IT Executive news

• How smartphones helped NASA to build tiny satelites you can hold in your hand

  16-03-2016 23:49
  
  The same advances in electronics that bring us ever more powerful smartphones are helping NASA become more nimble in exploring the universe.Engineers are taking advantage of the low-cost, highly integrated components developed for phones and using them to build satellites that are small enough to hold in your hand. They're easier to build and cheaper to launch than conventional satellites, and provide a testing ground for other technologies used in space.The technology allows for "fast
  
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• DreamHost replaces VMware SDN with open source for big savings

  16-03-2016 22:09
  
  SANTA CLARA – In a convincing example of the viability of open source networking, cloud provider DreamHost saved 70% in capital and 40% in operational costs by replacing VMware’s NSX SDN with open source alternatives.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Amazon goes after patent so you can pay by selfie

  16-03-2016 20:43
  
  Amazon filed a patent application for a technology that would enable users to pay for purchases using a selfie.
  The U.S. patent application is for image analysis technology for user authentication.
  "The process identifies the user and verifies that the user requesting the transaction is a living human being," the application states. "The user is identified using image information, which is processed utilizing facial recognition."
  Amazon explains that the user authentication would work by verify
  
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• Attackers exploit Apple DRM weakness to infect non-jailbroken iOS devices

  16-03-2016 20:18
  Attackers are exploiting a weakness in Apple's digital rights management technology to install malicious apps on supposedly protected, non-jailbroken iOS devices.In late February, security researchers from Palo Alto Networks found three malicious applications on the official App Store. An analysis revealed the malicious apps were part of a scheme to steal Apple IDs and passwords from Chinese users under the guise of an alternative app store.The more interesting aspect of the apps: In addition to
  
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• Mophie Powerstation XL (12,000 mAh) Currently Discounted 42% - Deal Alert

  16-03-2016 20:11
  
  Mophie Powerstation XL lists for $129.95 but is currently discounted 42%, meaning you can pick this up for just $75 (See on Amazon). This ultra portable battery packs enough juice for up to 8 charges on most portable devices. It's special high-output battery can charge up to two devices simultaneously, and is capable of switching between 500mAh, 1A, and 2.1A charge.
  At 2.8 x 0.9 x 4.5 inches, this item should be small enough for any traveller's accessory case.
  Powerstation XL is currently
  
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• Rumor: Long-delayed rollout of Windows 10 for older phones could happen Thursday

  16-03-2016 19:44
  
  Microsoft could roll out Windows 10 Mobile to older Windows Phone 8.1 phones as early as Thursday, according to a new report.
  Former Twitter leaker and now VentureBeat contributor Evan Blass wrote Microsoft will announce the availability of Windows 10 Mobile tomorrow. According to Blass, users of select Windows Phone 8.1 devices will have the opportunity to request the update that same day. The update will be available only to a subset of the existing Windows Phone market, however, and whi
  
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• This new discovery could put quantum computers within closer reach

  16-03-2016 19:00
  
  One of the obstacles that have kept quantum computers on the distant horizon is the fact that quantum bits -- the building blocks with which they're made -- are prone to magnetic disturbances. Such "noise" can interfere with the work qubits do, but on Wednesday, scientists announced a new discovery that could help solve the problem.Specifically, by tapping the same principle that allows atomic clocks to stay accurate, researchers at Florida State University’s National High Magnetic Field L
  
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• Koppeling ICT-systemen grootste obstakel bij digitale transformatie in zorg

  16-03-2016 18:12
  Door krimp van de beroepsbevolking en groei van het aantal mensen dat zorg behoeft, zal de zorgsector meer werk moeten verzetten met minder middelen. Digitalisering kan hierin de hoofdrol spelen. Maar koppelingen tussen ict-systemen zijn volgens werknemers van zorginstellingen het grootste obstakel bij digitale... lees meer
  
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• The WD-SanDisk merger is now a done deal

  16-03-2016 17:57
  
  Western Digital Corp. (WD) has announced that its shareholders voted to approve its  $19 billion acquisition of SanDisk Corp.
  The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of the year.
  More than 90% of WD's shareholders voted to approve the issuance of WD common stock in connection with the acquisition; 98% of SanDisk shareholders voted to approve the merger.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Apple cites iPhone, Mac security problems in rebuttal to FBI demands

  16-03-2016 17:46
  
  In a lengthy legal rebuttal to the U.S. government, Apple yesterday deployed an unusual defense -- that its devices are susceptible to attack -- to counter arguments that it should help the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crack a terrorist's iPhone.
  Apple's brief, the last submitted to a federal magistrate before she holds a hearing next week, focused on the government's use of a 1789 law, the All Writs Act, to compel the company to assist law enforcement in breaking into a passcode-locke
  
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• How GE will bring the Industrial IoT to life

  16-03-2016 17:29
  
  In the industrial segment, the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing everything, or it soon will: From industrial equipment, to processes and the way people work, to business models and even core requirements, everything is shifting.Few companies exemplify this trend more than 123-year-old industrial titan General Electric (GE), which announced in January that it will pull up stakes from its long-established corporate headquarters in Fairfield, Conn. and move to Boston — home to a large num
  
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• Google Maps embraces Uber and other services with dedicated ride-sharing tab

  16-03-2016 17:05
  
  Google Maps is making it easier to get an Uber headed uptown on Android and iOS. In the coming days, Android users will see a new tab in the Android app with ride-sharing information when searching for directions. The new functionality will roll out to iOS “very soon,” according to Google.
  The tab currently works in the United States and globally with Uber, as well as various companies in other countries, including 99Taxis (Brazil), Ola Cabs (India), Hailo (U.K. and Spain), mytaxi (
  
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• Digital rights group: Save security, reject FBI's iPhone unlocking request

  16-03-2016 17:02
  Digital rights group Fight for the Future is hoping to give voice to ordinary people concerned with the FBI's attempt to force Apple to help it unlock the iPhone used by a mass shooter.Fight for the Future's new Save Security campaign, launched Wednesday, will collect comments from people worried about the Internet security implications of the FBI's court request. Organizers will display the comments and read them aloud outside a California courthouse before a hearing in the case next Tuesday."W
  
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• Cyberespionage groups are stealing digital certificates to sign malware

  16-03-2016 16:25
  An increasing number of cyberespionage groups are using stolen code-signing certificates to make their hacking tools and malware look like legitimate applications.The latest example is a China-based hacker group that has launched targeted attacks against government and commercial organizations from around the world over the past two years.The group's activities were uncovered by researchers from Symantec in late 2015 when they detected a digitally signed hacking tool that was used in an att
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Bigger really is better when it comes to iPads and iPhones

  16-03-2016 15:58
  
  I’ve had the iPad Pro for a while now, and I still love it as much as the day I first got it. It is the best iPad I’ve ever owned, and much of the reason why I like it so much comes from its larger screen, which makes it much easier for me to enjoy a range of content including comics, ebooks, movies, TV shows and web sites.I experienced a similar revelation when I first got my iPhone 6 Plus. Suddenly it was a lot easier to read web pages on my phone than it had been when I was using
  
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• Comcast starts rolling out blazing-fast Gigabit Internet

  16-03-2016 15:31
  
  Comcast’s march towards gigabit ethernet for all over existing cable networks is underway. The company recently announced a trial program in the Atlanta area for its new service, using DOCSIS 3.1 technology to deliver faster speeds over current networks.
  For $70 a month, subscribers selected for the pilot program get unlimited gigabit service with no activation or installation fees. That gets you a connection with up to 1 gigabit-per-second download speeds, but only 35 megabits-per-second
  
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• BYOD isn’t going away, so set a real strategy

  16-03-2016 15:27
  
  Your users are undoubtedly bringing their own devices to work, whether or not you have a BYOD policy in place. If you don’t, you need to settle on one now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• The future of jobs in a machine world

  16-03-2016 15:05
  
  Over the past year there has been much speculation and tens of thousands of column inches devoted to trying to determine just how many jobs and what type of jobs are going to be replaced by new generation technology.Today we’re used to, dare we say complacent towards Blue collar worker’s jobs being automated and as the joke goes the factory of the future might only need a Human and a dog to keep it running – a dog to make sure no one tampers with the machines and a Human to fee
  
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• Former GE CIO plants digital stake as CEO of GE's transportation business

  16-03-2016 14:45
  
  General Electric’s transportation business is setting up a digital solutions business in Chicago, where it intends to hire 100 workers to accelerate the company's industrial technology strategy, says Jamie Miller, president and CEO of GE Transportation. Miller is applying the IT leadership and operations skills she honed in two years as GE's global CIO as the leader of a $6 billion business that sells heavy machines and services to railroad, mining and other industries.Jamie Miller, presid
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Is Enterprise content management becoming obsolete and irrelevant?

  16-03-2016 14:38
  
  As CIOs look for better value from their enterprise content management (ECM) solutions, they’re finding more cost effective ways of operating from cloud based file storage vendors. Box, Google Drive, AWS and others provide the same capabilities offered by expensive ECM solutions. In this article, ECM refers to a solution that stores unstructured data, such as documents, images, and plain text.Traditional ECM solutions are no longer cost competitive and do not provide any additional value o
  
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• Career roadmap: How a mobile developer found his calling

  16-03-2016 14:20
  
  Programming didn't come naturally for Chris Turner. He entered Lock Haven University intending to focus on engineering, but after a lackluster first year, he dropped out.Chris Turner
  "I had no idea what I wanted to do. I took a Programming 101 class, and that really clicked for me -- but it was extremely difficult. The only experience I had with computers was AOL messenger. Everyone else was talking about how they'd coded on their Commodore 64, and I was literally starting from nothing. I had to
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: A CIOs workout plan for building talent muscles

  16-03-2016 14:07
  
  Information technology leaders for too long have not given their organization’s talent its due diligence. We have not exercised the muscles that our organization possesses to deliver the most value for our customers. Digital disruption is continually infusing itself into nearly every aspect of the way all industries and business functions go about their work and the management of IT talent is perhaps more affected (and affected more quickly) than many functions. The time is now to set your
  
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• SDN changing the way we network

  16-03-2016 14:04
  
  SANTA CLARA – SDN’s impact is profoundly changing the way users operate their networks.
  Databases and distributed systems can now participate in networking, and workloads can be segmented for scale, participants at the 2016 Open Networking Summit said here this week. Network management is simplified, and application interactions are more intuitive and network-aware.
  “Networking is way more than connectivity,” said Pere Monclus, CTO and co-founder of PLUMgrid, speaking on
  
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• Optoma's new wireless VR headset frees you from PC cables

  16-03-2016 14:00
  
  Virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift are cool, but the wires linking them to PCs are not. So Optoma has tried to remove the cable clutter with a new wireless VR headset.
  Optoma's VR headset is like a wireless monitor on your head. Users can play 360-degree games and roam VR worlds streamed wirelessly from a PC to the headset.
  However, the quality of the wireless VR experience could be a big question, though Optoma claims there is no lag. VR headsets wired to PCs generally deliver the
  
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• Fitness wearables: Who's tracking who?

  16-03-2016 13:57
  
  Fitness wearables are apparently in superb shape when it comes to collecting your health data: Heart rate, sleep patterns, steps taken per day, calories burned, weight gain or loss, mile splits, stress levels, location – even sexual activity or how you’re doing in your effort to quit smoking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Business email compromise fraud rising fast, hard to fight

  16-03-2016 13:31
  
  The email comes from a trusted source -- the CEO, a regular vendor, the company attorney or accountant. It's part of an ongoing conversation, the format and language is identical to previous emails of the same type.
  There might even be phone calls. It's no surprise that in this situation an employee would send a wire transfer to a new payee or a sensitive business document to someone who turns out to be a fraudster.
  According to ZapFraud, these kinds of spear phishing attacks, known as business
  
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• How to control Cortana, Windows Hello and other Windows 10 features

  16-03-2016 13:10
  
  Windows 10 is full of great functionality for the enterprise, but not every environment is suitable for everything Windows 10 has to offer. Fortunately, each feature or app lends itself to a good amount of tuning to fit the needs of both users and organizational policies. And by using Group Policy or mobile management device (MDM) settings, an administrator can set a policy setting and then copy it for multiple users, computers or devices, greatly reducing administrative effort.To read this arti
  
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• 10 technology boot camps to kick-start your career

  16-03-2016 13:08
  
  Tech boot camps that will kick-start your careerImage by ThinkstockIt's quickly becoming easy to learn new skills to add to your resume or to land a promotion at your current job. You can attend online courses no matter where they are and what your schedule looks like. And with the growing tech skills gap, more boot-camp style courses are popping up to help you get up to speed on the latest tech skills.Course Report, a company that offers reviews, application tips and interviews with founders, s
  
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• AI is not as remarkable as it sounds

  16-03-2016 13:02
  
  Artificial intelligence (AI) may conjure up far-fetched ideas of robot assistants, or perhaps an all-seeing presence like HAL 9000, the sentient machine in the movie 2001. But the likelier truth is that AI will come in the form of software running in your data center.And it will be coming very soon: Research firm Gartner predicts that "smart machines" will have a widespread impact on business within the next four years.In general terms it's likely that AI will be able to help IT departments do t
  
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• A scheme in India to help the poor raises privacy concerns

  16-03-2016 12:26
  India’s legislators are on Wednesday debating a law that would allow the government to collect biometric and demographic information from people in return for distributing to them government benefits and subsidies.A number of legislators and civil rights activists are concerned about the absence of strong privacy safeguards in the legislation and a provision in the law that allows the government to access the data collected for national security reasons. There is also concern that such a l
  
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• CardioSecur wants to put an ECG on your smartphone

  16-03-2016 11:56
  
  Picture an AA battery tumbling end over end, inside a leather football filled with salty water.Never mind how it got there, or what's making it spin: Your goal is to figure out which way it's pointing at any instant, and whether anything is perturbing its movement, based solely on the minute changes in electrical potential detectable at the surface of the football.How many wires would you use to take measurements? Ten? Twenty?Markus Riemenschneider, CTO of CardioSecur in Frankfurt, says four is
  
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• Windows 10 Mobile: Will it play in the enterprise?

  16-03-2016 11:30
  
  You used to see it anywhere business workers congregated: the BlackBerry. Some of them are still out there -- secure messaging devices that can be centrally managed; the heart of the business mobile fleet.But the day of the BlackBerry is over and something new is needed -- a mobile operating system that is built for work as well as personal use.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• LG G5 impressions: Our first 24 hours with LG's latest flagship phone

  16-03-2016 11:30
  
  Our LG G5 didn’t come with any Friends modules, like the Cam Plus or Hi-Fi Plus. It’s not even a reviewable unit—LG cautions it’s “pre-production preview” hardware, and the user experience could be different in the final shipping version. And on top of all that, we got the pink iteration of the G5. Too bad we ran out of Hello Kitty stickers, because they’d look perfectly at home on this phone.
  Yeah, the G5 I’ve been using for the last 24 hours com
  
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• For better career networking, go organic

  16-03-2016 11:30
  
  Many of us devote time to causes that are near and dear to our hearts, but not everyone considers translating such activities into career opportunities. Still, networking through philanthropy (or organic networking) is a long-term strategy with lifetime benefits.The key is to put the cause first and networking second. A salesperson might join a charitable organization with a noted CEO on its board in hopes of scoring some face time during a fundraising event. But such superficial interactions wo
  
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• Pushing cloud Wi-Fi way beyond basic connectivity

  16-03-2016 11:00
  
  While familiar WLAN vendors like Cisco, Aruba and Ruckus are all over the move to cloud-managed Wi-Fi, so too are newer companies looking to make a name for themselves.
  Two of these privately-held companies – Cloud4Wi and Relay2 -- have news to share this week:Cloud4Wi
  Founded: 2013
  Headquarters: San Francisco
  Funding: $12 million
  This company, which spun out of Italian managed solutions/services company WiTech, has since 2013 been offering a services platform for advanced guest Wi-Fi, wi
  
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• 6 secrets to mastering Slack

  16-03-2016 11:00
  
  Communication is the most important aspect of working on a team -- without it, there is no team. Slack is all about making that invaluable communication more efficient. Slack allows for public channels, private groups, and direct messaging, giving team members the options to communicate in the mode appropriate to the topic. Plus, the ability to join multiple teams makes it easy to switch between work, recreational, and topic-specific chats.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, ple
  
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• Large advertising-based cyberattack hit BBC, New York Times, MSN

  16-03-2016 05:26
  Major websites including the BBC, Newsweek, The New York Times and MSN ran malicious online advertisements on Sunday that attacked users' computers, a campaign that one expert said was the largest seen in two years.The websites weren't at fault. Instead, they are unwitting victims of malvertising, a scheme where cyberattackers upload harmful ads to online advertising companies, which are then distributed to top-tier publishers.Tens of thousands of computers could have been exposed to the harmful
  
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• VR may be with us for good, but lots of uncharted territory for developers

  16-03-2016 05:05
  
  At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, virtual reality is all the rage. After attendees overflowed, the discussions on VR were actually moved to larger conference rooms in an effort to help everyone see the talks they wanted to — and even then they filled up to capacity. 
  The reason was clear: everyone expects great things out of VR in the coming years, as headsets that allow everyday consumers to transport themselves to other places become more available.
  “This wi
  
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• Defense Dept. wants your help in imagining the worst

  16-03-2016 02:48
  
  Uncle Sam wants your brain power, technical expertise and imagination to help defend the U.S. No enlistment required.
  The Department of Defense says it needs to understand how everyday objects and available technologies can be used by terrorists.
  The range of technologies is so vast that the military's main scientific agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), says it needs input from as many technical people as possible.
  The agency has put out an open call for anyone from a
  
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• Lyft, GM start short-term car rental program, aim for self-driving car network

  16-03-2016 02:43
  
  General Motors today announced the launch of a short-term vehicle rental program exclusive to the Lyft ride-sharing service.
  The Express Drive rental program will make cars available to Lyft drivers starting at $99, a price that includes insurance and vehicle maintenance.
  GM is also developing autonomous vehicles and Lyft has developed software to automate ride matching, routing and payments. Together, the companies plan to develop an integrated network of on-demand autonomous vehicles.To read
  
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• Oracle profit slides despite rapid growth in cloud

  16-03-2016 01:23
  
  Oracle reported its fourth consecutive quarter of declining revenue on Tuesday, as rapid growth in its cloud business failed to offset the tepid demand for more traditional products.Oracle said sales of its cloud services jumped 40 percent in the quarter ended Feb. 29, to $735 million, led by its platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service offerings.But those cloud services accounted for only 8 percent of its overall business, and when it came to the hardware and software that customers inst
  
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• AT&T wants the world to see its software for spinning up services

  16-03-2016 01:18
  
  AT&T has revealed details of a software platform that makes it easier for customers to order new services, and the company may release the code as open source for other service providers to use.The massive U.S. carrier has been on a full-tilt push to put its network under software control for the past several years, aiming to slash the time and effort required to deliver new services and change settings like the speed of a customer's connections. It's starting to offer subscribers a way to s
  
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• Amazon files a pay-by-selfie patent while Microsoft's own face authentication languishes

  16-03-2016 00:13
  
  Amazon filed for a patent on Tuesday that anticipates a future where users simply smile for the camera to authorize an online purchase. It begs the question, Why isn't Microsoft already doing this? 
  Amazon’s patent in question simply uses image-authentication technology to identify the user, with some motion thrown in to verify the user is alive and well and not a photo-identical mannequin used to fool the system. It sounds very much like... Windows Hello.To read this article in full
  
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