IT Executive news

• Developers getting more help with heterogenous processors

  09-10-2015 23:48
  
  An effort to help developers get the most out of heterogeneous processors inched forward this week, promising to improve performance and reduce power consumption in applications for smartphones all the way up to high-performance computers.Imagination Technologies, which designs the PowerVR graphics chips used in the iPhone as well as MIPS CPUs, said it would release its first products next year that comply with a set of specifications called the Heterogeneous Systems Architecture.Chip companies
  
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• IT Resume Makeover: When all else fails, break the rules

  09-10-2015 22:38
  
  Marydawn Meeder's academic credentials were top-notch: In addition to holding bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, a master's in software engineering and an MBA, Meeder earned a professional engineer (PE) license - an elite credential analogous to a CPA or an MD. But aside from those, Meeder's original resume could have described almost any seasoned IT professional.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Dismal PC business contraction continues; no bounce yet from Windows 10

  09-10-2015 21:04
  
  As expected, Windows 10 provided little if any bounce to PC shipments in the just-concluded September quarter, researchers at IDC and Gartner said yesterday.
  "Not in terms of driving volume, no," said Loren Loverde of IDC in a Friday interview when asked about Windows 10's impact. "The main inhibiting concern has been the continuing free upgrade."
  Rival research firm Gartner concurred. "The focus of the Windows launch in the quarter was to upgrade to Windows 10 on existing PCs, rather than ship
  
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• Juniper Networks looking to go private?

  09-10-2015 19:58
  
  Juniper Networks has reportedly hired investment banker Goldman Sachs to explore taking the company private.
  The development has the blessing of activist investor Elliott Management, according to the website Benzinga. Elliott owns 4.5% of Juniper and has encouraged the company to look for ways boost shareholder value through restructurings and product portfolio rationalization.
  Juniper did reorganize last year at the urging of Elliott after multiple quarters of lackluster performance.To read th
  
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• Display Dock for new Lumias will cost $99

  09-10-2015 19:32
  
  Microsoft will charge $99 for an upcoming Display Dock device to connect next-generation Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL smartphones with full-sized keyboards and large desktop displays, a company spokeswoman told Computerworld late Thursday.
  The device, roughly the size of a cigarette carton and with seven different ports, appears like your typical, lowly dock. However, Microsoft marketers have pointed out that the dock can turn a powerful Lumia smartphone into a near-fully functioning PC.
  The new L
  
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• How to do product launches right: Microsoft is back

  09-10-2015 18:17
  
  Microsoft is one of my oldest clients, the launch of Windows 95 was almost like art. Since then, it pains me to say they have aggressively done product launches badly. In sharp contrast, Steve Jobs took over Apple and repeatedly showcased how to do it right. It wasn’t just the presentation, it was also the packaging. It got so bad that even Microsoft’s own packaging guys created a video showcasing what the firm was doing wrong. But institutionally the company just didn’t seem t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Find out if your iPhone 6s has a TSMC or Samsung chip

  09-10-2015 18:01
  
  Apple is awash in yet another product release controversy. Reports and videos floating around the Internet seem to indicate that there might be a significant battery life difference between the Samsung and TSMC chips used in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
  And this has made Apple's customers wonder which chip their iPhones might be using. No worries though, it's easy to find out which chip is in your iPhone 6s or 6 Plus. I'll show you how to find out in this how-to.
  How to find out if your iPhone 6s
  
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• 3 Takeaways from Amazon’s re:Invent cloud conference

  09-10-2015 17:37
  
  Upon returning from my fourth AWS re:Invent, another jam-packed cloud computing conference in Las Vegas, I’m left thinking about what really stood out. Here are my three big takeaways.The cloud is still in its early days
  Over two days of keynotes, executives from the following companies were among those who made presentations discussing their use of Amazon Web Services’ cloud: General Electric, Capital One, John Deere, BMW and Major League Baseball. If people were wondering before t
  
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• Facebook (finally) goes beyond the 'Like' with new 'Reactions'

  09-10-2015 17:29
  
  The question drives a significant share of activity on Facebook every day. More specifically, the company processed 6 billion Likes per day at the end 2014, according to Jason Taylor, Facebook's vice president of infrastructure.Facebook's seemingly all-inclusive, and now globally recognized, thumbs-up Like symbol represents one of only two ways you can interact with posts in your News Feeds. The company has been especially restrictive on this point — limiting engagement to Likes and commen
  
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• Firefox will stop supporting plugins by end of 2016, following Chrome's lead

  09-10-2015 17:25
  
  Google Chrome recently dumped support for plugins such as Java and Silverlight, and now it’s Firefox’s turn. Late Thursday, Mozilla announced on its blog that Firefox would stop supporting plugins based on the Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) architecture by the end of 2016.
  For many years, NPAPI plugins helped browsers add functionality such as gaming, rich interactive maps, and video support. But plugins also came with problems such as security vulnerabili
  
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• AWS re:Invent and VMworld: A tale of two conferences

  09-10-2015 16:54
  
  In the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to attend two major technology conferences, each on what seem to be opposite sides of the IT spectrum.
  VMworld 2015 Party at AT&T Park in San Francisco 
  At the end of August the venerable virtualization conference VMworld kicked off in San Francisco. Much of the technology discussed was about how to optimize on-premises environments. The company’s software defined data center components, extend into the hybrid cloud and manage
  
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• Apple Pay coming to Starbucks shops at long last

  09-10-2015 16:52
  
  Apple just landed a major coup for Apple Pay: Starbucks is officially on board, and will start allowing you to pay for your lattes with just a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch at all 7,500 stores by next year. The coffee chain will be piloting Apple Pay in select locations over the next few months, so keep an eye out to see if your corner Starbucks is one of them.[ Related: New CTO role at Starbucks reflects rise of digital business ]But that’s not all: You’ll also be able to pay fo
  
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• Start-up koppelt woningdata aan sociale interactie

  09-10-2015 16:30
  Kadasterdata.nl en Newest Industry zijn samen jumba.nl gestart, een  woningplatform waarin woningdata en omgevingsinformatie in combinatie met sociale interactie de woningmarkt transparanter maken.Kadasterdata.nl en Newest Industry spelen in op de vraag naar meer transparantie en onafhankelijkheid voor... lees meer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 3 ways to advance your PM career now

  09-10-2015 16:28
  
  Happy with project management but looking to advance your career. No problem - you and just about everyone else in the workplace are looking to do the same. The key, of course, is to stand out. I realize that's easier said than done, but there are good ways to do it. And there are wrong ways to do it, too...as with just about everything else in life. For now, let's focus first on the right ways.For me, the best of the best "right" ways to stand out when trying to advance your project management
  
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• BlackBerry CEO may kill off BlackBerry phones if they don't make money next year

  09-10-2015 16:16
  
  The end of the BlackBerry handset is nigh—or at least it will be if the company can’t get its phone business in the black before 2016 is out. BlackBerry CEO John Chen already said he’d think about giving up on handsets if the company’s situation didn’t improve. At Code Mobile on Thursday, Chen added a loose deadline for the end of BlackBerry phones.
  “Sometime next year we have to make our device business profitable, otherwise I have to rethink what I do there
  
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• LogMeIn buying password manager LastPass

  09-10-2015 16:06
  
  Identity and access management specialist LogMeIn has agreed to buy Marvasol, the company behind online password store LastPass.The companies expect to close the deal, valuing Marvasol at between US$110 million and $125 million, in a matter of weeks.LogMeIn is firmly in the enterprise market, while Marvasol has been steadily extending the LastPass secure password storage tool in that direction, with password sharing and group access functions.LastPass stores an encrypted version of its cust
  
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• Wi-Fi Alliance reaches for peace over unlicensed LTE

  09-10-2015 15:55
  
  A Wi-Fi Alliance workshop next month could start to lay the groundwork for peace between Wi-Fi and LTE promoters who have been arguing over potential interference.If LTE and Wi-Fi can operate peacefully in unlicensed spectrum, mobile users should be able to get a better experience in in crowded areas whether they are using their carrier's service or a Wi-Fi hotspot.The group will bring together representatives of both sides and lay out proposed guidelines for coexistence between Wi-Fi and LTE on
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Is your IT a honeydew melon or a watermelon?

  09-10-2015 14:27
  
  Enterprise IT today faces a conundrum. Their dashboard displays green, indicating they are meeting all commitments for service levels and key performance indicators (KPIs). But the business users are unhappy with IT because they don’t satisfy the users’ needs. The truth is most enterprise IT groups are like a watermelon – green on the outside but red on the inside.This is incredibly frustrating for both sides. IT says, “Our servers are up, our networks are up, our applica
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The death of the OS (Part 1)

  09-10-2015 14:13
  
  In 1995, the Microsoft operating system (OS) Windows 3.1 was King on PCs and the heir apparent, Win 95, was launched to take the PC crown. It appealed to both business and the exploding consumer market with a vastly improved user experience.At that time, Windows was the dominant, heck, the only relevant computing OS with approximately 90 percent market share (Mac was at 10 percent) for both business and the booming personal PC space. Laptops were taking over the business world as their capa
  
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• 6 Things iPhone 6s Plus does that Galaxy S6 edge+ can't

  09-10-2015 14:00
  
  In the market for a "phablet"? Or maybe you’re just curious about these phone-tablet hybrids. In either case, you're probably aware of both the new Apple iPhone 6s Plus and Samsung's Galaxy S6 (GS6) edge+. The two smartphones are perhaps the most popular, high-end phablets on the market. However, despite the shared letter "s," numeral "6" and "plus" in their names, they have little else in common.I purchased my iPhone 6s Plus two weeks ago, the day it was released, and I've been using the
  
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• 6 Things Galaxy S6 edge+ does that iPhone 6s Plus can't

  09-10-2015 14:00
  
  If you're a "phablet" user, plan to be one in the future or you're just interested in the latest and greatest gadgets, you're likely aware of both the new Samsung Galaxy S6 (GS6) edge+ and Apple iPhone 6s Plus. The two grande smartphones are perhaps the most popular, high-end phablets on the market today. But despite the shared letter "s," numeral "6" and "plus" in their names, they have little else in common.I've been using the GS6 edge+ for more than two months, and I purchased my iPhone 6s Pl
  
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• 12 extreme (and obscenely expensive) laptop bags

  09-10-2015 14:00
  
  Outrageously priced laptop bagsImage by ThinkstockDid your startup just reach unicorn status? Win the lottery or otherwise come into a massive cash windfall? If so, you're probably ready for a splurge, and we've got some laptop bags for you.All 12 of the following satchels are crazy expensive — starting at $2,350 —, and you simply won't believe the price tag on the most costly one. (Hint: eight digits.) The luxury items are organized from lowest to highest price. For this roundup, we
  
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• New CTO role at Starbucks reflects rise of digital business

  09-10-2015 13:58
  
  Starbucks said it has hired as CTO Adobe CIO Gerri Martin-Flickinger to replace Curt Garner, who is leaving in November after 18 years with the company. At the micro level, it suggests Starbucks' ambitions are greater than caffeinating and feeding people. More broadly, the move reflects the increasing role of digital technologies play in traditional businesses that seek to boost their brands, analysts say.Gerri Martin-Flickinger left her CIO post at Abobe to become CTO at Starbucks.To read this
  
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• How digital transformation is disrupting IT outsourcing

  09-10-2015 13:58
  
  Digital transformation is the business goal du jour. And while the increased adoption of social, mobile, analytics, cloud, autonomics, robotics and Internet of Things technologies is creating tremendous opportunities for the enterprise, it’s also introducing new risk.[ Related: How ‘Digital Masters’ drive transformation from the top down ]Most notably, these emerging technologies are impacting on how IT organizations interact with their IT service providers. These newer solutio
  
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• How to choose the right mobile hotspot

  09-10-2015 13:07
  
  Mobile hotpsots are a necessity these days for everyone, not just road warriors and telecommuters. Maybe you find yourself at the beach and trying to download a new book to your Kindle device without Wi-Fi. Or, maybe you are stuck somewhere without free Wi-Fi and you want to stream a show on your tablet. And if you do find yourself on the road for work, a mobile hotspot can make sure you're on top of your game no matter your location. Depending on how often you need a mobile connection, there is
  
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• 15 times when people totally judge you for using your phone

  09-10-2015 13:00
  
  You might think that you have spotless smartphone etiquette, but you’re almost certainly incorrect. That’s okay, we all do stupid things with our smartphones once in a while.But just because we slip up every now and then and do something stupid like risk our lives for the perfect selfie doesn’t mean we don’t totally judge other people using their phones inappropriately. Here are 15 things we do with our phones that cause everyone around us to pass swift, harsh judgment:Wh
  
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• iPad mini 4 review: Finally, the update that you’ve been waiting for

  09-10-2015 12:30
  When Apple releases new hardware like the new iPad mini 4, one way to look at it is to compare the new device to the one it replaces. In this case, the replaced device is the iPad mini 3, a completely forgettable iPad. How forgettable was it? Apple decided to keep the iPad mini 2—not the iPad mini 3—as the affordable iPad option in its lineup. The only new features the iPad mini 3 had over its predecessor was Touch ID and the option to buy a gold version. That was it—the proce
  
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• 10 enthralling visions for the future of computing

  09-10-2015 12:30
  For years, our personal computers were made up of monitors, keyboards, and a big beige box. Then laptops came along and changed everything—until a small, flat plate of glass encased in metal, dubbed the iPhone, showed up and changed everything again, followed shortly thereafter by an even larger plate of glass called the iPad that changed things even more.
  As exciting as the iPad was, the original came to us five years ago. Today, we once again face major shifts in for computing. What wil
  
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• 7 warnings to heed before a cloud migration

  09-10-2015 12:15
  
  LAS VEGAS -- If a cloud migration is in your company's future, some IT cloud veterans are warning you to avoid the technology pitfalls that could be lurking in the dark.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Nationaal eScience Symposium: Information overload?

  09-10-2015 12:09
  Hoeveel data heb je nodig voordat het informatie wordt? Hoeveel informatie leidt uiteindelijk tot kennis en inzicht? Maar ook: hoeveel kennis en informatie kun je als mens op één dag verwerken? Vragen die zich opdrongen tijdens het derde National eScience Symposium, dat wetenschappers en onderzoekers... lees meer
  
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• The state of VR: Where Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, and others stand right now

  09-10-2015 12:00
  Let the countdown begin: We are roughly T-minus one month from virtual reality.
  It’s hard to believe that after three years of developer kits and prototypes and trade shows and me-too headsets and so many demos that we’re finally on the cusp of a consumer release. I’m excited. I hope—sincerely—that you’re excited. Or at least willing to give it a shot.
  But it’s been one long and convoluted ride, and if you’ve skipped most of the news for the last
  
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• Facebook splits React library across Web and mobile

  09-10-2015 12:00
  
  Following an upgrade this week, the main React JavaScript UI library will be split in two, with the goal of sharing components between the Web version of React and the companion React Native framework.
  With the React .014 upgrade, Facebook software engineer Ben Alpert said packages such as react-native (for building native apps with React), react-art (for vector graphics), and react-canvas (for rendering to <canvas>) make it clear “the beauty and essence of React has nothing to do&r
  
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• US will not seek legislation against encryption

  09-10-2015 08:57
  The U.S. administration will not seek legislation at this point to counter the encryption of communications by many technology services and product vendors, but will work on a compromise with industry, a senior U.S. official said Thursday."The administration is not seeking legislation at this time," Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said in a statement before a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.Comey had previously asked for a "robust debate" on en
  
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• Apple removes apps from store that could spy on your data traffic

  09-10-2015 08:20
  
  Apple on Thursday removed several apps from its store that it said could pose a security risk by exposing a person's Web traffic to untrusted sources.The company recommended deleting the apps but did not name them, which may make it hard for people to know which apps put their data at risk.The apps in question installed their own digital certificates on a person's Apple mobile device. It would enable the apps to terminate an encrypted connection between a device and a service and view the traffi
  
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• Alibaba sets up second data center in the US in $1B cloud expansion

  09-10-2015 07:45
  Continuing the expansion of its AliCloud cloud computing business, Alibaba Group is setting up a second data center in Silicon Valley.The Chinese company said customers could apply from Monday for  services from the data center, which will span over 10 cloud services including Elastic Compute Service, offering scalable computing services, an Analytic Database Service that provides real-time, high-concurrency online analytical processing, and a Cloud Monitor System using an open platform for
  
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• New California law requires warrants for access to private communications

  09-10-2015 05:43
  California Governor Jerry Brown has approved a digital privacy bill that protects people from government access to private electronic communications without a warrant.The new law, backed by a number of tech companies and civil liberties groups, requires a judge to approve such access to a person’s private information, including data from personal electronic devices, email, digital documents, text messages and location information.The state houses the headquarters of a number of technology
  
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• BrandPost: Stop. Think. Connect.

  09-10-2015 02:54
  October is National Cyber Security Awareness month, and the fifth anniversary of “Stop. Think. Connect.” the national cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. Targeted at the general public, the campaign is of equal—if not greater—relevance to IT and InfoSec pros.Perhaps the theme would resonate more if it were “Better Together.” Or, “You're only as strong as the weakest link.” Because when it comes to cyber security in today’s 24 x 7
  
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• New AWS tools give developers high-powered instances, better container support and more

  09-10-2015 02:36
  
  Developing apps and services to leverage the cloud is the new normal, Amazon Chief Technical Officer Werner Vogels told an audience at the company's Re:Invent conference in Las Vegas Thursday.To that end, Amazon announced a whole slew of new features for its cloud that should help developers take advantage of it in one form or another. AWS Lambda, which allows developers to just run blocks of code when necessary without worrying about provisioning resources, received a bunch of updates, inc
  
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• BrandPost: It's National Cyber Security Month: Are Your Employees Prepared?

  09-10-2015 02:36
  As more connected devices are used to get business done remotely and in the office, IT leaders are challenged with keeping those devices secure. Practicing these safety tips will help their users become better online citizens.Keep Patches Up to Date
  Any machine that is connected to the Internet is vulnerable to viruses. There’s a chance that anything your employees plug into their computers could be carrying malicious code, so use security software and always scan for threats. Pr
  
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• AT&T kicks off Wi-Fi calling years after T-Mobile

  09-10-2015 02:31
  
  AT&T kicked off Wi-Fi calling on newer-model iPhones running iOS 9 on Thursday after winning permission from the Federal Communications Commission two days earlier.
  Wi-Fi Calling helps users get better connections indoors where cellular service can be spotty. Where permitted by a carrier, it can also eliminate international calling costs of up to $1 a minute.
  T-Mobile and Sprint already offer Wi-Fi calls on certain devices, and T-Mobile started the practice as early as 2007 without securing
  
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• Adidas to 3D print custom insoles in sneakers

  09-10-2015 02:30
  
  Adidas has announced a new performance running shoe line called Futurecraft 3D, which will offer consumers a custom-formed and 3D-printed midsole.
  The midsole can be tailored to the shape and the cushioning needs of an individual's foot.
  Linked with existing data sourcing and foot-scan technologies, it opens unique opportunities for immediate in-store fittings, Adidas said in a statement.
  "Imagine walking into an Adidas store, running briefly on a treadmill and instantly getting a 3D-printed ru
  
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• Quick iPhone 6S case review: Ballistic Tungsten Tough

  09-10-2015 02:29
  
  I risked carrying around my new iPhone 6S for a week before finally stopping by Best Buy to pick up a case: the Ballistic Tungsten Tough model.
  I was looking for something of a tough and rubbery nature, like the trusty Nuguard KX that helped to keep my iPhone 5 safe over the past 2 years (I reviewed that iPhone case here).
  I initially shopped around online but wanted to get a real feel for the case. Plus, I was a little nervous about whether cases initially designed for the iPhone 6 would reall
  
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• BrandPost: A Security-Positive Culture Starts at the Top

  09-10-2015 02:29
  Cyber security is vital to every area of your organization. IT officers, corporate officers, finance directors, and human resources managers should all play a role in designing a living, breathing security plan to protect their business. But how do you create a culture of responsible, effective security practices and meaningful threat awareness? Read on to find out.Stay Educated and InformedThough it is a legal obligation for executives to involve themselves in information security, it is also b
  
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• BrandPost: Top 6 Security Tips

  09-10-2015 02:20
  When it comes to cyber security, especially phishing/spear phishing, what you don't know (and/or ignore) can hurt you and your organization. The total annual cost of phishing for the average-sized organization is estimated to be $3.77 million, most of which is due to the loss of employee productivity.1 The costs associated with intellectual property theft are considerably higher, $538 billion a year.2Nobody Is Immune:Five out of every six large companies (2,500+ employees) were targeted with sp
  
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