IT Executive news

• SplunkLive! makes for revealing IT management showcase

  08-06-2016 23:50
  
  Bob Brown/NetworkWorldSplunkLive! in Boston
  With a company and product name like Splunk, you’ve gotta hang a bit loose, as I found upon sitting in at the company’s SplunkLive! event in Boston this week. 
  The first customer speaker of the day gave a frank assessment of his organization’s implementation (“the on-premises solution, we struggled with it…”) and his frustrations with the licensing model. You have to give Splunk credit for having enough confide
  
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• CIO heeft veel invloed op geluk en creativiteit werknemers

  08-06-2016 23:28
  De manier waarop CIO’s hun organisatie ondersteunen en uitrusten met digitale tools heeft flinke invloed op het geluk en de creativiteit van werknemers, waardoor de rol van de CIO omvangrijker is dan alleen verantwoordelijk zijn voor de IT in de organisatie. Hierop duidt een groot internationaal onderzoek van... lees meer
  
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• VMware CIO commands IoT effort

  08-06-2016 22:37
  
  The Internet of Things is in a peculiar phase of its lifecycle. Unless you count that patchwork mess known as home automation, there isn’t much of an established market. Yet the broad applicability of connecting "things," which can include assigning IP addresses to anything from refrigerators to manufacturing equipment, has companies contemplating sensible sensor-filled scenarios.To enable developers to build applications that capitalize on IoT, VMware has released to open source a softwar
  
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• Multi-process Firefox project nears completion of first phase

  08-06-2016 22:09
  
  Mozilla is nearing a production release of a multi-process Firefox, the "largest change we've ever made to Firefox," a company product manager said this week.
  "If all goes well in our beta testing, we're about 6 weeks away from shipping the first phase of e10s to Firefox release users with the launch of Firefox 48 on August 2," wrote Asa Dotzler, the product manager in charge of the Firefox roadmap, in a Monday post to his personal blog.
  "This is a huge change for Firefox, the largest we've eve
  
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• Facebook tests posts hidden from Timelines

  08-06-2016 22:04
  
  Facebook is testing a new feature that appears to take a page from social networking competitor Snapchat, enabling users to be a bit more stealthy.
  The social network is trying out a feature that lets users post to their News Feed but the posts won't show up in their Timeline. A user essentially could share an idea or comment that wouldn't have any history and wouldn't be saved on the user's Timeline.
  The test appears to be underway in a small percentage of Facebook's global users.
  "The Timelin
  
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• New Windows 10 build brings Ink improvements, container support

  08-06-2016 21:50
  Microsoft has released a new beta build of Windows 10 aimed at enhancing various aspects of the operating system, including support for the LastPass extension in the Edge browser, as the company hurtles toward releasing a major update in the coming months. Build 14361, released Wednesday, includes updated icons, the LastPass password manager extension for Microsoft Edge, and support for running Docker containers natively on Windows. Windows Ink, Microsoft's tools for working with
  
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• This company uses AI to stop cyberattacks before they start

  08-06-2016 20:30
  
  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the old saying goes, and that's just as true in cybersecurity as it is in health. So believes Cylance, a startup that uses AI to detect and prevent cyberattacks.On Wednesday, Cylance announced that it just raised a whopping US $100 million in Series D funding. It will use the new infusion to expand its sales, marketing, and engineering programs.Dubbed CylanceProtect, the company's flagship product promises AI-based endpoint security while using
  
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• 35% off Samsung Level U Pro Bluetooth Wireless In-ear Headphones - Deal Alert

  08-06-2016 20:29
  
  The Samsung Level U Pro Wireless Headphones combine Ultra High Quality Audio (UHQA) technology with noise-isolating ear gels to deliver clear, vivid sound. It's designed to comfortably sit around the neck, and is splash and sweat resistant. The headphones can take calls as well. Calls and music are controlled intuitively through smart magnets in the earbuds. The Level U Pro averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 220 customers (read reviews). It's typical list price of $99.99 has been redu
  
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• Forget fingerprints; Iris scans could validate mobile payments

  08-06-2016 19:59
  
  While mobile payment systems like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are growing, they haven't lived up to the hype that surrounded their arrival in 2014.
  But newer biometrics security technologies beyond the use of fingerprint scans could boost adoption rates when purchases are made in-store with smartphones. Those technologies include palm vein sensors or even sensors that assess a person's typing patterns or movements.
  For online purchases, iris scans could help authenticate buyers. And while SMS (Sh
  
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• CurrentC mobile-payment pilot ends

  08-06-2016 19:51
  
  Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) shut down a Columbus, Ohio, pilot of its CurrentC mobile payment service this week.
  The company said on its website that it has "not determined the future timing of CurrentC" although some analysts have said for a while they doubted the service would continue due to pressure from Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and others.
  In an emailed statement, an MCX spokesman said, "We removed CurrentC from the app stores to coincide with the scheduled end of our Columbus, Ohio beta
  
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• Asus Chairman Jonney Shih explains the Zenbo robot

  08-06-2016 17:58
  
  One of the surprise products of last week's Computex IT show in Taiwan was the Zenbo robot from Asus.The cute, two-wheeled, home-help robot will read stories to kids, summon help for seniors in an emergency, and blast out songs while twirling around the floor to the music.But Asus is better known as a manufacturer of smartphones and laptop PCs. Home-help robots have been tried and failed before, so why did the company decide the time is right?IDG News Service spoke with Jonney Shih, chairma
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Motion Stills: Google’s free app turns Live Photos into GIFs

  08-06-2016 17:40
  When Apple released the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, one of the best features on both phones was Live Photos. Live Photos are photos that display three seconds of video if you press down on them on your iPhone.Google has decided to build on the success of Live Photos by offer its new Motion Stills app. Motion Stills is a free iOS app that lets you turn Live Photos into GIFs that loop forever, and you can also turn your Motion Stills into movies by combining them with a swipe in the app.Here’s th
  
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• Intel's Unite meeting tech comes to the iPad, and soon to Chromebooks

  08-06-2016 17:00
  
  Intel is providing fewer excuses to miss meetings by bringing support for its Unite technology to iPads, and later, to Chromebooks.Unite is designed to make it easier for on-site and remote attendees to log in, securely collaborate and share whiteboards and monitors during meetings. After logging into a central hub PC -- a Windows desktop typically located in a meeting room -- attendees can share documents and video, or switch on hardware like projectors.The Unite client software logs attendees,
  
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• Let the budget games begin!

  08-06-2016 16:11
  
  Come budget time, being the security manager for a financial services company is a great thing. Like any security manager, I have to prepare materials to justify spending company money. But in the financial services sector, upper management tends to be well aware that we have a lot to lose if we’re breached, and customers and auditors continually scrutinize our security practices. Since losing a major deal or failing an audit because of inadequate security is not an option, winning approv
  
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• Your step-by-step guide to repairing Windows 10

  08-06-2016 15:58
  
  Though it's showing itself to be a good operating system (in line with Windows XP and Windows 7), sometimes a Windows 10 system will start misbehaving to the point where repair is needed. This often takes the form of worsening performance or stability and can originate from damage to or loss or corruption of Windows system files typically found in the C:\Windows folder hierarchy. When that happens, users would be well advised to break out the following routine to help them set things back to rig
  
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• Hackers could have changed Facebook Messenger chat logs

  08-06-2016 15:46
  
  Here's a Facebook hack straight from the pages of the novel 1984: A way to rewrite the record of the past."Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past," went the ruling party's slogan in George Orwell's dystopian novel.Security researchers have found a way to control the past, by altering Facebook's logs of online chats conducted through its website and Messenger App.Such modified logs could be used to control the future, the researchers suggest, by usin
  
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• Meer risicogedrag in cloud bij hogere functies

  08-06-2016 15:06
  Werknemers in West-Europa maken hun organisatie kwetsbaar voor datalekken en misbruik van gevoelige informatie. Ruwweg de helft van werknemers maakt gebruik van cloud-applicaties die vaak niet zijn goedgekeurd door de IT-afdeling. Daarbij komt dat hoe hoger een werknemer in de hiërarchie zit, hoe groter de kans... lees meer
  
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• BlackBerry unveils single console for mobility management

  08-06-2016 15:01
  
  BlackBerry has moved ahead with acquisitions and new products as it aims to secure any communications endpoint, including smartphones and cars.
  And today the company announced it has created a single secure management platform and console for devices on multiple operating systems as well as for their applications and content.
  Called Good Secure EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) Suites, the product integrates BlackBerry tools from its BES12, Good Dynamics and WatchDox by BlackBerry products.
  
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• 6 proven project management team communication strategies

  08-06-2016 14:01
  
  Project teams are in a constant state of communication via email, videoconferences, telephone calls, texts, face-to-face discussions and even nonverbal interactions. Whatever media they use, project teams will increase their chances of achieving their goals if they develop successful strategies for keeping everyone informed about what’s going on.
  Here are some tips for communicating effectively during the course of a project.1. Meet regularlyHold regular strategy meetings for the entire t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Ipsum is an iOS journaling app with a chat twist

  08-06-2016 14:00
  
  I’ve been using Day One as a journal for years now, and I’ve stuck with Day One Classic in light of the company’s decision to axe iCloud journal syncing in their new version of the app. But, contrary to what you might think, Day One isn’t the only game in town when it comes to iOS journaling apps.Ipsum is a new journaling app that features a stripped down, chat-like interface that provides a very different take on journaling. The interface of the app resembles a chat wind
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 12 project management tools worth a look

  08-06-2016 14:00
  
  Project management tools worth checking outImage by ThinkstockI've been a project manager for a long time. I started out using ABT's Project Workbench, which is apparently is still around - it still exists as a free tool called Open Workbench. I never professionally used the Windows version of it, only an old DOS version. I eventually moved on to a DOS version of Microsoft Project and then on to the windows version of that which I have used off and on for many years.To read this article in full
  
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• IT pros stress is low, but so is job satisfaction

  08-06-2016 13:15
  
  It's no secret that working IT is stressful, but a new survey from TEKsystems shows that the pressure may be easing for some IT professionals. The 2016 IT Stress and Pride survey from IT talent management and solutions company TEKsystems polled 241 IT workers at all experience levels in April of 2016, and found that just 14 percent of entry-to mid-level IT professionals and 18 percent of senior IT professionals consider the work they are currently doing to be the most stressful of their career.
  
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• IT pros stress are low, but so is job satisfaction

  08-06-2016 13:15
  
  It's no secret that working IT is stressful, but a new survey from TEKsystems shows that the pressure may be easing for some IT professionals. The 2016 IT Stress and Pride survey from IT talent management and solutions company TEKsystems polled 241 IT workers at all experience levels in April of 2016, and found that just 14 percent of entry-to mid-level IT professionals and 18 percent of senior IT professionals consider the work they are currently doing to be the most stressful of their career.
  
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• U.S. phone users least likely to switch after security breach

  08-06-2016 13:00
  
  Globally, 47 percent of consumers would switch their mobile phone carrier in the event of a security breach, up 7 percent from last year, but only 29 percent of Americans would do the same, according to a new Nokia survey of more than 20,000 customers.
  Mexico ranked the highest, at 73 percent.
  Part of the reason for the difference is that customers have different attitudes toward the relationship between them, their phones, and their carriers.
  "In some markets, people think that they own the de
  
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• These three virtual assistants point the way to the future

  08-06-2016 12:30
  
  We all need a little help sometimes. After all, what are cloud-based, artificially intelligent software agents for?
  By now we're all familiar with the usual suspects: Siri, Google Now, Cortana and Alexa. They introduced most of us to the idea of talking to, rather than via, a phone, computer or home appliance.
  But let's face it: These virtual assistants have become boring, banal commodities. Sorry, Siri: Your jokes are stale and your evolution slow.
  More than anything else, Siri, Google Now, Co
  
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• T-Mobile's free stock offer may increase your tax bill

  08-06-2016 12:24
  
  If you're a T-Mobile subscriber, the wireless carrier wants to say thank you by giving you one free share of its stock. If you convince a friend to sign up, you get even more stock. But before you decide to accept the largesse you should know that the gift has a few strings, courtesy of your friends at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
  If you sell your stock, you'll be taxed — how much depends on your normal tax rate and the share price — and you'll need to fill out addit
  
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• How to survive in the CISO hot-seat

  08-06-2016 12:23
  
  The CISO is a precarious job. Research studies indicate that CISOs typically survive just 18 months to two years in a job which is increasingly complex and multi-skilled.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• What’s going on with IT hiring?

  08-06-2016 12:00
  
  CompTIA, an industry group, said about 96,000 IT jobs were lost last month across all industries, not just the technology sector. That figure includes the impact of the approximately 37,000 telecommunications jobs sidelined by the Verizon strike, which was settled this month. But it was a rough month, by some estimates.
  Analysts have been generally cautious this year about IT hiring trends. Although the unemployment rate for IT professionals is about half the national average of 4.7%, said Comp
  
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• Invasion of the tabtops: The new hybrid tablets reviewed

  08-06-2016 12:00
  
  Tablets were the big thing a few years ago, purportedly soon to displace PCs. It didn't happen, and tablet sales have been dropping for several years. Except for one kind of tablet: the kind with a detachable keyboard, epitomized by Microsoft's Surface Pro. They're the rising star, both for IT organizations and for computer makers. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Downsides to wearables: Limited functions, inaccurate data, no cellular connection

  08-06-2016 12:00
  
  One-fourth of new users of smartwatches and other wearables say their devices failed to meet their expectations, according to a survey by communications technology company Ericsson.
  Also, about 10% of all users of wearables have abandoned their devices, one-third of them within two weeks of purchase, according to the survey released today.   The online survey was conducted with 5,000 smartphone users ages 15 to 65, in the U.S. and four other countries in March. Half of the the respondents
  
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• Tech’s biggest Fortune 500 companies

  08-06-2016 11:04
  
  Top techie companiesFortune is out with its latest list of the Fortune 500 for 2016 and tech companies appear frequently throughout the rankings. While the top tech company on the list likely isn’t a surprise, it is interesting to note that only two tech company broke the Top 10 largest publicly-traded companies based on full-year revenue last year.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Amazon to invest $3 billion more in India's booming online market

  08-06-2016 07:33
  Amazon.com is to invest US$3 billion in India, in addition to a $2 billion investment the online retailer announced in 2014.The new investment was announced on Tuesday by CEO Jeff Bezos at a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. industry, hosted in Washington by the U.S.-India Business Council.“We have already created some 45,000 jobs in India and continue to see huge potential in the Indian economy,” Bezos said.A company spokeswoman would not however provide d
  
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• Yahoo to sell patents relating to search, advertising and the cloud

  08-06-2016 05:29
  
  Yahoo is selling over 3,000 patents and pending applications that the pioneering Internet company believes could be the most foundational patents related to Web search and advertising.The patents are in the areas of search, advertising and cloud technology and 2,659 of these were assigned in April to a Yahoo subsidiary called Excalibur ahead of the sale.“Yahoo is exploring the divestiture of a portfolio of more than 3,000 patents and pending applications covering a wide range of technology
  
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• Slack could host your next conference call

  08-06-2016 01:55
  
  Get ready to start fielding voice calls in Slack. The company announced Tuesday that all users of its popular chat app will be able to ring their teammates with a couple of clicks. People who access Slack on a Mac or Windows PC using either Google Chrome or the communication service's own app will see a phone icon in the header. Users can click that button and start a voice-only call without making other participants open up a second app. Slack This phone glyph in the header of a Slack
  
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• Salesforce targets 'citizen developers' with new tools and training

  08-06-2016 01:01
  
  If there's an overriding trend in the world of enterprise software lately, it's democratization, as tools previously reserved for experts are put in the hands of average users. On Tuesday, Salesforce.com climbed on board with new software, training and support services that aim to help more users -- not just professional developers -- build applications for the Salesforce platform.There aren't enough trained developers to create apps for the business world, the company says, so it wants to
  
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