IT Executive news

• IDG Contributor Network: Cybersecurity - A view from the top

  19-07-2016 23:59
  
  Maybe you have heard these words: “Cybercrime is big business.” Big business indeed. For the hackers that is. The 2016 Trustwave Global Security Report shows how hackers launching a malware infection campaign could expect to earn a breathtaking $84,100 in profit from an initial investment of just $5,900. This represents a return on investment of 1,425% – in just 30 days!The Trustwave report also states that we've heard about cybercrime being big business so often that perhaps t
  
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• The hacking group that pwned Zuckerberg's Twitter account broke into Minecraft

  19-07-2016 23:52
  
  The same hacking group that took over Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter account said on Tuesday it had found a way to break into accounts connected to the hit game Minecraft.
  The group, OurMine, made the claim in a video in which it demonstrated the hack, which was aimed at the user login page run by Minecraft's developer, Mojang.
  Later on Tuesday, Microsoft, which bought Mojang two years ago, said it had fixed the issue.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Microsoft's Azure cloud revenue doubles, but phone sales plummet

  19-07-2016 23:32
  
  Microsoft's cloud push continued to pay off last quarter, with revenue from its Azure services more than doubling from the same period last year, the company reported Tuesday.Overall revenue for the quarter was down, however, thanks partly to a steep decline in Microsoft's handset business. Total revenue for the three months ended June 30 was $20.6 billion, Microsoft said, down from $22.2 billion last year. Net profit was $3.1 billion.Microsoft's retreat from the smartphone market hurt its
  
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• Land O’Lakes spreads to the cloud with Microsoft (and Google)

  19-07-2016 22:59
  
  Land O’Lakes has inked its second major partnership with a cloud vendor in as many months. As the company moves its agriculture tech (or AgTech) into the cloud, it’s investing in a mix of public cloud providers including Google and, most recently, Microsoft.Land O’Lakes this week tapped Microsoft Azure to run its WinField R7 application, which helps farmers analyze and pick the best seeds for their land to maximize yield and profit. The migration of R7 marks the company’s
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The world turned upside down: Conventional IT is rapidly becoming shadow IT

  19-07-2016 22:53
  
  Millennial employees would find it difficult to believe that at one point in the not too distant past their corporate IT group exercised near total control over the use of technology within their companies. But IT veterans have fond memories of the "good old days" when IT had real power and prestige. Business applications were once so highly customized that they couldn’t be modified or upgraded without IT’s assistance; company-owned personal computers were the only ‘devices&rs
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Will biometrics save InfoSec?

  19-07-2016 22:18
  
  Banks are under assault from cybercriminals at an alarming rate. Passwords, PINs, and secret questions all have significant limitations. Will biometrics save banks? Watch the video and lets discuss. (8 minutes)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• AT&T sees cost savings with drone inspections of cell towers

  19-07-2016 22:15
  
  AT&T expects to save money by using drones instead of workers to inspect its 65,000 cellular transmission towers nationwide.
  Part of the savings will occur as the cost of deploying drones drops because of new Federal Aviation Administration regulations that expand the use of drones for commercial uses.
  The service provider wants to hire contractors using drones in all 50 states to inspect the towers. These towers, often more than 100 feet high and with components sometimes out of the reach
  
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• Security teams consulted too late on digital transformation

  19-07-2016 21:54
  
  IT decision-makers who have responsibility for security believe security teams are brought in too late to have a meaningful effect on digital transformation initiatives, according to a new study.Dimensional Research, commissioned by by Dell, recently surveyed 631 IT decision-makers with responsibility for security from companies with 1,000 or more employees in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia, Scandinavia and the Benelux region. Ninety-seven percent of respondents report their organizations we
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Healthcare analytics, big data oil and the multilane expressway

  19-07-2016 21:53
  
  Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at an event on the state of healthcare analytics. The event was about big data technology adoption, specifically Hadoop. While I was there, I sat in on a presentation by the chief data officer (CDO) of a major financial services company that is harnessing big data and deploying advanced technologies such as Hadoop. Listening to his comments, I reflected that several drivers of analytics in the financial sector seemed to be common to healthcare, includin
  
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• Facebook brings high-speed laser communications into focus

  19-07-2016 21:41
  
  Facebook says it has developed a laser detector that could open the airwaves to new high-speed data communications systems that don't require dedicated spectrum or licenses.The component, disclosed on Tuesday in a scientific journal, comes from the company's Connectivity Lab, which is involved in developing technology that can help spread high-speed Internet to places it currently doesn't reach.Getting Internet signals to new areas is typically done using wireless, because it's much more cost-ef
  
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• Microsoft steps up legal pressure against Windows 10 pirates

  19-07-2016 20:59
  
  Microsoft last week continued its campaign to quash software pirates when it filed the fifth lawsuit in as many months accusing unidentified individuals with illegally activating more than 1,000 copies of Windows, including the newest Windows 10, and Office.
  The suit was filed in a Seattle court last Thursday. It was almost identical to others submitted since February, when Microsoft started a string of cases targeting numerous "John Does."
  "Microsoft’s cyberforensics have identified over
  
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• Here's all the gear you need for a Pokémon go adventure

  19-07-2016 20:55
  
  Here's all the gear you need for a Pokémon go adventureImage by Blair Hanley FrankPokémon Go is hotter than a Charizard right now, but the game asks a lot from players. It’s a huge battery hog, and long sessions require a lot of physical endurance. Here’s what you need in your Go bag to make your time in the field last, based on my year of experience playing Ingress, its predecessor.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Acer quietly ships Liquid Jade Primo Windows phone to Microsoft stores

  19-07-2016 20:44
  
  When Acer launched the “Jade Primo” Windows phone last year at the IFA show, it instantly skyrocketed to the upper echelon of Windows phones. Now, several months later, you can buy one in the United States.
  The unlocked version of the Liquid Jade Primo costs $649, and can be purchased either online or in a brick-and-mortar Microsoft store. That’s an enormous amount of money for a smartphone, but you’re not getting just the phone: Acer tosses in its Continuum do
  
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• Dark data? Not if Teradata and Nuix can help it

  19-07-2016 20:41
  Big data may promise a world of new insight, but if it can't be analyzed, you can kiss that potential goodbye. Enter Teradata and Nuix, which on Tuesday teamed up to bring so-called "dark data" to light.Dark data is generally considered any data that gets overlooked and underused, often because employees don't know it's there or don't know how to access it. It's widely thought that dark data accounts for a majority of most companies' information assets.Through their partnership, the compani
  
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• Limited time offer: Pre-Order The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course - Deal Alert

  19-07-2016 20:39
  
  What better way to prepare for iOS 10’s arrival than with nearly 200 hours of premium training? Pre-order the Complete iOS 10 Developer Course for $29, and you’ll be more than set to craft stunning apps certain to top the iTunes Store leaderboard.Whether you’re mastering the fundamentals of programming, or digging into iOS 10-specific features (improved AI and Siri function, anyone?)--this course will have you covered. And afterwards, dive into the bonus ‘The Complete iOS
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Can Collabora and Nextcloud crack Office 365 dominance?

  19-07-2016 20:25
  
  Newly formed Nextcloud and Collabora Productivity have partnered to bring  Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) to Nextcloud users. CODE is the development version of Collabora Online, an online version of LibreOffice for enterprise customers.
  While Collabora Online offers an open source alternative to Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365, when I played with it I found it much closer to LibreOffice and Office 365 than Google Docs as it offers full fledged office suite capabilities.
  
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• Google says government requests for user data at all-time high

  19-07-2016 20:19
  
  Government requests worldwide for user data related to search engine traffic on Google increased 29% from 2014 to 2015, according to the search site's most recent Transparency Report, which was published today.
  Google reports on the government requests every six months. In the second half of 2015, it said it received more than 40,000 requests for data related to more than 81,000 user accounts; That compares to the first half of the year when Google received about 35,000 requests related to abou
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 6 benefits of attracting better customer reviews (and how to do it)

  19-07-2016 20:00
  
  People are becoming increasingly reliant on reviews to make their decisions — and you’ve likely experienced this in your own life. Imagine shopping for a product, and you find two versions of it, comparable in price. One has a wealth of positive reviews, while the other is drowning in negative ones. Which are you going to choose?Most decisions aren’t so simple, but when it comes to things like choosing a coffee shop for your business meeting or choosing what band to play at you
  
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• 15% off Google OnHub AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router - Deal Alert

  19-07-2016 20:00
  
  The OnHub AC1900 wireless router from Google and TP-LINK is designed to make even the more complicated home networks run fast and efficiently. It supports over 100 devices at one time, providing speeds of up to 1900mbps. It's unique circular design with 13 antennas provides up to 2,500 square feet of reliable coverage. Streaming a movie or downloading large files? OnHub lets you manage speeds to specific devices or give a boost where/when needed. The On App lets you manage, prioritize and t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: macOS: Metal API comes to World of Warcraft in Legion pre-expansion patch

  19-07-2016 19:13
  
  When Apple announced its Metal gaming API, many Mac gamers rejoiced and wondered when their favorite games would take advantage of it. Well today World of Warcraft players on Macs will finally get Metal support in a huge pre-expansion patch for WOW’s Legion expansion.
  If you aren't familiar with Metal, here's the description from Apple's Metal Programming Guide:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• How ARM set itself up for a $32 billion acquisition

  19-07-2016 18:16
  The TV you watch perhaps has an ARM processor chip in it. So does the Amazon Echo that helps switch on the lights and air-conditioner through voice commands.That's just a microcosm of how deep ARM goes in our daily lives. ARM's low-power chip designs have revolutionized mobile devices and are now powering smart home devices, smart meters, weather sensors, medical devices, and industrial equipment.ARM chips also are inside many sensor devices used in the fast-growing internet of things
  
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• Telcos should only retain metadata to fight serious crime, EU judge says

  19-07-2016 17:13
  Governments may order telcos to retain customer data, but only to fight serious crime, a top European Union judge has advised.Lobby groups European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Privacy International welcomed the recommendation, saying it adds to a growing body of legal opinion opposing mass data retention. It could even, said Privacy International, derail the U.K.'s Investigatory Powers Bill, introduced in March by Theresa May, then home secretary and now prime minister.Advocate General Henrik Saug
  
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• Security software that uses 'code hooking' opens the door to hackers

  19-07-2016 17:00
  
  Some of the intrusive techniques used by security, performance, virtualization and other types of programs to monitor third-party processes have introduced vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
  Researchers from data exfiltration prevention company enSilo found six common security issues affecting over 15 products when they studied how software vendors use 'hooking' to inject code into a process in order to intercept, monitor or modify the potentially sensitive system API (application p
  
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• Why ransomware criminals need great customer service

  19-07-2016 16:44
  
  Ransomware developers have customers, however unwilling they may be. Thus, these criminals also have customer service. But is it effective? F-Secure, a company that specializes in security and anti-malware products for consumers and corporations, decided to evaluate the “help desks,” if you will, of ransomware malware, which covertly encrypts files on victims’ machines, and then demands fees paid in Bitcoin to unlock the unwanted encryption.To read this article in fu
  
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• 4 numbers that stood out in VMware’s earnings

  19-07-2016 16:26
  
  VMware this week updated investors on the progress of emerging technologies playing an increasingly significant role in the company’s earnings.
  +MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: EMC targets strategic markets as Dell acquisition looms | Microsoft will miss its 1 billion Windows 10 device target +
  VMware’s product mix includes not just compute virtualization, but network virtualization, cloud management and end user computing. Below are four numbers that provide a snapshot of VMware’s ear
  
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• Using compliance as a tool for change

  19-07-2016 16:23
  
  One of my guiding principles is that compliance does not equal security. Compliance isn’t a true representation of how well companies use security to protect themselves. It can be little more than checking all the boxes and telling the auditors what they want to hear. After all, many compromised banks were PCI-compliant, and several breached healthcare organizations were compliant with HIPAA.Trouble TicketAt issue: It can be difficult to effect needed changes in security practices.To
  
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• Calculating the dollars and cents of ERP

  19-07-2016 16:03
  
  Management can’t make informed decisions without financial clarity. To deliver financial clarity, serve investors, manage taxes and fulfill other requirements, large organizations employ armies of financial analysts and accountants. Too often, those professionals struggle with aging applications that deliver inadequate data and reports. IT leaders have the opportunity to support controllers, CFOs and other finance leaders with better technology.To read this article in full or to leave a co
  
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• GeForce GTX 1060 review: Nvidia battles AMD for PC gaming's next-gen sweet spot

  19-07-2016 15:00
  
  Nvidia isn’t ceding the mainstream to AMD’srevolutionary $200 Radeon RX 480in the next-generation graphics war.
  That alone is a bit of a shock. After Nvidia surprise-launched the monstrous $650GeForce GTX 1080and Titan X-beating $380GeForce GTX 1070, many people expected the company to leave AMD to stomp around on its own in the mainstream price points for a while. The x60-series GeForce graphics cards typically launch months after the heavy hitters, after all. So Nvidia’s ann
  
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• LinkedIn adds Gmail, CRM integration to Sales Navigator

  19-07-2016 14:57
  
  LinkedIn today announced three major updates to Sales Navigator, the company’s product designed to connect sales professionals with qualified buyers or prospective leads based on specific criteria. The social networks says it’s the first major update to the product since it launched almost two years ago.LinkedIn is looking to expand the appeal of Sales Navigator by focusing on key improvements designed to make salespeople more productive and successful. Sales Navigator will now integ
  
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• How to improve your incident response plan

  19-07-2016 14:28
  
  Incident response plans are, in many ways, like family relics. These written instructions, which detail how firms should adequately detect, respond and limit the effects of an information security incident, are highly valued by some, and yet all too often left gathering dust in the cupboard. To many, they remain untried and untested for years, and thus most are unfit for purpose when that untimely data breach becomes reality.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Seagate's 10TB Barracuda Pro is the world's largest consumer hard drive

  19-07-2016 14:00
  
  Got a thirst for more storage on your PC? Seagate has heard you and Tuesday morning introduced the world’s largest capacity consumer hard drive for desktop users.
  The 10TB Barracuda Pro doesn’t play just the capacity card though. Seagate also aimed to make it a high-performance hard drive, fitting it with a massive 256MB of cache. The drive also spins along at 7,200rpm rather than the typical, lower-cost 5,400rpm large drives.
  Of course, "performance hard drive" may sound like an ox
  
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• Acer's new Predator G1 gaming PC dumps the Titan X for a more ferocious GTX 1080

  19-07-2016 14:00
  Acer's pint-sized—well, 16 liters, really—Predator G1 gaming desktop is snagging a big-time update on the very day it rolls out. This morning, the Predator G1 launched on Newegg and Acer.com with prices starting at $2,300. That includes Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, which is not the graphics option the computer was originally supposed to pack. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• 5 awesome Google Keyboard features you probably don't know about

  19-07-2016 13:00
  
  Google’s official Android keyboard used to be the basic option, something you’d replace with a more capable app as soon as possible. Maybe you haven’t been paying attention, but that’s no longer the case. The Google Keyboard has stealthily become a fantastic input method with a series of impressive updates. However, many of the coolest things are hidden in the settings or just not obvious. Here are the five coolest features of Google Keyboard you probably don’t kno
  
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• Facebook SDK gives Apple's Swift developers access to platform services

  19-07-2016 12:59
  
  Facebook is reaching out to developers who want to use Apple's two-year-old Swift language, and enabling them to use it to integrate their iOS mobile apps with services on the popular social network.
  The Facebook SDK for Swift, now in a beta release, extends Facebook platform capabilities to Swift developers. "Since Swift is still under active development, the Facebook SDK for Swift Beta supports Swift 2.2.1 and 2.3, which gives you the ability to submit apps to the Apple App Store today,"
  
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• Why engineers make great IT leaders

  19-07-2016 12:40
  
  Finding good IT talent is tough -- keeping it is even tougher. If you already have a stable of skilled, engaged IT workers, consider promoting from their ranks to foster trust, engagement and a competitive advantage.
  "Your IT talent, especially the software developers and the engineers, have a lot of special traits that will make them great leaders, and that can translate into a competitive advantage. They already know your business and your products. They're already on teams with people they tr
  
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• Why dating apps want to be more like Snapchat

  19-07-2016 12:36
  
  In order to differentiate themselves from Tinder, dating apps are now borrowing social and privacy features from another super-popular mobile service: Snapchat.
  On Tuesday, Coffee Meets Bagel optimized its user-experience to give women more control over their dating connections. On the same day, Zoosk launched Lively, a brand-new dating app that uses video profiles so you can get a more accurate portrayal of your potential dates. The Coffee Meets Bagel update is now available for both iOS and A
  
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• Why your employees are overworked, burnt out and unmotivated

  19-07-2016 12:17
  
  A recent study from Staples Business Advantage, done in conjunction with workplace expert Jacob Morgan, found that 91 percent of employees say they work more than 40 hours a week. However, they are not spending that time getting ahead on work -- they're using it to catch up and stay afloat.The study surveyed over 3,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada to get an idea of how the modern workplace is changing. And while telecommuting is certainly on the rise, most workers say that the best place they
  
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• GGMM E3 Wireless Smart Speaker review: This little speaker delivers big sound

  19-07-2016 12:00
  
  The GGMM E3 is a compact tabletop speaker that combines sleek, elegant design with superior sound. Unlike many speakers in its $100 price range, the E3 isn’t limited to streaming music from Bluetooth sources. You can also connect it to your Wi-Fi network and stream music from DLNA sources or from cloud-based services such as Pandora and Spotify.
  Available in dark gray, ice blue, or pearl white, the E3 boasts a clean and sleek design with a simple, not overly bright LED clock adorning its
  
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• Constructing a solid backup plan with Microsoft Azure Backup

  19-07-2016 12:00
  
  Backup and recovery: Ah, IT's very own sewer service. You manage huge libraries of tapes, babysit backup reports, and test recoveries both weekly and at random. And yet, with all of that, do you ever feel confident in your organization's backup scheme? Are you ever totally satisfied with how backups are performed?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Attackers launch multi-vector DDoS attacks that use DNSSEC amplification

  19-07-2016 12:00
  DDoS attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, combining multiple attack techniques that require different mitigation strategies, and abusing new protocols.
  Incident responders from Akamai recently helped mitigate a DDoS attack against an unnamed European media organization that peaked at 363G bps (bits per second) and 57 million packets per second.
  While the size itself was impressive and way above what a single organization could fight off on its own, the attack also stood out because
  
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• Telstra unveils new cloud management platform

  19-07-2016 09:52
  
  Telstra will launch a new Cloud Management Platform to provide businesses with the tools to operate their hybrid cloud environments in providing a single, comprehensive view of their private and public cloud services.
  Customers can also monitor applications as well as automate how workloads respond and scale in-line with business demands.
  The platform, which is based on RightScale, features a self-service function, which makes a broader range of cloud services accessible to the business in way
  
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• ​EMC targets strategic markets as Dell acquisition looms

  19-07-2016 09:49
  
  EMC has reported encouraging financials ahead of the company’s crucial shareholder vote this week, as the vendor targets strategic markets and profitability ahead of its upcoming acquisition by Dell.
  With the largest technology merger in history pending approval, the storage giant reported strategic successes during 2Q16 that it can build from as it continues toward its landmark expected integration into Dell.
  After a full year of bottom-line declines during 2015, EMC notched a second con
  
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• IBM grows in cloud and data analytics but overall revenue slides

  19-07-2016 08:47
  
  IBM’s revenue continued to decline in the second quarter but growth in some of its strategic initiatives like cloud computing and data analytics suggest that the company may be on track in its transition plans.The Armonk, New York, company said Monday that revenue from its new “strategic imperatives” like cloud, analytics and security increased by 12 percent year-on-year to US$8.3 billion. That increase was, however, lower than the growth the company had reported in these busin
  
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• BrandPost: Empowering Growth Hackers with Big Data

  19-07-2016 04:54
  
  To improve their growth rates, some up-and-coming companies are turning to a pursuit known as growth hacking. Growth hacking brings together the ideas of hacking big data and driving business growth. By one common definition, growth hacking is a process that drives rapid experimentation across marketing channels and product development to identify the most effective, efficient ways to grow a business.[1]Growth hacking often leverages customer data in the experimentation process, in the form of A
  
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• How AT&T wants to use AI as a crystal ball

  19-07-2016 02:54
  
  AT&T uses artificial intelligence to tell if things are going wrong in its network. Soon, AI may know it before it happens.
  The carrier says it’s been using AI for decades in areas like call-center automation but developed it for each use as they came along. Now AT&T is pouring its AI smarts into a one platform that can be used with multiple applications.
  “I can’t just keep doing this once at a time. We need a foundation,” said Mazin Gilbert, assistant vice presi
  
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• How a healthcare hacker is pressuring victims to pay up

  19-07-2016 02:50
  
  Pay up or face your patients' wrath.That’s how one hacker is trying to shake down U.S. healthcare providers after stealing sensitive data about their patients.TheDarkOverlord claims to have stolen 10 million patient records and is selling them on the black market. In the meantime, the hacker is trying to extort the providers by telling them their patient data won't be sold if they pay a ransom.At least one of the healthcare providers so far has refused to give in, TheDarkOverlord said in a
  
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• Microsoft edges ever closer to shipping Windows 10 Anniversary Update code with new build

  19-07-2016 01:30
  Every build of Windows 10 that Microsoft releases is like another turn of the crank on a jack-in-the-box: At some point, the code will actually be the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, and Microsoft’s going to pop up and yell, “It’s shipping!”
  Build 14393 for PC and Mobile is the latest release on the Fast Ring of Windows 10. As before, the new update primarily offers bug fixes, rather than new features. And Microsoft’s being somewhat obtuse about what’s ne
  
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• The FBI is using outdated IT to foil FOIA requests, lawsuit alleges

  19-07-2016 00:37
  
  The FBI is using antiquated computer systems to deliberately foil requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, a new lawsuit alleges.
  Ryan Shapiro, a national security researcher and Ph.D. candidate at MIT, has been studying the Freedom of Information Act for years with a particular focus on noncompliance by government agencies. He already has multiple FOIA lawsuits in motion against the FBI, and earlier this month he filed a new one.
  In it, he describes numerous attempts to obtain
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Healthcare colored with blockchain’s open-source foundation

  19-07-2016 00:21
  
  Technological change forces economic growth. Technology extends the science of discovery and produces artifacts used in everyday life. It’s the small technical discoveries that make larger scientific endeavors possible. It's also these seemingly unrelated breakthroughs that make their way into our daily lives.Apparently insignificant discoveries become significantIn the 1960s, NASA conducted an extensive test program to investigate the effects of pavement texture on wet runways. The goal
  
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