IT Executive news

• Yahoo to slash jobs and close web properties in major turnaround plan

  02-02-2016 23:34
  
  Yahoo will cut 15 percent of its workforce and close some online services in a major turnaround plan announced Tuesday.The company plans to double down on search, Mail and Tumblr in hopes of attracting new users, and at the same time close some digital magazines as well as services like Games and Smart TV.After the job cuts, Yahoo will have a global workforce of about 9,000 employees -- 40 percent smaller than it was in 2012, it said."This is a strong plan calling for bold shifts in products and
  
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• ‘Privacy Shield’ moet transatlantische gegevensstromen veiligstellen

  02-02-2016 23:25
  De Europese Commissie en de Verenigde Staten hebben overeenstemming bereikt over een nieuw kader voor gegevens die tussen Europa en de VS worden uitgewisseld: de opvolger van Safe Harbour. De Amerikaanse overheid lijkt daarbij oog te hebben gehad voor de zorgen omtrent persoonlijke gegevens van Europeanen. Waar... lees meer
  
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• Arista violated 3 Cisco patents: ITC

  02-02-2016 23:24
  
  The International Trade Commission has made an initial determination that Arista Networks infringed on three Cisco patents in its switches, the latest development in a 13-month-old suit.
  The ITC said Arista violated patents associated with a central database for managing configuration data (SysDB) and private VLANs. As part of its 2014 suit alleging patent and copyright infringement, Cisco sought an injunction on Arista product from the ITC.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, pl
  
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• Q&A: As prices fall, flash memory is eating the world

  02-02-2016 22:42
  
  Western Digital in October announced plans to acquire SanDisk for some $19 billion in a deal that -- once finalized -- will marry leaders in the traditional hard drive and the emerging flash memory markets. Sumit Sadana, SanDisk's chief strategy officer and general manager of its Enterprise Solutions unit, spoke recently with IDG Chief Content Officer John Gallant to share insights on the merger and to explore the evolving role of flash in corporate data centers.What continues to hold enterpris
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 14 Linux-based gifts ideas for your geeky valentine

  02-02-2016 22:21
  
  Linux is in the airImage by nacnud/flickrFor Linux lovers, there is nothing better than getting a Linux running device. And if you're the Linux fan, what better opportunity to plant the seed of Linux in your valentine's heart? Here are 14 cool Linux-based devices that I would want to receive -- and I bet you will too.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Thousands of hoverboards seized by US customs

  02-02-2016 22:03
  
  The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has seized tens of thousands of hoverboards in the last month in a crack down on a former hot holiday gift that's been held responsible for several home fires.The seizures have happened at border crossings and customs warehouses across the U.S. and mirror a high-profile raid on the booth of a Chinese hoverboard manufacturer at January's CES in Las Vegas.The devices, which don't hover but transport a rider balanced on two wheels, are general
  
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• Comcast targets first markets it will offer gigabit over copper cable service

  02-02-2016 21:26
  
  Comcast announced today that Atlanta and Nashville would be its first two markets to offer DOCSIS 3.1 technology, in “early 2016,” and that Chicago, Detroit and Miami would join them in the second half of the year.
  DOCSIS 3.1 is a new wired cable Internet standard, which gives Comcast the ability to offer gigabit speeds over existing copper cable. The latest version of the standard uses smaller subcarrier channels that use considerably less bandwidth than those of DOCSIS 3.0, bondin
  
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• OS X El Capitan adoption lags behind predecessors

  02-02-2016 21:22
  
  Uptake of OS X 10.11, aka El Capitan, remained sluggish in January, new data shows, suggesting that, like Microsoft, Apple has trouble convincing customers to adopt the newest operating system.
  Four months after Apple launched El Capitan, the OS powered 44.8% of all Macs, according to numbers published Monday by U.S.-based analytics firm Net Applications. That was an increase of about two percentage points from the month before.
  Net Applications estimates operating system shares by tallying uni
  
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• Turns out machine learning is a champ at fixing buggy code

  02-02-2016 21:01
  
  Here's yet another new application of machine learning:  MIT has developed a system for fixing errors in bug-riddled code.The new machine-learning system developed by researchers at MIT can fix roughly 10 times as many errors as its predecessors could, the researchers say. They presented a paper describing the new system, dubbed "Prophet," at the Principles of Programming Languages symposium last month.Essentially, the system works by studying patches already made to open-source computer pr
  
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• How Microsoft CIO Jim DuBois changed the IT operating model

  02-02-2016 21:00
  
  Microsoft Jim DuBois, CIO of MicrosoftJim DuBois joined Microsoft in 1993, and he has since seen a lot of change. A few months ago, we met to chat at a conference, and he said so many smart things about translation, telemetry and service offerings that I asked him for an on-the-record interview to learn more. Here's a Q&A based on our conversation.Martha Heller: How has your IT operating model changed during the last five years? To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please clic
  
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• Microsoft will give Yammer to all Office 365 users

  02-02-2016 20:57
  
  Microsoft stepped up efforts to expand the reach of its Yammer work social network -- and better compete with other workplace collaboration tools -- announcing Tuesday that any organization with an Office 365 subscription will gain access to the service and have it automatically activated.The service will start rolling out to users in waves. The automatic activation will allow businesses to quickly spin up online communities for their workers.Microsoft will also let people sign in to Yammer with
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The Internet of Things for developing economies

  02-02-2016 19:27
  
  The United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Cisco recently released a joint report (PDF) titled “Harnessing the Internet of Things [IoT] for Global Development.”  It reviews a broad range of solutions and global deployments of IoT technologies for developing economies, spanning energy, healthcare, agriculture and natural disaster relief, to name a few.  It demonstrates how simple IoT solutions can make a dramatic impact on human welfare, but a
  
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• Dell to ship XPS 13 Developer Edition Linux laptop with Skylake

  02-02-2016 19:08
  
  Linux enthusiasts rejoice: Super-thin "Project Sputnik" XPS 13 laptops from Dell with Ubuntu and Intel Skylake chips should be just around the corner.
  Dell's Project Sputnik laptops have attained something of a cult status with a segment of Linux users since their introduction in 2012. The XPS 13 Developer Edition will be the only dedicated, thin-and-light Linux laptop with Skylake from the top-five PC makers.
  The next XPS 13 Developer Edition is "closer" to shipping and so discounts are b
  
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• U.S., EU reach agreement on Safe Harbor alternative

  02-02-2016 18:44
  
  Goodbye Safe Harbor, hello Privacy Shield: that's the name given by European Union and U.S. negotiators to the deal they struck on Tuesday enabling legal transfers of personal data between the two regions.EU-US Privacy Shield "will protect the fundamental rights of Europeans where their data is transferred to the United States and ensure legal certainty for businesses," the European Commission said in a press release announcing the agreement.Designed to replace the Safe Harbor agreement that was
  
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• SDN shifts from configuration to analytics

  02-02-2016 18:32
  
  Two SDN vendors have enhanced their offerings to improve visibility into virtual networks.
  Midokura this week unveiled an upgrade of its Midokura Enterprise MidoNet (MEM) network virtualization software to provide visibility into encapsulated traffic in OpenStack clouds. And Pluribus Networks rolled out software designed to provide an operational view of the data center network for insight into application performance and troubleshooting, and enhancing forensic analysis and security.To read thi
  
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• How one aging iPhone 4 destroyed a Texas family

  02-02-2016 18:11
  
  Daughter sends texts that daddy doesn't like. As punishment, daddy phonenaps 12-year-old's iPhone. Daughter calls mommy (divorced from daddy), whose new hubby happens to work for the local police. Officers promptly arrive at the scene of the "crime" and demand daddy return his baby's beloved iPhone. When he refuses, daddy's charged with theft and hit with a fine.Two years and whole lot of money and court appearances later, daddy's acquitted, according to a recent CNet report — but not befo
  
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• Countries making the most impact on tech innovation

  02-02-2016 17:47
  
  Putting innovation into a global contextImage by ThinkstockInnovation, the propelling force of the technology sector, is often considered outside the realm of public policy. And when government officials do turn their attention to issues like STEM education and high-tech skills training, they typically focus on domestic concerns, envisioning pro-innovation policies as a vehicle for spurring a regional or national economy.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Fire, shock hazard prompts Microsoft to recall AC power adapters for Surface Pro tablets

  02-02-2016 17:39
  The potential for the power cords on some Microsoft Surface Pro tablets to cause fire and electric shock has led to a recall.The AC power cords being recalled were sold with the Microsoft Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 computers before March 15, 2015, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said on its Web site.The recall also covers the power supply units with AC power cords sold as accessories before March 15, 2015.Close to 2.25 million AC power cords in the U.S. are being recalle
  
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• How end-user guilt inspires IBM to improve your email experience

  02-02-2016 17:20
  
  Carolyn Pampino, design executive for IBM’s Enterprise Social Solutions, describes herself as the kind of person who “gets a ton of email and can’t get to all of it in a single day,” all of which leaves her feeling guilty that she probably missed a key message either from her boss or someone on her team. But even she might not feel as guilty as the so-called Zero Inboxer, who can’t stop working until every last email is dealt with.
  IBM has people who fall into eith
  
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• Fitness trackers are leaking lots of your data, study finds

  02-02-2016 16:52
  Some of the more popular sports wearables don't just let you track your fitness, they let other people track you.That's what Canadian researchers found when they studied fitness-tracking devices from eight manufacturers, along with their companion mobile apps.All the devices studied except for the Apple Watch transmitted a persistent, unique Bluetooth identifier, allowing them to be tracked by the beacons increasingly being used by retail stores and shopping malls to recognize and profile their
  
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• T-Mobile ties Verizon for LTE speed supremacy in latest OpenSignal report

  02-02-2016 16:31
  
  Verizon is still the LTE king among U.S. mobile carriers, but T-Mobile wants to be the heir apparent. That’s the main takeaway from the latest State of Mobile Networks: USA report from OpenSignal. The crowd-sourced mobile data company found that T-Mobile is closing in on AT&T in terms of nationwide coverage, and the “Un-carrier” is tied with Verizon for the 4G speed crown.
  OpenSignal’s report pulls data from 180,000 people nationwide who have the company’s mobi
  
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• Azure Stack offers hybrid cloud on your terms

  02-02-2016 16:07
  
  Late last month, Microsoft released the first technical preview of Azure Stack, its private and hybrid cloud platform built on the forthcoming Windows Server 2016. Unlike the existing Windows Azure pack, which gives you a small selection of Azure-compatible features, Azure Stack is (for the most part) the same code as Microsoft’s own Azure cloud, for both running a cloud and delivering cloud services.
  And unlike other private and hybrid cloud offerings, what you get is ready to use, says
  
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• Google admits most 'moonshots' lose money

  02-02-2016 16:06
  
  Google's newly formed parent company, Alphabet, this week announced that its "moonshots," or big-bet investments such as self-driving cars, represent less than 1 percent of the organization's total 2015 revenue. Alphabet's "other bets" also decreased the company's profit, carrying a $3.56 billion loss. However, despite such losses, Alphabet overtook Apple to become the most valuable public company in the world following the release of its fourth quarter 2015 earnings call, which was Alphabet's f
  
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• The only apps you need to keep up with the 2016 presidential race

  02-02-2016 15:32
  
  Thankfully, there's currently no need to spend money at the movies or on an HBO subscription to stay entertained — it's a presidential election year, after all. And regardless of the outcome, 2016 is already one of the most entertaining (if not downright frightening) election years in recent memory.It can be a challenge to stay up on all the twists and turn on the campaign trail, but these three free apps for Android and iOS promise to keep political junkies entertained and, more important
  
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• The findings on how consumers actually behave after breaches

  02-02-2016 14:56
  
  Do consumers actually flee after a breach? Image by ThinkstockWhile headlines suggest a breach drives away customers, most of the evidence is based on perception surveys. When asked, it makes sense that someone would express outrage and suggest they won’t come back.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Why change initiatives fail

  02-02-2016 14:54
  
  Chris Laping, LinkedIn To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Enterprise CIOs, think it's OK to ignore SMB security holes? Think again

  02-02-2016 14:39
  
  The CIOs, IT Directors and CISOs for large companies have enough to worry about without having to take on the mountains of security holes infesting small- and medium-sized businesses around the globe. But a new report shows a direct connection between SMB security flaws and those of their Fortune 1000 neighbors.
  In effect, this is just a new twist to the age-old and well-known supply chain security weak-link challenge. That's where a company is subject to getting burned by the security problems
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Who cares if Alphabet is worth more than Apple?

  02-02-2016 14:38
  In case you haven't been following the Alphabet vs. Apple stock price drama, Alphabet briefly surpassed Apple's market value. And this has led to a ton of click-bait media stories about how notable such a change in market value is and what it means for Apple.Jeremy Owens reports for MarketWatch:
  Apple Inc. brought in more revenue in the final three months of 2015 than Alphabet Inc. did the entire year. Ditto on profit, with Apple reporting net income of $18.4 billion in the fourth quarter while
  
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• Google fixes critical Wi-Fi and media-processing flaws in Android

  02-02-2016 14:26
  
  Google has patched thirteen new vulnerabilities in Android, two of which could allow attackers to take control of Android devices located on the same Wi-Fi network, if they have Broadcom chips.The two critical vulnerabilities are located in the Broadcom Wi-Fi driver and can be exploited by sending specially crafted wireless control packets to the affected devices. These messages could corrupt the kernel's memory and allow for the execution of arbitrary code in the kernel -- the highest privilege
  
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• Why DISM is the Swiss Army knife of Windows 10 maintenance

  02-02-2016 14:14
  
  The Deployment Image Servicing and Management command-line tool, aka DISM, has been around since Windows Vista, when it was first introduced as a method for creating and managing Windows images based on the Windows image (.wim) file format. Recently, with the introduction of the encrypted and compressed Electronic Software Download (.esd) file format in Windows 8, DISM has gained the ability to work with such files as well. In the context of the DISM utility's name, "servicing" is a broad term c
  
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• A checklist for SaaS vendors

  02-02-2016 13:54
  
  It seems like only yesterday when most of a company’s corporate applications ran on servers within its own data centers. I remember, at previous jobs, having teams of application engineers and administrators building, managing and administrating all of the applications that allowed the company to operate — for email, HR, finance, sales, customer relationship management, learning management, marketing and more.Trouble TicketAt issue: Some third-party vendors were never vetted from a
  
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• Survey: Average successful hack nets less than $15,000

  02-02-2016 13:00
  
  The majority of cyber attackers are motivated by money, but make less than $15,000 per successful attack, according to a survey of hackers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany released yesterday by the Ponemon Institute.
  The hackers, who were promised anonymity, netted, on average, less than $29,000 a year.
  "In the more established countries, that is not a lot of money," said Scott Simkin, senior threat intelligence manager at Palo Alto Networks, which sponsored the study. "They're making a quarter of
  
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• How to watch the Super Bowl on your Android device

  02-02-2016 13:00
  
  The great national extravaganza known as the Super Bowl is back. 
  But just because it’s the most-watched television event of the year doesn’t mean you need to be stuck inside. The Super Bowl has embraced streaming and other online technology like never before, bringing the game to practically any screen you own. 
  If you want to stream the big game or live vicariously through those who will be attending, then you’ll want to download an assortment of Android apps the N
  
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• How to prepare for the IT department of the future

  02-02-2016 12:48
  
  With the role of IT constantly evolving, and with new technologies introduced seemingly every day, how can IT professionals develop a plan that sets them up for success not only in 2016, but also over the next five years?The key is to focus less on identifying and acquiring new skills and technical experience -- though that's extremely important -- and emphasize big-picture thinking, says Cory Chaplin, director of Technology Integration Practice for business and technology consulting firm West M
  
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• Decrypt SSL traffic to detect hidden threats

  02-02-2016 12:44
  
  The percentage of encrypted Internet traffic continues to grow creating a space where not only private information but also criminals can travel about undetected. In the last five years, the advent of SSL traffic from major companies like Google, YouTube, and Twitter has spawned an expansive movement toward encrypting Internet traffic for enterprises as well. 
  The risk in taking this security measure, though, is that while the exchange of information via the Internet is secured, bad guys c
  
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• Long-term review: The Dell XPS 15 Touch is the laptop to beat

  02-02-2016 12:30
  
  The recently introduced series of Dell XPS 15 9550 Touch and Non-Touch laptops has been getting a lot of attention. These devices are loaded with high-tech goodness -- in fact, there's no doubt in my mind that Dell served them up targeting would-be MacBook Pro buyers. And as someone who's been using the MacBook Pro 15 Retina for several years, I can tell you that Dell hit its mark.
  I went top of the line for this review, selecting a unit that costs $2,230. This configuration of the XPS 15 Touch
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Make sure the fight is worth it when trying to save a project

  02-02-2016 12:07
  
  LaVoy Finicum. No matter what side of the fence you sit on for the gun rights issue or if you're a farmer or herder or just an average Joe that lives in the U.S., you've likely heard of the recent occupation of a federal building in Oregon by some individuals protesting the loss of grazing rights by a fellow American in the area. Last month, LaVoy Finicum lost his life over this issue – and it was not his land or his animal grazing rights at stake. One of my favorite movie quotes of all ti
  
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• Windows Phone's next life: How Microsoft could recast it for productivity or services

  02-02-2016 12:01
  
  If Microsoft’s Lumia smartphone line died, the company wouldn’t mourn. By all indications, it’s already preparing for a future where Windows phones could be reborn as business productivity devices, or even just as a collection of mobile apps.
  Let’s be clear: Microsoft does not want to kill its Lumia line, but it may be forced to. Last Thursday, Microsoft disclosed that Lumia sales had plunged to less than half what they were a year ago—during a quarter wh
  
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• NS sluit partnerschap met FastFlex als contractmanager

  02-02-2016 11:27
  De Nederlandse Spoorwegen heeft enkele maanden een overeenkomst gesloten met sourcing partner FastFlex. De dienstverlener fungeert als partner voor het contracteren en verlonen van niet gecontracteerde leveranciers en zzp’ers. Met de samenwerking wil de NS zijn operatie in lijn houden met wet- en... lees meer
  
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• Nokia's IoT security tool takes in the whole network

  02-02-2016 09:00
  Nokia is taking the principle of "united we stand" to the Internet of Things with a platform that can harness systems from multiple vendors for network-wide security.
  The company's NetGuard Security Management Center is designed to monitor and control all the security components on a network. This will help carriers and other IoT service providers take a more holistic approach to preventing and responding to attacks.
  Nokia will sell it to users of any brand of network. The company, once heavily
  
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• FireEye acquires Invotas for faster incident response

  02-02-2016 02:38
  
  FireEye said Monday it has acquired Invotas, a company that develops a platform that helps administrators respond faster to security incidents.
  The deal closed on Monday, but terms were not disclosed.
  FireEye, which started out with an end-point protection product, has been seeking to expand the range of security products and services it offers as cybersecurity has become a growing concern for companies.
  Invotas, based in Alexandria, Virginia, has a single product, its Security Orchestrator. Th
  
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• In Atlanta, smart city plans aim for safety

  02-02-2016 02:07
  
  As the city of Atlanta embarks on an array of smart city pilot projects to improve public safety, transportation and water monitoring, residents also appear to favor installing smart cameras for public surveillance.
  In some other cities, video surveillance has emerged as a hot-button privacy issue that could lead to a Big Brother culture.
  But the terrorist bombing during the Boston Marathon in 2013 and the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. last year seem to have affected Atlanta's per
  
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• Vaio confirms its Windows Phone will be launched this week

  02-02-2016 02:06
  
  Sony spinoff Vaio Corp. will launch a phone based on Windows 10 Mobile this week, following Acer into the suddenly hot market for third-party Windows phone hardware.
  Mynavi.jp reports that Vaio will be holding a press conference to announce the new phone on February 4. Executives from both Microsoft and Vaio are expected to attend, including Takuya Hirano, the president of Microsoft Japan. A spokeswoman for Vaio in the United States confirmed the announcement, but declined to provide furth
  
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• Apple could be dumping Amazon’s cloud, Morgan Stanley analyst predicts

  02-02-2016 02:06
  
  An analyst at Morgan Stanley reading the tea leaves of recent financial disclosures from Apple predicts that the company could be transitioning away from using Amazon Web Service’s cloud, which if true could represent a blow to the leading IaaS cloud vendor.
  In its first quarter earnings call last week Apple executives noted plans to build three new data centers in the next two years. Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak says that could be a sign that the company is looking to decrease its
  
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• Microsoft starts recommended update roll-out for Windows 10

  02-02-2016 01:57
  Many users of Windows 7 and 8.1 will start seeing a more aggressive push to upgrade to Windows 10 in the coming days, as Microsoft starts to roll the new operating system out as a recommended update which will automatically download. Microsoft said the rollout of Windows 10 as a recommended update will happen in phases starting Monday. Users who have their computers set to automatically download and install recommended updates will start to see an installer for the new operating system pop
  
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• This online tool can show you how much Trump dominates election coverage

  02-02-2016 01:06
  
  Unstructured data is notoriously tricky to analyze using traditional methods, so it's tough to suss out trends from "messy" sources like news articles and social media. That's quickly changing, however, and on Monday, OpenText launched a timely example that's focused on the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.Election Tracker '16 is an interactive online tool that lets anyone visually monitor, compare and discover new insights about election coverage from 48 major online news sources.The tool autom
  
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• Say goodbye to the socks: Evernote's getting out of e-commerce

  02-02-2016 00:20
  
  Two and a half years after Evernote announced that it would offer a suite of branded products through its own online retail store, the productivity company is walking away from the business of selling products like socks, messenger bags and wallets. As foreshadowed by a series of sales and app changes last year, the current incarnation of the Evernote Market -- a hub for people to buy branded swag and connected tools for the popular note-taking software -- will be no more come Wednesday.In
  
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• US must make 'additional effort' on Safe Harbor, EU Commissioner says

  02-02-2016 00:10
  
  The European Commission has outlined the areas in which it wants further concessions from the U.S. before a new Safe Harbor agreement on trans-Atlantic data transfers can be reached."We are close, but an additional effort is needed," European Commissioner for Justice Vĕra Jourová said Monday evening. There is still a need for binding commitments from the U.S. government, with additional safeguards on access to Europeans' data by U.S. public authorities and independent oversight in th
  
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