IT Executive news

• IDG Contributor Network: OpenSUSE comes to Windows 10. Plus, can you trust WhatsApp?

  13-01-2017 22:09
  
  This is the first in a weekey series I'm calling ‘weekly roundup’ in which I will highlight some of the hottest stories of the week from the world of Linux and open source. This week, I want to call your attention to some excciting Windows 10/openSUSE news and alert you to a backdoor vulnerability in WhatsApp that allows messages to be intercepted.Replace Ubuntu with openSUSE in Bash on Windows 10If you are a Windows 10 user who also dual boots with openSUSE, I have some good news fo
  
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• Retail CIO improves project management to push POS

  13-01-2017 21:29
  
  Point-of-sale (POS) system upgrades tend to rank right behind ERP overhauls in terms of complexity. Absent proper project management and data governance, the result is a serious IT headache. That's exactly the situation Marc Kermisch jumped into when he joined Red Wing Shoes as CIO in 2014.At the time, the maker of work boots and shoes was struggling to upgrade its 15-year-old sales system.Red Wing Shoes Marc Kermisch, CIO of Red Wing Shoes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, ple
  
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• Microsoft slates end to security bulletins in February

  13-01-2017 21:15
  
  Microsoft next month will stop issuing detailed security bulletins, which for nearly 20 years have provided individual users and IT professionals information about vulnerabilities and their patches.
  One patching expert crossed his fingers that Microsoft would make good on its pledge to publish the same information when it switches to a new online database. "I'm on the fence right now," said Chris Goettl, product manager with patch management vendor Shavlik, of the demise of bulletins. "We'll ha
  
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• Snapchat just got way easier to use thanks to a new search bar

  13-01-2017 20:49
  
  Snapchat is confusing to use. That’s part of what makes it fun, because it’s sort of like knowing a secret language not everyone can understand. But it can also be annoying, like when you’re looking for something specific and don’t want to tap or swipe a million times to find it. So Snapchat’s latest update, rolling out soon to both iOS and Android users, adds a universal search bar you can access from anywhere in the app.SnapchatFinding stuff in Snapchat just got
  
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• Here's how much Tesla will require EV owners to pay to charge up

  13-01-2017 20:37
  
  It will now cost new Tesla owners about $15 to make a road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco when using the company's Supercharging stations.
  The new pricing applies only to owners who purchase their electric vehicles after this Sunday. Those who bought vehicles before Jan. 15 will continue to receive free charging, the company said.Tesla MotorsA Tesla powering up at a Supercharger.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Mirantis to offer commercial support for OpenContrail SDN platform

  13-01-2017 20:31
  
  As Mirantis is moving away from the ‘pure-play OpenStack company’ tagline, it’s adding more managed services to its resume to take on players like RackSpace and AWS. Mirantis is now offering commercial support for OpenContrail, an extremely popular software-defined networking (SDN) platform used with OpenStack.
  There are three core components on any cloud: compute, storage and networking. Networking is becoming a very interesting field as companies like AT&T are
  
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• 44% off YETI Rambler 64oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Bottle with Cap - Deal Alert

  13-01-2017 20:22
  
  With double-wall vacuum insulation, these over-engineered drink holders keep your favorite beverage as cold -- or hot -- as science allows. Over-the-nose wide mouth, anti-condensation, puncture and rust-resistant, no-leak cap, and a giant 64-oz capacity that can fit everything from a growler of beer to multiple bowls of soup. The Yeti Rambler is currently listed for the very low price of $49.99, a good deal considering its $89.99 list price. See the high-end, over-engineered Yeti bottle now on A
  
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• INU is a pricey personal scooter for the urban consumer

  13-01-2017 19:13
  
  Large cities such as New York, San Francisco, and London tend to draw crowds of young professionals, many of whom don't own cars. Green Ride is an Israeli-based company that's hoping to tap into this market of millennial urbanites with INU, a personal, high-tech, electric scooter. INU initially made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in 2015. This past December, the company opened its first showroom in Palo Alto, California, before sales of the scooter launched.T
  
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• Is this the year IoT standards will finally make sense?

  13-01-2017 19:05
  
  A few brave souls predict IoT standards will start to gel this year, but making all those connected things work together still looks like a long shot.
  Two years ago, some industry analysts cautiously suggested that a vast array of IoT standards would merge into just a few beginning in 2017. If the internet of things in late 2014 was a cacophony of discordant musicians tuning up, it’s now reached the point where a few virtuosos are playing the same tune. But there’s still a lot of sh
  
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• How to watch all of the NFL playoff action and the Super Bowl without cable

  13-01-2017 18:55
  
  The NFL playoffs begin in earnest this weekend with the league’s divisional rounds (the Wild Card round was last weekend). For the next two weeks, the AFC’s and NFC’s best will engage in single-game showdowns, with the last team standing from each going head-to-head in Super Bowl LI on February 5.
  This year, the playoffs will be split among NBC, CBS, and Fox, with Fox hosting the Super Bowl. That’s great news for cord-cutters; even without cable or a satellite subscripti
  
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• Android device updates: the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are finally getting Nougat

  13-01-2017 18:54
  
  The lengthy wait for Nougat is finally coming to an end for those with a Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
  Samsung is pushing out the final build to those using the company’s beta program. Final releases will then follow, although the specific release dates are going to vary by carrier.
  Each week, we round up all the major software updates to hit the Android ecosystem, including phones and tablets on U.S. carriers, unlocked phones, smartwatches, and Android TV devices. Making sure your device is run
  
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• How brick-and-mortar stores can beat the likes of Amazon

  13-01-2017 18:33
  
  One of the big problems for retailers is that Amazon, and other online retailers, are stealing their business. One of the massive advantages online companies have is the capability to fully analyze shoppers and then apply what is learned to increase sales.For the most part retailers know only what people buy, not what they looked at and passed on. One of the most troubling things they don’t know is when people look at something in a store and then choose to buy it on Amazon, a behavior tha
  
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• WhatsApp vulnerability could expose messages to prying eyes, report claims

  13-01-2017 18:08
  
  Update, 9:08am: WhatsApp has provided a statement to Greenbot. This article was updated to reflect this.
  When Facebook’s WhatsApp turned on end-end-end encryption in its messaging service last year, it was a big deal. As all eyes were glued on Apple’s fight with the FBI over unlocking the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, WhatsApp took a huge step toward protecting its users’ privacy by moving to encrypt all messages and calls being sent between its apps.
  But a new report
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Fix the IT leadership deficit now

  13-01-2017 17:15
  
  IT managers are a clever and diligent bunch, but they are completely useless when it comes to leading and managing people. That is the common perception among HR managers who have to pick up the pieces after the latest IT resignation, or after a particularly bad employee engagement survey. And research among large IT functions shows that while this is a wild exaggeration, there does seem to be something behind this bleak observation.
  The same research suggested that despite today’s much t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Hiring a chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO)

  13-01-2017 17:12
  
  Artificial intelligence has wide-reaching implications across all aspects of the business, and now some leaders in the field advocate for this technology to be represented in the C-suite by a chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO).Andrew Ng, a renowned A.I. researcher and thought leader, recently made that argument in Harvard Business Review article titled “Hiring Your First Chief A.I. Officer.” Summarizing his case, Ng wrote, “The benefit of a chief A.I. officer is
  
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• Small businesses are prime targets for cyberattacks: SIEM-as-a-service can help

  13-01-2017 17:01
  
  This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  
  In February 2016, quick service restaurant The Wendy’s Company reported unusual payment card activity affecting some of its franchise restaurants. The breach was confirmed in May when the company revealed it had found evidence of malware on the affected stores’ point-of-sale systems. Additional malicious activity was later reported in June.
  In a statement from the CEO, the
  
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• After MongoDB, ransomware groups hit exposed Elasticsearch clusters

  13-01-2017 16:25
  
  After deleting data from thousands of publicly accessible MongoDB databases, ransomware groups have started doing the same with Elasticsearch clusters that are accessible from the internet and are not properly secured.Elasticsearch is a Java-based search engine that's popular in enterprise environments. It's typically used in conjunction with log collection and data analytics and visualization platforms.The first report of an Elasticsearch cluster being hit by ransomware appeared on the official
  
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• Why the FCC's latest net neutrality defense is hollow

  13-01-2017 15:28
  
  Verizon Wireless and AT&T thumbed their corporate noses at the FCC this week.Outgoing Chairman Tom Wheeler and his staff found that the two telecom giants likely violate net neutrality regulations by letting customers stream proprietary video without it eating into their monthly data allotments, a practice called "zero rating." However, Wheeler's last shot in defense of net neutrality won't have much of an impact. When Wheeler leaves the commission on Inauguration Day, the balance of po
  
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• European legislators debate robot rights for autonomous vehicles

  13-01-2017 14:52
  
  Robots should one day have rights as "electronic persons," members of the European Parliament recommended Thursday -- but not until the machines are all fitted with "kill" switches to shut them down in an emergency.Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee wants the European Commission to propose legislation that will settle a number of ethical and liability issues in the field of robotics -- including who is to blame when an autonomous vehicle is involved in a collision.Granting the more sophisticat
  
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• 11 ways to address RPA and AI in IT outsourcing contracts

  13-01-2017 13:00
  
  Many existing IT and business process outsourcing deals did not anticipate the introduction of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA). Nor do these legacy contracts prevent providers from unilaterally introducing such capabilities. And while RPA and AI can bring enormous efficiency and cost savings benefits to the outsourcing engagement, a number of issues can arise if the original contracts don’t take such possibilities into account.[ Relat
  
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• Will Trump's policies increase IT employment?

  13-01-2017 12:00
  
  Estimates for IT employment growth this year range from flat to gangbuster. But the actual 2017 outcome will depend on the economy and the still-uncertain policies of President-elect Donald Trump.
  Trump has talked about actions such as tariffs to keep some firms from relocating operations to Mexico or other countries. But analysts don't know how deep or broad the tariffs might be and what their hiring impact would be.
  [To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page.]To read this
  
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• New JVM language stands apart from Scala, Clojure

  13-01-2017 12:00
  
  Another JVM language, Haskell dialect Eta, has arrived on the scene, again centering on functional programming.
  Intended for building scalable systems, Eta is a strongly typed functional language. It's similar to Scala, a JVM language that also emphasizes functional programming and scalability, and Clojure, another a functional language on the JVM.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Apple, bring back the MacBook Pro 17 and make your laptops great again

  13-01-2017 12:00
  
  Apple is used to criticism from PC partisans, but with its first major redesign to the MacBook Pro line in years, it found itself unexpectedly taking fire from its own fan base. The new laptop was underpowered, Mac users complained, lacked ports that people actually use, had low-to-zero serviceability, and that “improved” butterfly keyboard still wasn’t that great. 
  The point that seems to uniformly burn pro users is the maximum amount of RAM: just 16GB of LPDD3/2133. The
  
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• Apple must face claims of monopoly in iPhone app market

  13-01-2017 08:01
  
  An appeals court has ruled that Apple must face antitrust charges in a lawsuit that alleges that the company monopolized the market for iPhone apps.The U.S. Court for Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed Thursday a decision by a lower court and ruled that the app buyers filing the lawsuit are direct purchasers of iPhone apps from Apple, rather than from app developers, and hence have standing to sue. Apple was a distributor of iPhone apps, selling them directly to buyers through its App Store,
  
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• Suspected NSA tool hackers dump more cyberweapons in farewell

  13-01-2017 05:17
  The hacking group that stole cyberweapons suspected to be from the U.S. National Security Agency is signing off -- but not before releasing another arsenal of tools that appear designed to spy on Windows systems.On Thursday, the Shadow Brokers dumped them online after an attempt to sell these and other supposedly Windows and Unix hacking tools for bitcoin.The Shadow Brokers made news back in August when they dumped hacking tools for routers and firewall products that they claimed came from the E
  
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• Guccifer 2.0, alleged Russian cyberspy, returns to deride US

  13-01-2017 02:34
  
  As if the whodunnit into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee wasn't already confusing and murky enough, the supposed Romanian hacker who first released the emails resurfaced on Thursday to say everyone has it wrong.“I’d like to make it clear enough that these accusations are unfounded,” Guccifer 2.0 said in Thursday blog post. “I have totally no relation to the Russian government.”Make of that what you will.According to U.S. intelligence agencies,&
  
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• Microsoft improves Cortana, Edge and Mobile in Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15007

  13-01-2017 02:13
  
  Microsoft's Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15007 dropped Thursday afternoon, a scant few days after its huge Build 15002 went live. Apparently the company wasn't quite done.
  The new build, detailed in a lengthy blog post, adds three key ingredients: new Edge features, the ability to easily resume work after switching PCs, and a downloadable themes store designed to freshen up your PC. There's also a small herd of Mobile improvements (we were wondering why there was no mobile co
  
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• BrandPost: Pulling Out All the Stops

  13-01-2017 01:27
  
  With an estimated 80% of online adults using smartphones and 84% carrying them into stores, it’s not surprising that brick-and mortar retailers are adopting new ways to capitalize on the trend. Even if customers don’t make a smartphone purchase, the browsing they do on their phones often leads to a sale. Here’s a look at how today’s shoppers are using their smartphones and what savvy retailers are doing to accommodate them.To read this article in full or to leave a commen
  
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• BrandPost: Click to Run

  13-01-2017 01:08
  
  When you manage IT for a large organization, control is everything. Whether it’s control of data access, device privilege, or the applications running, control isn't something quickly divested, at least not easily. Volume Licensing has been the preferred deployment and procurement method by so many enterprises due to the control it offers to those who manage these enterprises. Enter the new kid on the block: Click to Run.With the release of Office 365, Microsoft released the new deployment
  
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• Consumer Reports updates its MacBook Pro review with a recommendation

  13-01-2017 00:17
  
  Earlier this week, Consumer Reports and Apple revealed that a bug in Safari caused erratic battery life test results in Consumer Reports’ testing, which resulted in the first Apple laptop to not receive a recommendation from the publication. Consumer Reports has finished its retesting, and on Thursday announced that it has revised its review to reflect a recommendation for the new MacBook Pro.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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