IT Executive news

• Verizon buys Sensity and launches farm pilot with sensor tech

  12-09-2016 22:24
  
  Verizon has been busy building a diverse Internet of Things (IoT) portfolio that includes sensors used on farms as well as on city streets.
  On Monday, the wireless carrier announced it is buying Sensity Systems for an undisclosed sum.
  Sensity, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., has focused on using energy-efficient LED lighting to help cities build an IoT platform on city streetlights. The platform can include the use of various sensors on a streetlight pole to monitor weather and city services rangin
  
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• 25% off Black Diamond Spot Headlamp - Deal Alert

  12-09-2016 22:02
  
  If you're camping, hunting, cycling, or even starting a generator in a power outage at night, a headlamp gives you a convenient hands-free light source, and this one from Black Diamond is capable of emitting a powerful 130 lumens of light, with several modes of operation -- low, high, strobe and a red LED mode for preservation of night vision. Power Tap technology allows you to quickly cycle through light modes with just a tap on the light housing vs. a switch or button press. The unit is also I
  
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• Facebook Messenger now supports native payments

  12-09-2016 21:58
  
  Facebook today enhanced its Messenger platform by integrating its payment mechanisms for chatbots with the most popular financial service providers. During an onstage interview at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, Facebook Vice President and Head of Messenger David Marcus said you will now be able to make payments from inside Messenger using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Stripe, PayPal or Braintree.When Facebook announced its bot platform in April the company highlighted the capability to make travel
  
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• InFocus' MondoPad Ultra exposes weaknesses in Microsoft's Surface Hub

  12-09-2016 21:27
  
  Competition is good, and InFocus' huge MondoPad Ultra all-in-one PC highlights some shortcomings in Microsoft's Surface Hub touchscreen computers.MondoPad and Surface Hub lead a unique class of all-in-one computers with large screens that are being used in classrooms and conference rooms for video conferencing, collaboration, and whiteboarding. The MondoPad Ultra is a computer built into a 70-inch screen. At US$13,999, its price sits between Microsoft's two Surface Hubs, the $8,999 55-
  
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• Being pushed out of your comfort zone can make your IT career

  12-09-2016 21:08
  
  “’Come to my office. You and I have something to talk about.’”That was the message John Marcante got from Vanguard’s then-chairman, Jack Brennan. It was a few months after Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, tragedy notwithstanding, Marcante was living his professional dream.Back then, he was leading all development for Vanguard’s institutional business. It was one of those jobs that many software-development pros view as the apex of their careers. The sales teams br
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Functional areas where machine learning is applied first

  12-09-2016 21:00
  
  The future of business process improvement is on making them intelligent. Machine learning is the driving force.
  Machine learning is on a steep adoption curve and making its inroads in our daily lives and work. The application of the technology won't be an issue at all. There's an abundance of meaningful value propositions for many functional areas, business processes and roles across multiple industries.Software vendors of enterprise business solutions are focusing their product development on
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Applying machine learning to functional areas first

  12-09-2016 21:00
  
  The future of business process improvement is on making them intelligent. Machine learning is the driving force.
  Machine learning is on a steep adoption curve and making its inroads in our daily lives and work. The application of the technology won't be an issue at all. There's an abundance of meaningful value propositions for many functional areas, business processes and roles across multiple industries.Software vendors of enterprise business solutions are focusing their product development on
  
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• Apple Watch keeps tickin' as long as fitness freaks take a lickin'

  12-09-2016 20:54
  
  Apple has refocused its smartwatch on the fitness market, a move analysts believe was prompted by the company's recognition that the broader definition it has used was simply not making the grade.
  "They're responding to what's working, what's resonating with customers," said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research.
  Dawson and others were reacting to the shift in Apple's portrayal of the upgraded Watch, dubbed "Series 2," during last week's launch event that also included the iPhone 7. Vir
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Creative ways 7 startups growth-hacked their way to brand exposure

  12-09-2016 20:30
  
  Tapping into social networks, using content, leveraging influencers, and sometimes requiring a bit of programming, growth hacking is the intersection of data, product and marketing. The practice is one that pairs increasing digital metrics with minimal resources and spending, and it's become a trending practice, particularly for startups. In fact, just last year, a growth-hacking academy opened up in Amsterdam.
  Growth hacking requires a lot of creativity. It begins where traditional PR and mark
  
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• MySQL zero-day exploit puts some servers at risk of hacking

  12-09-2016 20:27
  
  A publicly disclosed vulnerability in the MySQL database could allow attackers to completely compromise some servers.The vulnerability affects "all MySQL servers in default configuration in all version branches (5.7, 5.6, and 5.5) including the latest versions," as well as the MySQL-derived databases MariaDB and Percona DB, according to Dawid Golunski, the researcher who found it.The flaw, tracked as CVE-2016-6662, can be exploited to modify the MySQL configuration file (my.cnf) and cause a
  
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• You can now buy things from Facebook bots

  12-09-2016 20:23
  
  Facebook bots will now be able to conduct business and display their own custom user interfaces, after an update aimed at enhancing its platform capabilities.
  With Monday's update, companies like travel search site Hipmunk will be able to sell users hotel and flight reservations directly from its Messenger bot. Facebook is working with banks and payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, and Stripe to facilitate commerce through bots, said David Marcus, Facebook's vice president of messa
  
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• CIO Career Coach: How to write a great resume (video)

  12-09-2016 19:55
  
  Welcome to the third episode of "CIO Career Coach," a video series I created with CIO.com and IDG.tv, the video division of CIO's parent company, IDG.In episode one, we talked about how and when you should make the decision to put yourself on the job market. In episode two, we covered the ways to define and communicate your professional brand.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Cars will make up 98% of mobile-to-mobile traffic by 2021

  12-09-2016 19:44
  
  In just five years, ever more sophisticated in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems that stream music and offer real-time navigation will generate up to 98% of mobile-to-mobile (M2M) data traffic, according to a new report.
  The Juniper Research report indicates that ever-more popular applications such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that mirror your smartphone interface to your car's IVI will generate massive amounts of cellular M2M data traffic.To read this article in full or to leave a commen
  
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• The digital dissidents

  12-09-2016 19:33
  
  Most businesses today are thinking about digital disruption. Either they are trying to unleash it, or they are seeking ways to avoid being victims of it, rendered irrelevant. Some are involved in both activities.
  Most of their employees are on board with all of this. Research that I have been involved in at Ohio State University and the University of California, San Diego, shows that in organizations seeking to disrupt or prevent being disrupted, 89% to 97% of the workforce backs the disrupt/pr
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: With analytics, strategic CxOs should avoid conventional ROI

  12-09-2016 19:06
  
  Enterprising Analytics
  To be "enterprising" is to be eager to undertake or prompt to attempt. To show initiative and be resourceful. These are leadership traits, so to be enterprising is to lead. "Analytics" is how we use data to inform decision-making, in the context of achieving business objectives. These are management practices, so analytics is about management."Enterprising analytics" is about being creative, resourceful and adventurous with decision-making to achieve business objectives. I
  
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• Official recall for exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones coming, Samsung and US confirm

  12-09-2016 18:17
  
  Samsung is trying to douse the flames from the growing Galaxy Note 7 dumpster fire. The company confirmed it’s working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. government’s arm for ensuring products do no harm, on procedures for replacing the handsets with new models that won’t spontaneously catch fire.
  The latest statement by Samsung says in no uncertain terms that everyone should power off and stop using their Note 7 immediately. The Consumer Product Safety Comm
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Driving IT productivity using automation as a service

  12-09-2016 17:58
  
  Imagine that every morning, before you wake up, your phone unmutes itself and changes the background to the NASA picture of the day. When you leave your house, your phone’s wireless is deactivated. As events occur on social media, you receive a notification and automatically share them with your friends. Then at work, if you submit a request, a ticket automatically notifies you when the request has been completed. When you return home, your phone’s wireless is re-activated and before
  
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• CIO's seat on board reflects IT's move to agile, DevOps

  12-09-2016 17:52
  
  Testing software earlier in the development cycle is crucial as companies increasingly adopt an agile methodology in which applications are incrementally built and refined. That's why Gary King, who worked as CIO of T-Mobile before retiring from the company this year, recently joined the board of Soasta, a small company specializing in helping businesses assess and manage the performance of their websites.Gary King, former CIO of T-Mobile, recently joined the board of Soasta.To read this article
  
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• 40% off First Alert Dual Photoelectric and Ionization Sensor Smoke Alarm - Deal Alert

  12-09-2016 17:35
  
  The BRK 3120B smoke detector from First Alert contains technology that many experts are now recommending -- dual sensors. A photoelectric sensor detects slow and smoldering fires, while an ionization sensor can detect often fast moving open flames. Your current detectors may have only one or the other, so if you're due (or overdue) for new ones, it might be something to consider. This model is hardwired with a battery backup (see below for non-hardwired model), so all units interc
  
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• Tesla's free Autopilot 8.0 update shifts focus to radar to avoid car crashes

  12-09-2016 17:21
  Tesla is rolling out a software update to its Autopilot feature designed to prevent accidents like the one that resulted in the death of Tesla owner Joshua Brown in May. The new update will employ radar as a primary signal processing component in addition to visual image recognition via the car’s cameras. 
  Brown died when his car, running on Autopilot, collided with a tractor trailer. In that event, the car’s autonomous cruise control systems failed to properly identify the obs
  
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• EU President Juncker returns from trip, tears up roaming rules

  12-09-2016 17:10
  The European Commission's proposal to make mobile phone roaming across the European Union free for just 90 days a year lasted less than a week. It's been withdrawn while a new policy is drafted.The 90-day limit, and another setting the maximum continuous period of free roaming at 30 days, attracted criticism -- particularly from students hoping to use mobiles from their home countries while spending a year studying abroad.Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was in China when Brussels offici
  
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• OpenText to buy Dell EMC's enterprise content division

  12-09-2016 17:07
  
  Canadian enterprise information management vendor OpenText has agreed to buy Dell Technologies' EMC enterprise content division for US$1.62 billion in a deal that, the companies say, will allow them to focus on their core missions.The acquisition of the "highly profitable" Dell EMC Enterprise Content Division will allow OpenText to expand its related services to Asia and Africa and across a larger customer base, including the healthcare and oil production industries, said OpenText CEO and C
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Presenting yourself

  12-09-2016 17:00
  
  We have all heard it said: when it comes to giving a business presentation, you should just be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else.
  The idea that you should just be yourself is usually offered as an antidote to nerves. Don’t be nervous, just go out there and be yourself. “Be yourself” is code for "just relax."
  But my advice to anyone giving a business presentation is, don’t just try to be yourself. Be better than yourself. Don’t try to be someone other tha
  
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• Thousands of Seagate NAS boxes host cryptocurrency mining malware

  12-09-2016 16:15
  
  Thousands of publicly accessible FTP servers, including many from Seagate network-attached storage devices, are being used by criminals to host cryptocurrency mining malware.Researchers from security vendor Sophos made the discovery when they investigated a malicious program dubbed Mal/Miner-C, which infects Windows computers and hijacks their CPUs and GPUs to generate Monero, a bitcoin-inspired cryptocurrency.With most cryptocurrencies, users can generate new units by devoting their computing r
  
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• Has your cloud consultant gone crazy?

  12-09-2016 15:33
  
  Unless you are doing all your system configuration and implementation work internally, you’ll be depending on consultants to get your cloud projects done. When consultants start doing dumb things, your project will be at risk. Even if they get your project done right, if they can’t make a profit they’ll eventually have to bail on you.
  Full disclaimer here: I’m a consultant, and this article is written entirely from the perspective of the consultant/system integrator. I&r
  
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• Aruba pushes new network tools, cloud pricing model

  12-09-2016 15:01
  
  Aruba, a division of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, announced software today that's designed to help companies speed up secure integration of mobile devices and Internet of Things objects into their networks.
  Called Aruba Mobile First Platform, the software is based on application programming interfaces (APIs) for use by third-party developers and developer teams inside companies to help them boost automation with IoT devices and allow mobile workers to be more efficient.
  Mobile First is built on
  
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• Zagg Rugged Book review: Rough and tough keyboard case for the 9.7-Inch iPad Pro

  12-09-2016 15:00
  
  This versatile and robust iPad Pro keyboard case has a few shortcomings, but it does the job.
  
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• CIOs, CTOs playing greater role in technology decisions

  12-09-2016 14:19
  
  Rather than focusing only on cutting spending and reducing overhead, CIOs and CTOs are now more like to be calling the shots when it comes to technology investments, according to new research from Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services.
  Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services polled 500 mid-market executives (in a survey fielded between June 17 and July 5 at companies with revenues between $100 million and $1 billion) and found that 49 percent of technology adoption is now led by IT department leaders,
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iOS 10: How to use Magnifier

  12-09-2016 13:48
  
  iOS 10 has many new features but one very useful one has not gotten much attention in the media at all: Magnifier. Magnifier lets you use your iOS device’s camera to magnify things and make them much easier to see.How to enable Magnifier in iOS 10Here’s how you can enable Magnifier in iOS 10:
  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Tap on Accessibility.
  4. Tap on Magnifier.
  5. Tap the Magnifier and Auto-Brightness settings to the On position.
  Now when you want to use Magnifi
  
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• Huawei Matebook: A hybrid tablet that almost competes

  12-09-2016 13:37
  
  Huawei is another company looking to get in on the growing popularity of Windows 10 hybrid tablets. The company best-known for its smartphones has introduced a tablet-hybrid device with a high-end design. It's another option in the quickly expanding market of detachable tablets, and it's aimed at competing with the likes of the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4. But does theHuawei Matebook stack up for business use or is it just another mid-range tablet with a sleek design and a keyboard stand?To read
  
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• ‘Factor mens in disruptieve tijden superbelangrijk’

  12-09-2016 13:29
  Innovatie is ‘hot’. Gedreven door technologie zijn economie, markt en samenleving aan grote veranderingen onderhevig. Bedrijven zijn gedwongen daarin mee te gaan om te kunnen overleven. Volwassen geworden technologie opent een scala aan nieuwe mogelijkheden en vormt tegelijk een bedreiging voor de bestaande... lees meer
  
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• 14 pairs of wireless and Lightning headphones for the jack-less iPhone 7

  12-09-2016 13:29
  Lightning or Bluetooth?For audiophiles interested in getting the iPhone 7, finding the right pair of headphones is essential. Here’s your guide to new headphones for the jack-less iPhone 7—both Lightning and wireless models.Apple AirPodsAnnounced this week in conjuction with the jack-less iPhone 7, these AirPods are truly-wireless versions of Apple’s EarPods. They are equipped with Bluetooth, but their best features are reserved for Apple devices running iOS 10, macOS Sier
  
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• What AirPods can tell us about Apple's future

  12-09-2016 13:15
  The most innovative product Apple released this week isn’t the one people are going to rush out to buy. Sure, the iPhone 7 has snazzy new cameras and Apple Watch has learned a whole new fitness regimen, but the biggest new product unveiled this week is actually the one small enough to get lost in your pocket.
  Despite the quirky design that makes it look like your ears are smoking mini e-cigs, AirPods are unmistakably an Apple product. It may look like Jony Ive merely severed the cord on a
  
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• HP offers $1 billion for Samsung's printer business

  12-09-2016 13:06
  
  HP has a plan to offset its declining printer revenue: Buy the printing business of Samsung Electronics.It hopes the deal, valued at US$1.05 billion, will help it enlarge its position in the market for photocopiers, which it values at $55 billion annually.The key to this, HP says, is Samsung's portfolio of multi-function laser printers, capable of handling A3 paper.Along with the printers, HP will also acquire a portfolio of 6,500 printing patents and a staff of 6,000, including 1,300 researcher
  
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• Trouble spotted on the network

  12-09-2016 13:00
  
  We had a scare the other day with a critical cross-site scripting (XSS) attack that seemed to be entirely contained — source and destination — on our own network. Tracking it down and resolving the issue were fairly routine procedures, but it’s worth noting how it’s possible to spot potential security problems when you don’t have a world-class security operations center (SOC) that’s staffed with skilled analysts and stuffed with large-screen monitors and all
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 tips to successfully pitch your IT project

  12-09-2016 13:00
  
  You had made a solid case for your IT project, convincing you and your team that the C-suite would be putty in your hands. The appointment to pitch had been in the diary for weeks and you had rehearsed in front of the bathroom mirror to the point that you could recite it in your sleep.Nothing could go wrong.Except, two minutes in, you already start to feel that you are losing the room. Then you catch the COO glance at the clock on the wall, the CRO furtively checks her smart phone for emails and
  
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• 10 tips to get the most from your Samsung Galaxy Note 7

  12-09-2016 13:00
  
  It's got everything but the kitchen sinkImage by Ryan WhitwamThe Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is jam packed with just about every feature it's possible to fit in a smartphone, but it comes with a high price. The last thing you want to do is drop all that cash on a Note 7 and not take full advantage of all the cool stuff it can do. Here are 10 tips to get you on your way to mastering all the this phone has to offer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Emerging technologies are poking holes in security

  12-09-2016 12:32
  
  Accelerated change challenges change management, security DevOps and emerging technologies that enable business innovation and opportunities demand fast, frequent change from the enterprise. The speed and regularity as well as the kinds of change challenge change management and ultimately security.
  To secure the enterprise in environments of unwieldy change, the business needs to know how each new technology affects change management and the organization’s security defenses.
  Organizations
  
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• High-powered analytics in the real world

  12-09-2016 12:30
  
  Welcome to the stories of the 2016 Computerworld Data+ Editors’ Choice Award honorees.
  Chosen by a panel of Computerworld editors, this year’s 20 winning organizations have used data analytics to achieve a wide spectrum of gains, from improving business profitability to uncovering trends in criminal activity and reducing energy use — even keeping trains running on schedule.
  Interested in finding a project that might be specific to what you do? We've collected and categorized t
  
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• Move over EVs; hydrogen fuel cell vehicles may soon pass you by

  12-09-2016 12:25
  
  Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will catch up to electric vehicle (EV) sales because of the advantage of shorter refuel times and greater drive distances, according to a new report.
  "Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, with a zero emission capability, represent future of the automobile," said Naqi Jaffery, the lead author of the report published by Information Trends, a Washington-based market research firm.
  The report, Global Market for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, argues that by 2020, sufficient
  
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• Start an indie dev business -- without quitting your job

  12-09-2016 12:00
  
  Tech skills are in high demand. But maybe leaving your full-time IT gig in pursuit of a hot new career as a mobile developer or data scientist isn’t the best bet. Or perhaps your employer doesn’t offer enough growth opportunity and you want to expand your skills and experience without giving up all your benefits and starting from scratch.
  There’s another, more flexible way to cash in on today’s high demand for tech: Start a part-time business in your spare time. Accordin
  
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• Review: 5 open source alternatives for routers/firewalls

  12-09-2016 12:00
  
  Open source software offers an economical and flexible option for deploying basic home, SMB or even enterprise networking. These open source products deliver simple routing and networking features, like DHCP and DNS. Plus, they are combined with security functionality, starting with a basic firewall and possibly including antivirus, antispam and Web filtering.(Insider Story)
  
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• Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine gets a tuneup

  12-09-2016 12:00
  
  V8, the JavaScript engine featured in Google's Chrome browser, is getting improvements in performance and code optimization courtesy of both the V8 team and the Russia Academy of Sciences.
  For its part, the V8 team has released version 5.4, a new branch of the engine. "V8 5.4 delivers a number of key improvements in memory footprint and startup speed," the team said in a bulletin. "These primarily help accelerate initial script execution and reduce page load in Chrome."[ Use JavaScript in your
  
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• 5 open source alternatives for routing/firewall

  12-09-2016 12:00
  
  Economical and flexibleOpen source software offers an economical and flexible option for deploying basic home, SMB or even enterprise networking. These open source products deliver simple routing and networking features, plus they are combined with security functionality, starting with a basic firewall and possibly including antivirus, antispam and Web filtering. These products can be downloaded and deployed on your own hardware, on a virtual platform, or in the cloud. Many of them sell pre-conf
  
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• IBM cloud chief: The next phase of cloud is a race to add value

  12-09-2016 11:31
  
  At 105 years old, IBM has been through more than a few major technology transformations. Arguably, none is bigger than the current retooling of the company around cloud computing – an effort overseen by Robert LeBlanc, senior vice president, IBM Cloud. LeBlanc says IT leaders and business executives aren’t caught up in Wall Street’s worries over IBM’s revenue declines or the pace of the cloud transformation.BB: Is your sales force fully onboard with selling those cloud s
  
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• Daniël Ropers (bol.com) is ICT Personality 2016

  12-09-2016 11:05
  Directeur van bol.com Daniël Ropers is dit jaar de ICT Personality. Deze eretitel van Nederland ICT en ECP | Platform voor de Informatie Samenleving werd hem toegekend op de Avond van de Digitale Economie. Volgens de jury is Ropers een “ware ambassadeur voor de digitale economie”. Daarnaast ontvingen... lees meer
  
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• Jerry Brouwer, (DSI): In twee maanden geautomatiseerde afhandeling bankiersklachten

  12-09-2016 10:45
  Door een politiek besluit valt de Bankierseed in Nederland sinds april vorig jaar onder het tuchtrecht. De Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken (NVB) vroeg stichting DSI de complete klachtafhandeling voor zijn rekening te nemen. Met grote aandacht voor beveiliging en gebruiksvriendelijkheid. DSI had slechts twee maanden... lees meer
  
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• Meet the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime in its West Coast debut

  12-09-2016 10:03
  Spotted in San FranciscoImage by Melissa RiofrioIt's almost here: the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, the company's flagship Prius and its only plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV), is due to ship sometime in the fall of 2016. At TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, the car made its West Coast debut with a late prototype. Walk around the car with us for an early peek at this eagerly awaited automobile.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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