IT Executive news

• Ashley Madison misled users with a fake security award

  23-08-2016 23:42
  
  It’s never a good sign when a website markets itself with a phony security award. But that’s what Ashley Madison did prior to last year’s massive data breach.On Monday, privacy officials in Canada and Australia found that the Canadian adultery website used deceptive and confusing practices to make customers think the service was secure.Privacy authorities from both countries have been investigating Ashley Madison following last year’s hack, which exposed personal data on
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Bringing the agile development model to the healthcare revenue cycle

  23-08-2016 22:16
  
  At the Snowbird ski resort in Utah in 2001, a group of 17 software developers gathered together and hashed out a manifesto.Fifteen years later, organizations continue to benefit from the principles outlined therein — the Manifesto for Agile Software Development lives on.Yet rather than dwell on the founding narrative — spritely told, and worth a read — we should perhaps look instead to how the principles of agile software development can be shared between software com
  
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• BrandPost: Risk = Likelihood x Impact

  23-08-2016 21:58
  
  If you’ve seen an airline in the news recently, it’s probably been another story of a company brought to its knees by technology risk.For businesses, technology risk is governed by one equation:Risk = Likelihood x Impact This means that the total amount of risk exposure is the probability of an unfortunate event occurring, multiplied by the potential impact or damage incurred by the event. If you put a dollar value on the impact, then you can value the risk and in a simple way c
  
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• Microsoft's new Cache app could become its version of Google Keep

  23-08-2016 20:45
  
  Microsoft’s new Garage app, called Cache, offers the company a chance to compete with one of the better organizational apps out there: Google Keep. Unfortunately, it’s not clear that that’s the direction Cache is headed.
  Originally unearthed by the Twitter user WalkingCat, the Cache website is only available to those who request access. It’s part of Microsoft’s stable of Garage apps, a proving ground of sorts for apps which may or may not turn in to full-fledg
  
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• Delphi, Mobileye partner to bring self-driving system to market by 2019

  23-08-2016 19:47
  
  Auto technology suppliers Delphi Automotive and Mobileye todayannounced a partnership to co-develop what they described as the market's first turnkey fully autonomous driving system for automakers.
  The announcement comes just one week after Ford revealed that it will produce a fleet of self-driving vehicles without steering wheels or brake and gas pedals for ride-sharing and hailing services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Epic Games forum hack underscores the need to install security patches

  23-08-2016 19:39
  
  A recent data breach at Epic Games may have been avoided if the company had simply installed a security patch.On Monday, Epic Games reported that its internet forums had been compromised. The leaked data includes email addresses and hashed passwords taken from legacy forums at Infinity Blade, previous Unreal Tournament games, and an archived Gears of War forum.Epic Games declined to explain how the leak occurred, but a website that stores information on data breaches said hackers were responsibl
  
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• Android is switching to a regular maintenance schedule for more predictable updates

  23-08-2016 19:31
  
  Minor tweaks and bug fixes aren’t new for Android updates, but Google wants to make the process far less haphazard. 
  A post on the Android Developers Blog details that Google is moving to a regular maintenance schedule “over the coming quarters,” with an eye towards a predictable process and more feedback from developers.
  Vice president of engineering Dave Burke said Google has already started work on some issues that are on the list and will transition to a new sche
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: APIs provide innovation and inspiration for IT leaders

  23-08-2016 19:20
  
  Apps are getting smarter at a ferocious pace.They have gone from being able to do things like responding to requests for directions to proactively knowing “where we need to be next” and letting us know when we ought to leave based on current traffic conditions — not to mention offering to hail an Uber or place a Starbucks order along the way.So I was surprised to see that 81 percent of respondents to KPMG’s U.S. CEO Outlook 2016 are “apprehensive about the integrati
  
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• New CIO appointments, August 2016 edition

  23-08-2016 19:07
  
  As I send my oldest daughter off to college (in just three days, but who's counting?), I find myself thinking about her professional destiny. Should she decide to pursue a career in IT leadership, it seems she will be in good company. If this month's crop of CIO appointments is any indication of what's to come, women are making their way into some extremely influential CIO roles. Congratulations to the class of 2016, and to all of these CIOs!Paula Tolliver is now corporate vice president and CIO
  
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• Nvidia's new Tegra chip can avoid trouble with the traffic police

  23-08-2016 18:21
  
  Buying an autonomous car may be in your future, but make sure it has a capable processor installed so the vehicle doesn't get in trouble with traffic police.Autonomous cars could make timely and more accurate decisions with Nvidia's new Tegra chip code-named Parker. The chip has the computing power to allow autonomous cars to recognize a wide range of signs, objects, signals, and lanes.Parker can also deliver 4K video to in-car entertainment systems. Details of the chip were presented for t
  
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• Walgreens is the first retailer to fully integrate its loyalty program with Android Pay

  23-08-2016 18:16
  
  The promise of Android Pay is that all you’ll need is your phone when you reach the checkout counter.
  While it works rather splendidly for NFC payments, integration with loyalty programs has been another matter. You still have to awkwardly scroll through your saved cards and have the clerk scan your phone or dictate your phone number, which serves as the ID for many programs.
  Walgreens is the first retail store to fully embrace the vision of Android Pay by integrating its Balance Rewards
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Ain’t no mountain high enough to keep cyber attackers from gettin’ to you

  23-08-2016 18:15
  
  The classic R&B hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” could be the theme song for the age of cybersecurity. The tune recounts a young couple’s pledge that nothing will keep them apart. Cyber criminals take a similarly passionate stance when approaching your data: higher mountains and lower valleys won’t keep them away.It’s no wonder keeping systems and data secure lies at the heart of every CIO’s agenda today. How can the cybersecurity issue be ignored
  
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• Kindle Oasis review: The best e-reader by far (it's also the most expensive)

  23-08-2016 17:20
  
  The base model of Amazon’s latest and best e-reader, the Kindle Oasis with Wi-Fi, costs $290. The Oasis version I tested, which supplements its Wi-Fi adapter with a 3G connection (so you can download e-books while on the go) and that doesn’t present you with “special offers” (Amazon’s euphemism for advertisements that appear on the Kindle’s lockscreen), sells for $380.In a world where it’s possible to pick up a great little multi-function tablet like the
  
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• HoloLens secrets revealed: Microsoft details its 24-core 'holographic processor'

  23-08-2016 17:04
  
  Even though an early iteration of Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset is already shipping to enthusiasts, one of its key details has remained shrouded in mystery: What’s inside that funky “holographic processing unit” that works alongside the device’s CPU and GPU, anyway? During the annual Hot Chips conference in Cupertino, California, Microsoft pulled back the curtain on its secretive chip.
  The HoloLens’ HPU is a custom 28nm coprocessor designed b
  
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• Cloud-applicaties schieten tekort qua beveiliging en compliance

  23-08-2016 16:53
  Bedrijven gebruiken twintig keer vaker applicaties in de cloud dan de IT-afdeling denkt, vertrouwelijke informatie wordt ondanks richtlijnen op brede schaal gedeeld en 98% van cloud-applicaties voldoet niet aan de eisen van de GDPR. Hierop duidt onderzoek door Blue Coat Systems, leverancier van... lees meer
  
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• Service chaining, not box chaining, in the WAN

  23-08-2016 16:33
  
  Services are a relatively new concept in WANs. Devices and configurations were traditionally what made up a WAN, with routers, switches, load balancers, firewalls, proxy servers and other components positioned at appropriate points in the network. Enterprises have long grown accustomed to the use of appliances—or “middle boxes” to perform a single function, and the maintenance and management of these devices can be a real headache for IT teams.
  + Also on Network World: SD
  
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• Microsoft bloatware is coming to Motorola phones

  23-08-2016 16:05
  
  Strike another one off the hit list. Microsoft and Lenovo recently announced an agreement to preload Microsoft apps on Lenovo and Motorola Android devices.
  The preloaded apps are the same we’ve seen in previous Microsoft deals with Android vendors, including the Office mobile suite, OneDrive, and Skype. The announcement did not mention when the agreement takes effect. Lenovo says it expects “to ship millions” of Android devices loaded with Microsoft apps over the next few year
  
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• How online businesses grow sales in the offline world

  23-08-2016 15:43
  
  The recent success of Pokémon GO offers food for thought for online-offline integration — not so much in the world of video games, but in retail.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: National ONC Blockchain Challenge explores micro-identities to improve healthcare interoperability

  23-08-2016 15:00
  
  A lot has been written covering blockchain and healthcare over the past year. From articles on blockchain applications for healthcare to articles by healthcare industry experts exploring blockchain technology as the solution for healthcare interoperability. In early 2016 Forbes published an article titled "How Blockchain Could Change the World."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Samsung bets on Tizen smartphones again with a new launch in India

  23-08-2016 14:42
  
  Samsung Electronics continues to place its bets on the Tizen operating system for smartphones, with the launch Tuesday in India of a 4G enabled smartphone priced at 4,590 rupees (US$68).The company’s Tizen phones have not very successful in the country, and the new device is not likely to disrupt the market in which Android phones dominate, said Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner. “The previous Tizen phones were good, but people were not used to the operating system,&rdquo
  
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• Nginx web server upgrade focuses on web security, JavaScript configuration

  23-08-2016 14:30
  
  Security rules the day in version 10 of Nginx's enterprise-level web server, which features enhancements, including a web application firewall.
  Nginx Plus Release 10, available Tuesday, also introduces JavaScript-based scripting for configuration, IP transparency, and DSR (Direct Server Return) load-balancing.[ Use JavaScript in your dev shop? InfoWorld looks at 17 JavaScript editors and IDEs and 22 JavaScript frameworks ready for adoption. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorl
  
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• LinuxCon: Q&A with inventor of, um, Microsoft PowerShell

  23-08-2016 14:23
  
  Yes, the idea of sitting down with a Microsoft technical fellow at a Linux conference is still somewhat counterintuitive, but times have changed – Redmond is no longer the inimical enemy of all things open-source.TwitterJeffrey Snover, PowerShell creator
  Quite the opposite, these days, Microsoft, under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella, has begun to embrace open-source in a big way, releasing key software components like .NET as open-source, making its Azure cloud Linux-compatible, and
  
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• Ciena CEO: We’re not just about service providers

  23-08-2016 14:17
  
  For more than 15 years, Gary Smith has been at the helm of Ciena, leading the company through the so-called ‘telecom nuclear winter’ following the early 2000s dot-com bust to its global leadership position today in the optical networking and metro Ethernet markets. In this installment of the IDG CEO Interview Series, Smith talked with Chief Content Officer John Gallant about Ciena’s expanding enterprise business, including its data center connectivity strategy. He also discuss
  
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• MIT researchers discover method to triple wireless speeds

  23-08-2016 14:00
  
  MIT researchers have found a way to transfer wireless data using a smartphone at a speed about three times faster and twice as far asexisting technology.
  The researchers developed a technique to coordinate multiple wireless transmitters by synchronizing their wave phases, according to a statement from MIT on Tuesday. Multiple independent transmitters will be able to send data over the same wireless channel to multiple independent receivers without interfering with each other.
  Since wireless spe
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: When will Audible release an Apple Watch app?

  23-08-2016 14:00
  
  I’ve become a huge fan of audiobooks in recent years, they’ve become my preferred way to read to the point where my Kindle e-reader has been collecting dust as it sits idly on my dresser. I get my audiobooks from Audible, which offers a huge selection of books.Audible’s app for the iPhone and iPad makes it very easy and convenient to download audiobooks and listen to them. The Audible app is one of my most used apps on all of my iOS devices, I have it on the dock of each of my
  
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• Imperva: Application layer DDoS attacks are on the rise

  23-08-2016 13:36
  
  Application layer DDoS attacks are becoming more common, perhaps because they cost less for malicious actors to execute and can more effectively evade defenses than network layer attacks, Imperva says.
  One such attack generated 8.7Gbps at its peak, “unheard of in relation to application layer assaults,” in an effort to thread its way through the DDoS mitigations that had been set up to defend against such attacks, according to Imperva’s “DDoS Threat Landscape Report 2015
  
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• Microsoft upgrades Mac Office to 64-bit for all customers

  23-08-2016 13:26
  
  Microsoft yesterday released 64-bit versions of its Office 2016 applications for the Mac, following a series of previews offered testers since April.
  The five apps -- Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word -- will be updated to 64-bit for all customers, including those with an Office 2016 retail license, a consumer or commercial subscription to Office 365, and a volume license. Most users will be updated automatically as the suite launches an update app on its regular schedule.
  Microsoft
  
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• Tiny robots move like caterpillars, powered by light

  23-08-2016 12:44
  
  What if robots could be powered by light instead of bulky battery packs or movement-limiting power cables?
  That's the scenario that scientists at the University of Warsaw are envisioning.
  Researchers have developed a half-inch-long so-called soft robot that mimics the movements of a caterpillar. It's powered by light and controlled by a laser beam, according to the university.
  "Designing soft robots calls for a completely new paradigm in their mechanics, power supply and control," said Piotr Wa
  
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• The world of yesterday, today and tomorrow

  23-08-2016 12:35
  
  Eighty-two years ago this month, The New York Times published an article commenting upon the 20-year “Grand Canyon of History” separating the leaders of 1914 from the then-contemporary leaders of 1934. The general question was how leaders of one era differ from those of another. That interesting exercise gave rise in my mind to a two-part variation: How did the leaders of 20 years ago differ from those of today, and how will the leaders of two decades from now be different
  
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• 5 products leading the enterprise mobile management pack

  23-08-2016 12:13
  
  With the rise of consumer technology, IT departments find themselves forced to adapt mobility management strategies to account for employees' personal tablets, smartphones and smartwatches. And mobile device management, or MDM, isn't enough. Gartner points to a rise in enterprise mobility management (EMM) and notes that IT leaders are looking for software that can help manage updates, deliver analytics, protect data and offer support for troubleshooting across numerous devices and platforms. Sev
  
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• How to look for a job while you're still employed

  23-08-2016 12:11
  
  Finding a new job while you're still employed is a tricky prospect. On the one hand, you're more attractive to potential employers if you're already holding down a job. On the other hand, one false move and you could end up being fired or, at the very least, sully your reputation in the marketplace. Here, executive search and career experts offer five tips for conducting a job search while you're still employed.
  1. Time is on my side
  If you're trying to land a job while you're still employed, yo
  
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• The hidden cause of slow Internet and how to fix it

  23-08-2016 12:00
  
  In 2010, Jim Gettys, a veteran computer programmer who currently works at Google, was at home uploading a large file to his work server. His kids came into his study and said, “Daddy, the Internet is slow today.” Wondering how his upload activity could be affecting downloads by his kids, he began to investigate.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Side channel power, the new security front

  23-08-2016 12:00
  
  Side channels used to be avenues for cyber attacks. Today, one side channel has been elevated to a new front line for cyber defense, and it may go on to be a bulwark for the internet of things (IoT).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Linux at 25: Containers and unikernels prove less is more

  23-08-2016 12:00
  
  If there’s been one constant through Linux’s 25 years in the wild, it’s change. The kernel itself has been through dozens of revisions; Linux distributions for most every use case have emerged; and the culture of Linux has evolved from weekend hobby project to an underpinning of worldwide IT infrastructure.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Arista plans its own take on all-seeing network software

  23-08-2016 12:00
  
  It’s been a good year for IT administrators who want more information, more often, about what’s happening on their networks.In April, startups Veriflow and Nyansa introduced new ways to determine whether a network is doing what it should. In June, Cisco Systems unveiled its Tetration Analytics appliance to collect and analyze information about all parts of a data center in real time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Groups oppose US plan to collect social media info from visitors

  23-08-2016 08:52
  
  Civil liberties and tech advocacy groups have opposed a move by the Department of Homeland Security to collect social media information from certain categories of visitors to the U.S.“This program would invade individual privacy and imperil freedom of expression while being ineffective and prohibitively expensive to implement and maintain,” wrote organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy & Technology and Electronic Frontier Foundation in comments
  
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• Nvidia's NVLink 2.0 will first appear in Power9 servers next year

  23-08-2016 06:05
  
  Graphics processors with Nvidia's NVLink throughput technology have just started coming out, but a successor to the groundbreaking interconnect is already on its way.IBM's upcoming Power9 chip will include NVLink 2.0 technology, and servers using the chip will be available next year.Nvidia hasn't yet announced when GPUs with NVLink 2.0 would come out, but they could be available around the same time as the new Power9 servers come out.IBM is projecting Power9 servers to be out by the middle of ne
  
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• IBM's blazing Power9 chip is coming, and here's what you need to know

  23-08-2016 06:05
  
  IBM's Power processors have a storied history; they were notably used in the Watson supercomputer that outsmarted humans in the game of Jeopardy in 2011. The latest chip in the family, called the Power9, is coming next year, and it stands out for its blazing speed and for technologies never seen in chips before.IBM is spilling Power9 details at the Hot Chips conference in Cupertino, California, this week. Here's some important information about the chip.Power9 servers will be smarter than t
  
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• Alleged NSA hackers probably gave away a small fortune by leaking exploits

  23-08-2016 03:56
  Anonymous hackers probably gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential sales in the black market when they leaked valuable cyberweapons allegedly stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency.The hackers, known as the Shadow Brokers, posted a sample file of the cyberweapons earlier this month and at least some of them appear to be zero-day exploits, or attacks that rely on software defects that practically no one knew about.Before they were publicly leaked, each of these zero-day exp
  
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• Republicans subpoena three tech companies over Clinton emails

  23-08-2016 01:34
  
  Republicans in Congress have subpoenaed three technology companies that declined to hand over documents about former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server.On Monday, Datto, SECNAP Network Security and Platte River Networks received subpoenas from U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican.Smith is demanding documents from the companies as two congressional committees from the House and Senate investigate the Democratic presidential nominee’s use of a private e
  
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• Tableau turns to AWS for a cloud-savvy CEO

  23-08-2016 00:49
  
  Data visualization specialist Tableau Software is bringing in seasoned talent to help it compete in an increasingly cloud-based world. The company has hired longtime Amazon Web Services executive Adam Selipsky as its CEO, replacing cofounder Christian Chabot.Chabot, who has been CEO for 14 years, will continue to serve as chairman of Tableau’s board of directors. Selipsky, who currently is vice president of marketing, sales and support for AWS, will join Tableau on Sept. 16.“Adam is
  
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• BrandPost: Mobility, Wearables, and the Manufacturing Enterprise

  23-08-2016 00:44
  
  As a manufacturer, you need visibility and control to keep quality high and costs low. Mobile and wearable technology offer the potential for more insight into what is happening on the plant floor, and provide your employees untethered access to important, job-critical data. But is the investment worth it? Or are mobile and wearable devices just another technology fad?Leverage the OpportunityGartner predicts that wearables could help manufacturing personnel diagnose and repair problems more quic
  
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