IT Executive news

• Hilton fined for obstructing FCC investigation into Wi-Fi blocking

  02-11-2015 23:03
  
  The Federal Communications Commission plans to fine Hilton Worldwide Holdings $25,000 for obstructing its investigation into whether the hotel operator blocked Wi-Fi hotspots being used by customers.In an order published on Monday, the FCC said Hilton must provide information and documents to assist the investigation or it could face a "significantly higher fine."Also on Monday, the FCC said it would fine electrical contracter  M.C. Dean $718,000 for blocking Wi-Fi at the Baltimore Conventi
  
  Read more

• FreeBSD comes to 64-bit ARM

  02-11-2015 22:27
  
  Want to run something other than Linux on a ARM 64-bit server? Soon you can: a small software company has shown FreeBSD running on a 96-core server.Semihalf, which is based in Poland, demonstrated a beta version of FreeBSD running on a server board built with Cavium's ThunderX processors. That's the first hardware based on ARM's 64-bit processors to run FreeBSD.FreeBSD is a flavor of the Unix OS developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The OS runs on a broad array of platforms.To rea
  
  Read more

• Chrome OS is here to stay, Google blog emphatically states

  02-11-2015 22:08
  
  Google further clarified its position on the future of the Chrome and Android operating systems on Monday, saying Google is bringing together the best of both but has no plans to phase out the Chrome OS.
  In fact, Google will have "dozens" of new Chromebooks in 2016, according to an entry in the Official Google for Work blog titled "Chrome OS Is Here to Stay" that was posted by Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android and Chrome OS. 
  "While we've been working on ways to bri
  
  Read more

• How Cisco's digital transformation is driving business outcomes

  02-11-2015 22:06
  
  CHICAGO -- Cisco Systems, as part of its digital transformation efforts, is automating business processes and quantifying the cost of delivering services to ensure accountability for each unit. The effort, called business outcome assurance, is one of CIO Guillermo Diaz' strategic imperatives to drive more operational efficiency under new CEO Chuck Robbins and Senior Vice President of Operations Rebecca Jacoby, whom Diaz succeeded in June.Cisco CIO CIO Guillermo Diaz.To read this article in full
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Sprint signs wireless roaming agreement with Cuba carrier

  02-11-2015 21:41
  
  Sprint announced Monday that it signed a wireless roaming agreement with the Telecommunications Company of Cuba, known as ETECSA, to take advantage of future business from U.S. travelers to that nation.
  Sprint said it is the first U.S. wireless carrier to sign a direct agreement with ETECSA, although Verizon Wireless launched roaming services in Cuba in September. The difference is that Verizon's roaming is achieved by piggybacking on to Vodafone's roaming agreement with ETECSA, while Spring st
  
  Read more

• Google to autonomous cars: Brake for kids!

  02-11-2015 21:41
  
  Google engineers are trying to make sure that their autonomous cars are extra cautious around children.
  The company explained in a blog post over the weekend that engineers had asked employees and their little trick-or-treating ghosts and goblins to trek around some parked autonomous cars. That gave the cars' sensors and software extra practice time recognizing kids in different shapes and sizes -- and even costumes and masks.
  [ Stay up to date on tech news with Computerworld's daily newsletter
  
  Read more

• Google patches critical media processing flaws in Android

  02-11-2015 21:14
  
  New security patches for Google's Nexus devices address seven vulnerabilities, two of which are critical and could allow for remote code execution when handling media files.The updates, released on Monday, are part of Google's recently introduced monthly patch cycle and are available for Nexus devices running both Android 5.1 (Lollipop) and 6.0 (Marshmallow). The source code for the fixes will also be added to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) over the next 48 hours.The most serious fl
  
  Read more

• National Science Foundation invests $5M-plus in big data hubs

  02-11-2015 21:08
  
  The National Science Foundation announced Monday that it is awarding a handful of universities more than $5 million to establish four regional hubs devoted to furthering the ability of organizations in fields ranging from agriculture to healthcare to make better use of big data.
  The awards are the next step in advancing the National Big Data Research and Development Initiative that's been in the works for a couple of years now.
  The Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs are coordinated by data scien
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Balancing privacy with data collection in Allstate mobile app

  02-11-2015 20:58
  
  Allstate Insurance Co. developed Drivewise, a usage-based insurance (UBI) program, to collect telematics information about customers’ driving behavior, such as braking, speed and driving time of day. Originally enabled by a device that plugs into a customer’s vehicle, the company has since developed Drivewise Mobile.
  This app collects the same information via a driver’s smartphone as long as the phone is in the vehicle. Although other insurance companies have similar telematic
  
  Read more

• Your guide to top tech conferences

  02-11-2015 20:57
  
  CES, ITexpo, SXSW, Adobe Summit...so many technology conferences, so little time (or money).Maybe you're looking to stay on top of emerging trends in your industry, or get a read on what your customers are excited about. Perhaps you're actively networking for customers, vendors or even a new job. Or you might simply be looking to mingle with your peers in more informal surroundings.Regardless of your intent, there's never a bad reason to maintain a solid network of professionals and experts in y
  
  Read more

• What are the rules when a site publishes false information about you?

  02-11-2015 20:37
  If an Internet company publishes false information about you online, can you sue for damages even if you weren't demonstrably harmed?That, essentially, is the question that hangs in the balance Monday as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that pits online data broker Spokeo against a Virginia man.Google, Yahoo, Facebook and eBay have all weighed in with support for Spokeo and are watching closely. There's good reason: Which way the court decides could have significant implications
  
  Read more

• Toronto schools back BYOD (to class) with $14M Wi-Fi network

  02-11-2015 19:45
  
  The largest school district in Canada is rolling out a $14 million Wi-Fi network that embraces a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approach for students.
  The Wi-Fi rollout to 562 schools and other buildings in metropolitan Toronto, based primarily on Cisco gear and software, is expected to be complete next year and serve all 246,000 students, plus staff. Many arrive each day with at least two different computing devices each.
  Hardware of various shapes and sides -- and running different OSes -- incl
  
  Read more

• Google said to eye drone delivery from 2017

  02-11-2015 19:38
  
  Google is hoping to start commercial package delivery by drone in 2017, the head of its drone project said Monday.Dave Vos, who leads Project Wing at Google X, was speaking at conference in Washington, D.C.,  Reuters reported. His comments came a day before he is due to co-chair a key working group meeting on consumer drone regulation on Tuesday.Google has been working on drone delivery efforts for at least a year and disclosed the project in August 2014 when it released a video showing pro
  
  Read more

• Mac owners upgrade to OS X El Capitan at record rate

  02-11-2015 19:09
  
  Apple's OS X El Capitan in October got off to the fastest-ever one-month start for a Mac operating system.
  El Capitan, also tagged by Apple as OS X 10.11, was released on the last day of September: 31 days later it had been installed on another 25% of all Macs, bumping its total to 27%, according to U.S. analytics firm Net Applications.
  The October increase was the largest one-month user share gain by an edition of OS X in the six years that Computerworld has recorded Net Applications' data, be
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: CIO transformation in the third sector (non-profit and voluntary sector)

  02-11-2015 18:38
  
  The third sector arguably has been primed for transformation for some time, almost as if the transformational starting gun has been fired, several major borderless charities have undergone progressive modernization programs within relatively compact time frames. This wave of transformation has not been solely in the custody of only the borderless, but also many national and localized third sector organizations too. Interestingly, several themes have generated a change agenda and several common c
  
  Read more

• My Kafkaesque nightmare with the iPhone Upgrade Program

  02-11-2015 18:20
  
  When Apple announced the iPhone Upgrade Program, Tim Cook made a simple pitch: pay a relatively small monthly fee and get a new iPhone with AppleCare+ every year.But getting a phone through the iPhone Upgrade Program is quite a bit different (and more difficult) from the default iPhone purchasing process Apple has been using for years. Over the past three weeks, I’ve been dealing with problems that expose one of the key issues with the program: despite all of the 21st Century wizardry pack
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: AnandTech loves the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

  02-11-2015 17:51
  Technology junkies love AnandTech's deep and detailed reviews of Apple products. AnandTech delves into technology like no other site, and today it released a full review of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.When I say that AnandTech's review of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus is deep and detailed, I'm not kidding. Make yourself a cup of your favorite beverage and savor this review slowly because it's well worth reading.And did I mention that AnandTech has awarded the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus its coveted Editor's
  
  Read more

• Snapchat clarifies privacy policies after terms of service change freaks out users

  02-11-2015 17:41
  Snapchat recently tweaked its terms of service and privacy policy, and the Internet didn’t like the alterations one bit. The new policies are drastic changes from the former versions and did away with Snapchat’s most important privacy phrase, “Delete is our default.” Trying to calm the outrage, Snapchat clarified what it really meant by its new terms in a blog post on Sunday.
  At the center of concern is something we’ve seen play out again and again on social networ
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Training AI to be man’s smartest best friend

  02-11-2015 17:19
  
  “Albert, you have all the cranial capacity of a canary. Now I am going to recount these events of historical significance once again. Now please, please try to assimilate them this time.” Blood tutors his human sidekick in “A Boy and his Dog.”In the 1975 movie “A Boy and His Dog,” Blood is the dog: telepathic; trained in police tactics; and much, much smarter than the boy.Unlike the artificial intelligences Hollywood has wrung its hands over – Colos
  
  Read more

• Are you ready to anticipate breach?

  02-11-2015 17:12
  
  Breach HappensImage by NOAAHave you been affected by a breach? Gotten the notice in the mail that your payment card or other information may have been compromised?More hands are raised each time I ask my audiences that question.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• 14 rules for creating a bring-your-dog-to-work policy

  02-11-2015 16:51
  
  Studies have shown that allowing dogs in the workplace can reduce work-related stress, improve morale and increase job satisfaction. But before business owners start bringing their dogs to work, or allowing employees to do so, it’s important to set some ground rules – and make sure everyone, especially those employees who don’t have pets (or may be allergic to pet dander), are on board with it.To help avoid coworkers’ pet peeves, here are 14 rules for bringing dogs (and c
  
  Read more

• Windows 10 adoption keeps slowing as Microsoft plans aggressive upgrades

  02-11-2015 16:26
  
  After getting off to a speedy start, Windows 10 adoption is continuing to flatten out.
  In October, NetApplications estimated7.94 market share among desktop operating systems for Windows 10, based on unique visits to a sampling of websites. That’s up from 6.63 percent in September, and 5.21 percent in August.
  StatCounter, another metrics firm that measures usage share by pageviews on sample sites, estimated 9 percent usage for Windows 10 in October. That’s compared to 7.64 percent in
  
  Read more

• Baidu Android app component puts 100 million devices at risk

  02-11-2015 16:19
  A software development kit created by Chinese Internet services company Baidu and used by thousands of Android applications contains a feature that gives attackers backdoor-like access to users' devices.The SDK is called Moplus and while it's not open to the public, it was integrated in more than 14,000 apps, of which only around 4,000 were created by Baidu, security researchers from Trend Micro said in a blog post Sunday.The company estimates that the affected apps are used by over 100 million
  
  Read more

• IEEE plugs into Smart Cities movement

  02-11-2015 16:16
  
  Guadalajara, Mexico -- Smart Cities are the best response to the global urban future, according to the IEEE, which bills itself as “the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology.”
  Gilles Betis, IEEE Smart City Initiative Chair, said the population in cities will grow from 3.5 billion today to 7.2 billion by 2050.
  “Doubling the number of people in cities is not an adjustment, this is a transition,” he said.
  Betis made the remarks in his ke
  
  Read more

• Forrester’s top 10 predictions for business in 2016 — and what they mean for tech

  02-11-2015 16:02
  
  2016 will be a year of action for companies. It will be the year that the companies that thrive will be those advancing down the customer obsession path — while those that downplay their customers’ needs will start to wither away.
  The good news? You and your technology teams have a critical role in helping — and in some cases, leading — your organization in adapting and thriving in the age of the customer.
  Here are the top trends Forrester sees shaping your business in 2
  
  Read more

• This hardware development platform can fly -- literally

  02-11-2015 15:41
  
  When companies say their computers have a GPU so apps can "really fly," they usually just mean they'll run quickly. With the Manifold, an 11 centimeter-square package containing an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor and a host of ports, DJI wants you to take it literally.DJI is known for its drones, not its desktops, so it's no surprise that it intends the Manifold for higher things. The US$499 computer weighs about 200 grams, and is designed to clip on top of the company's Matrice 100, a $3,299 quad-cop
  
  Read more

• ISO 27018 compliance: Here's what you need to know

  02-11-2015 14:45
  
  You're negotiating a contract for cloud services. To clinch the deal, the cloud provider's rep leans across the table, fixes her gaze and tells you, "By the way, the service is certified ISO 27018 compliant."ISO 270-what? Should you sign, or step back? IT execs will be increasingly faced with just such a choice, thanks to the advent of the ISO 27018 standard for protecting personally identifiable information (PII) in the cloud, which was adopted by the International Standards Organization (ISO)
  
  Read more

• How to earn the trust of millennials concerned with security

  02-11-2015 14:27
  
  Part of a great marketing strategy includes building trust with consumers, especially with influential groups like millennials. You might also call them Generation Y or digital natives, but whatever you call them, it applies anyone born between 1980 and the early 2000s. This group is usually top of the list for companies’ brand awareness efforts, but the biggest threat to your marketing strategy lies more in your approach to cybersecurity than how much money you spend on advertising.
  Inte
  
  Read more

• Beacons in business: 8 ways to leverage location services

  02-11-2015 14:11
  
  For the past several decades, much of the computer revolution has aimed to link every machine to every other machine in one big harmonic convergence called the Internet. That trend is coming to an end -- at least in the emerging world of what are being called beacons. Instead of trying to reach everyone in the galaxy, beacon builders want to reach only the right people who are within a few meters of their transmitting devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(
  
  Read more

• Cord cutting more attractive as streaming-video market heats up

  02-11-2015 14:00
  
  Now that the new (and reportedly much improved) Apple TV is available, it's a good time to seriously consider saying goodbye to the Comcasts and DirecTVs of the television world, by "cutting the cord." New, interesting programming, as well as a variety of hardware options, are released regularly as the industry moves away from bloated, expensive cable and satellite packages.
  Apple TV has plenty of rivals, of course, including Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon's Fire TV Stick. The Chromecast and
  
  Read more

• 6 iPhone apps that use 3D Touch to make you more productive

  02-11-2015 14:00
  
  Tons of third-party iOS apps don't yet take advantage of Apple's 3D Touch, a key feature of the new iPhone 6s models, but thankfully additional apps get 3D Touch support every day. Here are six iOS apps that use 3D Touch to help you save a few seconds here and there and be more efficient.3D Touch on iPhone 6s helps you get stuff done
  Evernote (freemium) is the Big Daddy of note-taking apps, despite increasing competition from Microsoft OneNote. Using 3D Touch on the app icon, you can q
  
  Read more

• 10 (more) ways to be productive at work

  02-11-2015 13:25
  
  10 (more) ways to be productive at workImage by ThinkstockStaying energized, focused and productive at work can be a challenge, 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 energy drink can drag you out of. Here, our experts offer 10 more easy (and less caffeinated) ways to head off the slump and keep you energized and productive throughout your workday.Commit to work-life balanceImage by ThinkstockTo
  
  Read more

• Submit your application for the 2016 CIO 100 Awards

  02-11-2015 13:21
  
  Applications for the 2016 CIO 100 awards now open.
  Deadline: Monday, February 1, 2016 (midnight EST)
   
  Every year, the CIO 100 Awards honor 100 companies that demonstrate excellence and achievement in IT.Purchase an application – The application fee is $75. Once you purchase the application, you'll be sent a confirmation email containing a link to fill out the application. [View a sample application.]
   
  2016 CIO 100 Awards:
  Purchase application
  Sample application
  Tell a
  
  Read more

• Can Office 365’s Skype for Business replace your PBX system?

  02-11-2015 13:09
  
  “Your phone is your lifeline.” Or so says the telephone company truck that just drove by my window. It’s certainly true: Most businesses are not willing to give up their phones, and as convenient as mobile phones are, there’s still a large market of landlines, PBXs and corporate phone systems that will not go away. And Skype for Business Online in Office 365 wants a piece of that market.The idea behind the cloud PBX feature in Skype for Business Online is to allow small-
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How much change is too much change for end users?

  02-11-2015 13:00
  
  Whether Roberto Duran actually said "No mas" in the eighth round against Sugar Ray Leonard or not, many of our business users are ready to say "No more" to the changes we introduce into their worlds.We IT professionals like to think that the critical path to getting a project done is the speed at which we can convert data, back up and restore a system, or add capacity to a server. That may be true in an IT-centric view of the world.  The true gating factor, however, is the speed at which yo
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Out with the old, in with the new

  02-11-2015 12:32
  
  In today’s IT infrastructure environment, most companies have three distinct types of environments operating:Legacy environment with mainframes, servers and workloads that run on them
  Private cloud environment, which is some combination of virtualization and/or containerization
  Public cloud environment
  There is a lot of interest in migrating applications and workloads from the legacy environment to the private cloud environment. As a CIO, I’m sure you’ve been inundated with pit
  
  Read more

• Alstom sluit overeenkomst met BT voor netwerkconsolidatie en -optimalisatie

  02-11-2015 12:25
  Aanbieder van transportsystemen Alstom Transport heeft BT in de arm genomen om zijn wereldwijde netwerkinfrastructuur te consolideren en te optimaliseren. BT gaat de bedrijfsprocessen van Alstom ondersteunen in meer dan 300 locaties verspreid over 59 landen. De samenwerking ondersteunt Alstom Transport in zijn... lees meer
  
  Read more

• 5 ways to personalize Windows 10

  02-11-2015 12:23
  
  Windows 10 is a welcome return to the Windows operating system that many of us missed after Microsoft implemented radical design changes in Windows 8. Win10 has been praised for going back to the basics we're familiar with, but not everything is the way it was and other functions seem to be missing. Here are five programs that rectify what users may miss in Windows 10.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
  Read more

• 14 hidden tips & tricks to make the most of your new iPhone 6s

  02-11-2015 12:09
  6s does whaaat?The new iPhones have been out for over a month, so it’s time to recap all the go-to tips and tricks we’ve discovered. Do you have a favorite nifty little trick? Let us know in the comments.Peek into an entire album in Apple MusicLet’s say you have found an awesome song while listening to Apple Music’s “Hot Tracks” section in the New tab. Using 3D Touch, deep press on the track to get a glimpse of the entire album that song is a part of. From the
  
  Read more

• Despite stingy budgets, IT still finds ways to bolster business

  02-11-2015 12:06
  
  Gains in automation and reliability are having an impact on how IT departments are spending their money, according to data from two independent sources.
  The Hackett Group, a management consulting firm, says its benchmark data shows the cost of supporting one end user or employee in a business has fallen by about 17% over a 10-year period. That includes all the costs associated with the user, from PCs to applications, including business apps like ERP systems.
  The most successful IT departments a
  
  Read more

• Apple Pay at 1 year: Growing, but slowly

  02-11-2015 12:02
  
  A year after its launch, Apple Pay has seen some significant growth in the U.S. and has now expanded to the UK. There are plans for additional launches in Canada and Australia later this year, and expansion into Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2016 -- though only American Express has been identified as a partner in those markets.
  The U.S. remains the primary market for Apple Pay, with all major card issuers and thousands of banks now supporting the platform. Even here, however, Apple Pay is f
  
  Read more

• Chrome user share swells to record 31%

  02-11-2015 12:01
  
  Chrome last month reached another major milestone in user share as Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox again shed fans at ruinous rates.
  Meanwhile, use of Microsoft's Edge, the intended replacement for IE, continued to sink among those running Windows 10.
  The latest data published Sunday by California-based Net Applications portrayed the browser battle in October as another victory for Google and its Chrome, and signaled that the looming deadline facing almost half of all IE users has not been t
  
  Read more

• Why virtual reality is the next social network

  02-11-2015 12:00
  
  A big thing happened last week, and hardly anybody noticed: The first mainstream social virtual world came into existence.
  Oculus VR, the virtual reality company owned by Facebook, released an app called the Oculus Social alpha. It's for users of the Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset, which uses a Samsung phone as the screen and brains of the headset and is based on Oculus technology.
  A user wears the Samsung Gear VR headset.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click
  
  Read more

• Security tools' effectiveness hampered by false positives

  02-11-2015 12:00
  
  Thanks to technologies such as intrusion detection systems, services such as threat intelligence and other emerging sources of information, security programs today are gathering unprecedented amounts of data about threats and attacks.
  This can help strengthen the security posture of organizations in a big way, by giving them a head’s up on the latest threats. But unfortunately it can also add to the nagging and costly problem of false positives — normal or expected behaviors that ar
  
  Read more

• Network jobs are hot; salaries expected to rise in 2016

  02-11-2015 12:00
  
  Network professionals continue to be among the toughest IT talent to find and hire – a situation that will drive up salaries in the coming year.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
  Read more

• 5 signs your Web application has been hacked

  02-11-2015 12:00
  
  When customers interact with your business, they most likely go through a Web application first. It’s your company’s public face -- and by virtue of that exposure, an obvious point of vulnerability.Most attacks against Web applications are stealthy and hard to spot. That’s a problem, because once attackers get in, they lurk undetected on networks for an average of 205 days, according to the 2015 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. Most organizations find out they’v
  
  Read more

• CISA won’t do much to turn threat intelligence into action

  02-11-2015 11:29
  
  With the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) the feds are trying to make it more attractive to share threat intelligence, but it won’t do much to help businesses deal with the high cost of sorting through what can be an overwhelming flow of possible security incidents and find which ones need to be checked out.
  And deciding what data to share, what threat intelligence feeds to subscribe to and what tools are needed to turn potentially valuable information into action takes sizeab
  
  Read more

• Aloys Kregting (DSM), nieuw bestuurslid EuroCIO: “Betrokkenheid vergroten”

  02-11-2015 10:26
  Aloys Kregting, momenteel nog CIO van DSM en tweevoudig winnaar van de CIO of the Year Award, is onlangs aangetreden als bestuurslid van EuroCIO. Hoewel er binnen het bestuur nog geen portefeuilles en rollen verdeeld zijn, zou de toekomstige AkzoNobel-CIO zich graag ontfermen over de communicatie van de Europese... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Nederlands bedrijfsleven moet cloud strategischer inzetten

  02-11-2015 10:25
  Nederlandse IT-beslissers zijn heel pragmatisch in het gebruik van diensten in de cloud en gebruiken deze vooral om kosten te drukken of om de toegankelijkheid van dienstverlening te vergroten. Een strategische visie ontbreekt vaak. Daarop duidt onderzoek van Capgemini. In Nederland maakt 28% van de organisaties... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Pew survey shows 68 percent of U.S. adults now own a smartphone

  02-11-2015 01:24
  
  The percentage of US adults who own a smartphone or tablet has skyrocketed in recent years, while PC ownership has held more or less steady. That’s the takeaway of a new Pew Research Center survey that clearly illustrates the rapid rise of “post-PC” devices.
  According to the survey, 68 percent of adults in the United States currently own a smartphone, up from 35 percent four years ago. Meanwhile, 45 percent own some form of tablet, up from three percent in 2010. 
  Pew&rsqu
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!