IT Executive news

• What You Can Learn From Lenovo and IBM

  30-01-2015 23:18
  
  I’m on Lenovo’s advisory council and the only member who covers both servers and PCs, so I’ve been able to observe the IBM PC Company acquisition and was just briefed on the IBM x86 Server acquisition. As a result, I’m seeing a repeat of the same successful process that was created to turn the IBM PC division from failure to market leader in the server division.In both cases, the products weren’t the problem. It was that inside IBM these divisions couldn’t win and in Lenovo (reali
  
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• Uber will fight to keep its Boston ride data private

  30-01-2015 23:05
  
  Earlier this month, Uber agreed to provide Boston city officials a wealth of ride data to help them make better planning decisions—but it will go to considerable lengths to ensure that data is not made public.The data, which includes anonymous pick-off and drop-off locations for each Uber ride, contains confidential commercial and financial information that prohibits the city from sharing it publicly, according to Uber’s agreement with the city.While citizens are often entitled access to
  
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• What Makes Marketing Work?

  30-01-2015 22:56
  
  The new marketer is supposed to be tech-savvy and data-driven, plying her trade using everything from marketing automation software and social-listening platforms to data analytics and programmatic-buying tools.But is something being lost in marketing's great digital migration?At its core, marketing has always been about a gut-feeling into human behavior, more art than science. And traditional marketers will argue that this is still the case. In other words, data can only do so much. They'll
  
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• For CIOs, Joining a Board Requires Role Reversal

  30-01-2015 22:45
  
  Boards of directors today are asking lots of questions: Can costly IT infrastructure be replaced by cloud-based systems? Can cheap apps replace expensive software? Which is better for business--Android or iOS? Cybersecurity: What's our risk? And what's our solution?Information technology is now a board priority. Discussions of IT were once relegated to uncomfortable sessions where directors nodded off, chafed at random acronym attacks and struggled to tie the technology budget to anything goo
  
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• Core Java for the Impatient

  30-01-2015 22:43
  Addison-Wesley Professional
  
  Everything developers need to know about modern Java
  Core Java® for the Impatient is a complete but concise guide to Java SE 8. Written by Cay Horstmann — the author of Java SE 8 for the Really Impatient and Core Java™, the classic, two-volume introduction to the Java language — this indispensable new tutorial offers a faster, easier pathway for learning the language and libraries. Learn more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please
  
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• BrandPost: SDI: The Journey vs. the Destination

  30-01-2015 22:31
  
  I just finished Words of Radiance, book two of The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson (and now have to wait for book three). In this series, the main characters all have an oath to which they adhere and to which they must commit themselves in order to be part of this special group. The oath goes like this:“Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination.”One part of this oath, “Journey before Destination,” made me think about some of the challenges
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: What Is a Job?

  30-01-2015 22:26
  
  While speaking to a group participating in career transition in 2009, I was struck by the lack of understanding of the original meaning of the word "job." Everyone was talking about needing a job, changing jobs or leaving a job, but what was a job? I decided to do some research before my next speaking date.Sources are vague, but most point to the 1550s for the phrase jobbe of worke translated "piece of work." Indications are that work was paid on a piece rate. In other words, you give me thre
  
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• Verizon to allow opt-out from mobile 'supercookies'

  30-01-2015 22:10
  
  Verizon will soon allow customers to opt out of having an identifier placed on their phones that had alarmed privacy advocates due to its ability to let third parties persistently track customers.The identifier or customer code drew concerns primarily because it created so-called “supercookies” that could not be deleted by users. Verizon customers have had the ability to opt out of the company’s advertising programs, but not out of having that identifier placed on their devices.Now, “
  
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• Twitter's Vine Kids app is not just for kids

  30-01-2015 21:30
  
  Twitter’s Vine video service has released a cute new app for kids, but let’s get real: This is a gateway drug.Vine Kids, released Friday on iOS, is marketed by Vine as a fun way for young children to watch Vine videos. Six-second, looped Vine videos have gained a huge following, especially among teenagers.These Vine Kid videos are quite fun. Scanning through I found creative animations and artwork, and tons of pets engaging in humorous behavior. Tons. There was a cat playing with an iPad
  
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• Microsoft Plans Stable Windows 10 Transition for Businesses

  30-01-2015 20:43
  
  Sorry: Big businesses who use Microsoft’s products will not receive free upgrades to Windows 10, the company said Friday. Microsoft is, however, letting companies upgrade to Windows 10 as conservatively as they wish—and accelerate once they’re on board with the new OS.
  Microsoft framed its new enterprise upgrade policies —known as the “Long Term Servicing Branch” and the “Current Branch for Business”— in the context of Windows as a service, a little-known but intriguing asp
  
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• Kabinet wil grip op overheids-ICT krijgen met nieuw Bureau ICT Toetsing

  30-01-2015 20:27
  Op voorstel van minister Blok (Wonen en Rijksdienst) neemt het kabinet de kern van de aanbevelingen over uit het rapport Grip op ICT van de tijdelijke commissie ICT-projecten (de 'Commissie Elias'). Als de Tweede Kamer ermee instemt, komt er een tijdelijk Bureau ICT Toetsing (BIT) dat risicovolle... lees meer
  
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• Google en VMware werken samen in publieke cloud

  30-01-2015 20:27
  VMware en Google hebben gisteren aangekondigd bedrijven meer toegang te gaan geven tot publieke cloud-diensten via de VMware-oplossing vCloud Air, dat de beide bedrijven nauw gaan integreren met het Google Cloud Platform. Zakelijke klanten krijgen hierdoor toegang tot bepaalde Google cloud-diensten op het hybride... lees meer
  
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• De keten in zes dilemma’s (deel 3)

  30-01-2015 20:27
  Steeds meer overheidsorganisaties zijn voor hun taakuitvoering afhankelijk van andere partijen en organisaties. De laatste tijd is mede onder invloed van politieke, maatschappelijke en technologische ontwikkelingen steeds vaker aan de orde dat de maatschappelijke taak door middel van ketensamenwerking vorm krijgt. In... lees meer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: CIO's Guide to Hiring the Right Shadow Marketing Talent

  30-01-2015 20:26
  
  In a previous blog post, I proposed the case for shadow marketing to build the "digital brand called IT." Many reading this blog may already have embedded marketing talent within their IT teams who are far from stealthy in the eyes of the businesses.Other CIOs may have a reciprocal service relationship with marketing where the CMO serves as a trusted advisor for branding enterprise IT in much the same way the CIO partners with the CMO on deploying marketing technology projects.Regardless of
  
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• Google Glass holds promise but requires a 'reset'

  30-01-2015 19:35
  
  Google Glass failed to meet goals set by the search giant, causing the company to halt the program and rethink its strategy for the wearable device.That candid assessment was made by Google CFO Patrick Pichette during the company’s 2014 fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday.All projects must reach predetermined goals in order for Google to provide additional capital, he said. Projects that fail to meet those marks but have the potential for success, like Glass, are suspended and reworked
  
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• Facebook Edges into Foursquare Territory with Place Tips on iOS

  30-01-2015 19:28
  
  Foursquare transformed itself last year into a hyper-local concierge always running in the background of your phone—and your life. Now Facebook is taking a cue from the recommendation app with a new location-based place tips feature for iOS.
  Facebook will soon start showing you tips about places at the top of your News Feed. Unlike Foursquare, Facebook won’t show you tips about places in the neighborhood, just the spot you’re at. The new feature won’t clog up your feed—the option t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: What Ramen Noodles Can Teach You About Digital Innovation

  30-01-2015 19:26
  
  I'm a hopeless foodie, and I live a not-so-secret life as an executive chef and restaurant owner deep in my own little fantasy world. I've always looked for connections between my career as a global branding and technology researcher and my love for feeding people great food. It's admittedly been a stretch.
  The two came together today as I read an article about the ramen craze by Dave Chang, founder of the world famous Momofuku restaurant group. In the article, Chang rants about how other t
  
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• Microsoft updates cloud-based SQL Server to simplify management

  30-01-2015 19:20
  
  Microsoft has added automated backup and patching for SQL Server databases running in virtual machines on its Azure cloud, in a bid to simplify management and improve reliability.As enterprises move more and larger IT systems to the cloud, advanced management functionality is becoming increasingly important to keep systems up and costs down. And step by step, service providers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft are adding new features to streamline management processes.The latest improvem
  
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• Google Glass 'Reset' Shows it's Just the Seed of an Idea

  30-01-2015 17:59
  
  It turns out Google Glass didn’t “graduate” after all.
  Although Google has tried to put a positive spin on the recent end of Google Glass Explorer sales and the management shake-up that came with it, CFO Patrick Pichette was frank in an earnings call this week. The high-tech eyewear, he said, wasn’t achieving its goals.
  “When teams aren’t able to hit hurdles but we think there is still a lot of promise, we might ask them to take a pause and take the time to reset their strategy
  
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• Can't keep this bad boy down: ZeroAccess botnet back in business

  30-01-2015 17:55
  
  A peer-to-peer botnet called ZeroAccess came out of a six-month hibernation this month after having survived two takedown attempts by law enforcement and security researchers.At its peak in 2013, ZeroAccess, also known as Sirefef, consisted of more than 1.9 million infected computers that were primarily used for click fraud and Bitcoin mining.That was until security researchers from Symantec found a flaw in the botnet’s resilient peer-to-peer architecture. This architecture allowed the bots
  
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• How Royal Caribbean Personalized the Customer Experience

  30-01-2015 17:12
  
  Royal Caribbean Cruises made a splash last fall with the launch of a new ship, Quantum of the Seas, which is equipped with tablets for check-in, RFID wristbands for guests, a robotic bartender and a "viewing capsule" that lifts passengers 300 feet above sea level.The vessel, which Royal Caribbean calls a "smartship," is intended to wow would-be passengers with an array of onboard technologies. The second-largest cruise line in the world also deployed state-of-the-art IT systems behind the sce
  
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• From the Desk of a 2015 Social CIO: No Autographs, Please

  30-01-2015 15:56
  
  For the second time in a few years, I've been named to "The Top 100 Social CIOs on Twitter." Before I start thanking of "The Academy," I feel compelled to legitimize this badge of honor that I wear proudly.
  According to Vala Afshar, Chief Marketing Officer for Extreme Networks, "Social CIOs are poised to successfully transform organizations and businesses by shifting the perceived IT culture of command-and-control to one that is collaborative and in support of co-creation of sustainable value
  
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• CIO Outlines Cloud Environment Goals at Department of Defense

  30-01-2015 15:13
  
  The top technology officer at the Department of Defense (DoD) wants to work more closely with cloud service providers, saying yesterday that he expects to enhance collaboration with the private sector as the Pentagon, like the rest of the federal government, looks to trim IT costs and improve efficiencies.Speaking at a cloud event geared for private-sector firms, Terry Halvorsen, acting CIO at DoD, outlined his vision "to form an interactive partnership between all of the government players i
  
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• Get Your Resume Past the Robots: How to Beat HR's Mechanical Gatekeepers

  30-01-2015 15:04
  
  The machines will stand in your wayImage by Xiaofan Luo/Flickr.Editor's Note: If you are unable to advance to the next slide, try disabling adblock. We apologize for the inconvenience.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Tech Salary Guide for 2015

  30-01-2015 14:38
  
  2015 Tech SalariesImage by ShutterstockSilicon Valley-San Francisco is home to a white-hot tech job market chock full of good salaries, says Megan Slabinski, district president at Robert Half Technology. Across the country, mobile app developers, big data engineers and wireless network engineers have seen some of the biggest salary spikes, while the most challenging skill sets to find locally are database developers, help desk and desktop support.  To read this article in full or to leave a co
  
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• Google to change UK privacy policy after regulatory pressure

  30-01-2015 14:30
  
  Google has agreed to improve the information it provides to people about how it collects personal data in the U.K., after it was required to do so by country’s data protection authority.The company has signed an undertaking committing to make further changes to the privacy policy to ensure it meets the requirements of the U.K.’s Data Protection Act, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Friday. Google will also take steps to ensure that future changes to its privacy policy co
  
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• Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking Say Artificial Intelligence Represents Real Threat

  30-01-2015 14:22
  
  I worry about a lot of things — my health, my kids, and the size of my retirement account. I never worry about an impending robot apocalypse ... but maybe I should. A handful of very smart people in the science and technology worlds are worried about that very thing.
  First it was Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, who got the Internet all fired up when he answered questions in a Reddit "AskMeAnything" thread.
  "I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates wrote in respo
  
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• 'Scannable' Scanner App for iOS 8 a Must-Have for Evernote Fans

  30-01-2015 14:21
  
  During the past month, I went from Evernote skeptic to convert. I didn't care for Evernote's interface (I still don't love it) and had preferred Springpad. This Evernote competitor, however, went belly up in May 2014. So I finally took the Evernote plunge. I'm glad I did.One of the best things about Evernote, a Web- and app-based online notebook and clipping tool, is the growing ecosystem of apps that make it even more useful. Scannable, a free, new iOS 8-only app from Evernote, is a perfect
  
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• Ghost Linux vulnerability can be exploited through WordPress, other PHP apps

  30-01-2015 14:20
  
  A critical vulnerability in glibc, a core Linux library, can be exploited remotely through WordPress and likely other PHP applications to compromise Web servers.The buffer overflow vulnerability, dubbed Ghost, was reported Tuesday by researchers from security vendor Qualys. It is identified as CVE-2015-0235 in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database.The bug is located in the gethostbyname*() functions of the glibc (GNU C Library) version 2.17 and older. It was fixed in glibc-2.18, r
  
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• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, January 30

  30-01-2015 13:50
  
  Intel’s plan to banish cables and connectors moves ahead with Broadwell chipThe new, fifth-generation Core processors that Intel unveiled Thursday are the stepping stone to the chipmaker’s plan for getting rid of the wired clutter that surrounds PCs. The new Broadwell vPro chips support wireless connectivity to displays and peripherals, but the Skylake processors due later this year will support wireless charging as well.Amazon’s a hit, Google’s a missAfter a dismal third quarter last
  
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• Military-funded robots can learn by watching YouTube

  30-01-2015 13:35
  
  Those fearing the rise of an all-powerful artificial intelligence like Skynet, take note: Robots are now learning by watching YouTube.Depending on your views of the video-sharing service, that can be hilarious or frightening. But so far, the machines are just watching cooking videos, according to researchers backed by the U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA).The computer scientists from the University of Maryland have succeeded in getting humanoid robots to reproduce what th
  
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• Facebook and Twitter Battle to Be Your Super Bowl Second Screen

  30-01-2015 12:45
  
  When you kick back on your couch this Sunday to watch the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks duke it out in the Super Bowl, you’ll be prepared with the must-haves: Wings, beer, and your phone or tablet. Even if you’re surrounded by friends, the game commentary on social media is often more entertaining than their chatter—or the game itself.
  Many of us use both Twitter and Facebook during major events, but the networks would prefer you pick a side, because your attention tran
  
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• Apple Puts the Big Hurt on Samsung

  30-01-2015 12:15
  
  Things are not looking so good for Samsung in the smartphone market, especially as it faces its Apple nemesis.
  Long the world's largest smartphone maker, Samsung is likely to see Apple iPhones rise to the top spot in 2015, pushing Samsung and its Galaxy and other smartphone models into second place.
  What's more, Apple is releasing in April its first Apple Watch, which could knock the wind out of smartwatch competitors including Samsung, which already has several models on the market.
  "No que
  
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• How to Write a Great Cover Letter

  30-01-2015 12:12
  
  Recruiters, hiring managers and other hiring decision makers, not to mention job seekers themselves, have debated for years: is a cover letter really necessary? The answer is a resounding 'Yes,' even if no one reads it.A cover letter is a great way for job seekers to focus on what is truly important to them in their career, and to address that in a conversational tone that is personalized to the specific job they're applying to, says Caitlin Sampson, Certified Professional Resume Writer and c
  
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• Turn your whistling into song with the tap of an app

  30-01-2015 12:00
  
  If you fancy yourself a Mozart of the shower, Casio has an app that will write entire compositions based on what you whistle or sing.Chordana Composer is a simple iOS app that can take snatches of melody and expand on them according to user preferences.While the songs aren’t exactly works of musical genius, the app is another example of how computers can emulate human creativity.Designed for iPhone and iPad, Chordana Composer has a basic user interface with an abbreviated keyboard and simpl
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Don't Let Supervisors Manage Your Career

  30-01-2015 12:00
  
  Chapter 2: Are You Valuable?Are you valuable? Of course you are!When I ask this question in my presentations, I don’t move on until I hear it from everyone in the room loud and clear and with conviction: “Yes, I AM valuable!”Cheesy? Maybe so. I don’t care. We are all valuable but rarely, if ever, do we take the time to make it personal — to ourselves and especially to those who hold our future in their hands: our supervisors.Mostly, we wait until someone else slaps us on the back a
  
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• VPN providers play 'cat-and-mouse' with China's growing censorship

  30-01-2015 08:55
  
  Amit Bareket calls it a “cat-and-mouse” game. In this instance, his company is the mouse, and the Chinese government is a giant cat.The two sides are continually at odds, because Bareket’s company, SaferVPN, is one of many that provide software tools designed to circumvent the country’s notorious Internet censorship.These tools are growing more popular in China, in spite of recent government attempts to block them, according to Bareket.“I can tell you that more than 300 new VPN user
  
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• Facebook tests delivering tips about your location

  30-01-2015 05:00
  
  Facebook is getting closer to territory occupied by Yelp and Foursquare by testing a new service that will provide users with recommendations about places they are at.Starting Thursday, some users of Facebook on iPhone in New York will find a new feature, called “Place Tips,” at the top of their news feed, which will surface information on the location they are at, as well as posts and photos of the place that friends have shared.“You can also see information about the place, including
  
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• How three small credit card transactions could reveal your identity

  30-01-2015 02:55
  
  Just three small clues—receipts for a pizza, a coffee and a pair of jeans—are enough information to identify a person’s credit card transactions from among those of a million people, according to a new study.The findings, published in the journal Science, add to other research showing that seemingly anonymous data sets may not protect people’s privacy under rigorous analysis.“The fact that a few data points are enough to uniquely identify an individual was true in credit card metada
  
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• At UCSF Medical Center, Robot-aided Healthcare is Here

  30-01-2015 02:35
  
  When the brand-new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco opens on Sunday, patients will be greeted by staffers that more strongly resemble R2-D2 than the cast of Scrubs. 
  Twenty-five Aethon "Tug" robots, comprising the largest fleet of free-roaming hospital robots in the world, will haul blood samples, food, medication, biohazardous waste and other materials and supplies around the huge, horizontal facility (about as big as three football fields). The Tugs are designed to redu
  
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• Reddit Handed Over User Info for 58% of Government Requests

  30-01-2015 01:53
  
  Reddit today released what it called its first "transparency report," which details requests for user information from both government entities and private lawyers.
  The site, which allows users to post news, photos, videos and opinions, said that in 2014, it received 55 requests for user information, including account registration data, log data and content uploaded by users from outside parties.
  Reddit agreed to hand over information for 58% of all government and civil requests, and 64% of
  
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• 3 Things CSOs Can Learn From CPOs

  30-01-2015 01:38
  
  The role of the CSO and CIO has been changing dramatically as technology becomes more and more vital to business strategies. Sometimes, it can be hard to keep up.
  Amol Joshi, SVP of business development at Redwood City, Calif.-based Ivalua Inc., suggests that CSOs and CIOs can pick up a few tricks from Chief Procurement Officers.
  1. Create and use contract templates
  Many CIOs and CSOs are faced with the responsibility of creating or reviewing contracts with outsourcers, contractors, part-tim
  
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• Citrix's 900 job cuts seen as 'defensive' move

  30-01-2015 01:25
  
  Citrix Systems announced better than expected financial results for the last quarter but also a restructuring plan that will see 900 jobs being cut.The restructuring, which includes the elimination of 700 full-time and 200 contractor positions, is expected to deliver savings of $90 million to $100 million per year, Citrix said.Investors seemed to cheer the news, which came out late Wednesday. Citrix’s stock rose as high as $63.27 per share on Thursday, or 7 percent over the previous day’s
  
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• Why Marketers Don't Understand Marketing Automation

  30-01-2015 01:05
  
  Marketers are placing their bets on website, search engine optimization, branding and social media technologies -- not so much on paid advertising or, more importantly, marketing automation -- according to a survey from Autopilot, a marketing automation vendor.In the age of digital marketing, marketers want to invest in online channels that enable them to have a direct conversation with the customer, yet there's clearly room for improvement. Autopilot surveyed 327 U.S. marketing professionals
  
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• Amazon returns to profit as holiday sales soar

  30-01-2015 00:55
  
  The holiday season proved to be a good one for Amazon, which reported a jump in sales for the last quarter and a return to profit.Sales jumped 15 percent from a year earlier and Amazon reported a profit after two straight quarters of losses. It’s earnings blew past expectations, causing its stock to jump more than 14 percent in after-hours trading.Amazon also revealed that it will break out its revenue from Amazon Web Services in its next earnings report, something it hasn’t done in the p
  
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• It's No Twitter, But Plague is an Infectious Social Network

  30-01-2015 00:51
  We’re used to social networks where we follow people and view what they post: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others depend on each user connecting with others in order for content to be shared. Plague doesn’t work like that at all, but it can be addictive despite its limitations.
  Plague is a new paradigm for sharing information. Through its free iOS and Android apps, users post cards, containing text (140 characters), photos, and/or videos, and “infect” other users who are nearby.
  
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