IT Executive news

• 5 things you need to know about data exhaust

  13-05-2016 23:20
  
  Big data is now a familiar term in most of the business world, and companies large and small are scrambling to take advantage of it. Data exhaust, on the other hand, is less widely known, and in some ways it's an evil twin brother. Here are five things you should understand about data exhaust's pros and cons.1. It's essentially all the big data that isn't core to your business. The "data exhaust" term has actually been around for more than a decade, and it arose with the new streams of data comi
  
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• Starwood taps machine learning to dynamically price hotel rooms

  13-05-2016 22:01
  
  Should Marriott International acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide as is widely expected, it will gain a company whose smartphone check-in, key-less entry and robot bellhops are progressive in the increasingly technology-focused hospitality sector. But Starwood's digital crown jewel is invisible to guests: Its analytics software platform enables the hotelier to automatically recalibrate pricing of its properties using hundreds of variables that influence supply and demand.Starwood spe
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to make containers more secure

  13-05-2016 21:59
  
  Matthew Garrett, principal security engineer at CoreOS, is one of the most respected names in the Linux world when it comes to security and cloud computing. I sat down with Garrett at CoreOS Fest to discuss the risks around containers and Linux in general. Here is an edited version of that discussion.
  Lately we've been hearing a lot about container security. What are the risks involved with containers and what are open source projects like CoreOS doing to mitigate them?
  Security is of a special
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Linux can't keep you safe if you don't update it

  13-05-2016 21:35
  
  At CoreOS Fest in Berlin, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Linux kernel developer and maintainer of the stable branch, talked about an inconvenient truth about Linux and security: vendors are notoriously bad about implementing patches.For the last 15 years the kernel community has been following a rule to fix things as soon as possible. The Linux community fixes the bugs and pushed them so that vendors can push them to their users.But there is a problem.Kroah-Hartman said, “… nobody takes [the p
  
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• Sunrun begins installing Tesla home batteries

  13-05-2016 21:25
  
  Sunrun Inc., one of the top 10 largest U.S. solar installers, today announced it completed its first installation of a Sunrun BrightBox energy storage system, which is based on Tesla's Powerwall lithium-ion battery.
  The BrightBox energy storage system combines rooftop solar panels with the Powerwall wall-mounted lithium-ion battery. Sunrun's is also the first ever to be installed under Hawaiian Electric Company's (HECO) new Customer Self-Supply (CSS) Program.SunrunA home in Hawaii with a Sunrun
  
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• The end of iTunes music sales is inevitable

  13-05-2016 21:19
  
  It's inevitable that Apple will pull the plug on digital music sales conducted through its iconic iTunes store, analysts said today.
  But contrary to a report by Digital Music News, which cited anonymous sources "with close and active business relationships with Apple," it's very unlikely that the Cupertino, Calif. company has a two-year countdown in the works.
  Apple has denied such plans in a rare public rebuttal.
  But Apple will shutter its iTunes music business at some point, analysts agreed.
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to be a successful healthcare CIO in the first 100 days

  13-05-2016 21:06
  
  CIO is a responsibility delegated to someone who has the power and the integrity to shape the technology future of a company. Technology has become the backbone; the most crucial department or function for the successful running of any company in today’s time.  Being a CIO is a huge responsibility that calls for 100% efforts and result oriented actions. You have the power but also the pressure to meet goals, build new plans and successfully implement them; while taking the team and th
  
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• Google exec leaves its business-focused team for the company's VR division

  13-05-2016 20:52
  Google for Work President Amit Singh is leaving the company's business-focused division to tackle new challenges on the virtual reality side of the house.Singh will be joining the Google VR team to lead its business and operations efforts, he said in a tweet Friday. The company hired him six years ago from Oracle to lead the Google for Work team, and he was at its head for the launch of a number of key enterprise-focused products, including Android for Work and Chromebooks for Work.
  Thrilled to
  
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• 5 ways to make a successful pitch to an analyst

  13-05-2016 18:58
  
  Analysts are an odd group. Many of us make our money providing advice to both sides of the sales cycle, helping vendors pitch their products better and, more importantly, helping them build better products.There are also three classes of analyst you are likely to talk to.Financial analysts that are mostly focused on how you will perform on a P&L during the next two quarters.Numbers industry analysts who sell market share projections and want to know both how much you are selling and how much
  
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• 5 things to consider before you buy a new MacBook

  13-05-2016 18:20
  Apple's newly updated MacBook line packs a lot punch in an ultra-thin (and ultra-sexy) case, making it a good choice for people who need the lightest laptop available but prefer a Mac with OS X to an iPad with iOS.
  That said, the MacBook's form necessarily dictates some of its function. And with prices that start at $1,299, it overlaps with Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line-ups -- making it even more important to choose wisely when spending your money. For would-be buyers drawn to the sm
  
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• Senators will introduce a bill to limit government hacking warrants

  13-05-2016 17:48
  A U.S. senator will introduce legislation to roll back new court rules that allow judges to give law enforcement agencies the authority to remotely hack computers.Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, will introduce a bill that would reverse a court procedure rules change, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court last month, that would allow lower judges to issue remote hacking warrants.The rules change, requested by the Department of Justice, expands the geographical reach of police hackin
  
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• Petya ransomware is now double the trouble

  13-05-2016 17:36
  
  The Petya ransomware now bundles a second file-encrypting program for cases where it cannot replace a computer's master boot record to encrypt its file table.Petya is an unusual ransomware threat that first popped up on security researchers' radar in March. Instead of encrypting a user's files directly, it encrypts the master file table (MFT) used by NTFS disk partitions to hold information about file names, sizes and location on the physical disk.Before encrypting the MFT, Petya replaces the co
  
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• Social media a missed opportunity for customer service

  13-05-2016 17:29
  
  The average business responds to only 11 percent of the people who reach out to them on popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, according to a new report from Sprout Social, which offers a social media management platform. Brands aren't necessarily averse to posting, tweeting or "'graming," Sprout Social says. They're just too busy sending out promotions. Companies distribute 23 promotional messages for every response they send to their audiences on social media, accord
  
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• Malware attacks on two banks have links with 2014 Sony Pictures hack

  13-05-2016 17:11
  Bangladesh Bank, a commercial bank in Vietnam and ... Sony Pictures are the unlikely bedfellows in a tale of cyber intrigue uncovered by security researchers at BAE Systems.Researchers Sergei Shevchenko and Adrian Nish have found some links between malware involved in the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures and attacks on two banks involving the theft of credentials for the SWIFT financial transfer network.The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said North Korea was to blame for the Sony attack (altho
  
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• Going agile requires a culture shift, say CIOs

  13-05-2016 16:26
  
  “When it comes to agile development ... it is less about technology. It is more about mindset, more about culture, more about people and their passion,” says Sudhakar Gorti, CIO at Environmental Data Resources.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Origami robot may operate from the inside the body

  13-05-2016 16:12
  
  It may sound like science fiction but university researchers have built a tiny, foldable robot that may one day operate on people -- from inside their body.
  This tiny robot would be swallowed inside a capsule and then, once inside the patient's stomach, it would unfold itself and then crawl across the stomach to repair a wound or remove a swallowed button battery, for instance.
  "It's really exciting to see our small origami robots doing something with potential important applications to health
  
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• Windows 10 phones gaining support for fingerprint readers this summer

  13-05-2016 15:39
  Microsoft's improving the biometric login capabilities of Windows 10 Mobile in the coming months. The company plans to add fingerprint sensor capabilities to Windows Hello—the biometric login feature built into the operating system—in the mobile version of Windows 10 this summer. Windows 10 Mobile already supports retina detection, which is used by the Lumia 950 and the 950 XL.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• New JavaScript library brings Java to browsers without applets

  13-05-2016 15:00
  Melding the worlds of Java and JavaScript, JavaPoly.js extends native Java Virtual Machine support to browsers via a library serving as a polyfill.
  JavaPoly.js enables developers to import existing Java code and invoke it from JavaScript. "It finally allows Java to become a first-class citizen by running directly in the browser's script tags (and interacting directly with the DOM), instead of being confined to an applet sandbox," according to the project's Web page. The user does not need to ha
  
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• Pay What You Want for 13 Premium Mac Apps - Deal Alert

  13-05-2016 14:57
  
  If you want to maximize your productivity, this bundle of premium Mac apps is the ticket. Together, they’re valued at $946, but here’s your chance to pay what you want for them.
  
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• Terrorists opt for consumer tools

  13-05-2016 14:00
  
  Although cybercriminals have been turning out specialized hacking and attack tools at a rapid pace, terrorists are often using legitimate, consumer-focused technologies, according to a new Trend Micro report.
  "They're abusing legitimate technology for their own gain," said Ed Cabrera, vice president of cybersecurity strategy at Trend Micro.
  Sometimes, the vendors involved shut down accounts that are being used by terrorists, he said.
  "As accounts become not usable, they pivot to other applicati
  
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• SWIFT warns of malware attack on another of its customers

  13-05-2016 13:33
  Financial transaction network SWIFT has renewed its warning to customers to be on their guard following the discovery of malware at another bank using its services.The bank first asked customers to take steps to secure their systems in the wake of an attempt to steal US$951 million from Bangladesh Bank in February. Attackers there appear to have used custom malware installed on computers at the bank to send fraudulent messages over the SWIFT network seeking to transfer money from the bank's acco
  
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• Banengroei ict-sector zwakt af

  13-05-2016 13:32
  Het aantal vacatures in de ict-sector blijft stijgen, maar minder snel dan in 2015. Uitzondering zijn de vacatures voor hoogopgeleide IT’ers, die in het eerste kwartaal van 2016 met 7% stegen ten opzichte van het voorlaatste kwartaal. Functies waar moeilijk kandidaten voor kunnen worden gevonden, zoals... lees meer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Driving innovation with your teams

  13-05-2016 13:15
  
  In last month’s blog I talked about how to keep your C-Suite in the fast lane. What about the rest of the organization? How do you drive a culture of innovation throughout your business? Everyone is vying to create a collaborative workspace; bright colors, comfortable seating, and even free food. But what does it take to truly enculturate innovative start up thinking deep into your organization and why is it important?“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The oft-repeated quot
  
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• Betere afstemming CFO en CIO nodig voor financiële transformatie

  13-05-2016 13:08
  Betere afstemming tussen CFO’s en CIO’s is cruciaal voor een succesvolle financiële transformatie. Gestandaardiseerde oplossingen in de cloud worden weliswaar gezien als een antwoord op allerlei op maat gemaakte legacy-systemen, maar CFO's hebben wel twijfels vanwege frequent veranderende... lees meer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: It’s time for Microsoft to close its fake Apple stores

  13-05-2016 13:00
  
  It’s often said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and if that’s true then Microsoft has been flattering Apple for years by trying to copy its stores. Unfortunately for Microsoft, nobody cares about their retail stores.Ina Fried reports on Microsoft’s retail failure for Recode:
  It’s hard to know exactly how the stores are doing since Microsoft won’t comment on either sales or traffic figures. It is fair to say, though, that it is not uncommon to vi
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Business alignment techniques for successful and sustainable analytics

  13-05-2016 13:00
  
  Our recent article on 5 critical success factors to turn data into insight, written by our Founder and CEO Kelle O’Neal, indicated there should be concern around the not-so-successful outcomes of many analytics and big data projects.In her article, Kelle also covered five capabilities that contribute to the success of analytics-based initiatives.Business alignment – Determine context and value of using informationData understanding – Seek to better understand data assets and ma
  
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• Hands on: New build of Windows 10 Anniversary Update preview tweaks Edge, Wi-Fi Sense

  13-05-2016 12:30
  
  The march towards the release of this summer's Windows 10 Anniversary Update continues with the May 10th release of the latest preview: build 1432. It's a minor update focusing primarily on improving the Edge browser's extension installation process and launching four new extensions.
  There's also a surprise in this build: The death of the most controversial aspect of Wi-Fi Sense, the feature that some people worried could invade their privacy by sharing their Wi-Fi passwords with their friends
  
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• House GOP seeks $120M for visa fraud-catching software

  13-05-2016 12:18
  
  House Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation intended to bolster the scrutiny of people entering this country. Its impetus is last year's terrorist attack by a married couple who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif. and wounded 22. But the bill's provisions will affect all visas, including the H-1B.
  The legislation, submitted Thursday and led by Rep. Bob Goodlatte  (R-Va.), the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, specifically requires analytics software "to ensure proac
  
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• 4 big plans to fix internet security

  13-05-2016 12:00
  
  The Internet is all-encompassing. Between mobile devices and work computers, we live our lives on it -- but our online existence has been tragically compromised by inadequate security. Any determined hacker can eavesdrop on what we say, impersonate us, and perform all manner of malicious activities.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Ict-sector ondersteunt inspanningen EU op cybersecurity-gebied

  13-05-2016 10:22
  Door René Bonvanie – Gisteren heeft Palo Alto Networks in Amsterdam samen met ruim twintig andere bedrijven en organisaties het Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure Manifest (pdf) ondertekend. Het manifest stelt dat een samenwerking tussen organisaties en de cybersecurity community kan helpen bij het... lees meer
  
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• Apple invests $1B in China’s ride-hailing company Didi

  13-05-2016 05:42
  
  Apple has invested US$1 billion in China's largest ride-hailing company, Didi Chuxing, in a move that could give it an opportunity to participate in the local company's bid to build a data-driven ride-share platform.Didi, which is already backed by big local players like Tencent and Alibaba, said it has raised the Apple investment as a part of its latest funding round. The investment by Apple is the largest single investment Didi has ever received, it added.Apple has been indicating that such an
  
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• Google to bring 'Gboard' features to Android

  13-05-2016 02:46
  
  If you’re a dedicated Android fan, you don’t need to storm the gates of Mountain View with torches and pitchforks just yet over Google’s new iPhone-only keyboard Gboard.
  That’s because Google plans to bring over the slick search features, though we just don’t know exactly when. A member of the Gboard team offered this detail when asked during a Producthunt chat. 
  Google Product Manager Bri Connelly said, “Working on the best way to bring t
  
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• Google's cool new natural language tool is called Parsey McParseface

  13-05-2016 02:07
  
  Google has changed the way developers build applications that understand human language -- and in the finest tradition of the Internet, has named the result after Boaty McBoatface. 
  The company announced a new SyntaxNet open-source neural network framework that developers can use to build applications that understand human language. As part of that release, Google also introduced Parsey McParseface, a new English language parser that was trained using SyntaxNet.To read this article in full
  
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• Half the Web's traffic comes from bots, and that's costing you more than you think

  13-05-2016 01:25
  
  Roughly half of all Web traffic comes from bots and crawlers, and that's costing companies a boatload of money.That's one finding from a report released Thursday by DeviceAtlas, which makes software to help companies detect the devices being used by visitors to their websites.Non-human sources accounted for 48 percent of traffic to the sites analyzed for DeviceAtlas's Q1 Mobile Web Intelligence Report, including legitimate search-engine crawlers as well as automated scrapers and bots generated b
  
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• Open Data Platform Initiative looks to ease fears

  13-05-2016 00:22
  
  VANCOUVER, BC -- Last year's foundation of the Open Data Platform Initiative (ODPi), a collaborative project of The Linux Foundation that aims to reduce complexity surrounding the Hadoop ecosystem, made waves in certain parts of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) concerned by the creation of an external organization that could exert influence over Apache projects.At the Apache: Big Data North America conference in Vancouver, BC this week, the ODPi moved to ease those concerns through dialog an
  
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