IT Executive news

• CRM definition and solutions

  18-04-2017 23:48
  
  This article was originally compiled by Susannah Patton and Tom Wailgum and published in March, 2007. It was last updated in April 2017.If you don’t have an accurate view of who your customers are and what their needs or desires are or will be at any given stage in their lives, or if you are losing customers to a competitor, that's a clear indication that you need CRM.There are many technological components to customer relationship management, but thinking about CRM in primarily technologi
  
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• 15% off Lorell Sit-to-Stand Monitor Riser - Deal Alert

  18-04-2017 23:12
  
  This adjustable desk riser offers a healthy addition to any desk that allows you to sit or stand while you work. The large, 31" x 20" work surface accommodates two monitors or a monitor and a laptop. Its ergonomic keyboard tray moves up and down with the desk and be adjusted out/in to the most comfortable position. Five height adjustments (up to over 16" above your desk) allow a comfortable standing position. A gas spring will allow you to effortlessly move the desk up and down, even with your c
  
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• Windows 10's power-throttling feature will benefit battery-hungry laptops

  18-04-2017 23:02
  
  Microsoft claims that Windows 10's new power-throttling feature will boost battery life by about 11 percent, though you'll need a modern laptop to take advantage of it.Microsoft introduced the new feature to slow down background apps in January, as a trial feature for a subset of users running Insider versions of Windows 10. While power-throttling is still limited to Insiders, the recent Build 16176 made it more widely available. There's one catch: Power throttling leverages Intel's Speed S
  
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• Facebook's Caffe2 AI tools come to iPhone, Android, and Raspberry Pi

  18-04-2017 22:18
  
  New intelligence can be added to mobile devices like the iPhone, Android devices, and low-power computers like Raspberry Pi with Facebook's new open-source Caffe2 deep-learning framework.Caffe2 can be used to program artificial intelligence features into smartphones and tablets, allowing them to recognize images, video, text, and speech and be more situationally aware.It's important to note that Caffe2 is not an AI program, but a tool allowing AI to be programmed into smartphones. It t
  
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• Experts contend Microsoft canceled Feb. updates to patch NSA exploits

  18-04-2017 22:06
  
  Microsoft delayed its February security update slate to finish patching critical flaws in Windows that a hacker gang tried to sell, several security experts have argued."Looks like Microsoft had been informed by 'someone,' and purposely delayed [February's] Patch Tuesday to successfully deliver MS17-010," tweeted Matt Suiche, founder of Dubai-based security firm Comae Technologies.MS17-010, one of several security bulletins Microsoft issued in March, was just one of several cited Friday by the R
  
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• How to use Snapchat’s new augmented reality 3D world lenses

  18-04-2017 21:43
  
  Snapchat is not going down without a fight. After seeing its main features adopted by Facebook’s suite of mobile apps, Snapchat has launched the all-new 3D world lenses.Snapchat’s 3D world lenses rely on similar augmented reality-powered animations that made its selfie filters so popular. Snapchat’s selfie filters were eventually stolen for Facebook’s own AR camera features. Instead of using AR to animate your face, however, Snapchat’s 3D world lenses can be used to
  
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• What security practitioners can learn from the United’s failures

  18-04-2017 21:42
  
  The United Airlines incident is now internationally known to the point of actually becoming an international incident, where Asian fliers believe United’s treatment of Dr. Dhao is how they treat all Asians. It is clearly a massive failure of many processes, and when I began to look into the incident, most of the issues that caused the incident to escalate beyond imagine.Given my belief that organizations should learn from failure, and ideally the failure of others, this is a great opportun
  
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• At $175, this ransomware service is a boon to cybercriminals

  18-04-2017 21:29
  
  Cybercriminals have another easy-to-use ransomware kit to add to their arsenals, thanks to a new variant called Karmen that hackers can buy on the black market for $175.A Russian-speaking user called DevBitox has been advertising the ransomware in underground forums, security firm Recorded Future said in a blog post on Tuesday.  Karmen is what experts call ransomware-as-a-service -- a particularly worrisome trend. Amateur hackers with little technical know-how can buy access to them, a
  
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• Facebook wants you to hang out with your friends in VR

  18-04-2017 21:05
  
  Facebook is making it possible to hang out with your friends in virtual reality using Spaces, a new app the company launched Tuesday for the Oculus Rift. The app will allow people to join a shared, immersive video call, represented by a personalized avatar.Using Spaces, people can hang out around a virtual reality table, share three-dimensional drawings and use the Rift’s built-in microphone to chat with one another. Users can also surround themselves and their friends with 360-degree phot
  
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• Google partners with PayPal to bring new checkout options for Android Pay

  18-04-2017 20:28
  
  We’re used to hearing about new banks that have signed on to support Android Pay as Google ever-expands its mobile purchasing system. But an announcement this morning is looking to add even more value. Now you’ll be able to use Android Pay even if you don’t have a bank or credit card to add to your wallet.Google has announced a partnership with PayPal that allows you to use your account to buy things anywhere Android Pay is accepted. While PayPal users have long been able to ac
  
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• Facebook aims to crush Snapchat with augmented reality

  18-04-2017 20:18
  
  Facebook's efforts to embed camera functionality in all the apps it runs isn’t just a push to crush Snapchat. The company will be using those cameras as a way to create a developer platform for augmented reality, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed Tuesday.Developers and artists can work on building augmented reality camera lenses with AR Studio, a new development environment that Facebook released in closed beta. The environment offers users tools to make it easier to create augmented reali
  
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• Save Up to 44% on Select HP Inkjet Printers - Deal Alert

  18-04-2017 20:14
  
  Amazon is featuring discounts of up to 44% on various HP OfficeJet Pro and Envy wireless printers with mobile printing, for a limited time. Prices and discounts will be hidden until you add them to your cart, so jump over to Amazon to learn more and review buying options.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Amazon Prime Gets You 20% off Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus - Deal Alert

  18-04-2017 20:04
  
  Place Philips Hue Lightstrips under furniture or kitchen cabinets, into coves or highlight architectural features with indirect white light. Control color, dimming and shading through the app, or with your voice via an Alexa compatible device. Shape, bend or extent these 6-foot strips as needed. Sync lighting effects to music, movies, or games to take your experience to the next level. A hub is required and sold separately. The typical list price of $89.99 is currently being discounted 20% in a
  
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• Facebooks claims Workplace success

  18-04-2017 20:00
  
  Facebook today announced that more than 14,000 organizations are using Workplace, the company’s social network for business. Workplace launched six months ago with an initial group of 1,000 companies that tested the platform during a 20-month pilot period. The company also announced a series of new integrations with third-party vendors, a new API for video production and streaming, and the introduction of bots to Groups and the Work Chat app.[ Related: First CIO on Workplace by Facebook ta
  
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• Facebook claims Workplace success

  18-04-2017 20:00
  
  Facebook today announced that more than 14,000 organizations are using Workplace, the company’s social network for business. Workplace launched six months ago with an initial group of 1,000 companies that tested the platform during a 20-month pilot period. The company also announced a series of new integrations with third-party vendors, a new API for video production and streaming, and the introduction of bots to Groups and the Work Chat app.[ Related: First CIO on Workplace by Facebook ta
  
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• CoffeeScript upgrade refocuses on JavaScript standards

  18-04-2017 19:54
  
  CoffeeScript, which attempts to make it easier to program in JavaScript, has a just-released beta version that features ECMAScript 2015+ support.The currently downloadable 2.0 beta offers ES2015+ syntax, where ES2015+ is recognized as ECMAScript 2015 and later features. ECMAScript is the official specification underlying JavaScript. The upgrade breaks compatibility with certain CoffeeScript 1 features to conform with ES2015+, according to coffeescript.org’s bulletin about the upg
  
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• Facebook will let companies map online browsing to real-world sales

  18-04-2017 19:50
  
  Retailers who want to know what brought people to shop in their physical retail stores have a new tool to try. Facebook has revised its analytics tools for businesses to show how user behavior online translates into brick-and-mortar purchases.The new capability entered open beta Tuesday as part of updates Facebook made to its Analytics product for developers. Previously called Analytics for Apps, it’s designed to be an all-in-one tool for helping businesses understand user behavior across
  
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• Facebook levels up its identity tools for developers

  18-04-2017 19:50
  
  Facebook’s popular app login tools are getting an update to better serve international users, the company announced Tuesday.Account Kit, which lets users log into an application using a phone number, received a number of enhancements. The system will now let users verify their identities via a voice call or text messag in 19 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish and Thai. Facebook also launched a Basic Web SDK, so Account Kit developers can reach people through Internet.or
  
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• Microsoft buys former employee Charles Simonyi’s Intentional Software

  18-04-2017 19:34
  
  Serial space tourist Charles Simonyi is going back again -- to his former employer, Microsoft.When Simonyi quit as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect in 2002, it was to create a start-up devoted to making programming simpler. Now Microsoft has agreed to acquire that company, Intentional Software.During his absence from Microsoft, Simonyi also found time to fly to the International Space Station -- twice. He made his first trip in 2007 and liked it so much that he went
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Apple is betting big on augmented reality

  18-04-2017 19:32
  
  Over the past year, Apple has constantly indicated a serious interest in augmented reality (AR) over virtual reality. In October, CEO Tim Cook told BuzzFeed that AR is “profound” and has a higher potential than virtual reality. This has followed a string of comments praising AR, such as one which said that AR could become an even more important and ubiquitous part of our lives than our mobile devices are today.But according to a Bloomberg report, Apple is making it clear that this is
  
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• Why data quality is key to successful digital transformation

  18-04-2017 19:06
  
  If you want to be successful in your digital transformation initiatives, clean up your data first. That’s the message from Anil Chakravarthy, CEO of Informatica, whose master data management products help companies get a 360-degree view of customers, suppliers and other key assets. In this installment of the IDG CEO Interview Series, Chakravarthy spoke with Chief Content Officer John Gallant about the data quality and integration issues that hamstring innovation and digital transformation
  
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• Drone software gives offline farmers real-time images

  18-04-2017 18:40
  
  Cloud computing is all well and good for enterprises with big-data applications and consumers with virtual assistants, but it runs into some limits in an isolated cornfield.On farms and other places far from powerful computers and network connections, there's a trend away from centralized computing even while most of the IT world is embracing it. In remote places, the internet of things requires local processing as well as data-center analysis. So-called edge computing is coming to industries in
  
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• Microsoft's cool quantum computing plan embraces cryogenic memory

  18-04-2017 18:33
  
  Microsoft has crazy quantum computing plans. It is building hardware based on a particle that hasn't been discovered, and the company now wants to make super-cool memory for quantum computers.The company is working with Rambus to develop and build prototype computers with memory subsystems that can be cooled at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic temperatures typically are below minus 180 degrees Celsius or minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit.Quantum computers could eventually replace today's P
  
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• How to defer future updates in the Windows 10 Creators Update

  18-04-2017 18:25
  
  Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update is making it easier for users to delay updates delivered via Windows Update. Unfortunately, this tip only applies to anyone using Windows 10 Pro and up, Home users do not get the advantage of this setting. Get started by opening the settings app and go to Update & security > Windows Update. Then under the Update settings heading select Advanced options. On the next page, look for the heading Choose when updates are installed.To read this a
  
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• Google expands Earth with new VR tours, but Daydream support nowhere to be seen

  18-04-2017 18:25
  
  While Maps is far and away the most popular tool for traversing the globe, Google hasn’t forgotten about its other project, Earth. And just in time for Earth Day, Google is giving it a major upgrade.In an event at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City today, Google took the wraps off the new Earth project for Android and Chrome. The fruits of nearly two years of labor, the new app’s marquee feature, called Voyager, enhances the way you explore the planet, adding tours guided by
  
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• 6 steps for setting up a server room for your small business

  18-04-2017 18:19
  
  NOTE: This story was originally published in September 2013 and updated in April 2017.Bringing IT in-house and setting up dedicated on-premises servers can be intimidating for a small business, especially given the recent focus on online services. Moreover, resources designed to help tend to assume a medium-sized or enterprise installation, which may not necessarily work well for setting up a small server room or even a closet for a branch office.With some understanding of the basics, though, se
  
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• Mobile, security tools among education tech favorites

  18-04-2017 18:18
  
  In the school district of La Crosse, Vicki Lyons depends on mobile device management software from Jamf to manage the Wisconsin district’s fleet of iPads and MacBook Air devices. The Apple device management platform plays a key role in the district’s efforts to provide equitable access to technology to all of its students.“We use Jamf Pro as our device management solution for our 1:1 iPad program district-wide. As a result, we are driving student success with iPads and meeting
  
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• IT execs tout benefits of SD-WAN

  18-04-2017 18:08
  
  Enterprises are adopting software-defined WAN to simplify branch office connectivity, improve application performance, and better manage WAN expenses, according to Gartner, which predicts that spending on SD-WAN products will rise from $129 million in 2016 to $1.24 billion in 2020.“While WAN architectures and technologies tend to evolve at a very slow pace — perhaps a new generation every 10 to 15 years — the disruptions caused by the transformation to digital business models a
  
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• Galaxy S8+ Unboxing: A whole lot more than a phone

  18-04-2017 17:30
  
  We couldn’t have been more excited when we heard our Galaxy S8+ was finally arriving in the mail. But when it got here, it was even better than we thought. It wasn’t the usual small cardboard box that we generally get from manufacturers—it was a two-and-a-half-foot tall black box with no markings. And we couldn’t wait to get it open.But we wanted to share the experience with you, mainly because we couldn’t understand why a phone would need such a giant box. Was it f
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Did North Korea Linux ripoff Apple’s macOS?

  18-04-2017 17:18
  
  North Korea has long been a mystery to most westerners. Life inside of the hermit kingdom is not easy for those of us in the west to fully understand, particularly when it comes to technology.And yet North Korea has been active in developing its own computer operating system. The country has its own version of Linux called Red Star OS, which is often referred to as North Korea Linux.If you’ve ever seen North Korea Linux in action, you’ll notice that some of it resembles Apple’s
  
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• Samsung DeX turns your Galaxy S8 into a shockingly good desktop PC

  18-04-2017 17:10
  
  DeX is Samsung’s bid to make good on the mobile industry’s “your phone really can be a personal computer” promise—and it’s a surprisingly effective tool for getting work done when you’ve wandered away from home or office. The lightweight, eminently portable docking station currently only works with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagship phones, and it can be a bit annoying to set up. But, wow, I’ve been using a DeX/Galaxy S8+ combo for three days
  
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• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: Great enterprise phones with potential to be better

  18-04-2017 17:01
  
  Smartphone reviewers throw around the term "flagship" pretty loosely, to the point where it's come to mean "a high-spec phone from a major or mid-level manufacturer." But when you get your hands on a phone with the technical excellence and attention to detail of the Samsung Galaxy S8 series, you're reminded that there's more to a great phone than a bunch of chips.Like Apple and Google, Samsung has something more in mind than just selling phones. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are devices that bring you i
  
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• Uber offers new dispatch service for businesses

  18-04-2017 17:00
  
  Uber wants businesses to do away with shuttle buses for customers, and has launched a new service aimed at making it easier for companies to hail cars on other people’s behalf. Called Uber Central, the software lets users request cars even for people who don’t have accounts with the ride-hailing company.Here’s how it works: company employees who have access to the Uber Central console input a customer’s name and phone number, along with their pickup and drop-off address.
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 2017: How innovation management is bridging the startup-enterprise divide

  18-04-2017 16:31
  
  “If you’re not innovating, you’re de-innovating!”Startups have this cracked. They are inherently innovative or quickly drop out of the game, but regardless of their funding status, startups are notoriously short on budgets, know-how and processes to get their innovation off the ground.Most enterprises are too heavy and cumbersome to keep up with market trends, let alone innovate. The equation is seemingly simple: enterprises are inherently complicated and riddled with pro
  
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• Huawei rolls out its Android Wear 2.0 watch in the U.S. with an eye on fitness, Android Pay

  18-04-2017 16:29
  
  The Android Wear 2.0 rollout has exactly gone smoothly. After months of delays, Google finally released its new OS in February alongside a pair of LG watches, but since then the options haven’t exactly been robust. While there have been several announcements of wearables in development, the Sport and Style watches are still the only made-for-Android Wear 2.0 watches on shelves, unless you’re willing to spend over a grand.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please clic
  
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• IoT meets augmented reality

  18-04-2017 16:05
  
  PTC has assembled a robust portfolio of Internet of Things technologies that, when combined with the company’s history in digital 3D design and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools, makes for some interesting new ways to bridge the physical and digital worlds.  To see how it all adds up, Network World Editor in Chief John Dix caught up with Michael Campbell, Executive Vice President of PTC’s ThingWorx IoT platform. Campbell, who has been with PTC since 1995, has a background
  
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• How HoloLens lets you collaborate in context

  18-04-2017 15:45
  
  In the year since Microsoft’s HoloLens became commercially available, developers have created 150 apps for the mixed reality headset that you can download from the Microsoft Store, including one that shows you which keys to strike as you play the piano. That's nifty, but the real strength of HoloLens is in commercial and industrial use.Architects, designers, engineers and maintenance experts are finding that HoloLens improves collaboration, gives them new insights and helps them fix proble
  
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• BrandPost: Overcoming the Digital Dilemma

  18-04-2017 15:15
  
  “Silicon Valley is coming,” says Jaime Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, “and they want to eat our lunch.”Why is the CEO of the largest bank in the United States worried about software startups with no experience in banking? The answer is simple: digital disruption is changing everything.Consider the following examples:Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns zero vehicles
  Alibaba.com, the world’s most valuable retail company, has zero inventory
  Facebook, the
  
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• What’s behind VMware’s Wavefront acquisition?

  18-04-2017 14:33
  
  VMware’s acquisition of monitoring software maker Wavefront for an undisclosed sum is a move core to VMware's strategy to round out its portfolio for facilitating and managing hybrid cloud environments. It highlights in the need to ensure that applications running between private and public clouds perform up to par.[ 30 CIOs share their strategic focus ]Companies undertaking digital transformations are leaning heavily on hybrid clouds to deploy software, a scenario playing out across nearl
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How RegTech closes the gap between technology and financial services

  18-04-2017 14:00
  
  Over the last few years, the market has seen the volume of investments in FinTech companies increase significantly from 3 billion dollars to more than 40 billion dollars in 2015, and that is quite easy to understand why. FinTech has taken over the world and is everywhere these days, besides having completely disrupted all financial services industries involved with wealth management, payments, financing, insurance, banking and even customer service.As the market becomes more used
  
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• Three simple ways to stop the Windows Creators Update from ruining your day

  18-04-2017 13:45
  
  The giant Creators Update to Windows 10 will get pushed to your PC before the end of the month, and if you’re not careful the software will come your way at the worst possible time.Maybe you’re facing a drop dead deadline, or about to board a flight – and Windows will make you stop what you’re doing and order you not to turn off your machine. Or maybe the gigabytes of code will come when you’re using your smartphone as a hotspot, and they’ll eat up every bit o
  
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• How one personal cyber insurance policy stacks up

  18-04-2017 13:00
  
  As cyber insurance slowly moves from corporate to consumer coverage, some interestingly comprehensive policies have been introduced. One, introduced this month by AIG, puts a strong emphasis on services to prevent attacks rather than merely paying for them once they happen. We decided to dive into the fine print to see how much wiggle room the insurer gave itself.The new policy, called Family CyberEdge, is designed as a supplement to existing homeowner’s insurance and will cost an ext
  
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• Trump to order wholesale H-1B reform

  18-04-2017 12:49
  
  President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Tuesday dubbed "Buy American, Hire American" that calls for sweeping reform of the H-1B visa process.Its centerpiece is the replacement of the H-1B lottery with a system that distributes visas on the basis of wages, skills and education."We want to switch away from a random lottery system, in which it's weighted toward the lowest wage workers, towards a system that prioritizes higher skilled, higher paid workers," said a senior administration o
  
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• How to prevent your mobile app from getting hacked

  18-04-2017 12:32
  
  Trivial matter?Image by Steve Traynor/IDGThe average user has around 26 to 55 applications downloaded to his smartphone device. Most likely, you have entertainment and gaming apps, a banking app, a few social media apps, fitness apps, and eCommerce apps to shop at your favorite stores.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Is your company ready for the knowledge worker?

  18-04-2017 12:30
  
  Is your company ready for the rise of the knowledge worker? Automation continues to change the face of the global workforce by replacing repetitive function jobs and creating new, more sophisticated jobs. Those jobs require critical thinking, intuition and organizational skills. In other words, those jobs require knowledge workers.We know that these types of jobs demand that employees perform diverse, unstructured work. That makes it hard to maximize their productivity, especially considering th
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Conflict-of-interest traps ensnare enterprise software implementations

  18-04-2017 12:30
  
  While there are several reasons why software implementations take longer than planned, one trap software buyers fall into is that of conflict of interest. A conflict-of-interest situation occurs when the software implementation vendor’s interest is diametrically opposed to yours. When you allow this to happen, you have set yourself up for an implementation that will take longer and cost more than expected.The software selection trap
  Software companies pay vendors large sales commissions. V
  
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• The strange new world of hiring and employee tracking

  18-04-2017 12:00
  
  Your employer wants to hire top salespeople and is counting on HR to deliver the best. There's the old-fashioned way: collect resumes, sort for keywords, check on social networks, get referrals and interview.But what about geotagging?Employers often have "top performer clubs" for their salespeople. Incentives for these top performers usually involve rewards such as trips to Hawaii, the Caribbean or Italy."That's fairly public knowledge," said Bertrand Dussert, vice president of Human Capital Man
  
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• Five pitfalls to avoid when migrating to the cloud

  18-04-2017 12:00
  
  Mistakes can be costly. They also can be so painful they keep you from venturing any further ahead.Of course, that's true with almost anything tech-related, but IT managers will tell you that there are some common, and potentially damaging, pitfalls that anyone looking at a cloud migration should work to avoid.Migration mistakes can cost the enterprise money and time, and eliminate or reduce any expected increases in agility as well as speed and cost savings.Those stumbles and losses could cause
  
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• H-1B visa demand slips; analysts see Trump effect

  18-04-2017 02:07
  
  The U.S. government today said it received 199,000 H-1B visa petitions for the upcoming 2018 fiscal year -- 37,000 less than in 2016.The government will issue 85,000 visas distributed via a computer-generated lottery. The winners will be able to use their visas at the start of the federal fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.[ Further reading: Hottest jobs, cities and industries for IT pay in 2017 ]Industry analysts see President Donald Trump's actions and campaign rhetoric as having had an impact o
  
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