IT Executive news

• Justice Dept. says replacing U.S. workers may bring lawsuit

  03-04-2017 23:24
  
  Critics of the H-1B program have little to celebrate, so far, from President Donald Trump. He promised reforms of the visa program during the campaign, but nothing has happened of consequence -- at least until Monday.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a warning to H-1B employers not to use the visa program to discriminate against U.S. workers. And it promised to investigate and prosecute employers who do so.[ Further reading: 4 high-growth tech fields with top pay ]By itself, the Justic
  
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• 35% off Airfox Backlit LED Mouse Bungee with Integrated 3-Port USB Hub and Charger - Deal Alert

  03-04-2017 23:04
  
  The Airfox Gaming Mouse Bungee is designed to eliminate drag from your mouse cord, giving you the speed, nimbleness and responsiveness of a wireless mouse. An integrated 3-port USB 3.0 hub, and fast device-charging port are also included, as is a 7-color LED backlight. The typical list price of $29.99 has been reduced 35% to $19.47. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• As computing changes, Intel takes a fresh approach to chip design

  03-04-2017 22:41
  
  For more than 30 years, Intel has made a name with its CPUs, which rule the PC and server markets. Chip advances have helped Intel make devices smaller, faster, and more power-efficient.Computing is now spreading into cars, robots, drones, smart devices, and a wide range of other electronics. Chip requirements have changed with new hardware and applications like artificial intelligence and graphics.Intel is preparing for the future and making big changes in the way it designs chips. It is realiz
  
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• Senate bill would pay doctors to use Facetime with patients

  03-04-2017 22:36
  
  A new bipartisan Senate bill would let Medicare experiment with paying for more telehealth services, enabling physicians and other healthcare providers to evaluate patients via video chats such as Facetime.Sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Col.) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act would allow selected hospitals to test  telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those who live in hard-to-reach rural areas.To read this article in fu
  
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• Google pushes 7.1.2 to Nexus, Pixel devices, bringing new multitasking for tablets

  03-04-2017 22:31
  
  As part of the April security update, Pixel and Nexus phone users are getting a surprise. Google is rolling out the 7.1.2 Nougat update as part of the bundle, and while most people won’t notice much of a chance, Pixel C users are in store for a big change.While it was long thought that Google had abandoned its Pixel tablet, 7.1.2 brings the Pixel phone’s launcher and navigation buttons to the tablet screen. That means Pixel C users will now access their apps by swiping up from the bo
  
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• Android grabs most-popular OS prize from Windows

  03-04-2017 22:18
  
  Android last month slipped ahead of Windows to become the world's most popular operating system, an Irish analytics company said Monday."This is a milestone in technology history," said Aodhan Cullen, the CEO of Dublin-based StatCounter, in a statement. "It marks the end of Microsoft's leadership worldwide of the OS market which it has held since the 1980s."[ Further reading: 16 Android tips and tricks you shouldn't miss ]StatCounter measures usage share -- a proxy for online activity -- by tall
  
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• Trump ‘actively’ considering new H-1B spouse work rule

  03-04-2017 21:42
  
  President Donald Trump's administration has decided to "actively reconsider" an Obama-era rule allowing certain H-1B spouses to hold jobs, according to court documents filed Monday. It is asking the court to give it until September to consider changing the H-4 work authorization rule.This is becoming a high-stakes case for approximately 180,000 spouses of H-1B visa holders who gained the right to work in 2014. These are spouses of H-1B visa holders who are seeking a green card.The motion was fil
  
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• Beyond Trust: privilege, vulnerability management available through Azure

  03-04-2017 21:27
  
  Users of Azure cloud services have a new option for stopping the misuse of privileges as well as managing vulnerabilities through an alliance with Beyond Trust.Azure customers who buy Beyond Trust licenses can host PowerBroker, the company’s privileged access management (PAM) and its vulnerability management (VM) platform, Retina, in their Azure cloud instances.They can host BeyondSaaS perimeter vulnerability scanning in Azure as well. Both are available via the Azure Marketplace.These new
  
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• Windows 7 is in no rush to leave

  03-04-2017 20:24
  
  Microsoft Windows 7 may not go quietly into the night, according to data published Saturday.March's Windows 7 user share -- an estimate of the percentage of the world's personal computers powered by the 2009 operating system -- was 49%, said analytics vendor Net Applications. However, Windows 7 ran 54% of all Windows machines: The difference between the user share of all PCs and only those running Windows stemmed from Windows powering 92% of the globe's personal computers, not 100%.More importan
  
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• UEFI flaws can be exploited to install highly persistent ransomware

  03-04-2017 20:19
  
  Over the past few years, the world has seen ransomware threats advance from living inside browsers to operating systems, to the bootloader, and now to the low-level firmware that powers a computer's hardware components.Earlier this year, a team of researchers from security vendor Cylance demonstrated a proof-of-concept ransomware program that ran inside a motherboard's Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -- the modern BIOS.On Friday, at the Black Hat Asia security conference, the team r
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The cloud's undone business revolution: the embarrassing report

  03-04-2017 20:11
  
  Last year at ITaaSNow, we conducted a survey involving business unit (BU) leaders of 2,681 companies of all sizes in industries as varied as financial services, information technology and healthcare.As part of our business model transformation to cloud service brokerage, we wanted to get their feedback about the business benefits that resulted from their IT infrastructure migration to cloud computing and DevOps.The findings were amazing, they told a story the vast majority of IT professionals ar
  
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• Serverless explainer: The next generation of cloud infrastructure

  03-04-2017 20:00
  
  The first thing to know about serverless computing is that "serverless" is a pretty bad name to call it.Contrary to the vernacular, the technology that has burst onto the cloud computing scene in the past two years still does in fact run on servers. The name serverless instead highlights the fact that end users don’t have to manage servers that run their code anymore.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Serverless computing in practice | This company runs its app without managing servers or virtual mac
  
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• iOS 10.3.1 update is now available

  03-04-2017 19:55
  
  One week after Apple released iOS 10.3, a major update to the operating system for the iPhone and iPad, the company has released another iOS update.On Monday, Apple released iOS 10.3.1. According to the company’s release notes, iOS 10.3.1 has bug fixes and “improves the security of your iPhone or iPad.”Always back up your device before installing the iOS update. The installation requires your iOS device to be connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi. When you’re ready, launch
  
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• 30% off Garmin Forerunner 230 Running and Activity Tracking Watch - Deal Alert

  03-04-2017 19:34
  
  Forerunner 230 is a running watch and activity tracker with smart features. It records steps, even when you’re not running. Tracks distance, pace, time, heart rate and VO2 Max on your runs. And when paired to your phone see incoming email, text messages, call alerts, calendar reminders and more. Right now its $250 list price on Amazon has been reduced 30% down to $175.84. See it now and learn more on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Office 365's deskless worker package expands with new features

  03-04-2017 18:00
  
  Microsoft is adding new capabilities to one of its cheapest enterprise plans for Office 365, in a push to capture a group of users traditionally underserved by the productivity suite.New to the Office 365 Enterprise K1 plan (the K stands for Kiosk) now includes 2GB of OneDrive for Business storage, along with access to Microsoft Teams, PowerApps and Flow. Users on the plan also get the ability to send instant messages using Skype for Business and participate in video meetings conducted over Skyp
  
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• March 2017: The month in hacks and breaches

  03-04-2017 17:25
  
  March came in like a lion with news breaking on March 6 that spamming operation River City Media exposed 1.34 billion email accounts, some of which included personal information including full names and addresses. How did this happen? The company failed to properly configure their Rsync backups, wrote CSO’s Steve Ragan.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Apple’s baby boomer management team still clueless about TV

  03-04-2017 17:12
  
  Apple has been flailing around for years trying to put together some sort of television bundle. Now a new report from Recode indicates that Apple may try to bundle HBO, Starz, and Showtime together into a premium bundle.Peter Kafka reports for Recode:
  Here’s Apple’s latest proposal: It wants to sell consumers a premium TV bundle, which combines HBO, Showtime and Starz.Apple already sells each of those channels individually. But it has approached the three networks about rolling them
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Is your company ruled by the tyranny of consensus?

  03-04-2017 16:39
  
  Schlepping my bag through Hartsfield a few weeks ago I ran into an old colleague I’ll call Michele.Michele had been an independent IT consultant helping companies launch centers of excellence. We’d worked together, occasionally competed, and reconnected annually at industry and analyst events. Last time I saw her she was helping a midsize manufacturer go digital. We lingered on the concourse catching up, and I asked about her gig.“They hired me full-time,” she announced b
  
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• 11 ways to sell on Instagram

  03-04-2017 16:24
  
  Over 600 million people share or view photos and videos on Instagram each month, with 400 million people visiting the site daily. And 60 percent of Instagram users said they discovered new products on the platform, while 75 percent said they had taken action after being inspired by a post. For business owners, that translates into millions of potential customers for their products or services.[ Related: How to market your business on Instagram ]But just posting a photo or video on Instagram won&
  
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• More people are using Android to get online than any other operating system, even Windows

  03-04-2017 16:19
  
  We all know that Android is far and away the leading mobile operating system, commanding more than 80 percent of the market, but it seems that it’s even bigger than we thought. A new report from StatCounter says Android is actually the most widely used operating system in the world, topping longtime leader Windows for the first time ever.StatCounter’s trackers peg worldwide Android usage (in terms of total internet usage across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile combined) at 37.93 pe
  
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• Next level digitalisering: we gaan het tijdperk van automation in

  03-04-2017 15:43
  Door Johannes Brouwer – kijkend naar de toekomst, zien we vooral één dominante trend: next-level digitalisering. Wat al gedigitaliseerd is, wordt geautomatiseerd. Of dat nou de manier is waarop we werken, onze dagelijkse taken uitvoeren of contact hebben met elkaar. In dat licht doe ik een aantal... lees meer
  
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• 69% off Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Physical Disc, For Xbox One - Deal Alert

  03-04-2017 15:25
  
  Experience the most dramatic Halo story to date in a 4-player cooperative epic that spans three worlds. Challenge friends and rivals in new multiplayer modes: Warzone, massive 24-player battles, and Arena, pure 4-vs-4 competitive combat.
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Is open source the transformative solution for activism?

  03-04-2017 15:02
  
  Organizing public rallies really is rocket science. A successful launch needs careful planning and good software. Especially when highly vocal users are involved!How well does open source work for such a demanding application with hundreds of simultaneous events and millions of followers? How is information flow optimized and diverse applications integrated? Designing such systems where a small error could leave thousands stranded, isn’t for the faint of heart.A team of progressive coders,
  
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• IT service providers get low marks on innovation

  03-04-2017 14:47
  
  Nearly half (48 percent) of the customers of IT service providers aren't satisfied with the service they’re getting, according to Everest Group’s global survey of 132 enterprises. That figure includes 25 percent who are “highly unsatisfied.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How IFTTT can transform your life

  03-04-2017 14:13
  
  The Internet and social media have improved our lives, but there is a whole lot of nonsense attached with it. There is more information out there which anyone can process, and there are small tasks like uploading Instagram photos to Facebook or checking statuses that only take a short time but we never seem to have the opportunity to do.But now an Internet-based service called IFTTT is making things easier for everyone. IFTTT (which stands for “If This, Then That") has been around since 20
  
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• Can the IoT transform loading operations?

  03-04-2017 14:01
  
  Transporting freight operates at a massive scale in the U.S., most of it hauled by trucks that are the lifeblood of the American economy. But the trailers those trucks are hauling typically have a load efficiency of 70 to 75 percent, says Tom Bianculli, CTO of Zebra Technologies. The remaining 25 to 30 percent is air.But smart environments powered by the internet of things (IoT) can change that, Bianculli says. Zebra's new SmartPack Trailer offering, announced at ProMat 2017 in Chicago today, us
  
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• IT Resume Makeover: Transitioning from IT pro to IT leader

  03-04-2017 13:39
  
  Once you reach the senior level of your career, the time comes where you need to change how you approach the resume writing process. As a seasoned professional in a leadership role, you need to focus less on your technical skills and more on defining your value proposition.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How company culture can make or break your business

  03-04-2017 13:16
  
  If there's one big lesson to be learned from the recent revelations about ridesharing startup and Silicon Valley darling Uber's culture, it's this: Culture can be a four-letter word if it is ignored. Culture can be a four-letter word if is toxic. And toxic cultures kill more businesses than recessions. And it is liable to kill Uber too, says Steven L. Blue, president and CEO of Miller Ingenuity and author of American Manufacturing 2.0: What Went Wrong and How to Make It Right.
  Many CEOs wrongly
  
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• Apple said to drop Imagination's IP in favor of own graphics chips

  03-04-2017 13:06
  
  Apple will soon stop using intellectual property from Imagination Technologies Group for graphics processing units for its iPhone and other devices, as it is working on a separate, independent graphics design for its products, the chip technology company said Monday.But the U.K. company is not giving up without a fight as it doubts Apple can develop a brand new GPU without infringing Imagination’s intellectual property.Apple held an 8.5 percent share of the issued share capital of Imaginat
  
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• Taming the SaaS security wilderness

  03-04-2017 13:04
  
  The security risk that I am most focused on right now is this: Shadow IT and the consumerization of IT have put too many employee work activities out of sight of the security department.Trouble Ticket
  At issue: It’s not possible to rein in the use of cloud-based apps, but their security shortcomings must be addressed.Action plan: Assess cloud access security brokers for their potential to keep sensitive information safe.Employees at my company now use more than 90 cloud-based apps that I k
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: KTLO is not just radio stations

  03-04-2017 13:00
  
  What is KTLO? A set of radio stations in Mountain Home, Arkansas, playing "America's best music?" Well, maybe, but that's not what I'm discussing today. KTLO is the amount of effort an IT organization puts forth to maintain a hypothetical steady state. OK, that didn't help much. Let me try again: KTLO is the effort by an IT organization to support and maintain the things the company has done previously. KTLO does not include the effort to develop or enhance new capabilities.OK. So what?The porti
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: County and municipal cybersecurity, Part 2

  03-04-2017 12:30
  
  County and municipal cybersecurity solutions
  In Part 1, of this two-part series, I discussed the lack of infosec and cybersecurity programs in county and municipal government, as well as obstacles and impediments to establishing those programs. If you don’t have appropriate information security and cybersecurity programs in place in your organization, let’s take a look at some comprehensive approaches that will help you address the problem.  Start with information governanc
  
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• Securing the smart home

  03-04-2017 12:09
  
  Editor’s Note: First in a series of articles on the best ways to deploy and secure smart home technologyTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Top 5 email security best practices to prevent malware distribution

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  A trusted channelImage by ThinkstockEmail is a critical enterprise communication tool synonymous with sending important documents quickly and efficiently between employees, managers, HR, finance, sales, legal, customers, supply chain and more. That said, organizations often don’t understand that the file types used every day to share important information – standard files like Word docs, Excel spreadsheets and PDFs – are also the most common attack vectors widely used for the d
  
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• Microsoft to shut CodePlex open source project site

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  This December, Microsoft will shut down its CodePlex open source project hosting site, deferring instead to code-sharing site GitHub. The site will go read-only in October.CodePlex was launched in 2006 when Microsoft was trying to make a name for itself in open source. But the company acknowledges that GitHub has superseded it, and the software giant has itself jumped on the GitHub bandwagon.[ Also on InfoWorld: 19 open source GitHub projects for security pros. | Discover how to secure your syst
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Tech partnerships in the age of Tinder

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  Technology company partnerships have been around for a long time. In fact, if we look beyond high tech, we see a rich history of joint projects that have yielded significant benefits for customers – such as the partnership between the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads in the late 1800s, that resulted in the first transcontinental railway link. That partnership took years of negotiations and the resulting joint project roughly a decade to complete. We’ve come a long way.Over
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How emerging technologies will power talent management strategies

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  I am excited to start the dialogue about emerging tech and talent management.Talent management is a C-suite and board level topic because people and talent are the most fundamental to any organization. Without people and talent, there will be no business and ability to create value.In our technology-enabled world in which every company is a digital and data company, talent management is being redefined by the rapid changes and maturation of emerging technologies. Thus, it is essential for any or
  
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• Expert tips for managing your cloud data

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  When oncologists at Carolinas HealthCare System go before a tumor board review to discuss patient cases, they are looking for feedback on treatment plans and clinical trials. During their presentations, the doctors show their peers genetic data, pathology reports, lab results and physicians' notes -- all of which is at their fingertips because it is stored in a Hadoop cloud on Microsoft Azure.Cloud security governance processes must also be considered, as well as aligning corporate security requ
  
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• Enterprises want to add Alexa-style interfaces to apps

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  Conversational user interfaces like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Microsoft's Cortana have caught the attention of developers, with businesses now looking to incorporate the technology into customer-facing apps, consultant firm ThoughtWorks said in assessing recent technology trends.ThoughtWorks' recently released Technology Radar report noted that conversational UI and natural language processing is a key emerging trend. Conversational UI refers to designs like intelligent chatbots, which c
  
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• Email security appears grounded as attacks continue to take flight

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  Recently inboxes have been hit by the so-called “airline phishing attack.” It is a new take on an old phishing email. It uses multiple techniques to capture sensitive data and deploy an advanced persistent threat (APT).Barracuda Networks has seen this attack with several of its customers, especially in industries that deal with frequent shipping of goods or employee travel, such as logistics, shipping, and manufacturing. The attacker will either impersonate a travel agency or even an
  
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• 6 terrible tech managers—and how to succeed despite them

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  No amount of free sodas and beer Fridays are going to wash away the taste of bad leadership. If your dream development gig is turning into a nightmare and your projects are suffering, it might be time to manage up your boss—before your career takes a turn in the ditch.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 10 hidden features in the new Windows 10 Creators Update

  03-04-2017 12:00
  
  Microsoft’s big Windows 10 refresh, the Creators Update, is slated for release on April 11, bringing new features, enhancements and applications. The ones that have been getting the most attention revolve around the user interface (tweaks to the Start Menu), new capabilities for Cortana, and 3D design (the Paint 3D app).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• WikiLeaks’ Assange gets relief from left victory in Ecuador

  03-04-2017 10:49
  
  The win in Ecuador’s presidential elections of leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno will likely have provided relief to WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, who had been threatened with eviction from the country’s embassy in London by the opposition candidate.The election in the South American country had aroused interest in part because the conservative opposition candidate, Guillermo Lasso, had said that if elected he would evict Assange within 30 days of assuming  power, b
  
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