IT Executive news

• Chase Pay to take on Apple, Google and Samsung in 2016

  26-10-2015 23:31
  
  JP Morgan Chase will launch its own smartphone payment platform in mid-2016, it said Monday, going head-to-head with rival services from Apple, Google and Samsung.Chase Pay will be based on CurrentC, a retailer-led mobile payment system that has largely been written off by Silicon Valley techies for its reliance on barcodes rather than the more sophisticated NFC (near-field communications) technology adopted by its competitors.It works through an app that displays a barcode on the customer's sma
  
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• Wal-Mart wants to deliver by drone too

  26-10-2015 22:21
  
  Wal-Mart has applied for permission to begin testing home delivery by drones -- a move intended to ensure online rivals Amazon and Google don't corner the much-hyped market before it gets off the ground.In an application submitted Monday to the Federal Aviation Administration, Wal-Mart asked for permission to begin outdoor trails of drone technology and revealed it has been conducting indoor tests for several months.The company said it is interested in researching the use of drones both wit
  
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• Microsoft makes applications smarter with Project Oxford updates

  26-10-2015 21:06
  
  As the cloud and mobile computing revolutions continue trucking along, people are coming to expect greater intelligence from the applications that they use. With people getting more used to taking advantage of things like Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant or Apple's Siri, meanwhile, app developers have a huge opportunity to use similar systems in order to drive engagement. Microsoft's Project Oxford is a suite of cloud services designed to help provide that intelligence for applications
  
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• IBM stirs Spark-as-a-service into IBM Bluemix

  26-10-2015 21:00
  
  Apache Spark is now available as a service on the IBM Bluemix cloud platform. At IBM Insight 2015 in Las Vegas Monday afternoon, Big Blue also announced that it has redesigned more than 15 core analytics and commerce solutions with Spark."It's been an incredible success since we put this in beta back in June," Rob Thomas, vice president of Product Development at IBM Analytics, says of IBM Analytics on Apache Spark, the new Spark-as-a-service offering. "We've had more than 5,000 developers coming
  
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• EU Competition Commissioner spells out priorities: Google as Alphabet is still under investigation

  26-10-2015 20:34
  
  Spinning off some of its activities into separate companies under the Alphabet umbrella isn't going to make Google's problems with Europe's top antitrust authority go away: European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager still has the company in her sights.Google figured heavily in a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, published Monday, in which Vestager discussed many of the cases before her.Here's a list of the Commission's ongoing areas of action against Google, and
  
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• Setting IT goals and making them matter

  26-10-2015 20:03
  
  During one job interview, veteran IT leader Sue Kozik sat with two board members, who posed a simple question: “What’s your IT strategy?”She replied, simply: “I don’t have one.”You can imagine the stunned looks she received, but she went on to explain her belief is that IT is part of the business — not separate from it, and therefore did not require a separate strategy.  Long story short: The stunned looks turned to those of acceptance, and Kozik ul
  
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• LG V10 dual-screen, dual-selfie smartphone goes on sale this week

  26-10-2015 19:11
  
  The unusual LG V10 smartphone running Android 5.1 (Lollipop) will go on sale online Tuesday on AT&T and Wednesday on T-Mobile, with in-store purchases coming a few days later.
  What primarily sets the V10 apart is its distinctive dual-screen and its dual-selfie, front-facing cameras that show off LG's interest in trying new technologies. Some reviewers have called those features "gimmicky" or even "oddball," but analysts said the features also demonstrate a capable manufacturer willing to tr
  
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• Intel buys cognitive computing startup Saffron

  26-10-2015 19:02
  
  With IBM pouring millions of dollars into the emerging field of cognitive computing, Intel got in on the act Monday by announcing its acquisition of Saffron.
  The startup company has developed a technology that "ingests data from disparate sources and automatically connects the dots to help businesses of all kinds improve decision-making," Intel said in a blog post.
  It sounds like data analytics, but Saffron claims its "natural intelligence platform" can uncover connections withou
  
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• Twitter CEO proves he still doesn't get it

  26-10-2015 18:44
  
  SAN FRANCISCO — With its future hanging in the balance, Twitter missed a major opportunity at its annual Flight developer conference last week to refocus the direction of its struggling platform. Jack Dorsey, the company's CEO, issued a long overdue mea culpa to developers and spoke eloquently about the important role Twitter serves in the lives of the downtrodden and oppressed, but he mostly ignored the company's most pressing problems: sagging use and a lack of growth. Twitter's pot
  
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• Microsoft's Office Lens scanner app levels up on iOS and Android

  26-10-2015 18:32
  Microsoft's Office Lens scanning app finally made the jump away from Windows Phone and onto other mobile platforms earlier this year, giving users an easy way to capture physical documents and turn them into files for Microsoft's suite of software.On Monday, the company pushed updates to both the iOS and Android apps, upgrading their capabilities for business users who are looking for the ability to turn their phone into a scanner that integrates with Microsoft's products. On iOS, users can
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Should you buy the iPad Air 2 or Surface 3?

  26-10-2015 18:22
  Apple's iPad Air 2 is its best iPad yet, but is it a better buy than Microsoft's Surface 3? For some users it's a question that doesn't have an easy or quick answer. One redditor recently asked if he should buy the iPad Air 2 or Microsoft Surface 3, and he got some interesting answers in the iPad subreddit.I'll share my own thoughts below, but here's the original question along with some of the answers in the iPad subreddit.Zrakk asked his question:
  Why would you get an iPad Air 2 instead of a S
  
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• 15 powerful Microsoft Word shortcuts you need to know

  26-10-2015 18:07
  Google Docs is great and all, but Microsoft Word is still the de facto standard when it comes to putting words to digital page. But how well do you know this decades-old program?
  Familiarity breeds complacency. Most of us just keep on using Microsoft's productivity powerhouse the same way we have for years. If you want to up your Word game, here are 15 extremely useful keyboard shortcuts you'll want to master, ranging from basic to little known.
  These shortcuts work for both Word for Windo
  
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• 5 things you need to know about Microsoft's new Office 2016

  26-10-2015 17:45
  
  Microsoft's latest version of its Office suite is here, and it has been getting rave reviews. Here's what you need to know about Office 2016's capabilities:Collaboration is the killer feature, but it's not fully baked yet. Microsoft is facing increasing pressure to compete with Google's own productivity suite, and made improving collaboration between its users a key tenet of Office 2016. Word 2016 shipped with the ability to co-author documents stored in SharePoint or OneDrive live from the
  
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• Germany probes Regin-powered cyberespionage

  26-10-2015 16:27
  
  It looks like Chancellor Angela Merkel is not the only German official who might have been spied on by the nation's allies. The head of a German Federal Chancellery unit reportedly had his laptop infected with Regin, a cyberespionage program believed to be used by the U.S. National Security Agency and its closest intelligence partners.
  The German federal prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the breach, which came to light in 2014, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Friday
  
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• Oracle just made its biggest Sparc announcement since buying Sun

  26-10-2015 16:00
  When Oracle bought Sun Microsystems five years ago, Larry Ellison made a lot of noise about how owning the entire systems stack, from applications to silicon, would allow him to do unique things with Oracle's servers. After five years of bluster and hype, he may finally have delivered -- but will customers buy what he's selling?Oracle is announcing a new line of servers at OpenWorld on Monday based on a new Sparc processor called the M7. It has the usual improvements you'd expect in a new c
  
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• 5 tips for working with data science interns

  26-10-2015 14:43
  
  Data science is quickly becoming a vital skill as more companies scramble to capitalize on the hordes of data they can collect on clients and customers. Naturally, as the demand for data scientists grows, more students want to break into the field, which means they'll be looking for internships. In fact, a recent McKinsey report study on big data found that, demand for deep analytical talent in the United States could be 50 to 60 percent greater than its projected supply by 2018."Interns are a g
  
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• IT outsourcing buyer’s market creates promise and challenge

  26-10-2015 14:20
  
  Enterprise outsourcing buyers in the world’s major markets continue to push for shorter, cheaper contracts from their providers. And they’re getting them. So what are they giving up in the bargain?[ Related: The IT outsourcing price wars are on ]“In short, nothing,” says John Keppel, president with outsourcing consultancy Information Services Group (ISG). “Contracts are now more flexible than ever before in their commercial and legal design, with lower restruct
  
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• Taser switches to Azure from AWS to power cloud services

  26-10-2015 14:00
  
  Law enforcement technology company Taser announced Monday that it will be moving its future cloud services away from Amazon Web Services and onto Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, including the Evidence.com software-as-a-service package and video storage platform for its Axon video cameras.Taser is perhaps best known for the electroshock weapons that bear its name, but the company also operates Evidence.com, a service sold to law enforcement agencies that aids in the cataloging, storage and secu
  
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• Apple's Wi-Fi Assist iOS 9 feature subject of $5M lawsuit

  26-10-2015 13:40
  
  First the complaints about Apple's iOS 9 Wi-Fi Assist feature came via the media and from customers over social media. Now a Florida couple who own iPhone 5S devices has taken the frustration to a new level and slapped Apple with a class-action lawsuit over the technology, which can jack up your cellular data usage if you don't know it's turned on.
  Apple Insider reports that "plaintiffs William Scott Phillips and Suzanne Schmidt Phillips allege in a suit filed on Friday in U.S. District Court i
  
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• Intel Security will discontinue McAfee SaaS products

  26-10-2015 13:30
  
  Intel Security's plans to decommission select McAfee software-as-a-service products mean customers will have to go through the entire deployment and provisioning all over again if they want to keep getting endpoint and email security.
  On Jan. 11, 2016, Intel Security will stop selling McAfee SaaS Endpoint and SaaS Email Protection and Archiving. Although new sales will cease next year, existing customers can continue renewing their subscription and receiving support until Jan. 11, 2019, Intel S
  
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• Innovation and large-scale IT, with Mark Sunday, CIO, Oracle

  26-10-2015 13:18
  
  In this CXO Talk interview Oracle CIO Mark Sunday discusses the role of IT, the relationship with the business and the impact of digital transformation on IT. He also shares his connection with customers and how he oversees the technical integration when Oracle acquires a new company.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How to thrive in the coming tech gig economy

  26-10-2015 13:14
  
  Disruptive technologies do more than shake up markets -- they drastically alter the way we work. And it’s not only nonstop cost cutting that has businesses favoring IT contractors they can bring on -- or scale back -- as necessary without paying benefits. Emerging platforms, in particular around the cloud, have many organizations shifting their staffing models toward project-based, contingent work in hopes of landing the key skills necessary for their businesses to stay competitive in a co
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 6 responsibilities of the Chief Digital Officer

  26-10-2015 13:07
  
  At the Argyle Leadership in Digital Marketing Forum in New York a few weeks back I delivered a keynote on the rise of the Chief Digital Officer. Turns out that half the attendees were already performing the CDO role, while the other half were considering it.The challenges of the new digital age make the role of a CDO a no-brainer. After all, who else will ensure that the company’s key strategies are supported by emerging technologies and new organizational competencies?I should have put th
  
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• Smartphones, tablets might not be bad for kids after all

  26-10-2015 13:01
  
  Can spending too much time with a smartphone or tablet negatively affect child development? That depends on the expert you ask.Until recently, the influential American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) took a strong negative stance on screen time for kids. However, the group has softened its position. In a research paper the academy released earlier this month, it wrote, "[d]igital media can be used to facilitate executive function (reasoning and problem solving), build self-contro
  
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• 4 management tips from Spiceworks’ cofounder

  26-10-2015 12:39
  
  Scott Abel, cofounder of IT community Spiceworks, spent nine years as the company’s CEO, stepping down earlier this year to focus on product strategy and culture. During his tenure, the company grew from a handful of employees to more than 425, and last year was named one of Glassdoor’s top 10 best places to work. Abel, now chief strategy officer, says that making Spiceworks a company people wanted to work for has been key to its growth and success. “The secret to being a
  
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• 12 ways to be more productive at work

  26-10-2015 12:26
  
  Be more productive at workImage by ThinkstockStaying energized, focused and productive at work can seem impossible, especially during that mid-afternoon slump. You know the one -- the 2 p.m. crash that not even a Starbucks run or a hastily chugged Red Bull can cure. Here, our experts offer 12 easy (and less caffeinated) ways to head off the slump and keep you energized and productive throughout your workday.Get your Z'sImage by ThinkstockTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please
  
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• Artificial intelligence can go wrong – but how will we know?

  26-10-2015 12:24
  
  Every time we hear that “artificial intelligence” was behind something – from creating images to inventing recipes to writing a description of a photo – we thought was uniquely human, you’ll see someone worrying about the dangers of AI either making humans redundant, or deciding to do away with us altogether. But the real danger isn’t a true artificial intelligence that’s a threat to humanity – because despite all our advances, it isn't likely we&
  
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• Oracle lays out plans for the next Java generation

  26-10-2015 11:59
  
  Oracle executives, with an assist from former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, took to the stage Sunday to champion the 20-year-old Java platform's past, present, and future.
  Some insiders have suggested Oracle is losing interest in Java. But Oracle used the annual JavaOne conference to detail plans for future Java releases of the enterprise and standard versions, as well promote Java for the cloud and Internet of things. [ See InfoWorld's full coverage of Java at 20: The programming ju
  
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• You are your smartphone

  26-10-2015 11:15
  
  Yahoo last week unveiled a novel concept: Access to your Yahoo Mail account without a password.What is a password, anyway?If you think about it, a password is a way to authenticate a person. You create a chunk of random knowledge that only you know. Later, to prove you're you, you demonstrate mastery of that knowledge. Only you would know to type "corndog658" when prompted, so obviously you're authorized for access.It's a great way to authenticate, at least until someone steals or guesses y
  
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• It’s time to pull the trigger on security automation

  26-10-2015 11:00
  
  It’s likely that you already have a variety of security tools -- intrusion prevention, network access control, endpoint security, mobile device management – that come with automation capabilities designed to quickly find and stop attacks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How the Internet of Things shakes up jobs, improves efficiency

  26-10-2015 11:00
  
  After the town of Cary, N.C., installed a water meter system that automatically radios water usage to the public works department, it eliminated 10 meter-reading positions. The water resources group operates today with a smaller staff, thanks to the Internet of Things.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 7 steps to IoT data security

  26-10-2015 10:57
  
  As Internet of Things invades the enterprise, companies need to revamp their approach to protecting data because the old ways aren’t going to get the job done. Not in a world of 25 billion or more IoT devices connected to the Internet by 2020, as Gartner predicts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How long does it take for employees to be security conscious?

  26-10-2015 10:35
  
  The U.S. Postal Services received some frustrating news in early October from the Office of the Inspector General on the effectiveness of its security awareness training program.
  An internal USPS phishing simulation campaign found that more than 25 percent of the 3,125 employees who were tested clicked on a phony link. What’s more, 93 percent of the baited employees didn’t report the incident to the USPS Computer Incident Response Team, according to the report.
  The testing came less
  
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• Oracle's Larry Ellison unveils new services, products in cloud push

  26-10-2015 07:30
  Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison unveiled Sunday new cloud applications and services, including a training tool that integrates with the company's human resources application, and gave a glimpse of the company's security strategy.As is expected with Ellison's speeches, the keynote at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco was peppered with digs at rivals. He took a swipe at IBM and SAP, saying that Oracle no longer pays any attention to both companies because they don't really have a cloud pla
  
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• Despite takedown, the Dridex botnet is running again

  26-10-2015 05:56
  
  Spam emails containing the Dridex malware are being seen almost daily despite the arrest of one of its key operators in August.The finding confirms that while law enforcement can claim temporary victories in fighting cybercriminal networks, it's sometimes difficult to completely shut down their operations.The U.S. Department of Justice said on Oct. 13 it was seeking the extradition of a 30-year-old Moldovan man, Andrey Ghinkul. Prosecutors allege he used Dridex malware to steal US$10 m
  
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• Australia goes hi-tech to tame shark attack fears

  26-10-2015 04:41
  
  Australia is investigating hi-tech solutions to prevent shark attacks, which are rare but highly publicized events in the water-loving country.
  This year has been particularly tough in the state of New South Wales, with more than a dozen reported shark attacks, including one which resulted in the death of Tadashi Nakahara, a Japanese surfer, near Ballina.
  On Sunday, the state's government announced it would spend AU$16 million (US$11.6 million) over the next five years trying shark mitigat
  
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• Microsoft plunges deeper into retail with flagship New York store

  26-10-2015 02:07
  
  Six years after stepping into the retail market with smaller mall outlets, Microsoft is literally taking the wraps off its flagship store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on Monday, the same day as the general release of its Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book devices.The new flagship, along with a Sydney  store due to open in time for the holiday season, signals a global expansion and renewed commitment to reaching out to customers through retail as key Windows 10 devices ship into a flagging PC mar
  
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