IT Executive news

• Nanoparticle breakthrough could mean faster charging batteries

  12-11-2015 23:35
  
  Researchers at Vanderbilt University have gained new insight into the nanoscale workings of Lithium Ion batteries, a discovery that could speed the development of batteries that can be recharged in seconds.The team of scientists spent the last 7 months investigating batteries containing quantum dots made of iron pyrite, also known as "fool's gold."Quantum dots are particles just a few tens of atoms wide, and researchers already know that their use in batteries allows for very fast charging. But
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: 5 Takeaways from SAP TechEd 2015

  12-11-2015 23:22
  
  The SAP TechEd events in Las Vegas and Barcelona were ambitious and successful showcases for many of SAP’s new technologies. SAP reiterated the company’s HANA-centric strategy and reinvention of its technologies from business processes to entire applications. The implicit message was “the time for digital transformation is right here, right now.”
  You may have thought it’s a B2C world, but it’s really C2B. Today, it’s the customer experience that matters
  
  Read more

• Half of U.S. businesses have no formal BYOD policy for security

  12-11-2015 18:38
  
  Years after the widespread adoption of workplace smartphones, more than half of U.S. companies said they have no formal BYOD (bring your own device) policy to safeguard their enterprises, according to a survey.
  The survey of 447 businesses of all sizes was conducted over the summer by systems integrator Champion Solutions Group. It found that 53% of those businesses haven't implemented a formal BYOD policy, while more than one-fourth confessed they have no systematic security approach, much les
  
  Read more

• Juniper Networks taps new security CTO

  12-11-2015 18:20
  
  Juniper Networks this week said it named former Walmart information security executive Kevin Walker as its new security CTO, replacing Christofer Hoff, who left last June.
  Walker will report to Jonathan Davidson, executive vice president and general manager of Juniper Development and Innovation. He will help lead the security strategy within Juniper and guide the company’s security product roadmap.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Reports of Twitter's demise may be premature

  12-11-2015 18:00
  
  Twitter's product chief Kevin Weil gave an update on the company's progress at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco this week. The update didn't include investors' top concerns, such as revenues and subscribers, which led to the departure of former CEO Dick Costello. But he did bring into question the many reports of Twitter's pending demise, most notably Om Malik's piece Jack in a Box: Can Twitter Be Saved?
  Weil launched into his update saying that founder Jack Dorsey returned as CEO to an
  
  Read more

• Self-encrypting drives are hardly any better than software-based encryption

  12-11-2015 17:55
  
  Companies relying on self-encrypting drives (SEDs) to secure data stored on their employees' laptops should be aware that this technology is not immune to attack and should carefully consider whether they want to use this rather than software-based approaches.Daniel Boteanu and Kevvie Fowler from KPMG Canada demonstrated three data recovery methods against laptops using SEDs at the Black Hat Europe security conference in Amsterdam Thursday.Self-encrypting drives perform the data encryption and d
  
  Read more

• Review: New Windows 10 version still can't beat Windows 7

  12-11-2015 17:35
  
  Three months into Microsoft’s “Windows as a Service” strategy, many of us expected to see significant progress in plugging the many holes in the “RTM” July 29 build 10240 release of Windows 10. Unfortunately, Windows 10 version 1511 -- aka Threshold 2, Fall Update, build 10586 -- takes only tiny steps in that direction.On the positive side, one flagrant problem with activation has been solved, and several apps -- Skype, Edge, Mail, Phone, and the media apps -- are d
  
  Read more

• EU wants US companies to report intelligence agency data access requests

  12-11-2015 17:32
  
  The European Union wants U.S. businesses to report when U.S. intelligence agencies request access to data they hold about Europeans; the reporting is one of the conditions EU negotiators are imposing for signature of a new Safe Harbor agreement.Since Edward Snowden's revelations about the U.S. surveillance of Internet traffic, European Commission officials have been negotiating better privacy protection for Europeans' personal information transferred to the U.S. But since the Court of Justice of
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Bimodal is a cop-out

  12-11-2015 17:06
  
  Gartner put forward a construction called bimodal IT, basically a recommendation on how to organize IT approaches to business demands. Simply stated, the idea is that IT departments must operate in two modes; Mode 1 is a legacy environment and Mode 2 is cloud. In the cloud mode, IT can deploy a set of philosophies, methodologies, technologies and organization that fits the new business demands for speed and agility. In the legacy world, IT must maintain stability and the old ITIL-driven structur
  
  Read more

• Firefox finally comes to iOS

  12-11-2015 16:53
  
  Nearly a year ago Mozilla said it would bring Firefox to iOS, and earlier in the fall we got our first look at the popular browser on Apple’s platform. On Thursday, the stable version rolled out and is now available on the App Store for devices running iOS 8.2 and up.
  Firefox for iOS brings all the standard features you’d expect from Firefox, including sync via a Firefox account for browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs on other devices. The new mobile browser also has the non-
  
  Read more

• Strong data security is not optional

  12-11-2015 16:41
  
  According to the Ponemon Institute’s 10th annual Cost of Data Breach Study, the average consolidated total cost of a data breach is now $6.53 million for a U.S. organization, an 11% increase since last year. The study also found that the average cost per lost or stolen record containing sensitive and confidential information rose from $201 in 2014 to $217. These facts alone should encourage every company to tighten its data security policies and capabilities, but there’s more. Key l
  
  Read more

• Patch Tuesday Windows security update rendered Outlook unusable for many

  12-11-2015 16:21
  Users of Microsoft Outlook for Windows reportedly ran into numerous problems on Wednesday, after Microsoft issued a buggy—but critical—security patch.
  As noted by ZDNet, users reported that the program became crash-prone after installing update KB3097877, particularly when loading HTML messages. In some cases users would see only a black screen when trying to log in. The problems reportedly occurred in all versions of Outlook on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but Windows 10 appeared to
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Building the foundation with a high-level architecture

  12-11-2015 16:16
  
  This first series of articles describe foundational steps that enable agile data warehouse development – something that has been a challenge in enterprise data management for years.  My prior articles published thus far describe how to develop a Business Conceptual Model as a starting point, then building a “grass roots” (at a minimum!) Data Governance capability.The next focus for setting yourself up for a best in class agile data warehouse environment is to develop a hig
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: What Android users are saying about the Apple Music app

  12-11-2015 16:07
  
  Apple released the Apple Music app for Android recently and - as you might expect - it's gotten quite a bit of attention from Android users. I was curious to know how Android users were reacting to one of Apple's services becoming available on their platform, so I dropped by the Android subreddit. I found a very large thread (nearly 800 messages and counting) that had quite a few positive comments about Apple Music for Android.Here's a sampling of comments from the Apple Music for Android thread
  
  Read more

• Yahoo rolls out slick new search results exclusively for U.S. Firefox users

  12-11-2015 15:41
  
  Yahoo’s deal to be the default search engine in Firefox is nearly a year old and over that time Yahoo’s search market share has crept up and down. Now, the company is trying to use exclusive features as a way to entice more U.S. Firefox users to stick with Yahoo.
  Anyone in the U.S. searching for items such as movies, songs, and sports from the Firefox Awesome Bar or search box will see a new search layout on Yahoo. The most obvious change is that the top of the results page now has
  
  Read more

• Microsoft releases a Windows 10 'November update' with a smarter Cortana and more

  12-11-2015 15:00
  Windows 10 is actually pretty great. But Microsoft hasn’t rested on its laurels: Better messaging, improved device activation, and media casting comprise several significant improvements within the first major patch to Windows 10 since its release in July.
  A couple million users helped Microsoft evaluate Windows 10 before its launch. More than 110 million have already downloaded it since then. Today, with the release of the November Update, formerly known as “Threshold 2,” bot
  
  Read more

• Microsoft goes all-out for enterprise with its latest Windows 10 update

  12-11-2015 15:00
  Since the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, Microsoft has been providing small performance and security updates to the OS, but the company has largely kept new features at bay.That all changed on Thursday when the first major update to Windows 10 arrived, crammed full of goodies for consumers and IT managers alike. "With this free update we have reached the point in the platform’s maturity where we can confidently recommend Windows 10 deployment to whole organizations," Terry Myer
  
  Read more

• 4 reasons Logitech's Create keyboard may top Apple's Smart Keyboard

  12-11-2015 14:54
  
  If you're hot to get your hands on Apple's Smart Keyboard for the new iPad Pro, be prepared to wait. As of this writing, the keyboard won't be in stock for three or four weeks.In the meantime, I recommend giving Logitech's Create keyboard case the jeweler’s eye. Like Apple's keyboard, it uses the iPad Pro's "smart connector" for its connection and power.Here are four reasons to consider Logitech’s iPad Pro keyboard:1. It's available now. You've waited since the iPad Pro's announcemen
  
  Read more

• 4 ways CIOs can speak better CFO

  12-11-2015 14:32
  
  Getting the budget you need for new hardware, upgrades or better tools isn’t easy. With CFOs controlling the corporate purse strings, your success depends on your communication skills, your delivery of the pitch and your relationship with the CFO. “I’ve worked with my CFO for seven years, and I’ve never been told ‘no’ for a project, partly because I only come to him when it’s something I really need, and because I’ve also developed a great rel
  
  Read more

• IT execs excited (but cautious) about merger of mobile, desktop OSes

  12-11-2015 14:00
  
  The road to operating system (OS) convergence is already paved, and many IT leaders are set to roll down that path.Despite a recent denial from Google regarding reports that it planned to merge Android and Chrome this month, Apple, Google and Microsoft are clearly making moves designed to merge their mobile and desktop OSes. However, none of them are quite ready to make the full transition to a single OS for all of their devices.These companies may still be weighing the potential gains and sacri
  
  Read more

• How to successfully blend your online and offline personas

  12-11-2015 13:40
  
  What's the first thing you do when you're introduced to a new person? If you're like most people, you check them out online -- their Facebook page, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile and so on. Potential employers do the same when they're screening candidates, so it's important to make sure your online presence offers an accurate picture of your whole self before you're asked to an in-person interview."In this day and age, how you conduct yourself personally does reflect on how you are viewed profes
  
  Read more

• 10 experts share their top IT leadership tips

  12-11-2015 13:23
  
  10 experts, 10 tipsThe best leaders not only know how but where to look for advice. Often, it is through a mentor or a peer in your department. But what if you’re the head of the department? In most cases, it helps to tap experts outside of your field entirely, those who study good leadership practices and have a wide range of experience in both technical and non-technical fields. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How to run two complex projects at the same time

  12-11-2015 13:19
  
  Let's face it, project managers often must lead two, three, maybe even five or more projects concurrently. I've led more than that at once. But usually we aren't leading more than one large or complex project at the same time. Or at least not two that are going full steam requiring a lot of our time all at once.But what if we were? What if we had two very important, very complex, high dollar projects dropped on us at the same time with high expectations of getting out of the gate fast and reachi
  
  Read more

• Blame sluggish Windows 10 adoption on unenthusiastic Windows 8 and 8.1 users

  12-11-2015 13:16
  
  Windows 10 adoption is already significantly behind the uptake pace set by its predecessor, 2013’s Windows 8.1, during its first three months, according to an analysis of OS user share.
  Those at fault? Windows 8 and 8.1 users.
  They have not migrated to Windows 10 at the speed anticipated by Computerworld, which based its forecast on the rate with which Windows 8 users deserted their problem-plagued OS for its partial reboot, Windows 8.1.
  Three months after its October 2013 launch, Windows
  
  Read more

• Hands on: The iPad Pro -- It's a laptop! It's a tablet!

  12-11-2015 12:45
  
  The iPad Pro is dauntingly big. It's also surprisingly thin -- 6.9mm thin, which is slimmer than an iPhone 6S.It's not very heavy, clocking in at 1.57 well-balanced pounds. But that weight will become noticeable pretty quick if you're carrying Apple's newest, biggest and most expensive tablet around with you all day long. Add in the weight of a Smart Cover and Smart Case -- you're not really going to walk around with this tablet unprotected, are you? -- and the iPad Pro feels almost like a lapto
  
  Read more

• Are vendors on the wrong path where smart plant security is concerned?

  12-11-2015 12:40
  
  As the number of smart plants that use M2M, sensors, and other ICT continue to rise, so too does the lure for attackers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
  Read more

• Is the board's involvement in cybersecurity really that critical?

  12-11-2015 12:00
  
  Business IT, and information security leaders alike repeat it all of the time: cybersecurity is a board-level issue. Assuming that’s true, and many organizations believe it is, what can the board of directors actually do when it comes to improving cybersecurity efforts?
  Most experts agree that one of the most important things boards can do is to set the security tone for the organization. (Also read "Six reasons why boards of director must be engaged in cybersecurity".)
  “The board o
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Are you living in a corporate halloween nightmare?

  12-11-2015 12:00
  
  Since moving to the US I have been continually amazed at how much Halloween is embraced here. Shops appear (as if by magic) mid-September selling costumes and accessories galore. The neighborhood is strewn with "festive lights and decorations," grave yard scenes and cackling skeletons, spooky cobwebs adorn nearly every front door. The carved pumpkin displays have become more ornate and intricate and replaced the simple Jack-o’-lantern I remember carrying on a stick as a chi
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Are you living in a corporate halloween nighmare?

  12-11-2015 12:00
  
  Since moving to the US I have been continually amazed at how much Halloween is embraced here. Shops appear (as if by magic) mid-September selling costumes and accessories galore. The neighborhood is strewn with "festive lights and decorations," grave yard scenes and cackling skeletons, spooky cobwebs adorn nearly every front door. The carved pumpkin displays have become more ornate and intricate and replaced the simple Jack-o’-lantern I remember carrying on a stick as a chil
  
  Read more

• Google engineers craft a Dart framework for iOS and Android

  12-11-2015 12:00
  
  Google engineers have built a UI framework to help developers build cross-platform 2D mobile apps.
  Called Flutter, the open source project is not an official Google technology at this time. Described as being in its early stages on one GitHub page, the project supports development of both iOS or Android apps, according to an online FAQ.[ The art of programming is changing rapidly. We help you navigate what's hot in programming and what's going cold and give insights into the technologies that a
  
  Read more

• 6 reasons why boards of director must be engaged in cybersecurity

  12-11-2015 12:00
  
  Room for improvementImage by Christiaan ColenWhen one thinks of systematic risks to a large enterprise, cyber attacks and data breaches don’t usually top the list; such things as black swan events, natural disasters, poor business execution, and credit worries usually do. But cyberattacks are getting close, and certainly of increasing importance to boards of director. However, this isn’t true of all boards; as our recent Global State of Information Security Survey revealed the vast m
  
  Read more

• Helft IT’ers ziet drempels voor carrière van vrouwen

  12-11-2015 11:54
  Ondanks dat een meerderheid van de werknemers in de IT graag meer vrouwelijke collega’s verwelkomt, kent de sector nog veel obstakels voor vrouwen, denkt pakweg de helft van IT’ers ondervraagd door Monsterboard.De helft (47%) veronderstelt dat het voor vrouwen moeilijker is om carrière te maken in... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Tien tips voor succesvolle digitalisering gemeentelijke dienstverlening

  12-11-2015 09:19
  Gemeenten die vooroplopen in de digitalisering van hun dienstverlening nemen alle dezelfde tien elementen in acht. Ze doen dat wel op hun eigen manier, passend bij de aard en de vraagstukken van de gemeente. De tien elementen zijn beschreven in een rapport (pdf) van het Kenniscentrum Dienstverlening, onderdeel van... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Best practices bij applicatiemanagement kunnen tot flinke besparingen leiden

  12-11-2015 09:18
  Het toepassen van best practices in applicatiemanagement kan significante kostenvoordelen opleveren in demand management (15%), applicatie portfolio management (4%) en besturingsmodellen voor het leveren van IT-diensten (18%). Onderzoek van Capgemini duidt hierop.Het onderzoek, dat vijf jaar in beslag heeft genomen... lees meer
  
  Read more

• LG Android Wear smartwatch makes calls even if users leave their phones behind

  12-11-2015 08:27
  
  Google has brought cellular connectivity between mobile phones and smartwatches running the Android Wear operating system, thus making it possible for people to make and pick up calls at a say a shopping mall even when the phone is at home.The first smartwatch to offer cellular support on Android Wear is the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, which will roll out to customers worldwide, starting this month in the U.S. and South Korea. AT&T is already selling the device online with in-store sale
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How to revitalize the IT steering committee

  12-11-2015 02:22
  
  Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” It typically takes less than three meetings for the relationship between business and IT to suffer the same fate within an IT Steering Committee (ITSC). The euphoria of creating an ITSC with quotes heralding a time of new IT/business teamwork to support growth and change is quickly replaced by indifference and apathy. Why is this? Why does the business quickly become disengaged in ITSC m
  
  Read more

• A tale of two women: Same birthday, same Social Security number, same big-data mess

  12-11-2015 02:01
  It's a case that would seem to defy the odds many times over: Two Florida women born on the same day, in the same state, and given almost the same name. Though no one realized it at the time, it turns out they were also given the same Social Security number.Joanna Rivera and Joannie Rivera only recently discovered the problem, according to a report this week, but in the meantime it's caused no end of trouble for them. Credit applications have been denied; tax returns have been rejected.Identity
  
  Read more

• Google's About Me page helps users control personal info

  12-11-2015 01:59
  
  People concerned about how much information is out there about them on Google have a new way to control what everyone can see.
  Without any fanfare, Google has begun rolling out an About Me page to make it easier for people to control what others can see about them across Google services.
  The page should be welcome news to people concerned about their privacy, according to Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research.
  "With this feature, there are no changes to what information people can see, bu
  
  Read more

• How T-Mobile's video streaming works

  12-11-2015 01:58
  
  How can T-Mobile afford to offer its Binge On streaming video service at no extra cost to its Simple Choice customers who pay for more than 3GB of LTE data a month?
  Won't it be crummy video? Won't it cause congestion on T-Mobile's networks and lead to frustrations for customers?
  T-Mobile officials offered a few technical details after Tuesday's announcementto shed light on how it will make video streaming from 24 content providers possible starting Sunday.What about the quality?T-Mobile called
  
  Read more

• Best Black Friday 2015 deals on Apple iPhones, iPads, Watches & More

  12-11-2015 01:56
  
  Appetite for AppleImage by AppleApple typically keeps a pretty tight rein on retailers' promotions, even around Black Friday, but the retailers often find a way around these restrictions by bundling phones with gift cards and other goodies. Apple itself typically slips a few Black Friday deals out close to the Thanksgiving holiday. But here are deals we know about already on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• The first affordable robot servant, Alpha2, is now in development

  12-11-2015 01:55
  
  The fantasy of having your own benign, high-tech, vaguely humanoid robot servant goes back at least to Robby the Robot, the star of the 1956 science-fiction classic Forbidden Planet. Robby could cook, clean, carry several tons of cargo, and whip up anything from diamonds to booze from inside his body. He also followed Asimov’s laws of robotics.
  UBTECH Robotics is taking one small step toward a real Robby with their Alpha2 domestic robot, “the first ever designed for practical househ
  
  Read more

• 30-plus eye-popping Black Friday 2015 tech deals

  12-11-2015 01:55
  
  Friday frenzyOscar Wilde once wrote: “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Well, we have the prices, but it’s up to you to determine the value. The Black Friday sales frenzy has started early with pre- and pre-pre-pre sales hitting the market. But here’s a sampling of bargains for shoppers looking for smartphones, tablets, PCs and other computer and network goodies from the likes of Apple, Samsung, HP, Amazon and Dell, and from retailers
  
  Read more

• Apple CEO takes to the stump to hawk the iPad Pro

  12-11-2015 01:54
  
  Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, have been beating the iPad Pro drum in public, engaging in a very un-Apple thing -- "good, old-fashioned attention-getting," said one analyst.
  The 12.9-in. iPad Pro tablet went on sale Wednesday at Apple's online store, with the device slated to show up on the company's retail shelves Friday. (Those who ordered online today could pick up their new tablets at an Apple Store or opt for Friday delivery.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, p
  
  Read more

• Pit your Movember 'stache against the world on Microsoft's MyMoustache.net

  12-11-2015 00:09
  
  After getting the machine-learning fun started with the wildly amusing how-old.net, Microsoft's tackling the world of ambitious facial hair. Microsoft Garage wants you to pit your Movember ‘stache against the rest of the world at MyMoustache.net. All you have to do is upload a selfie to the site and Microsoft’s server farms will rank your facial hair against all comers.Microsoft’s site can also “auto-stache” you with a fancy 19th century handlebar mustache or s
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!