IT Executive news

• PC shipment decline in 2015 sets bleak record

  07-12-2015 22:18
  
  The PC business can't climb out of the four-year hole it's dug for itself, researcher IDC said today.
  Shipments of new personal computers will drop 10% in the fourth quarter -- which is two-thirds over -- IDC announced Monday, meaning that for all of 2015, shipments will have declined by 10.3% from 2014. The firm now expects all OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to ship 276.7 million PCs this year, off the 308.2 million in 2014.
  If IDC's forecast is accurate, it would represent the larges
  
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• How the NSA uses behavior analytics to detect threats

  07-12-2015 21:55
  
  The National Security Agency has significantly enhanced its capabilities for detecting cyber-threats in the two-plus years since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden pilfered and disclosed classified information. The multi-layered capabilities, which include user behavior analytics, now protect a private cloud that provides storage, computing and operational analytics to the intelligence community, CIO Greg Smithberger tells CIO.com.Greg Smithberger, CIO of the National Security Agency.To read t
  
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• AT&T GigaPower fiber expanding to 38 more cities

  07-12-2015 21:52
  
  AT&T announced Monday it will expand its 1Gbps GigaPower fiber optic broadband service to 38 more cities, bringing the total to 58 locales.
  The carrier also said it launched GigaPower on Monday in Los Angeles and West Palm Beach, Fla., making fast fiber available to homes, apartments and small businesses.
  AT&T launched GigaPower in Austin, Texas, about two years ago and has been waging a battle with Google Fiber and others ever since then. Aside from California cities, nearly all of AT&
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 signs it's time to dust off your resume

  07-12-2015 21:42
  
  No one is unbreakable or untouchable. You may never lose your job, but its likely that sooner or later you will find yourself in a struggling organization and you might notice that "fight or flight" feeling creeping up on you.There are often times a few signs here and there that it may be time to dust off your résumé, tweak it with your most recent accomplishments and start shopping it around. With that thought in mind, consider these five signs I've seen through the years in a few
  
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• Galaxy S7 expected to have faster processor, return of storage slot

  07-12-2015 21:06
  
  Samsung's next flagship Galaxy smartphone, the S7, is expected to be announced next year amid predictions that it will have the fasterSnapdragon 820 processor and will restore the storage expansion slot.
  What's more, the Galaxy S7 may be priced as much as 10% less than the Galaxy S6 when it was introduced in March. A lower price, alongside a dramatic improvement in performance, could help Samsung's sagging global market share, now at about 21%, down from 32% two years ago, according to IDC. The
  
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• Microsoft will send you a free Surface Pro 4 spacer for your old Surface Pro 3 dock

  07-12-2015 20:41
  One of the minor mysteries of the Surface Pro 4’s launch appears to have been solved: yes, you can now find a Surface Pro 4 spacer online.
  What’s a spacer? Well, it’s been the answer to this question: If I own a Surface Pro 3 and a SP3 dock, and I wanted to buy a Surface Pro 4, would I be able to fit the SP4 inside my SP3 dock? Or would I really have to buy a new $200 Surface Pro 4 docking station, as well?
  The answer to this question, has so far, been “No...but.”
  
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• The merged NXP and Freescale will make cars smarter from bumper to bumper

  07-12-2015 20:39
  
  The US$40 billion NXP-Freescale merger creates one supplier of all the chips needed for cars as they evolve toward driving themselves, executives of the two companies say.The two big silicon vendors, Freescale Semiconductor and NXP Semiconductors, closed their merger on Monday. It's the latest big deal between chip makers as an industry that thrives on scale and integration seeks further consolidation. The combined company will have NXP's name and global headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands.Th
  
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• Google patches critical media processing and rooting vulnerabilities in Android

  07-12-2015 20:00
  
  Google has released a new batch of security fixes for its Nexus smartphones and tablets, addressing flaws that could allow attackers to compromise the Android devices via rogue emails, Web pages, and MMS messages.Firmware updates are being rolled out to supported Nexus devices as an over-the-air update and the patches will be added the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) over the next 48 hours. Builds LMY48Z and Android Marshmallow with a Dec. 1, 2015, Security Patch Level contain these fixe
  
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• 10 most important networking acquisitions of 2015

  07-12-2015 19:34
  
  Big money2015 was a big year for mergers and acquisitions in the networking industry. Here are the ones that are most likely to have the biggest long-term impact on the industry.Check Point Software acquires Hyperwise and LacoonAlthough these were small acquisitions (both in the $80 million range), they were notable as Check Point rarely makes acquisitions. Check Point has been one of the leaders in combatting threats that go through a firewall, but more hackers are now finding ways to get aroun
  
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• 10 cool ways tech companies give it up for charity

  07-12-2015 18:22
  
  From Philadelphia to Phoenix and points in between, the Commvault Hockey Team is lacing up their skates this winter to raise awareness and money for children's organizations.The data-management vendor's Hockey Helping Kids program, now in its 16th season, runs hockey events in NHL arenas across the country. Employees, partners, customers and kids have a chance to skate with former NHL and Olympic players. Raffles and auctions are part of each day-long event, and all proceeds go to designated chi
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Clear your iOS device's RAM in 10 seconds

  07-12-2015 17:26
  Is your iOS device running slowly? Well if so here's a way you can clear it's RAM in 10 seconds. Yup, you can speed up your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in just 10 seconds with this tip. If you've ever wanted a quick way to get significantly better performance from your iOS device, this is it.How to clear your iOS device's RAM in ten secondsHere's how you can clear your iOS device's RAM:1. Make sure that your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is unlocked.2. Press the power button until the "Slide to Powe
  
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• The $139 Lumia 550 is the cheapest Windows 10 Mobile phone yet

  07-12-2015 16:55
  
  If you want to buy a Windows 10 Mobile phone, but don’t want to spend a lot, now’s your chance.
  Microsoft says it will launch the Lumia 550 in “select markets” today for $139 without a contract. The phone is unlocked, and supports 4G LTE data speeds, though Microsoft hasn’t specified on which networks it will operate. The buy link has also yet to go live on Microsoft’s website as of this writing.
  For tech specs, the Lumia 550 has a 4.7-inch 720 display, a 1.1
  
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• Belgian ban on Facebook cookies should apply to all of Europe, privacy watchdogs say

  07-12-2015 15:58
  
  European data protection authorities want Facebook to stop using cookies to track people who don't have a Facebook account.As part of a case brought by the Belgian Privacy Commission, a Brussels court ordered Facebook in an interim ruling not to track people in Belgium using its "datr" cookie unless they have an account on the site.Facebook is appealing that ban, which finally took effect last week.On Monday, data protection authorities in five European Union countries published a joint declarat
  
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• Security hoofdreden voor omarmen business mobility-strategie

  07-12-2015 15:48
  Voor pakweg de helft van de Nederlandse organisaties is verbetering van de cyber security een belangrijke reden voor het omarmen van een mobiel model. Andere beweegredenen zijn kosteneffectief beschermen van desktops en applicaties bij een storing of ramp (38%) en verbetering van de reputatie van IT bij de business... lees meer
  
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• Apple's MacBook Air takes laptop reliability crown

  07-12-2015 15:46
  
  Apple's MacBook Air is the most reliable laptop on the market, according to a survey of nearly 60,000 American consumers conducted recently by Consumer Reports.
  The ultra-light notebook has an estimated failure rate of 7% within the first three years of ownership, according to the publication's poll of people who purchased a laptop in the last five years.
  Apple's other primary line of laptops, the pricier MacBook Pro, came in with a failure rate of 9%. Combined, Apple's mobile PCs turned in a f
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Top 5 predictions for project management in 2016

  07-12-2015 15:42
  
  What's going to happen with project management in 2016? Since project management as a discipline is fairly static, I liken this concept of predicting changes in project management to a conversation two fictional characters had on one of my favorite shows, “The Big Bang Theory,” a few years ago. Leonard Hofstadter is an experimental physicist and his future girlfriend and wife, Penny, is asking questions about his job while they are out to dinner together.Penny: “So, what’
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The rise of the digital enterprise

  07-12-2015 15:34
  
  It’s become a drinking game. Every time someone says “digital enterprise,” you have to take a sip of beer. And every time someone refers to the CIO as the “Transformer in Chief” you have to down a shot of tequila (preferably Don Julio).We should all be pretty well-lit by now. Executives and practitioners alike are buzzing about how to bring their companies into the digital age. What? Your company’s not considered a “digital native?” You’ve pr
  
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• Why you need to hire IT generalists

  07-12-2015 15:30
  
  Much has been said over the past several years about the need for CIOs to transform IT — to go from keeping the lights on to being a strategic partner for the business. The root of that transformation is a cultural change that starts with how you think about staffing your organization, says ExtraHop CIO John Matthews."IT has changed a lot in the last 15 years," Matthews says. "When I was first coming up, technologies were so siloed. It wasn't an emotional siloing; they were actually siloed
  
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• Verizon rolls out Wi-Fi calling this week, but starts slow

  07-12-2015 15:29
  
  Here's some good news for folks whose wanderings frequently lead them astray from strong cellular signals: Wi-Fi calling is finally coming to the Verizon network this week, albeit slowly.
  Starting December 8, Verizon customers will be eligible for Wi-Fi calls if they have a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge and use the carrier’s Advanced Calling HD voice and video calling service.
  Anyone who’s eligible will be able to use the service once they receive a software update from Verizon. The
  
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• Vulnerabilities found in Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell support software

  07-12-2015 15:09
  The number of vulnerabilities discovered in technical support applications installed on PCs by manufacturers keeps piling up. New exploits have been published for flaws in Lenovo Solution Center, Toshiba Service Station and Dell System Detect.
  The most serious flaws appear to be in Lenovo Solution Center and could allow a malicious Web page to execute code on Lenovo Windows-based computers with system privileges.
  The flaws were discovered by a hacker who uses the online aliases slipstream and R
  
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• Why you need a mobile hiring strategy

  07-12-2015 15:06
  
  If your business doesn’t have a mobile hiring strategy yet, you are behind the times. A 2015 study from Pew Research surveyed 2,001 adults 18 or older in the U.S. and found that 79 percent of Americans who looked for a job in the last two years used online resources and 34 percent of them reported that “online resources were the most important tool available to them.” Additionally, 94 percent of job seekers have looked for and researched jobs online using their mobile device.Ac
  
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• French police want to ban Tor, public Wi-Fi

  07-12-2015 14:18
  
  French police have made their Christmas wish-list, and it includes banning Tor and public Wi-Fi.As legislators debate new antiterrorism laws, police and security services have been studying how technology hinders their enquiries, according to French newspaper Le Monde.In the hours following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris the French government declared a state of emergency, granting police sweeping powers to impose curfews and conduct warrantless searches.A week later, legislators voted t
  
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• U.S. cyber criminal underground a shopping free-for-all

  07-12-2015 14:00
  
  According to a new report by Trend Micro, the North American cyber criminal underground isn't buried as deep as in other geographies.
  "It doesn't exist in the dark web as much as other undergrounds do, or practice as much security," said Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro. "Essentially, it's become a gun show for everyone as long as they can participate and are willing to pay."
  In addition to offering guns, as well as murder for hire, there's also drugs, money laundering
  
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• New payment card malware hard to detect and remove

  07-12-2015 14:00
  
  FireEye says it has discovered a type of malware designed to steal payment card data that can be very difficult to detect and remove.
  The cybercriminal group behind the malware, which FireEye nicknamed "FIN1," is suspected of being in Russia and has been known to target financial institutions.
  The malware, which FIN1 calls Nemesis, infected an organization that processes financial transactions, which FireEye did not identify.
  Payment card data is highly sought after by cybercriminals, who
  
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• How Prudential Annuities CIO sparks talent transformation

  07-12-2015 13:28
  
  When Glenn Siegmund took over as CIO of Prudential Annuities in April 2015, his organization had finished executing on a strategic plan that focused on IT maturation and modernization. When the results were in, Siegmund had a stable organization with clear roles and a well-defined and executed process that resulted in Prudential Annuities IT (AIT) achieving Gartner Level 3 maturity. But something was still missing."We spent a lot of time making sure our people stayed well within the ‘guard
  
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• Why Windows 10 Mobile matters for business

  07-12-2015 13:09
  
  The first market that Microsoft is targeting with its new Lumia 950 and 950 XL flagship phones is the neglected enthusiast audience. But they’re just one of the two markets Microsoft CMO Chris Capossela recently suggested (at the Citi Global Technology conference) that Microsoft can “serve incredibly well.” The other is business. “We know business customers want a very, very secure phone that's incredibly good at calendar management, at email, at productivity, and Skype f
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to prepare your IT team for the future

  07-12-2015 13:00
  
  "It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory."― Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily LivingIt's a great time to get out of the day-to-day for a little while to think about what you and your team are going to accomplish next year. If your budget year starts Jan. 1, it is not too late to lay out your priorities for next year and to tie them to your budget (or at least to your budget request).Ask
  
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• Building bridges in a fractured security ecosystem

  07-12-2015 12:48
  
  Because legacy systems are required and often critical to the daily operations of an enterprise, many companies are still using operating systems or applications that cannot be patched.
  Developers are building applications with features in mind but security is usually an afterthought. The rush to publish applications surpasses the need to develop more secure software resulting in a fractured security ecosystem. As developers and defenders continue to learn how to work together, applications wil
  
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• 10 hottest tech skills for 2016

  07-12-2015 12:30
  
  The IT team at HRHCare has seen its workload rise in recent years, as the Beacon, N.Y.-based nonprofit has added facilities and expanded its services.
  Eric Brosius, the organization's vice president of technology services, wants to expand the staff so his team will be able to cope with the added responsibilities and tackle new technology initiatives.
  Specifically, Brosius says he wants to add another six or seven full-time people to his staff of 17 full-timers. His first hiring priority: two te
  
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• This is why tech toys are dangerous

  07-12-2015 12:15
  
  Toys are dangerous.
  No, I'm not talking about toys with sharp edges, toxic materials or small parts that constitute choking hazards.
  I'm talking about hacking -- a new threat to the safety of children. Last week, the risk got real.
  Of course, smart and connected toys can be fun for kids -- and safe, too. But as we learned last week, the new generation of toys can pose serious risks.
  A Hong Kong-based company called VTech got hacked Nov. 14. VTech makes a wide variety of consumer electronics and
  
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• Wearables, IoT spark interest in mobility management tools

  07-12-2015 12:00
  
  The hype around BYOD isn’t as loud as it was a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean the problems associated with managing user-owned devices have gone away. And with the growth of wearables and the emergence of IoT, control of mobile technology will become even more of a challenge.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Review: Best password managers for the enterprise

  07-12-2015 12:00
  
  The password is ....Image by ThinkstockPassword managers are an important first step for organizations that want to strengthen their security by helping users cope with multiple logins. In this review, we looked at 10 tools: Dashlane for Business, Keeper Security Enterprise, LastPass Enterprise (now part of LogMeIn), Lieberman Enterprise Random Password Manager, LogMeOnce Enterprise Edition, Manage Engine Password Pro, Agilebits1Password for Teams, StickyPassword, SplashID TeamsID, and SingleID.
  
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• How to evaluate password managers

  07-12-2015 12:00
  
  All password managers have as many as four separate products for storing passwords: a desktop and mobile app, a browser extension, or a pure Web-based service that doesn’t require any other software beyond a regular browser. There are various use cases that demand having this array of mechanisms. Not all tools support all four mechanisms.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 7 signs you're doing devops wrong

  07-12-2015 12:00
  
  Devops is a transformative ethos that many companies are putting to their advantage. As with anything that hinges on culture, however, it can be too easy to slap together a few tools, sprinkle in new processes, and call yourself a devops-fueled organization. After all, saying that your company embraces devops and regularly practices devops techniques is popular nowadays, and it can serve as great PR for bringing in great talent to your team. But in truth, many companies -- and technical recruit
  
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• Microsoft sets stage for massive Windows 10 upgrade strategy

  07-12-2015 11:59
  
  Microsoft has been preparing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs for a more aggressive Windows 10 upgrade strategy that the company will kick off shortly, according to the developer of a tool that blocks such upgrades.
  "Over Thanksgiving weekend I started getting reports that the Windows Update 'AllowOSUpgrade' setting was getting flipped back on on a number of peoples' PCs, and it keeps re-setting itself at least once a day if they switch it back off," said Josh Mayfield, the software engineer who c
  
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• ‘Echt goede IT’ers schaars in Nederland’

  07-12-2015 11:10
  Negen op de tien Nederlandse IT-studenten vinden dat hun studie goed aansluit op de vraag uit het bedrijfsleven. Die gevoelens zijn echter niet wederzijds, bleek vorige week op het IT Masters Debat in Amsterdam. Het is voor bedrijven vaak niet gemakkelijk om binnen de landsgrenzen voldoende gekwalificeerde starters te... lees meer
  
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• Obama wants help from tech firms to fight terrorism

  07-12-2015 06:45
  U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking the help of tech companies to combat terror threats, which he described as entering a new phase.
  Obama's remarks could put into sharp focus again the demand by law enforcement agencies for tech companies to provide ways for the government to be able to access encrypted communications.
  In an address late Sunday from the Oval Office, Obama said he "would urge hi-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape fro
  
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• Microsoft to open source Chakra JavaScript engine

  07-12-2015 02:38
  
  Microsoft will open up its Chakra JavaScript engine as an open-source project on GitHub next month.
  The code repository, called ChakraCore, will include the key components of Chakra engine used for its Edge browser, according to a blog post.
  Like many other vendors, Microsoft built its own JavaScript engine in 2008 as the coding language became increasingly crucial to the Web and for many other uses, including mobile apps, cloud services, NoSQL databases, game engines and front-end tools.
  Micro
  
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