IT Executive news

• People Don't Trust Mobile Wallets and Apps

  06-02-2015 23:13
  
  Trust is eroding among mobile device users when it comes to making purchases or app downloads.
  A survey of 15,000 mobile users in 15 countries found that their trust level is degraded because they believe that payment systems aren't secure or they don't trust a service or online merchant. Mobile users are also worried about having to share too much personal information when downloading an app.
  This lack of trust grew the most in the U.S. The lack of trust across all areas jumped from 26%
  
  Read more

• Are carriers trying to steal Wi-Fi's spectrum? Not exactly

  06-02-2015 23:10
  
  If unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum is like a cool, independently run cafe, then mobile operators using those frequencies for LTE may sound like a corporate chain buying out your favorite spot.There goes the neighborhood. Or does it?LTE is coming to the fat 5GHz unlicensed radio band that much of consumers’ Wi-Fi use now depends on. The idea drew skepticism at first, but the mobile industry is starting to agree on some steps to make sure wireless LANs don’t get trampled under LTE’s feet. The f
  
  Read more

• Hoe voorkom je nieuwe legacy bij moderniseren IT?

  06-02-2015 22:38
  Door Edwin Hendriks – De noodzaak om IT systemen te moderniseren is evident. Het kost te veel geld, kennis verdwijnt en bestaande IT systemen vallen om, hetgeen met leedvermaak en voor anderen met gevoel van schaamte wordt gelezen in de media. Bovendien vinden afdelingen IT inmiddels een blok aan hun been en... lees meer
  
  Read more

• EC gunt Europees Open Data Portal aan consortium geleid door Capgemini

  06-02-2015 22:38
  De Europese Commissie heeft een driejarig contract aan een consortium onder leiding van Capgemini gegund voor de realisatie van het pan-Europees open data platform. De doelstelling van het project is de ontwikkeling, lancering en het beheren van een open data platform dat alle overheidsdata uit 39 Europese landen... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Office Complex Implants RFID Chips in Employees' Hands

  06-02-2015 22:17
  
  The corporate tenants of a Swedish high-tech office complex are having RFID chips implanted in their hands, enabling access through security doors, as well as services such as copy machines, all without PIN codes or swipe cards.
  The employees working at Epicenter, a 15,000-square-foot building in Stockholm, can even pay for lunch using their implants -- just as they would with the swipe of a credit card.
  The owners of Epicenter say they want the facility to be a "magnet for fast growing d
  
  Read more

• Intuit Stops TurboTax e-Filing of State Returns After Fraudulent Filing Spikes

  06-02-2015 21:51
  
  Intuit today said it has suspended electronic filing of all state returns from its TurboTax tax preparation software after 19 states' tax authorities reported unusual volumes of fraudulent returns.
  "Intuit and some states have seen an increase in suspicious filings and attempts by criminals to use stolen identity information to file fraudulent state tax returns and claim tax refunds," Intuit said in a statement today.
  "Intuit took the precautionary step Thursday, Feb. 5, of temporarily pausi
  
  Read more

• Privacy groups want investigation of big data acquisitions

  06-02-2015 21:35
  
  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should launch an investigation into the growing consolidation of big data analytics firms and digital marketing companies, a coalition of four privacy groups said Friday.A recent spate of acquisitions in the big data and digital marketing industries raises privacy concerns about “companies amassing vast holdings of the key element that drives much of online commerce”—information about consumers, said the groups in a letter to FTC Chairwoman E
  
  Read more

• Southern California Edison Layoffs Get U.S. Senate Attention

  06-02-2015 21:34
  
  Southern California Edison's replacement of IT workers with H-1B workers is getting attention from one U.S. lawmaker who is in a positon to influence immigration law.
  Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who heads the Senate's immigration subcommittee and has emerged as a strong critic of the H-1B visa, cited SCE's layoffs in a speech in the Senate on Thursday.
  "Apparently, Southern California Edison -- a power company rooted in the United States of America... [and] a quasi-almost-government entity
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• After Windows 10, Cortana May Cozy up to Office

  06-02-2015 20:55
  
  Microsoft’s digital assistant isn’t content to conquer Windows Phone and Windows 10: Cortana is a-coming to Office, too.
  That’s according to The Verge’s Tom Warren, who went digging after the folks at WMPowerUser discovered an odd Work Assistant app in the Windows Phone Store, locked down to internal Microsoft beta testers alone.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• Office for Windows 10 is Not Free for Everyone

  06-02-2015 20:05
  
  Microsoft will license some of the touch-based Office for Windows 10 apps in the same way it now handles those for iOS and Android, the company said today.
  That means the same policy holds for business as before: Office still costs money.
  But Microsoft's licensing plans for the apps -- the core trio of Excel, PowerPoint and Word, as well as OneNote and Outlook, the firm's note taking and email clients, respectively -- are still unclear, both because Microsoft won't discuss every element and,
  
  Read more

• Microsoft moves Intune to a monthly update schedule

  06-02-2015 19:25
  
  To keep up with the ever-quickening pace of technological innovation, Microsoft has started updating its Intune IT management service on a monthly basis.The first iteration of the Intune monthly updates includes greater support for Windows software running on third-party devices such as Android and Apple iOS devices. Additional security features have also been added for Windows 8.1 computers and phones.Intune is Microsoft’s cloud service to help smaller businesses with minimal IT staff more
  
  Read more

• Lawmakers call for investigation of Verizon supercookies

  06-02-2015 19:20
  
  Government agencies should investigate whether Verizon Wireless’ use of so-called supercookies to track the online activities of its subscribers amount to privacy violations, three U.S. senators said Friday.Verizon’s use of the respawning, hard-to-defeat cookies on its mobile subscribers’ phones raises serious privacy problems, said the senators, all Democrats. Senators are considering new legislation to rein in the use of hard-to-delete cookies, said Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.News
  
  Read more

• Get it now or lose out on Google's Project Ara development kit

  06-02-2015 18:15
  
  Time’s running out for those interested in an early development version of Google’s Project Ara do-it-yourself smartphone, with just one day remaining to request the hardware from the company.The Spiral 2 is an early uncased prototype of Project Ara, Google’s customizable smartphone through which features can be added or removed via snap-on hardware blocks. The phone was inspired by Lego, the famous building toy.The soft deadline to request Spiral 2 from Google is this Saturday, Feb. 7.
  
  Read more

• Amazon upgrades Ruby SDK to help developers write less code

  06-02-2015 18:10
  
  In a bid to make life easier for Ruby developers, Amazon Web Services has updated its SDK for the open-source programming language, allowing developers to write less code.For developers who want to build applications that use Amazon’s cloud services, the company offers a number of platforms to choose between. For those who prefer Ruby, the first stable release of version 2 of the AWS SDK for Ruby is now available.The whole point of the SDKs from Amazon is to take some of the complexity out
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: Arrr! Pirates Still Exist -- And They're After Your Data

  06-02-2015 17:39
  
  Whether it’s gold on a galleon or intellectual property in a cloud server, treasure attracts pirates.And, as in the Gold Rush a century and a half ago, people’s enthusiasm for fortune can cause them to move too fast—before they understand all the risks. As a result, “the cloud” has become increasingly riddled with data pirates—and it’s up to IT to protect it.Until then, data pirates will continue to gain ground, increasing the risk for everyone. Here are four things to keep in
  
  Read more

• Brocade Acquires Riverbed ADC to Bolster Virtual Delivery Services

  06-02-2015 17:35
  
  Brocade this week said it will acquire Riverbed Technology's SteelApp product line in an all-cash asset transaction. Terms were not disclosed.
  SteelApp is a virtual application delivery controller (ADC) for enterprise, cloud, and e-commerce applications. The SteelApp product line controls traffic to and from applications to improve application delivery.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• DDoS malware for Linux systems comes with sophisticated custom-built rootkit

  06-02-2015 17:00
  
  A malware program designed for Linux systems, including embedded devices with ARM architecture, uses a sophisticated kernel rootkit that’s custom built for each infection.The malware, known as XOR.DDoS, was first spotted in September by security research outfit Malware Must Die. However, it has since evolved and new versions were seen in the wild as recently as Jan. 20, according to a new report Thursday from security firm FireEye, which analyzed the threat in detail.To read this article in
  
  Read more

• Cablevision Rolls Out Freewheel, a Cheap Wi-Fi-only Mobile Service

  06-02-2015 16:49
  
  Freewheel, Cablevision’s Wi-Fi only mobile service, jumped from rumor to fact on Thursday after the company officially announced the service. As expected, Freewheel will set you back $30 a month if you’re a non-Cablevision Internet subscriber, and $10 every month if you’re a Cablevision Optimum Online customer. Both plans are contract-free. Freewheel is available nationwide, but Cablevision offers far more support for the service in the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, an
  
  Read more

• Anthem Hack: Personal Data Stolen Sells for 10X Price of Stolen Credit Card Numbers

  06-02-2015 14:49
  
  The hackers who stole personal data from health insurer Anthem stand to make a whole lot more than the ones who stole 56 million credit and debit card numbers from Home Depot because the potential payback per identity is so much greater.
  “Compared to credit card information, personally identifiable information and Social Security numbers are worth more than 10x in price on the black market,” says Martin Walter, senior director at RedSeal.
  + Also on Network World: Insurance giant Anthem d
  
  Read more

• Microsoft hopes to make hybrid clouds less scary with more extensive testing

  06-02-2015 14:35
  
  Step by step, Microsoft is working to make its hybrid cloud offerings more attractive. With a new set of “how-to” documentation, it intends to inspire more application development and experimentation with different IT workloads.The documentation shows how to configure basic hybrid cloud testing environments, which use a mixture of public and on-site computing resources, and how to run a SharePoint intranet farm as well as other applications on top of it.These testing environments use a lo
  
  Read more

• Sharing mass surveillance data was illegal but is now OK, UK tribunal rules

  06-02-2015 14:30
  
  The sharing of mass surveillance data between U.S. and U.K. intelligence services was unlawful before December 2014, but since then it has become legal, a U.K. tribunal has ruled.British intelligence agency GCHQ has had unlawful access to information gathered by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) prior to December, in breach of human rights laws, the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) ruled Friday.“The regime governing the soliciting, receiving, storing and transmitting by U.
  
  Read more

• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, February 6

  06-02-2015 13:50
  
  China—and lax security—suspected in massive data breach at AnthemInitial investigations into the huge data breach at U.S. health insurerer Anthem are pointing to techniques used by hackers with ties to a nation-state, and China is a leading suspect. What’s apparently not in doubt is poor security practices: Anthem had not encrypted millions of people’s personal information that was stolen. While that information can enable common identity theft, what’s more worrisome to consumers is
  
  Read more

• Google should not apply 'right to be forgotten' on .com domain, advisory council says

  06-02-2015 13:10
  
  An advisory council put together by Google found that the search engine should only apply the so-called “right to be forgotten” to European Union search domains and not to its international .com domain, which is contrary to what EU privacy regulators want the search engine to do.Delisting search results only on EU domains is one of the recommendations in a 44-page report released on Friday by the council, whose eight members all volunteered their time.Google convened the council to advise
  
  Read more

• How Google Glass Could Still See Consumer Success

  06-02-2015 13:06
  
  Last month, Google severed the consumer arm of its Glass smartglasses project, dubbed the Explorer Program, and sent the life of the innovative wearable device into question, at least in the world of consumer technology.
  The search and advertising giant was clear that its commitment to the Glass at Work Certified Partners, or companies certified by Google to build enterprise software and service for Glass, would not waver. Those companies also say they're confident that Glass, and smartglass
  
  Read more

• Intelligence Community Works to Get Beyond Snowden Stigma

  06-02-2015 12:53
  
  The fallout from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's disclosures of widespread and covert government surveillance programs left a deep rift between the intelligence community and many leading technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook.But does it have to be that way?In remarks this week at the Brookings Institution, a top intelligence official offered a hopeful vision of government and tech working in common cause to protect national security, while at the same time dev
  
  Read more

• Pixel Perfect: 12 Innovative Displays

  06-02-2015 12:30
  
  A new view on alternative screensThere's a variety of new and innovative monitor technologies and products on tap.In addition to ultra-HD monitors that can light up nearly 15 million pixels -- more than seven times the resolution of a high-definition screen -- there are displays that use sensors to automatically calibrate their color so your images are always spot-on, or that offer 3D imaging or respond to touch as if they were huge desk-bound tablets. Others have curved viewing surfaces that de
  
  Read more

• The Apple Watch Conundrum Revisited

  06-02-2015 12:01
  
  Two years ago, I asked Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin and curiousrat.com's Harry Marks -- both of them experts in all things Apple -- to share their ideas on what a successful mass-market wearable would be. In a world of smartphones, tablets, notebooks and miscellaneous gadgets, would there be a mass-market audience for yet another device to charge and keep track of? And would a smartwatch from Apple be disruptive enough to matter?
  Apple, which unveiled the Apple Watch in September
  
  Read more

• LinkedIn's China bet starts paying off with increase in users

  06-02-2015 12:00
  
  LinkedIn has doubled its user base in China from 4 million to 8 million in the year since it agreed to comply with the country’s rules on censorship.Growth in China took off after the launch of LinkedIn’s Chinese-language site, the U.S. business networking service said in its earnings report Thursday.It’s a positive sign for LinkedIn, when other U.S. Internet firms including Google and eBay have struggled to succeed in China. Fierce local competition and government regulation have often
  
  Read more

• Two Years in the Making, Node.js Upgrade Arrives

  06-02-2015 12:00
  
  In development for nearly two years, the 0.12 release of Node.js is about to become available. Whether the release can mend the now-fractured community that has been built around the popular server-side JavaScript platform remains to be seen.
  Officials at Node.js steward Joyent and at Strongloop, which is involved in Node.js development, provided InfoWorld details about the upcoming release, for which the download should become available today.[ Streamline your development of fast websites,
  
  Read more

• New iOS Spy App Listens in to Conversations

  06-02-2015 12:00
  
  A new front has opened up in the Operation Pawn Storm cyber-espionage operation -- an iOS app that spies on users, up to and including secretly turning on the phone's microphone to listen in to meetings and conversations.
  The app is installed via ad-hoc provisioning, a feature normally used by developers to test their apps, and so by-passes the checks and controls of the official Apple app store.
  According to Tokyo-based security firm Trend Micro Inc., which released a report about the new a
  
  Read more

• Canon's 5DS SLR has a monster 50.6 megapixel image sensor

  06-02-2015 10:45
  
  You might need some bigger SD cards if you want to shoot with Canon’s latest camera.At 50.6 megapixels, the EOS 5DS and variant 5DS R have the world’s highest resolution for digital SLR 35mm full-frame sensors, Canon said Friday.The CMOS sensor outstrips rival camera systems such as Nikon’s D810 at 36 megapixels and Samsung’s NX1 at 28 megapixels.Available in June at US$3,699 for the 5DS body and $3,899 for the 5DS R body, Canon’s latest shooters are aimed at advanced amateur and pr
  
  Read more

• White House picks VMware's Tony Scott as CIO

  06-02-2015 06:15
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama has announced his intention to appoint VMware executive Tony Scott as federal CIO.Scott will also serve as administrator of the Office of Electronic Government in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).Scott joined VMware in 2013 and heads the global information technology group at the company as its CIO. He was earlier the CIO at Microsoft from 2008 to 2013, after working as CIO at The Walt Disney Company, in an over 35-year career in IT services management and
  
  Read more

• Twitter says it lost 4 million users because of Apple iOS 8

  06-02-2015 02:50
  
  Twitter is fighting hard to maintain a healthy growth rate, and Apple apparently hasn’t been doing much to help.Twitter lost four million users last quarter because of Apple’s roll-out of iOS 8, Twitter executives said Thursday.Some three million of those users were lost because of a change to the Shared Links feature in the mobile Safari browser, which displays links from people’s Twitter followers. The other million were “Twitter-owned,” CFO Anthony Noto said during Twitter’s ea
  
  Read more

• ClusterHQ: Bringing the power of containers to enterprise data

  06-02-2015 02:15
  
  It’s no small testament to the appeal of container technology that Docker—by far the leading contender in the field—went from under 3 million downloads in June 2014 to 100 million last month.Containers have wrought little short of a revolution in the world of software development, enabling companies to build high-quality applications faster and more efficiently than before. With container technology, developers can quickly assemble apps from components and then package them up as self-s
  
  Read more

• Verizon blames net neutrality plans as it sells off wireline operations

  06-02-2015 02:05
  
  Verizon Communications will sell its local wireline operations in California, Florida and Texas for $10.5 billion, citing uncertainty around federal Internet regulation as one reason for the move.Following the sale to Frontier Communications, Verizon will concentrate its operations in the Northeast where its wireline business is growing faster, company executives said. The sale includes Verizon’s voice, DSL (digital subscriber line), and FiOS fiber-optic Internet and TV services, but not Ve
  
  Read more

• RadioShack Files for Bankruptcy

  06-02-2015 01:21
  It's official: Beleaguered electronics retailer RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will shutter up to 2,500 of its stores.
  The Ft. Worth-based retailer filed for bankruptcy today and said it would sell between 1,500 and 2,400 of its storefronts to its largest investor, hedge fund Standard General. Standard General, in turn, will partner with Sprint, according to news reports.
  RadioShack operates 4,000 stores across North America, which means the stores that aren't
  
  Read more

• Dropbox paves a smoother path from Web to desktop

  06-02-2015 00:15
  
  Business users who rely on Dropbox to store and collaborate on files in the cloud have long shared a significant pain point: shared files initially viewed in the browser have to be downloaded before they can be edited on the desktop.That extra step not only adds time and complexity but can also lead to multiple versions of files and a lack of synchronization.On Thursday, Dropbox announced a new “Open” button that will arrive soon and should make things considerably easier. The button will
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!