reality Has a Female Mafia—and They’re Looking for New Recruits

BBC Image

May 2016: Interviewed by the BCC about how virtual reality will change our lives. Listen to the broadcast hereRead the transcript here.

Sep. 2015: Mentioned in Fortune’s Meet the women shaping our virtual future.

Latest Blog Posts

Do I quote vendors in articles?

Jun 4, 2020
Do I quote vendors in articles?

(Image courtesy Geralt via Pixabay.) This question has been coming up a lot lately, and there’s a whole speech I give…

Online Filemaker alternatives: Coda, Zoho, AppSheet, AppGyver, and more

Apr 1, 2020
Online Filemaker alternatives: Coda, Zoho, AppSheet, AppGyver, and more

UPDATE FEB. 2021: Lately, I’ve been testing out a new online collaboration tool called Notion. The basic plan, which includes sharing with up to five…

My writing groups meet on Zoom

Mar 25, 2020
My writing groups meet on Zoom

New update, June 18: I’ve started a new virtual Zoom-based MeetUp group for speculative fiction writers. If you write science fiction, fantasy or horror, check…

Otter.AI just announced a great free deal on its transcription

Mar 25, 2020
Otter.AI just announced a great free deal on its transcription

(Image courtesy Otter.AI.) Another tool useful for writers that I’ve talked about this one in writers’ meetings before is Otter.AI. It…

The tech journalist starter kit

Oct 23, 2019
The tech journalist starter kit

Filming IDG Tech Talk in September of 2019. A friend of a friend just called me, asking for advice on how…

The Lost King of Krim hits multiple Amazon category bestseller lists

Sep 6, 2019
The Lost King of Krim hits multiple Amazon category bestseller lists

The Lost King of Krim was #10 on Amazon’s Two-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads best seller list on September…