IT Executive news

• Carriers are going virtual to give enterprises more freedom

  07-11-2016 23:28
  
  Starting carrier services like routing and security is getting faster and easier thanks to a new way of deploying them that doesn’t require specialized equipment at customer’s sites.
  The new approach, called virtualized business services, lets various carrier services run on standard infrastructure at either customer sites or service-provider facilities. Because the services are virtual, companies can order and change them quickly, and they won’t get locked into whatever capab
  
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• 68% off Anker Astro E1 Ultra Compact High Speed Portable Charger - Deal Alert

  07-11-2016 23:05
  
  This inexpensive smartphone charger from Anker is the size of a candy bar, and has enough juice to recharge any smartphone, including the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, at least 1-2 times over. It's discounted 68% to just $16, making it a good stocking-stuffer idea. The Astro E1 currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 4,300 people on Amazon (84% rate 5 stars: See reviews), and it's listed there as a #1 best-seller. See the attractively priced Anker Astro E1 charger now on Amazon.To read this artic
  
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• At campaign's end, Trump takes a swipe at IBM

  07-11-2016 22:30
  
  In Minnesota on Sunday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump added IBM to the list of companies he criticizes for moving jobs offshore or to Mexico. Trump's line was a one sentence throwaway at the Twin Cities rally, but it may have resonated with this rally crowd.
  In Rochester, Minn., IBM created a massive operation. In 1956, it broke ground on what would become a 32-building, 3.5-million-square-foot complex that employed 8,100 workers at its peak in 1991. It made punch card systems an
  
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• Young tech entrepreneurs inspired by hearts, minds, stomachs, and not necessarily in that order

  07-11-2016 22:09
  
  There's nothing quite like an empty stomach to get the old creative juices flowing, as participants at last week's Babson College Rocket Pitch event explained during their 3-minute pitches before peers, investors and assorted people like myself.
  (I captured a handful of the presentations via Facebook Live, as seen in the saved video at the bottom of this post, for your viewing enjoyment...)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Don't let speaking with an accent interrupt your presentation

  07-11-2016 21:45
  
  If you work for a tech company today, you are likely to encounter accents from all over the world. There are three reasons why I think this is great. First, different accents imbue our communal work experience with variety and a vibrancy that often reveals new meaning in familiar words. Second, accents are a constant reminder that our products and services must have universal appeal in order to compete and scale. And finally, unfamiliar accents in others can make us listen more closely and commu
  
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• Six big projects that went open-source

  07-11-2016 21:43
  
  More code, more projectsMaking big software and hardware projects open-source is an increasingly popular thing to do, whether you’re a big company, a small company, or even the government. Here’s a sampling of the latest major projects to hit the open-source realm. Enjoy.Facebook’s VoyagerImage by FacebookTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Microsoft postpones Windows anti-exploit tool's retirement

  07-11-2016 21:41
  
  Microsoft last week announced that it would support the Enterprise Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) through July 2018, a year-and-a-half extension for the anti-exploit utility.
  At the same time, the Redmond, Wash. company dismissed EMET as a behind-the-times tool, and again urged customers to upgrade to Windows 10, arguing that the new operating system is much more secure than previous editions when supplemented by EMET.
  "EMET hasn't kept pace," wrote Jeffrey Sutherland, a Microsoft princip
  
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• Facebook halts Whatsapp data sharing in the UK

  07-11-2016 21:21
  
  Facebook has agreed to stop using WhatsApp data to target users with advertising in the U.K. and has been warned could face legal action if it resumes the practice.The agreement is an initial victory for Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who launched an inquiry into the data sharing earlier this year after expressing concern that user data was not being properly protected."I don’t think users have been given enough information about what Facebook plans to do with th
  
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• AMD supports 5K video with new Radeon WX GPUs

  07-11-2016 21:17
  
  AMD is excited about its Polaris GPUs and upcoming Zen-based PC and server chips, which the company hopes will end years of struggles.A step forward for AMD is the release soon of its Radeon Pro WX graphics cards, targeted at content creation for 4K games or virtual reality. These GPUs, based on the Polaris architecture, can also be used to create special effects for Hollywood movies.The GPUs also support 5K video. The conversation today is about 4K, but AMD has decided to add support for t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: In big data, industrialization is innovation

  07-11-2016 20:07
  
  “We need to innovate” is a common refrain. And in the world of information, there is often a mistaken belief that innovation today is purely about analytics. However, the reality is that sort of fashionista-based innovation rarely delivers sustainable results. Back in 2010, MIT and Capgemini looked at what it really took for companies to be successful with digital. Their report had a very interesting finding: Companies that take a more governed and managed approach to digital deliver
  
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• Diamonds could be building blocks for quantum computers

  07-11-2016 19:53
  
  Diamonds are among the most expensive gems in the world, but they could also serve as a building block for quantum computers.Because diamonds are structurally sound, researchers believe they could eliminate some of the challenges involved in making stable quantum computers.The potential of quantum computers is enormous -- they could bring massive gains in computational power and ultimately replace today's PCs and servers.But universal quantum computers are still decades away, partly because
  
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• Tesla likely to add solar power roofs to cars

  07-11-2016 19:49
  
  In a Twitter exchange today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will likely add solar charging technology to the roofs of future all-electric cars.
  "We will probably offer that as an option," Musk wrote in the Twitter exchange with Tesla enthusiasts.
  In answer to one enthusiast who doubted the value and charging capacity of photovoltaics on a car roof, Musk said the solar technology could come in the form of "a deployable solar shield like a retractable hard top." Tesla MotorsThe all-glass ro
  
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• Best Deals of the Week, October 31st - November 4th - Deal Alert

  07-11-2016 19:25
  
  Best Deals of the Week, October 31st - November 4thCheck out this roundup of the best deals on gadgets, gear and other cool stuff we have found this week, the week of October 24th. All items are highly rated, and dramatically discounted.43% off NETGEAR AC750 WiFi Range ExtenderBoost the range of your existing WiFi and create a stronger signal in hard-to-reach areas with a WiFi range extender like this one from Netgear, which is highly rated and currently discounted 43% on Amazon. . This compact
  
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• Microsoft restores database app to Office 365 for small biz

  07-11-2016 19:13
  
  Microsoft last week said it will add the Access database application to small business Office 365 subscriptions, two years after plucking the program from a similar plan.
  "As businesses of all sizes come to realize the value of data analytics to inform decision-making, many are also discovering the need for database solutions like Microsoft Access," stated an unsigned post to a company blog Friday.
  Access, the database application long part of the Office suite, will be added to the Office 365 B
  
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• US election day faces specter of cyberattacks

  07-11-2016 19:01
  
  Don't be surprised if hackers make their presence felt on U.S. Election Day. Distributed denial-of-service attacks and high-profile leaks are among the tactics they might use if they try to influence Tuesday's vote.
  Cybersecurity experts stress it would be incredibly difficult to hack the U.S. election. The system itself is distributed across the country over thousands of voting jurisdictions, making it hard to tamper with on a wide scale.    
  But hackers could still at
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 6 things online marketers should be reading every day

  07-11-2016 19:00
  
  As an online marketer, you already know the value of training and education. You probably spent several years in school studying the craft, or maybe you learned about marketing on the job, spending years in an entry-level position and working your way up. Either way, you invested in your expertise, and it’s already paying off.But the investment doesn’t end there. You owe it to yourself to continually refine your abilities and expand your knowledge, and the best way to do that is thro
  
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• Hackers can abuse LTE protocols to knock phones off networks

  07-11-2016 18:58
  
  When you travel between countries, the mobile operators that temporarily provide service to your phone need to communicate with your operator back home. This is done over a global interconnection network where most traffic still uses an ageing protocol, called SS7, that's known to be vulnerable to location tracking, eavesdropping, fraud, denial of service (DoS), SMS interception and other attacks.With the advance of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks, some roaming traffic is switching to a newer
  
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• Tesla to discontinue free EV charging for new cars

  07-11-2016 18:56
  
  Tesla Motors today announced it will discontinue its popular free electric vehicle charging program for vehicles purchased after Jan. 1, 2017.
  The company said new vehicle owners next year will receive an initial 400 kilowatt hours worth of free charging -- enough to travel about 1,000 miles -- and then will be charged a "small" fee for each charge after that. Tesla MotorsA Tesla Supercharging station.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How technology and data shape digital marketing in healthcare in an on-demand era

  07-11-2016 18:36
  
  The digital transformation of healthcare, driven by the shift toward value-based care (VBC), is also a mandate for improving patient engagement and a new approach to healthcare marketing. Digital officers in healthcare today are focusing on improving patient experiences, responding specifically to the need for transparency and control over healthcare costs in the face of soaring health insurance premiums and higher deductibles.As patients increasingly turn to independent platforms such as Leapfr
  
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• New app for HoloLens targets architects

  07-11-2016 18:30
  
  Architects have a new reason to pick up Microsoft's HoloLens, after the launch of an app aimed at helping them explore 3D models of buildings.
  Trimble launched its SketchUp Viewer app for Microsoft's headset on Monday, which will allow people to use the HoloLens's augmented reality capabilities for viewing models created in SketchUp. The app will have two modes: one that allows people to view a scaled-down version of the model using the HoloLens, and another that allows them to view what a buil
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: At Goldman Sachs, APIs point the way toward a platform future

  07-11-2016 18:21
  
  For a few years now, Goldman Sachs, the $68 billion Wall Street financial giant, has baffled both the financial and tech world.On Wall Street, Goldman built a reputation for its considerable technical and software chops that it parlayed into a strategic advantage for plotting the timing of trades and averting losses.For years one of its closely guarded secrets weapons lay in much of its internally developed software. The big one was Securities Database or SecDB which can compute more than 20 bil
  
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• Microsoft adds Kubernetes support to Azure Container Service

  07-11-2016 18:00
  
  Containers have become a major fixture of modern application development. Companies are turning to the technology because it helps them more easily create portable, scalable applications that can work in a wide variety of environments, including the public cloud.Microsoft is aiming to further capitalize on that trend with a set of updates announced Monday for its public cloud platform.Azure Container Service, Microsoft’s cloud-optimized container-hosting offering, now supports orchestratio
  
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• Security vendor demonstrates hack of US e-voting machine

  07-11-2016 17:47
  
  A hacker armed with a US$25 PCMCIA card can, within a few minutes, change the vote totals on an aging electronic voting machine that is now in limited use in 13 U.S. states, a cybersecurity vendor has demonstrated.The hack by security vendor Cylance, which released a video of it Friday, caught the attention of noted National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, but other critics of e-voting security dismissed the vulnerability as nothing new.The Cylance hack demonstrated a theor
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Author of 'Strategic Entrepreneurialism' says team cohesiveness leads to innovation

  07-11-2016 17:39
  
  Few startup CEOs can claim a hat trick -- that is selling three startup companies to top industry players -- but Jon Fisher, serial entrepreneur and the author of Strategic Entrepreneurialism, is among them. A classic Silicon Valley inventor who says he owes much of his inspiration to his team as well as his mentor and early investor, Ray Lane, Fisher has seen three companies he co-founded as CEO get acquired -- Bharosa, NetClerk and AutoReach are now owned by Oracle, Roper Technologies and Auto
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Will Apple kill the Mac Pro?

  07-11-2016 17:20
  
  Apple’s recent Mac event shocked many people by completely omitting anything about the Mac Pro. Many people were waiting for an announcement or at least some kind of signal from Apple that an updated Mac Pro was on the way.But not a single word was said about the Mac Pro by anyone from Apple, and that has left many people wondering if Apple is going to kill the Mac Pro off once and for all.Marco Arment even wrote a blog post chillingly titled “A world without the Mac Pro.” Marc
  
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• 5 things you need to know about virtual private networks

  07-11-2016 17:17
  
  A virtual private network is a secure tunnel between two or more computers on the internet, allowing them to access each other as if on a local network. In the past, VPNs were mainly used by companies to securely link remote branches together or connect roaming employees to the office network, but today they're an important service for consumers too, protecting them from attacks when they connect to public wireless networks. Given their importance, here's what you need to know about VPNs:VPNs ar
  
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• How to reduce Windows 10's on-disk footprint

  07-11-2016 16:06
  
  While certain areas of the Windows file structure may be off-limits to direct action — most notably, deleting files inside the C:\Windows (or %windir%) folder — that doesn’t mean that savvy Windows admins and power users can’t selectively prune excess or obsolete files. You just need the right tools.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• UK bank suspends online payments after fraud hits 20,000 accounts

  07-11-2016 15:35
  
  The banking arm of U.K. supermarket chain Tesco has suspended online payments for its 136,000 checking account customers following a spate of fraudulent transactions.The bank suspended its payment service for all checking account customers after 40,000 experienced suspicious transactions, bank CEO Benny Higgins told BBC Radio 4 on Monday."Around half of them had money taken from the account," he said.The bank will bear any losses as a result of the fraudulent activity and customers are not at fi
  
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• 22% off Amazon Echo, Discount Good For Today (11/7) Only - Deal Alert

  07-11-2016 15:21
  
  In celebration of Echo's 2nd birthday, Amazon has discounted their popular Echo device 22%. This discount is good for today only, Monday, November 7th. Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, automate your home, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more. All you have to do is ask. Its typical list price of $180 has been reduced 22% to just $140, today only. See the discounted Echo now on Amaz
  
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• 7 ways to protect your ecommerce site from fraud, hacking and copycats

  07-11-2016 14:58
  
  Setting up an ecommerce site is easy these days. Keeping your site safe from hacking, fraud and copycats, not so much. And as small business owners know all too well, one major breach – or too many charge backs or someone stealing your business name or copying your products – could mean the end of your business.
  [ Related: 8 keys to ecommerce success ]
  Here are seven ways small ecommerce business owners can protect their online stores from hacking, fraud and/or copycats.1. Trademark
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: In the age of cloud, outsourcing won't work; develop in-house software talent

  07-11-2016 14:57
  
  We are going through a tech explosion. Everything is becoming software defined. No matter what business you are in, your entire existence depends on software technology. In fact unless you are running your company under a rock, by now you have become a software company. BMW, Comcast, AT&T, Uber, Airbnb, Target, Walmart, Netflix...pick your brand name, they are all software companies.
  John Donovan, Chief Strategy Officer and Group President, Technology and Operations at AT&T once said, "
  
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• SQLi, XSS zero-days expose Belkin IoT devices, Android smartphones

  07-11-2016 14:14
  
  LONDON, UK – Research director Scott Tenaglia and lead research engineer Joe Tanen detailed the vulnerabilities during their ‘Breaking BHAD: Abusing Belkin Home Automation devices’ talk at the Black Hat Europe conference in London last Friday.
  The zero-day flaws specifically relate to Belkin’s smart home products and accompanying Android mobile application, which is used to wirelessly control the home automation devices.
  The first flaw, a SQL injection vulnerability, ena
  
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• Why you might want to hold off buying Google Home

  07-11-2016 14:00
  
  I wish I could be upbeat about Google Home. I’ve read mostly positive reviews of the now $129 smart home device. It definitely shows promise. And my frustrations with it may be a fluke. But based on my experiences, I’d go with Amazon Echo ($180) or Echo Dot ($50) if you’re in the mood for a stereo speaker/virtual assistant.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Cloud-based network analysis drills down to users and apps

  07-11-2016 14:00
  
  Cloud computing is throwing more variables into network performance, but it’s also helping to make network management smarter.
  Nyansa, a startup that launched earlier this year with a cloud-based service to pinpoint the sources of enterprise network problems, is now adding the ability to analyze how individual applications are performing.
  The company's original Voyance service uses a software crawler to capture data about how traffic is flowing over the network and how each piece of infra
  
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• 10 of the coolest things made on 3D printers

  07-11-2016 13:00
  
  3D-printed items that will amaze youThe first thing printed on a 3D printer was rather boring—an eyewash cup printed by the inventor of 3D printing, Chuck Hull, in 1983. Since then, the process has been used to create prosthetics for humans and animals, unique candy designs, musical instruments and even human tissue, such as ears. As you’ll see, people are continually thinking of new and innovative ways to use 3D printing technology. Here are 10 of the coolest.To read this article in
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: AI, robotics and the future of work

  07-11-2016 12:44
  
  Robots will take over 6 percent of jobs in USA by 2021, says a recent report by Forrester. Oxford University is even going as far as to say that by 2035, up to 47 percent of our jobs are at high risk of being automated. If that number doesn’t have an impact, imagine this: by the time the current generation of infants legally reaches adulthood, they will have done so in a world where nearly half of our current jobs may be automated.What are the driving forces behind this development? And wh
  
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• The latest in IT services? CIO hired guns

  07-11-2016 12:30
  
  Damon Neth hasn't had a full-time, salaried position with a company in nearly 20 years. And he wouldn't have it any other way.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• The worst people you meet doing IT security

  07-11-2016 12:20
  
  Just the worstImage by ThinkstockIf you've worked in IT long enough, you've learned to recognize certain types, people who fit into particular ecological niches. Sometimes they're great, and sometimes ... less so. A couple of years ago I asked IT pros to give me examples of the worst types of people they met on the job, and they were more than forthcoming. Now I've collected specific kinds of insecure employees that infosec workers have had to deal with and protect—or protect their servers
  
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• 4 ways to manage Macs in a Microsoft world

  07-11-2016 12:12
  
  Traditionally, Macs have been second-class citizens in the Windows-centric enterprise world, but it doesn’t have to be so. In this review, we looked at four ways to manage Macs in a Microsoft Active Directory (AD) network.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• The 7 most vexing problems in programming

  07-11-2016 12:00
  
  It’s been said that the uncharted territories of the old maps were often marked with the ominous warning: “Here be dragons.” Perhaps apocryphal, the idea was that no one wandering into these unknown corners of the world should do so without being ready to battle a terrifying foe. Anything could happen in these mysterious regions, and often that anything wasn’t good.
  Programmers may be a bit more civilized than medieval knights, but that doesn’t mean the modern tech
  
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• How federal CIOs will navigate the presidential transition

  07-11-2016 12:00
  
  Ahead of a new presidential administration and the shuffling of political leadership across the executive branch, the federal IT community is bracing for a major upheaval that will likely halt the launch of major new projects and could even derail current initiatives.Regardless of who wins the White House on Tuesday, the transition from one administration to the next has a chilling effect on IT activity within the agencies, even if those projects are mostly overseen by career, non-political pers
  
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• Docker, machine learning are top tech trends for 2017

  07-11-2016 12:00
  
  With 2017 fast approaching, technology trends that will keep gathering steam in the new year range from augmented and virtual reality to machine intelligence, Docker, and microservices, according to technology consulting firm ThoughtWorks.In its semiannual Technology Radar report published Monday, ThoughtWorks calls out four IT themes growing in prominence:Virtual reality (VR) and its cousin, augmented reality (AR)
  Docker as process, PaaS as machine, microservices architecture as programming mod
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to become a successful digital leader

  07-11-2016 11:53
  
  The winds of change are blowing again in the world of technology. Unlike the past, when the gale was driven by a new technology or service, this time the topic is all about “digital leadership.” Many companies are seeking digital leaders, and some of you may have even seen opportunities come your way. But what is a digital leader? If you search the internet for direct answers, you’re not likely to find them. That’s why I’m going to tell you exactly what it means to
  
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• How gender-neutral job postings decrease time to hire?

  07-11-2016 11:00
  
  One of the most common reasons companies give for their lack of diversity is a lack of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. Lack of qualified candidates not only limits diversity in attracting and hiring talent, it slows down the entire process. In 2015 the Bersin by Deloitte Talent Acquisition Factbook reported it took 52 days to fill a position, up from 48 days in 2011. But there's a simple way to boost the volume of your pipeline and get qualified candidates hired and delivering
  
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• 5 sites that help you showcase your professional talents

  07-11-2016 11:00
  
  In the past 10 years, professional branding has gained more attention in the job market, especially as social networking has grown. It's not uncommon for people to put their personal lives online, and that attitude has extended to their professional lives, too. Creating an online portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills and talents and you apart from other candidates. Just drop your portfolio link into your resume or cover letter, and recruiters can quickly learn more about you beyond th
  
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• China passes controversial cybersecurity law

  07-11-2016 08:04
  
  China has passed a new cybersecurity law that gives it greater control over the internet, including by requiring local storage of certain data.Human rights groups and trade associations in the U.S. and other countries have warned of the implications of the law both for internet businesses and human rights in the country.The National People's Congress Standing Committee passed the new cybersecurity law Monday, according to reports.“Despite widespread international concern from corporations
  
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• Nyansa gets really, really detailed about user application experience

  07-11-2016 06:01
  
  Network analytics services vendor Nysana has upgraded its offering to enable more granular and actionable user application performance, including across unified communications, software-as-a-service and customer business programs.
  Voyance+ correlates application-and network-layer performance, measuring end user application access across Wi-Fi, wired LANs, the internet and user devices themselves. This differs from traditional app performance management tools that are more data center-focused, a
  
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• FBI sticks to earlier view not to charge Clinton over email server

  07-11-2016 03:02
  
  FBI Director James Comey said new emails that had been found had not changed the agency's July decision not to recommend charges against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.In a letter Sunday to lawmakers, Comey wrote that based on the FBI's review of the emails, the agency had not changed the conclusion it had expressed in July with regard to Clinton's use of a personal email server when she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.The letter
  
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