IT Executive news

• IT’s new imperative: Partnering to shape the future

  25-05-2016 23:12
  
  Anyone who's spent any time in IT has heard the call to partner with the business. Here's some advice on what that means, why it's crucial for IT going forward and how to do it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Business users get live chat in Office Online

  25-05-2016 23:06
  
  Microsoft's attempts to catch up with Google in the online collaboration space took a step forward Wednesday, when the company announced that it's giving business users live chat in Office Online. The new feature will allow users to discuss documents stored in SharePoint and OneDrive for Business using chat sessions powered by Skype for Business.When more than one person is working on a shared document inside Word, Excel, OneNote or PowerPoint Online, they'll see a chat button show up
  
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• Cisco ACI and VMware NSX kumbaya?

  25-05-2016 22:54
  
  Comments by Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins last week that the networking giant is open to collaborations with VMware in virtual networking raise the question: Just how would Cisco's ACI and VMware's NSX platforms could work together?
  In an interview with CRN last week, Robbins spoke vaguely about potentially exploring collaborations between Cisco’s ACI and VMware’s NSX, but did not commit to any specific integrations of the two products, which have typically been seen as competitors in the
  
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• Not dead yet: 7 of the oldest federal IT systems still wheezing away

  25-05-2016 22:08
  
  There are some seriously old IT systems at work in the federal IT arsenal and some that are 56 years old have no real retirement date.
  That was one observation from a report issued this week from the federal watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office.
  “Agencies reported using several systems that have components that are, in some cases, at least 50 years old. For example, the Department of Defense uses 8-inch floppy disks in a legacy system that coordinates the operational function
  
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• Report: Apple to chase Echo, Google Home in voice assistant market

  25-05-2016 21:52
  
  Tech giant Apple could be readying itself for an uncharacteristic act of openness, as the company prepares to take the wraps off of the Siri SDK in a bid for a bigger piece of the growing digital voice assistant market.
  A report from The Information’s Amir Efrati said yesterday that Apple is getting ready to make development tools for Siri widely available for the first time, which will allow app developers to create products that integrate with the company’s popular voice assistant
  
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• Microsoft breaks own design rules in dupe-the-user Windows 10 upgrade tactic

  25-05-2016 21:07
  
  Microsoft's interpretation of the "Close" button in a notification of an impending upgrade to Windows 10 is contrary to company design guidelines and other recommendations, according to documents on the firm's website.
  As part of a final push to boost the number of PCs running Windows 10 before the July 29 expiration of its free upgrade offer, Microsoft has altered the behavior of a notification dialog so that clicking the "X" in the upper-right corner authorizes the pre-scheduled upgrade.
  Not
  
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• This sticker can wirelessly charge your smartphone or tablet

  25-05-2016 21:04
  
  A French startup has created wireless charging stickers that adhere to the backs of smartphones, tablets and drones, among other things, and can charge multiple devices at the same time on a single charging pad.
  Energysquare, which was founded last year by two French entrepreneurs who had just graduated from an engineering school, launched a crowdfunding campaign today on Kickstarter hoping to raise $33,630 (€30,000) to ramp up manufacturing.EnergysqareEnergysquare's pad charges a mobile d
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Asking 'Why?' will define the Internet of Things 2.0

  25-05-2016 20:30
  
  Paul Metaxos and I recently published an article in Harvard Business Review on the importance of design in creating value in the next phase of the Internet of things (IoT) — IoT 2.0. IoT 2.0 is the natural next step in the technology adoption curve and will bring in a new wave of IoT-facilitated solutions that will demonstrate a higher rate of adoption and return on investment. The IoT can be harder than other technology adoption progressions because of the sheer mass and pervasive nature
  
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• Twitter's tiny tweaks do little to address big issues

  25-05-2016 20:17
  
  Twitter this week committed to making some long overdue changes designed to free up space in "tweet" messages so users can share more in each post. Usernames mentioned in @ replies and media attachments, such as photos, GIFs, videos and polls, will no longer count toward Twitter's 140 character tweet limit, according to the company. 
  Twitter has toyed with the idea of expanding space in tweets for years, and every time related rumors resurface, users lob criticism at the company for plans
  
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• ServiceNow CreatorCon for Kids was a Success!

  25-05-2016 20:12
  
  On Saturday, May 21st, we had the honor of co-sponsoring SPARK Programming and ServiceNow's 1st annual CreatorCon for Kids.  This creative event was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where the next generation of developers had a chance to learn how to use agile development software and learn to code from professionals via a complimentary session.  The kids, ages 8-17, worked to build versions of an 8-bit arcade game.  Check out what they accomplished here!
  
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• 55% off Rugged Geek Portable Power Supply and Vehicle Jump Starter - Deal Alert

  25-05-2016 20:02
  
  Here we have a good candidate for this year's Father's Day gift, either for yourself or a dad you know. This handy gadget is a 600A portable power supply capable of charging your laptops, tablets and phones. However, this one can also boost most cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and tractors as well. The Rugged Geek INTELLIBOOST is truly designed for all of the critical batteries in your life. In an emergency, just connect the included jumper cables and attach to your vehicle's dead battery. It wi
  
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• Arduino targets the Internet of Things with Primo board

  25-05-2016 19:58
  
  Arduino, the Italian company that has powered the "maker" movement with a series of small computing boards that can be programmed and configured for different tasks, is introducing a board targeted at the so-called Internet of Things.IoT encompasses the world of Internet-connected machinery and gadgets, many of which include sensors that remotely and autonomously send data.The Primo features WiFi, Bluetooth low energy, NFC (near-field communications), and infrared built into the board. Prev
  
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• Afraid of floods and hackers? Put your data in space.

  25-05-2016 19:37
  
  Satellite-based data centers with room for petabytes of data may start orbiting Earth as early as 2019. But when it comes to keeping secrets safe from the long arm of the law, the black void may not be far enough.Cloud Constellation, a startup in Los Angeles, is looking upward to give companies and governments direct access to their data from anywhere in the world. Its data centers on satellites would let users bypass the Internet and the thousands of miles of fiber their bits now have to traver
  
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• Salesforce brings cross-channel service a step closer with new 'Snap-ins'

  25-05-2016 19:24
  
  You can't always bring customers to your best customer-service tools, but now you can bring those tools to them thanks to a new addition announced Wednesday for Salesforce's Service Cloud.Dubbed Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins, the new offering allows organizations of any size to take key support features from Salesforce's Service Cloud and "drop" them into their websites or mobile apps. Case-management and live-chat capabilities can now be added to mobile and Web apps, for example, and a tap-t
  
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• How (and why) to be a Pragmatic Visionary

  25-05-2016 18:49
  
  If there’s one characteristic shared by just about everyone in the diverse universe of IT professionals, it’s the desire to work at the leading edge of technology and innovation. There may be exceptions, of course, but virtually everyone who dedicates their career to the technology industry does so with a keen interest in pushing the envelope, exploring what’s possible, and leveraging innovative new technology to drive change. In other words, we all want to be visionary leaders
  
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• US government agencies are still using Windows 3.1, floppy disks and 1970s computers

  25-05-2016 18:27
  
  Some U.S. government agencies are using IT systems running Windows 3.1, the decades-old COBOL and Fortran programming languages, or computers from the 1970s.A backup nuclear control messaging system at the U.S. Department of Defense runs on an IBM Series 1 computer, first introduced in 1976, and uses eight-inch floppy disks, while the Internal Revenue Service's master file of taxpayer data is written in assembly language code that's more than five decades old, according to a new report from the
  
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• New court request raises further doubts about transatlantic data transfers

  25-05-2016 17:48
  
  Thousands of companies were turned into lawbreakers at a stroke the last time the High Court of Ireland referred a question about data protection to the Court of Justice of the European Union. And it may be about to do it again.That means yet more uncertainty for companies processing European citizens' personal information in the U.S., as they struggle to keep up with the changes in privacy regulations triggered by the CJEU's response to the Irish court's last question.Under EU law, citizens' pe
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: OpenSUSE Leap 42.2 is ready for testing, first alpha released

  25-05-2016 16:54
  
  Ludwig Nussel, the new release manager for openSUSE Leap, on Tuesday announced the alpha release of openSUSE Leap 42.2. I downloaded it in a virtual machine and took it for a spin.
  For those who don’t know, the openSUSE community recently restructured and now maintains two releases of the operating system: openSUSE Leap and openSUSE Tumbleweed. While Tumbleweed is a well-tested rolling release version, Leap is a very well tested and stable release of the distribution.To read this article
  
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• Free mobile data is good for consumers

  25-05-2016 16:26
  
  Have you ever attended a sporting event where billboards flashed advertisements? Quite likely. Have you ever been to a conference with sponsored events, shuttles and meals? Happens all the time. In these cases, and many more, advertisers in effect help subsidize your ticket purchase. The practice is so common as to be unremarkable. 
  And yet the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), prodded by self-styled consumer interest groups, is seeking to ban sponsored data on the Internet. Spotify
  
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• Top-level domain expansion is a security risk for business computers

  25-05-2016 16:25
  
  The explosion of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) in recent years can put enterprise computers at risk due to name conflicts between internal domain names used inside corporate networks and those that can now be registered on the public Internet.
  Many companies have configured their networks to use domain names, in many cases with made-up TLDs that a few years ago didn't use to exist on the Internet, such as .office, .global, .network, .group, .school and many others. Having an intern
  
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• Dear Satya Nadella: Make sure the Microsoft Surface Phone has these features

  25-05-2016 16:22
  
  This is all starting to remind me of the time Microsoft decided to bale on the browser market.After effectively shutting down their mobile division this week by firing 1,850 employees, most of them in Finland, Satya Nadella has shut the door firmly on any new smartphones....except one. He made it clear that Microsoft will stay in the mix and focus their efforts, which is one way of suggesting the famous tech juggernaut is making a Surface smartphone. Mark my words: It will happen.To read this ar
  
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• New CIO appointments, spring 2016 edition

  25-05-2016 15:56
  
  There has been no shortage of new appointments and promotions to CIO roles so far this spring. Congratulations to all the IT leaders with new jobs.Jody Davids was named senior vice president and global CIO for PepsiCo. Davids was previously CIO for Agrium.Mike Koehler joined Exelon as senior vice president, chief digital officer and CIO. Koehler was previously senior vice president of global services at EMC.San Antonio financial services company USAA appointed Jennifer Sepull as CIO and senior v
  
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• 96% off Complete Mobile App Developer Course Bundle - Deal Alert

  25-05-2016 15:45
  
  Learn Everything You Need to Turn Your App Idea into a Real, Working Product with 10 Courses (77.5+ Hours) of Premium Content. For a limited time just $49 with this rather dramatic 96% off deal.
  
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• This free iOS app makes it dead simple to unsubscribe from email blasts

  25-05-2016 15:26
  
  Lots of people greet the prospect of using a new email app with the same kind of eye roll teenagers gives their parents. Really? Another one? However, the simply named, and free, Email iOS app from EasilyDo is genuinely worth a download, because it makes managing mobile email easier in several key ways.Why you should download Email right now
  Email for iOS makes it easy to unsubscribe from mass messages you don't want to receive. You just tap the menu icon in the top-left corner of the inbox
  
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• Top 30 AWS cloud services

  25-05-2016 15:03
  
  Amazon Web Services consultancy 2nd Watch this week released the findings of an analysis of 100,000 public cloud instances to determine the 30 most popular services being used. 
  It’s not surprising that AWS’s two core products: compute and storage, lead the pack. 100% of the environments 2nd Watch examined were using Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), the massively scalable object storage service. 99% of customers also were using Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), the on-dema
  
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• Regulators: cybersecurity poses biggest risk to global financial system

  25-05-2016 15:01
  
  Last week, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission called cybersecurity the biggest risk facing the global financial industry.
  "Cyber risks can produce far-reaching impacts," said SEC chair Mary Jo White.
  For example, cybercriminals recently stole $81 million from a bank in Bangladesh by using Swift, the global money transfer network.
  The SEC promises to step up regulation and Swift itself is expected to launch a new cyber security initiative this week that includes independent secu
  
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• 5 active mobile threats spoofing enterprise apps

  25-05-2016 15:00
  
  Impersonating appsEnterprise employees use mobile apps every day to get their jobs done, but when malicious actors start impersonating those apps, it spells trouble for IT departments.  David Richardson, director of product at Lookout, and his team recently researched five families of malware doing just that: spoofing real enterprise apps to lure people to download their malware. The dataset of mobile code shows that these five, active mobile malware families often impersonate enterprise ap
  
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• EU prepares to end geoblocking in online sales of goods and services

  25-05-2016 14:56
  
  Whether they're delivered in parcels or in data packets, goods and services should be available to all European Union citizens wherever they live.That, in a nutshell, is the purpose of a long-promised host of new legislative proposals unveiled by the European Commission on Wednesday as part of its plan to make the EU a "digital single market."Among the proposals is a ban on unjustified geo-blocking, or using a citizen's location as an excuse not to deliver digital services or sell them physical
  
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• Tips for adding IPv6 to IPv4 networks

  25-05-2016 14:50
  
  The original title for this story was "Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6," but when we started researching, we quickly realized that most organizations are adopting an outside-in strategy, rather than moving over from all-IPv4 to all-IPv6 deployments. This means that they're often taking steps to accommodate incoming and outgoing IPv6 traffic at the organizational boundary and translating between the two stacks, or tunneling one protocol over another, for internal access and use. The majority of
  
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• How to master disaster recovery in a DevOps world

  25-05-2016 14:47
  
  According to a 2015 survey by IT Revolution Press in conjunction with Puppet Labs, organizations using DevOps deploy code 30 times faster than others, doing deployments multiple times per day. Moreover, change failure gets cut in half with DevOps and services are restored up to 168 times faster than they are at non-DevOps organizations.DevOps: Failing more quickly, and recovering fasterLet’s focus on those last two points for a moment. One thing is for certain: Embracing DevOps also pays o
  
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• Study finds Google, Twitter and Facebook keep closest tabs on users

  25-05-2016 14:46
  
  A new study out of Princeton University highlights Google's extensive use of tracking cookies to keep tabs on Internet users and underlines the reasons privacy-conscious people might want to block them.In what may well be the largest study of online tracking to date, the researchers analyzed data from more than a million websites. They discovered that Google Analytics, a tool used to analyze Web traffic that integrates with ad-targeting apps, was embedded in nearly 70 percent of the sites. Along
  
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• 13 ways your business can attract more social media followers

  25-05-2016 14:15
  
  Most businesses these days, especially retail and service businesses, have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn. But in order to attract prospective customers to your business page(s), you need to actively court and engage fellow Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn users. How? Here are 13 suggestions.[ Related: How to market your business on Instagram ]1. Leverage your company social media bio/profile. “Make sure that your company’s online profile [or bio] is [informative] a
  
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• 12 new or soon-to-be-released fitness devices worth a look

  25-05-2016 14:00
  
  12 worthy wearables, activity trackers and health gadgetsEverything is "smart" these days, it seems, especially when it comes to gadgets designed to help people improve their health and boost fitness levels. Smart mirrors and body scanners, smart running socks, a smart vest, smart drinking cups, smart sleeves and smart sleep masks are all now available, or will be soon. Many of these Internet of Things things are wearables — except for the "naked 3D" full-body mirror, of course— whil
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 4 ways to manage project customer expectations

  25-05-2016 13:49
  
  Too many times we head into a customer engagement with them expecting one thing and we start to deliver something different. Whether it is the result of miscommunication, not reading emails and documents all the way through, or negotiations done with blinders on it doesn't matter...it's still a bad place to be.It's hard to explain, but I see it all the time and even run into it myself with clients. They say they understood one thing, but when we go back and check emails and invoices they can see
  
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• What developers want from iOS 10

  25-05-2016 13:39
  
  When it comes to WWDC, we all have a little developer in us. Apple’s biggest annual event may be targeted to app designers and coders, but you don’t need to know how to declare a string-type variable to get caught up in the hype. In the weeks leading up to the kick-off keynote address, everyone has an opinion on what Apple should bring to iOS and OS X, and right on cue, there are already a lot of great ideas floating around, from dramatic Control Center revamps to smarter and more v
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 12 tips for killer software demos

  25-05-2016 13:37
  
  I recently facilitated an enterprise software selection process. This required gathering information on software and vendor capabilities, interviewing reference customers and participating in multiple software demos, among other activities.While each software vendor on the “short list” can address a vast majority of the client’s business needs, each vendor has a range of capabilities. So, how do you set the stage to allow comparison and to make the demos informative and enjoyab
  
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• Microsoft kills off another chunk of its smartphone activities

  25-05-2016 13:08
  
  Down, but not out: Microsoft is laying off another 1,850 staff from its smartphone hardware business, but says it isn't leaving the market completely.What's left of the old Nokia business in Finland will be hardest hit by the latest round of lay-offs, with up to 1,350 jobs to go. Microsoft will cut up to 500 more globally, it said Wednesday.Since it bought Nokia's mobile phone activities in 2013, Microsoft has been managing a business in decline. The majority of the staff it acquired from Nokia
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Eric Schmidt comes out of the closet as an iPhone user

  25-05-2016 13:00
  
  It never ceases to amaze me when people try to hide certain things from the public that they think would reflect badly on them. Inevitably the truth comes out and the person who was trying to hide such information ends up with egg on his or her face.One of the most recent examples of this is Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, who has finally come out of the closet as an iPhone user according to a report on AppleInsider:
  Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt has owned up to the worst-kept secret in Silicon
  
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• 5 open source skills in high demand

  25-05-2016 12:38
  
  Recruiting open source talent is a top priority for IT recruiters and hiring managers in 2016, according to the 2016 Open Source Jobs Report released by IT hiring platform Dice.com and The Linux Foundation.The Open Source Jobs Survey and Report surveyed approximately 400 IT hiring managers and more than 4,500 open source professionals currently employed in the IT industry in March 2016, and found that 65 percent of hiring managers say open source hiring will increase more than any other part of
  
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• Platform gelanceerd voor delen ervaringen digitalisering gemeenten

  25-05-2016 12:29
  PinkRoccade is een online platform gestart waarop IT-beslissers bij gemeentelijke overheden hun ervaringen met digitalisering kunnen delen met het doel van elkaar te leren. Het platform bestaat uit een videoreeks, waarin IT’ers worden uitgedaagd om een dag inspiratie op te doen bij een andere gemeente, en... lees meer
  
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• Tech camps for girls: Don't let your daughter miss out

  25-05-2016 12:00
  
  The tech industry has a dearth of female talent. As of 2013, only 26% of technology jobs were held by women, according to a review by the American Association of University Women. After peaking in the early ’80s, the percentage of computer science bachelor’s degrees received by U.S. women has steadily declined.
  With the growing skills shortage in certain key areas, enticing more women into technology can only help the field as a whole. Patricia Barber helps lead Girls in Technology,
  
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• PowerApps first look: Create mobile apps without coding

  25-05-2016 12:00
  
  Is there really such a thing as a “citizen developer” of mobile apps? Or is it a myth?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• PHP 7.1 update puts speed before syntax

  25-05-2016 12:00
  
  Following the built-for-speed PHP 7.0, version 7.1 of the server-side Web development language also will hone in on performance, albeit to a lesser degree.
  The feature set remains in flux, but continued speed improvement remains a critical goal, according to Zeev Suraski, CTO of Zend, which has led development of the engine for PHP. "We're continuing to work on performance, although we won't be seeing anything nearly as dramatic as what we've seen in 7.0."[ Navigate the modern hiring landscape
  
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• 5 arrested for impersonating the IRS, listen to a recorded scam in progress

  25-05-2016 12:00
  
  Five people have been arrested in Miami who are said to be responsible for scamming 1,500 people out of more than $2 million by impersonating IRS agents. Their scams centered on contacting individual taxpayers out of the blue and demanding payments under the threat of jail time.
  News of the arrests circulated Tuesday after the Associated Press reported on them. Sources in the Treasury Department said that the five individuals - all Cuban nationals - demanded money from their victims, threatenin
  
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• How to find undervalued tech talent

  25-05-2016 11:03
  
  Andrew Filev, CEO of Wrike, a company that offers task and project management tools, takes a unique approach to recruiting talent. While some companies might go after the most desired talent on the market, Filev prefers to hire the undervalued players, and foster their strengths to create a well-rounded team.
  "'Island of Misfit Toys' is a nickname some of our team gave themselves one day at lunch when they were reflecting on how different their career backgrounds were prior to joining Wrike. The
  
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• Toyota, Volkswagen partner ride-hailing companies

  25-05-2016 08:22
  
  Toyota and  Volkswagen are the latest automakers to forge alliances with ride-hailing companies, deals that could see the car makers not only sell cars to drivers of the app companies but also develop jointly on-demand mobility technologies.On Wednesday, Toyota said it was making a strategic investment in Uber Technologies as part of a bigger partnership that would include leasing of its cars to Uber drivers. Car purchasers can lease their vehicles from Toyota Financial Services and co
  
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• Sen. Sanders attacks H-1B visa use at Disney

  25-05-2016 03:15
  
  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out at the H-1B visa program Tuesday while campaigning in Anaheim, Calif., the home of Disneyland. He drew attention to Disney's layoff of about 250 IT workers last year after the firm brought in technology contractors that rely heavily on visa users.
  Sanders was seizing the opportunity of talking about Disney to a crowd of people that included its employees. But it may well have been an effort to force the visa issue in advance of the California primary on Ju
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 8 big plans Google has in store for Android

  25-05-2016 02:59
  
  Android is the center of Google's universeImage by Google I/O Video GrabAndroid is at the center of Google’s consumer story and the company is betting big on the platform. Not only is Google going to finally change how Android phones gets updates, it’s also going to change how apps works on Android devices and how we communicate with those devices. The company is even bringing Android apps to its Chrome OS platform. Here is a handpicked list of some of the big plans Google has for An
  
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• HPE to spin out its huge services business, merge it with CSC

  25-05-2016 02:27
  
  In a surprise move Tuesday, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise said it would spin off its enterprise services business and merge it with CSC to create an IT services giant with U$26 billion in annual revenue.It's the latest step by CEO Meg Whitman in her effort to turn around one of Silicon Valley's oldest companies. Just last year, Hewlett-Packard split itself into two vendors, with HPE selling data center products and services, and HP Inc. selling PCs.Now, HPE will slice itself up further, doubling do
  
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• Apple hires mobile encryption pioneer amid encryption debate

  25-05-2016 02:20
  
  Apple has rehired a mobile encryption pioneer as it continues to face pressure from governments wanting access to user data stored on iPhones. Jon Callas most recently worked as a co-founder of Silent Circle, which produced the security-minded Blackphone and has joined the iPhone and iPad maker in an undisclosed capacity, Apple revealed to Reuters. Callas is a veteran of the security industry who also co-founded PGP Corporation.He first worked at Apple from 1995-1997, then again from 2
  
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