IT Executive news

• Analysts peer into Microsoft's rumored Windows 10 Cloud

  13-02-2017 23:04
  
  Talk of a new version of Windows 10, dubbed "Cloud," surfaced last week as eagle-eyed bloggers uncovered clues in a recent beta and preliminary code leaked to the Internet.It was unclear what purpose another edition would serve, but because it will apparently run only Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps obtained from Microsoft's store, many assumed that Windows 10 Cloud would play rival to Google's Chrome OS, the browser-based operating system for Chromebook personal computers.[ Related: Fix W
  
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• Google lets users get social with Maps

  13-02-2017 22:48
  
  Google is moving to make Maps more than just about getting to your destination. Maps is getting social.
  Zach Maier, a product manager with Google Maps, announced in a blog postMonday that users can create lists of their favorite places, places they want to visit and share those lists with friends within the app.
  "Starting today, you can create lists of places, share your lists with others, and follow the lists your friends and family share with you -- without ever leaving the Google Maps app,"
  
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• New LibreOffice release sparks record donations to Document Foundation

  13-02-2017 22:39
  
  The release of version 5.3 of LibreOffice, the free software productivity suite, has pushed the number of donations to the Document Foundation to a record high, according to the group’s co-founder, Italo Vignoli.
  “Donations are the key to the life and development of the project,” he wrote in a blog post.
  MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: Lessons from the rise and fall of an open source project | Intel now supports Vulkan on Windows 10 PCsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment
  
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• HoloLens Spectator View makes it easier to show off AR creations

  13-02-2017 22:17
  
  When Microsoft first unveiled its HoloLens augmented reality headgear, the company used a special camera to show viewers third-person images of the digital objects being rendered in the headset.Now, anyone who owns two HoloLenses can recreate the same setup, thanks to a project that Microsoft released on Monday. Called Spectator View, it lets users sync up information from a HoloLens about where augmented reality objects are and what they look like with footage from a camera. Using that makes it
  
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• Experts worried about ransomware hitting critical infrastructure

  13-02-2017 22:14
  
  Expect ransomware to grow more aggressive in the coming years, including higher ransom payments and attempts to go beyond attacking data -- by shutting down entire computer systems to utilities or factories.“I see no reason for ransomware to stop,” said Neil Jenkins, an official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “It’s shown to be effective.”On Monday at the RSA cybersecurity conference, experts gave a grim outlook on the future of ransomware, which they
  
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• Tokyo wants to make Olympic medals from old smartphones

  13-02-2017 22:05
  
  Japan will kick off a drive this week to collect old smartphones and other portable gadgets so that they can be turned into medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
  The project will be launched on Thursday by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government with a goal of collecting up to 2 million used devices to recycle.
  Gadgets like smartphones contain small amounts of precious metals in their chips and circuit boards. The quantities are tiny but they're valuable enough to make recovery wor
  
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• Get ready to grab your Google I/O tickets

  13-02-2017 21:55
  
  Hoping to go to Google’s annual developer conference this spring?
  If you are, mark your calendar for Feb. 22. That's the day when you can first apply for tickets to Google I/O.
  Google announced on its events page that the window for submitting ticket applications is between Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. ET and Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
  The conference is being held May 17-19 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif.
  This is the second year that the event will be held in Mountain View. Last ye
  
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• Google crams machine learning into smartwatches in AI push

  13-02-2017 20:56
  
  Google is bringing artificial intelligence to a whole new set of devices, including Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches and the Raspberry Pi board, later this year.A cool thing is these devices don't require a set of powerful CPUs and GPUs to carry out machine learning tasks.Google researchers are instead trying to lighten the hardware load to carry out basic AI tasks, as exhibited by last week's release of Android Wear 2.0 operating system for wearables.Google has added some basic AI features to smar
  
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• White House H-1B plan puts U.S. workers in front

  13-02-2017 20:09
  
  A top White House adviser Sunday outlined two key principles underlying the administration's approach to H-1B reform. It wants a system requiring employers to first consider U.S. workers for a job before hiring visa-holding workers, and it intends to distribute H-1B visas under a "merit-based" system.
  Stephen Miller, senior policy adviser for President Donald Trump, said the administration will seek an immigration program where "American workers are given jobs first."
  In a television interview
  
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• The Core i5 Surface Pro 4 just got even cheaper at $950

  13-02-2017 20:06
  
  The Surface Pro 4 was impressive when it rolled out in late 2015, and even today it’s still a solid choice as a grab-and-go PC—as long as the price is right. Right now is a good time to grab one, as Best Buy’s selling the silver Core i5 Surface Pro 4 with an 256GB solid-state drive for $950. Normally, it goes for $1,200 MSRP.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Powerful wave of digital services has a classic snarl for ROI

  13-02-2017 20:00
  
  The world of business strategies is changing for U.S. businesses. All eyes are now on the bottom-line cost and productivity improvements achievable through digital technologies such as automation, analytics, robotic process automation (RPA), cognitive computing and cloud, along with their associated digital business models. The same is true with third-party service providers — all eyes are now on their bottom line with growth expectations pared back unless they offer digital services. As
  
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• Tim Cook: Augmented reality is the future, and fake news is ruining everything

  13-02-2017 19:23
  
  While Apple CEO Tim Cook is looking forward to his company’s next big idea, which sounds like it’s going to be augmented reality-related, he’s also stunned by the tech industry’s inability to stem the tide of fake news.
  In between tours of schools and meetings with developers in a trip to Britain, Cook spoke excitedly about the potential of AR in Apple devices to The Independent, and was equally impassioned about the scourge of fake news in comments to The Telegraph.To r
  
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• Recent malware attacks on Polish banks tied to wider hacking campaign

  13-02-2017 18:11
  
  Malware attacks that recently put the Polish banking sector on alert were part of a larger campaign that targeted financial organizations from more than 30 countries.Researchers from Symantec and BAE Systems linked the malware used in the recently discovered Polish attack to similar attacks that have taken place since October in other countries. There are also similarities to tools previously used by a group of attackers known in the security industry as Lazarus.The hackers compromised websites
  
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• Intel now supports Vulkan on Windows 10 PCs

  13-02-2017 18:00
  
  Intel is bringing more options to improve gaming and virtual reality experiences on Windows PCs with official support for Vulkan APIs (application programming interfaces).Vulkan is similar to DirectX 12 and can be used for many applications, but it is most relevant to visual applications like games.Games and VR applications written in Vulkan will work with GPUs integrated into Intel's 7th Generation chips code-named Kaby Lake and 6th Generation chips code-named Skylake. It will also support the
  
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• Apple joins Wireless Power Consortium, charging up iPhone 8 rumor

  13-02-2017 17:45
  
  Apple has joined the consortium behind the Qi wireless charging system, supercharging rumors that owners of future an iPhone could live tangle-free.Last week, a financial analyst claimed Apple will release three new iPhones with wireless charging capabilities this year, reviving an on-again, off-again rumor about the next-generation iPhone's capabilities.The appearance of Apple's name on the membership list of the Wireless Power Consortium, Qi's creator, over the last week adds credence to that
  
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• Storage tank operator turns to IoT for energy savings

  13-02-2017 17:44
  
  Royal Vopak N.V. is a leading independent tank storage provider for the oil and chemical industries, operating 67 terminals in 25 countries. Chris Sheldon, Terminal Manager for the company’s operation in Savannah, GA, recently oversaw the implementation of an Internet of Things deployment that is enabling the terminal to minimize energy usage, which should lead to significant cost savings.  Sheldon shared the story with Network World Editor in Chief John Dix.VopakChris Shel
  
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• 10 things marketers need to know about AI

  13-02-2017 17:31
  
  For years, marketing was considered more art than science. But more recently, as marketing automation software has proliferated, marketers have had to blend the art of storytelling with the science of data. Lots and lots of data.Then along comes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, which promise to help marketers make sense of all that data. Some experts believe AI's impact on marketing will be hugely significant, that it could even change the nature of marketing entirely — e
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: A 4-Step Innovation Framework for CIOs

  13-02-2017 17:19
  
  How to transform from a CIO to a CIO. Now that I have your attention. This is not a typo – I did mean from CIO to CIO. CIOs are good with transforming the business but not so well at transforming themselves. CIOs need to transform from Chief Information Officer to Chief Influence Officer and eventually to Chief Innovation Officer.Technology is not only enabling new business models but disrupting the old ones at an unprecedented pace. You innovate or fall by the way side. Who would have tho
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Tim Cook’s chilling comments about fake news

  13-02-2017 17:13
  
  There are times when I really, really miss Steve Jobs. Say what you will about him, he more or less kept Apple out of the political fray, and that’s more than can be said for current CEO Tim Cook.Cook recently did an interview with The Telegraph and made some very chilling comments about the problem of “fake news.” Cook’s thoughts suggested to me that he has a streak of Orwellian authoritarianism in him that could be quite dangerous to free speech and free thought.Alliste
  
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• Verizon revives its unlimited data plan after purging legacy unlimited data plan users

  13-02-2017 16:40
  
  Verizon is just full of surprises. Over the past year, Verizon went negative on its legacy unlimited data customers by purging anyone using too much data. Now, the company wants more unlimited data customers—at least up to a point. Starting Monday, you can sign up for the company’s new unlimited data plan, called Verizon Unlimited.
  For $80 a month, Verizon customers receive unlimited 4G data on a single smartphone. Anyone with multiple devices can add two lines on Verizon Unlimited
  
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• BrandPost: Getting the Most Out of Cloud

  13-02-2017 16:23
  
  Several recent surveys highlight the accelerating race to the cloud—and the challenges of maximizing your business benefits when you get there. The good news is there are tremendous benefits associated with optimizing your business for the cloud. The bad news is that only 3% of businesses using the cloud are achieving all of those benefits. The best news is that we have tremendous experience helping our clients optimize their cloud initiatives.If it seems like most businesses are moving t
  
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• 57% off Anker LED Water-Resistant Rechargeable 1300 Lumen Flashlight - Deal Alert

  13-02-2017 15:48
  
  The high-performance Cree LED XM-L2 chip delivers 50,000 hours of intense brightness at a true 1300 lumens. Sweep bright light beyond the length of two football fields. The Anker Bolder torch has a full range of light modes for every situation: a powerful high-beam, balanced medium-beam, energy-saving & less dazzling low-beam, high-visibility strobe, and emergency SOS. It's rechargeable battery generates 6 hours of undiminishing light on a charge. It's body is constructed of professional dur
  
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• 14% of Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case White - Deal Alert

  13-02-2017 15:28
  
  Charge your iPhone and battery case simultaneously, and when you're on-the-go, enjoy increased talk time up to 26 hours, and internet use up to 22 hours. The case preserves the lightning port so nothing is blocked. On the inside, a soft microfiber lining helps protect your iPhone. With the smart battery case on, the intelligent battery status is displayed on the iPhone lock screen and in notification center, so you know exactly how much charge you have left. The case averages 4 out of 5 sta
  
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• Driving digital strategy with customer journey maps

  13-02-2017 14:16
  
  Providing stand-out customer experiences starts with creating “customer journey maps.” It’s not something CIOs typically know much about, but if you’re headed down the path to becoming a digital business, that’s going to have to change, according to a Forrester Research Inc. report.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• DARPA: We’re on cusp of merging human and machine

  13-02-2017 13:56
  
  We are at the point where computers and machines are no longer going to be simply tools. Computers are becoming, literally, part of us.
  "There are a couple of very interesting things happening as we speak facilitating humans and machines working together in a very different way," said Justin Sanchez, director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA.
  Smart exoskeletons help people with paralysis walk again, give soldiers extra strength and endurance, and implanted computer chips help the
  
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• 5 quirky dating apps to try this Valentine’s Day

  13-02-2017 13:09
  
  Tired of Tinder? Bored with Bumble? Luckily for you, there’s a new crop of iOS dating apps that might help you score a last-minute date this Valentine’s Day—or at least give you some much-needed amusement to get through another Singles Awareness Day.
  While matching and swiping has become the law of the land when it comes to online dating, these new apps take a slightly different approach. Here are the dating apps vying to help you find love in quirky new ways.Hater
  Hater
  Hater
  
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• Getting buy-in to combat risk

  13-02-2017 12:45
  
  When I start at a new company, I make a point of meeting with key personnel from the departments that have the greatest potential for security risk, including operations, engineering, customer service, IT, finance, facilities and human resources. It’s a good way to unearth risks that might not be obvious to me and to get all of those people thinking in terms of security.Trouble TicketAt issue: It isn’t always easy for a security manager to recognize all the risks a company faces.
  Ac
  
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• How to lock down your security system

  13-02-2017 12:32
  
  Keeping the network safeImage by ThinkstockAs long as data is online there will always be concerns over cyber security. There are many steps a business can take to help better protect their physical security systems from cyber threats. From simple things like not using default or simple passwords, to more advanced steps like using PKI certificates and making sure you download the latest firmware - each are important to keeping your data, and your network, secure.To read this article in full or t
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Tighten security with better software development

  13-02-2017 12:30
  
  We all know that as the internet of things (IoT) and digital transformation make life more convenient and productive, technology also invites wide-ranging cyberthreats for enterprises. From stealing consumers’ bank account or financial data to hacking public utilities or even nuclear power plants, the threats are all around us. As a result, security is an issue for most companies, CTOs, CIOs and software engineers. In fact, the high security requirements of industrial IoT systems represent
  
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• NativeScript 3.0 lines up release with Angular 4

  13-02-2017 12:00
  
  With NativeScript 2.5 recently reaching developers' hands, the open source mobile framework's builders are readying version 3.0 for an April release.
  NativeScript enables development of native mobile applications for iOS and Android using JavaScript, producing one code base. Version 3.0 includes improvements to maximize NativeScript runtime performance, and it speeds up refreshing changes, debugging, and introspecting of variables.[ Use JavaScript in your dev shop? InfoWorld looks at 17 JavaScr
  
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• How San Diego fights off 500,000 cyberattacks a day

  13-02-2017 12:00
  
  Nearly 27 years of network and cybersecurity experience with the Department of Defense didn’t prepare Gary Hayslip for the collection of disparate technologies he encountered when he joined the city of San Diego.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Cloud made easy: Get started with Digital Ocean

  13-02-2017 12:00
  
  When the boss wants a prototype as soon as possible or a client needs something tomorrow, the cloud is the best place to turn. You can have a fully configured machine serving data in minutes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 10 tips for helming IT through ups and downs

  13-02-2017 12:00
  
  Most organizations experience growth in fits and starts, with alternating periods of expansion and contraction. IT used to have to react to those twists and turns on the fly. But now, with a role more tightly aligned with business, IT is instead helping lead through such changes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 10 super-user tricks to boost Windows 10 productivity

  13-02-2017 11:51
  
  Whether you love it or hate it, Windows 10 is here to stay. Unlike previous versions of Windows, there are fewer readily apparent differences between versions. In other words, the Professional version looks a lot like the Home version and it can take some digging to figure out how to leverage the advanced features of Pro.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 4 apps to share iOS, Android and Windows files

  13-02-2017 11:47
  
  As a child-free, married couple in our late 20s, when my husband and I aren't asking the other what we should have for dinner, we're sharing videos and pictures of our 5-year-old tuxedo cat. But when my husband moved to Android -- and left the iMessage cult -- we found that sharing multiple images and videos isn't easy. And because waiting for Apple to open up iMessage to other platforms feels like a "when pigs fly" situation, I took to the App Store to find an easy way to share gigabyte upon gi
  
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• Salesforce skills in high demand in 2017

  13-02-2017 11:24
  
  Want to land a better job in 2017? If you do one thing in pursuit of that goal this year, you should add Salesforce skills to your resume. It's one of the fastest-growing, most in-demand skills out there. And it's ubiquitous. From software developers, solutions architects and designers to project managers and marketing and sales professionals, it's a skill that almost every professional can benefit from.
  IDC research from 2016 predicts that Salesforce and its ecosystem will enable the creation o
  
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• Expert: Line between cyber crooks and cyber spies getting more blurry

  13-02-2017 11:12
  
  Cybercriminals acting on behalf of national governments and nation-backed espionage agents carrying out cybercrimes for cash on the side is the future of security threats facing corporations and governments, says the former top U.S. attorney in charge of the Department of Justice’s national security division.Morrison & FoersterJohn Carlin
  “I think this blending of criminal and national security, whether it’s terrorists or state actors moonlighting as crooks or state actors
  
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• Intel, McAfee dispute heads for settlement talks

  13-02-2017 08:34
  
  A dispute between Intel and security expert John McAfee over the use of his name for another company is headed for settlement talks, according to court records.The move comes shortly after the federal court refused John McAfee and MGT Capital Investments, the company to be renamed, a preliminary injunction on Intel’s transfer of marks and related assets containing the word McAfee, as part of a proposed spin-out by the chipmaker of its security business as a separate company that would be c
  
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• What you need to know about the Windows 10 Creators Update

  13-02-2017 08:05
  
  Windows 10 is only 18 months old, but Microsoft is just a few months away from delivering the operating system’s second major update. It’s called the “Creators Update,” and as Microsoft modestly explains “our goal is to have the effect of the Gutenberg Press on this next generation of computing, enabling 3D creativity, mixed reality, and eSports & game broadcasting for everyone.”I’m not sure I’d liken a Windows update to the Gutenberg Press, bu
  
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