IT Executive news

• DOJ cracks San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

  28-03-2016 23:55
  The U.S. government has managed to access the iPhone used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook, bypassing a passcode that had the FBI stymied for several weeks."The government has now successfully accessed the data stored on Farook’s iPhone and therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple," the Department of Justice said in a court filing on Monday.The DOJ had been attempting to force Apple to write software that would help it unlock the phone, but last week the DOJ a
  
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• iPhone SE early reviews: Retro on the outside, modern on the inside

  28-03-2016 23:45
  
  On the surface, the fascination with the size of the iPhone SE seems odd. It’s not like we’ve never seen a 4-inch iPhone before. To understand what the big deal is, you have to go underneath the surface—you have to experience what’s behind the 4-inch screen to understand what the hype is all about.
  Form the looks of the early reviews, the consensus is that the iPhone SE packs a lot of power in a smaller package. iPhone SE preorders began on March 24, and actual phones wo
  
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• BrandPost: Energy CIO Watchwords: ‘If I’m at my desk, we’re losing’

  28-03-2016 22:47
  
  The CIO role is evolving quickly, particularly in the energy sector. Resource companies need to balance growing consumer needs with evolving technologies. Brian Rich is Vice President and CIO of CMS Energy, supplying most of Michigan’s power. He shared his approach to leading the tech charge.
  Each CIO has a different focus. What is your primary goal at CMS Energy?
  Growth of tech and digital investments at CMS Energy is increasing exponentially. With that, a CIO has tough choices every day
  
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• Apple re-issues iOS 9.3 after crippling older devices, confusing customers

  28-03-2016 22:09
  
  Apple today replaced the iOS 9.3 update with a new version after the original crippled some older devices last week, and confused large numbers of unaffected customers when their iPhones and iPads told them that they weren't connected to the Internet when in truth they were.
  The initial version of iOS 9.3, which Apple issued a week ago, threw owners of older hardware -- iPhone 5S and earlier, and iPad Air and earlier -- for a loop when it asked them for their Apple ID and password, normally not
  
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• Report: Big data is doomed unless basic data management improves

  28-03-2016 20:53
  
  Before companies can do fancy things with data, like predictive analytics and data monetization, they need to fix the “broken fundamentals of data,” according to a new report by TechVision Research.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Quantum computing is now a big step closer thanks to this new breakthrough

  28-03-2016 20:24
  
  Quantum computing is now within closer reach thanks to a major breakthrough in which scientists have demonstrated that a key building block can be assembled.Quantum computers are based on atomic-scale quantum bits, or qubits, that can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, and they are expected to deliver huge performance gains over traditional computers. Realizing that potential, however, depends on the ability to build working quantum circuits.That's where the Fredkin gate, also known as
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Personal expression in the digital age: how machines get between us

  28-03-2016 20:03
  
  I was on an errand to a shop a few towns over from where I live, driving along the network of old farm roads that links these former New England settlements. In what are now the Western Suburbs of Boston, the best spots typically lie along narrow, winding, pot-holed, and many-times-patched roads, where all the big houses, prime land, golf courses and conservation set-asides can be found.Google Maps kept interrupting my journey with what must be its latest iOS update to tell me that it had f
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why your IT strategy may not help translate business strategy

  28-03-2016 19:44
  
  “I've done some work with a few large corporates in which I compared the corporate strategy with their IT function's strategy – and the match was woeful.” - CXO advisor Terry White
  The silo effect
  We tend to break a task into smaller tasks, which can be done by the specially trained. This is why we take an organization’s overall business strategy and cascade it down the organization, that is, create custom strategies for different divisions and departments. In fact, strat
  
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• Oracle seeks $9.3 billion for Google’s use of Java in Android

  28-03-2016 19:17
  
  Oracle is seeking as much as US $9.3 billion in damages in a long-running copyright lawsuit against Google over its use of Java in Android, court filings show.Oracle sued Google six years ago, claiming the search giant needs a license to use parts of the Java platform in Google's market-leading mobile OS.The companies went to trial over the matter in 2012 but the jury was split on the crucial question of whether Google’s use of Java was protected by "fair use," which permits copying under
  
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• Apple developing new batteries to improve energy capacity in devices

  28-03-2016 18:50
  
  Apple can't yet boast of significantly longer battery life in devices, but the company is looking to change that.The company is researching new types of batteries that could potentially help PCs, mobile devices and wearable devices run much longer without a recharge.Job listings posted over the last two months point to Apple researching new battery technologies and looking to improve on current lithium-ion architectures.Apple is looking for materials scientists; the jobs involve evalua
  
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• ISPs are breaking net neutrality rules, advocacy groups say

  28-03-2016 17:08
  Internet service providers are picking "winners and losers" in violation of U.S. net neutrality rules by selectively exempting Web traffic from their monthly data caps, according to a coalition of more than 50 advocacy groups.The Federal Communications Commission should stop ISPs from exempting selected Web traffic, known as offering zero-rating plans, and enforce its year-old net neutrality rules, the digital rights and consumer groups said in a letter to the agency Monday.Zero-rating plan
  
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• Google cloud chief on tackling the enterprise

  28-03-2016 17:00
  
  SAN FRANCISCO — Google is looking to strategically tackle the enterprise cloud market by open sourcing some of its internal technologies, embracing a multiplatform design principle and setting what it thinks are reasonable expectations for what its customers should move into the public cloud. The company hopes to continue making strides in the crowded market, which Amazon dominates, by helping enterprises identify business processes that can rapidly transition to the cloud and deliver the
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Phishing for W-2s

  28-03-2016 16:50
  
  It’s late in the day on a Friday and an email just landed in your payroll administrator’s inbox. “I want you to send me a digital copy of the W-2s for our employees in one PDF folder asap.” The email was sent by the president of your company.Sound far-fetched? A number of companies have fallen for this phishing scam already over 40 of which are named by CSO.. This list is not complete and it will continue to grow as I know of similar, non-published breaches. The scam is s
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How the needs of mid-sized organizations help drive analytics accessibility

  28-03-2016 16:45
  
  Several years ago, talking to small and mid-sized organizations* was met with a lot of frustration on the side of organizations looking for solutions. With many solutions out of reach due to cost and infrastructure requirements, successful adoption was prohibitive.As time went on, cloud, open source, database flexibility, self-service, diverse licensing options and mobile flexibility supported a natural shift in the business intelligence landscape, making it easier for small and mid-market busin
  
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• The world's first Ubuntu tablet opens preorders, converging PCs and mobile devices

  28-03-2016 16:41
  
  The first Ubuntu-based convergence tablet is finally here.
  Ubuntu-maker Canonical and BQ, an electronics maker based in Spain, opened the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition for preorder today, with global shipping prices starting at €259.90 (about $291). The devices are slated to start shipping in early April.Protip: If you’re ordering the Ubuntu Tablet, make sure you click through to BQ from Canonical’s tablet devices page to get the worldwide pricing and shipping options.
  To read
  
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• Apple demands delay in NY iPhone case

  28-03-2016 16:12
  
  Apple last week asked a federal magistrate in New York to extend a court filing deadline until after the government decides whether it can unlock a different iPhone in a similar case, documents revealed.
  The New York case involved an iPhone used by a convicted drug dealer. Last year, the the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested a court order compelling Apple to help authorities crack that phone's security so that investigators could access its data. When Apple contested the motion in October i
  
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• Toyota uses analytics to keep delinquent customers in their cars

  28-03-2016 15:46
  
  In the wake of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) started seeing record numbers of customers fall delinquent on their auto payments every day. By 2009, TFS, which provides auto financing to more than four million U.S. customers, was hitting a high water mark."2009 was the first time there were over 100,000 customers per day who were more than one day behind on their car payments," says Jim Bander, national manager for decision science at Toyota Financial Se
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iPhone SE: Is it time to dump your iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus?

  28-03-2016 15:08
  When Apple first announced the iPhone SE, there were many who blithely assumed that the majority of people who might buy it would be folks that have held onto their iPhone 5s, 5 or even 4s models. But I’m seeing quite a lot of interest online in the SE by folks who currently own an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus.Many of the folks who bought the larger screen phones seem to have had enough of them and are ready to go back to a smaller phone that fits more comfortably in their hands. In a n
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iPhone SE: Is it time to dump your big iPhone?

  28-03-2016 15:08
  When Apple first announced the iPhone SE, there were many who blithely assumed that the majority of people who might buy it would be folks that have held onto their iPhone 5s, 5 or even 4s models. But I’m seeing quite a lot of interest online in the SE by folks who currently own an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus.Many of the folks who bought the larger screen phones seem to have had enough of them and are ready to go back to a smaller phone that fits more comfortably in their hands. In a n
  
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• Microsoft wraps up special Windows 10 edition for China's government

  28-03-2016 14:35
  
  Microsoft has completed work on the first version of Windows 10 designed specifically for Chinese government agencies, according to a report from the People's Republic of China (PRC) last week.
  In an interview with the China-based publication Caixin, the head of Microsoft's efforts in the PRC said that the initial version of the special edition had been finished.
  The English-language website TechInAsia first reported on the Caixin interview with Ralph Haupter, CEO of Microsoft's Greater China r
  
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• 'Night Shift' makes iPad mini an ideal bedtime ereader

  28-03-2016 14:00
  
  The new "Night Shift" feature in Apple's iOS 9.3 update is the latest attempt by an electronics maker to reduce the amount of blue light tech device displays emit.What's wrong with blue light? It can mess with the body's melatonin levels, prevent people from nodding off at night, and create other sleep problems. A number of studies have been done on the subject of blue light and sleep, including an oft-cited report published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences i
  
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• Enterprise IoT rollouts still need outside assistance -- but new software can help

  28-03-2016 14:00
  
  The industrial Internet of Things doesn't just show up in a box at the door ready to use. It takes integration to deploy IoT systems and get the maximum benefit.
  That's because IoT isn't one thing, but many linked together in pursuit of a business objective. For example, making power consumption data more accurate and up to date may require smart meters at customers' homes, networks to carry the data collected, and analytical software in the cloud.
  "There is no full, end-to-end IoT anything out
  
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• The road to success: Tech leaders tell all

  28-03-2016 13:47
  
  If you’ve ever looked around your company headquarters and thought to yourself: “I should be running things,” maybe you’re right. For those with vision, tech chops, and people skills -- along with a laser focus on turning a profit -- being a company’s tech lead may be the right fit.Swimming with sharksTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How MSSPs can address the cybersecurity talent gap

  28-03-2016 13:42
  
  The cybersecurity labor market is suffering a severe workforce shortage. By 2019, the demand for talent is estimated to be about 6 million jobs, with a projected shortfall of at least 1.5 million skilled workers, according to Symantec's CEO Michael Brown.
  In July 2015, the U.S. State of Cybercrime report from PwC, CSO, the CERT division of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and U.S. Secret Service showed that 79 percent of the 500 U.S. executives, security experts a
  
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• NTT Data to acquire Dell’s services business for over $3B

  28-03-2016 13:30
  NTT Data, the IT services subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, has entered into an agreement to acquire Dell’s IT services business, a move that could make the Japanese company an important player in the U.S. market.The price NTT is paying for the acquisition was not disclosed, though some reports said the Japanese company is paying over US$3 billion for Dell Services. A Dell spokeswoman declined to comment on the price.The sale by Dell could help the Round Rock, Texas company r
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 things your project client wants to know before you start

  28-03-2016 13:30
  You've likely never worked with your next project client before. In professional services organizations, 87 percent of their projects - on average based on a survey I conducted of my readers and colleagues five years ago - are first time clients. That means most projects are one-off work, but you still want to get everything as close to right as possible so that this next client becomes part of that 13 percent that are old clients coming back for new work. Or, better yet, get that number to 20-2
  
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• Is Apple rotting?

  28-03-2016 13:21
  
  I remember Steve Jobs crushing it time after time with his new-product introductions — his “One more thing“ was the most exciting phrase in technology.
  “One more thing” didn’t always herald a winner. You’d have to be a hard-core Apple fanatic to remember Mac DV. But Jobs kept the Apple hype machine running all the way to the top of the Fortune 500.
  He’s been gone for a while now, though. In his place, Tim Cook has done his best. But slowly and sur
  
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• How to get agile to work at your company

  28-03-2016 13:12
  
  According to The 9th Annual State of Agile Report, released last year by VerizonOne (in conjunction with independent survey consultants, Analysis.Net Research) 94 percent of the organizations are practicing agile development. The report collected data from 3,925 respondents to determine the challenges organizations face when implementing agile.According to our experts, it requires a shift in thinking for all parties involved and the full support of C-suite leadership, the business and developer
  
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• 6 ways Twitter can help your business go beyond PR

  28-03-2016 13:12
  
  Many businesses still think of Twitter as only a public relations tool. But Twitter is more than just a way to publicize a new product or service. It’s a way for businesses to quickly connect and engage with customers, partners and employees and build a loyal following. So how can your brand leverage Twitter beyond PR? Following are six innovative ways to use the social media service that can benefit your bottom line.1. Lead generation/customer acquisition. “Businesses can use Twitte
  
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• How virtual reality could transform healthcare

  28-03-2016 12:38
  
  For those who ordered early, the long-awaited Oculus Rift starts shipping today, the HTC Vive is expected to officially ship April 5, and Sony’s Playstation VR is slated to arrive in October. Virtual reality headsets aimed at the consumer/gamer market are finally becoming a reality.
  This would lead to not just better training simulations, but real-time surgeries performed in a virtual environment. Doctors would be able to get a much closer view, and from any angle, and work on a much smal
  
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• For IT, climate change means preparing for disaster

  28-03-2016 12:34
  
  IT managers understand the hazards of heat inside data centers. But what about outside it?Cordell Schachter, the CTO of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), who went through Hurricane Sandy in 2012, says climate trends will increasingly impact IT operations."At one time, you could go through a whole career without facing one of those situations" -- something like a Sandy -- said Cordell. But he now believes if "you have a career spanning more than a decade" you may see one or tw
  
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• 6 iOS features Android N borrowed—that Apple should steal back

  28-03-2016 12:30
  
  To say there’s some overlap between iOS and Android is an understatement. Google scrapped its original mobile OS concept and pivoted to a touch-based mobile operating system only after Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone, and has been borrowing features from Apple for years ever since—shamelessly taking things like Siri, Do Not Disturb, and Touch ID and giving them the Android treatment. 
  Of course, Apple is by no means blameless when it comes to pilfering from the other side. Thi
  
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• Petya ransomware overwrites MBRs, locking users out of their computers

  28-03-2016 12:15
  
  It's hard enough for non-technical users to deal with ransomware infections: understanding public-key cryptography, connecting to the Tor anonymity network and paying with Bitcoin cryptocurrency. A new malicious program now makes it even more difficult by completely locking victims out of their computers.The new Petya ransomware overwrites the master boot record (MBR) of the affected PCs, leaving their operating systems in an unbootable state, researchers from antivirus firm Trend Micro said in
  
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• Leading digital change means moving beyond the mission statement

  28-03-2016 12:10
  
  Catalina Media LabSteve Rubinow, CTO, Catalina Media LabTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 9 new features in Windows 10

  28-03-2016 12:09
  
  (Insider Story)
  
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• Facebook Safety Check develops glitch, checks on people far from Lahore blast

  28-03-2016 03:48
  
  Facebook designed its Safety Check to find out about people who are close to an affected area during an emergency.On Sunday, after a terror attack in Lahore, Pakistan, killed around 65 and injured over 300 people, a bug in the tool made it contact people in locations like the U.S., India and U.K. far removed from the explosion, causing considerable anxiety.Some users got text messages on their mobile phones that simply asked: “Facebook Safety Check: Are you affected by the explosion? Reply
  
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