IT Executive news

• IDG Contributor Network: What happens when ‘Net Neutrality’ becomes ‘Pay-To-Play’?

  28-04-2017 23:23
  
  Net neutrality is like a public park that anyone can use. ‘Pay-To-Play’ is a private club that only rich members use.What happens to the internet when access isn't equal? (Or to paraphrase George Orwell in Animal Farm, "We're all equal, but some are more equal than others"). How could this impact consumers, businesses and non-profits?“Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission outlined a sweeping plan to loosen the government’s oversight of high-
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Can Google take on Amazon in the cloud computing battle?

  28-04-2017 23:16
  
  Diane Greene, senior vice president of Google Cloud, recently announced that Google will pull ahead of Amazon as the leader in cloud technology by 2022.Her statement has stirred the proverbial pot. Traditionally, the cloud market has been cornered by Amazon, Microsoft and IBM with Google trailing in market share despite product strength in analytics and machine learning."I actually think we have a huge advantage in our data centers, in our infrastructure, availability, security and how we automa
  
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• BrandPost: Is your data ready to help you make game-changing decisions?

  28-04-2017 22:59
  
  Organizations are facing disruption on many fronts. But don’t fret: Disruption can be a good thing, if you use it to redefine your strategies and digitally transform your business to better prepare for the future.Successful digital transformation requires a foundation of properly managed data. With the right data management and governance systems and processes in place, CIOs can begin to turn information into intelligence to help their businesses make better decisions by leveraging data th
  
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• BrandPost: Data Is Your Currency for Growth; Here’s How to Cash In

  28-04-2017 22:57
  
  Enterprises are quickly discovering that the roads leading to digital transformation are besieged with unforeseen tolls, causing delays and added expenses. While that may oversimplify the challenges associated with a digital transformation project, the metaphor still rings true.It is the simple realization that making the big pivot toward data-driven digital transformation takes more than CIOs acknowledging that data has become a trusted currency. It also takes knowing how to leverage that curre
  
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• Stealthy Mac malware spies on encrypted browser traffic

  28-04-2017 22:33
  
  A new malware program that targets macOS users is capable of spying on encrypted browser traffic to steal sensitive information.The new program, dubbed OSX/Dok by researchers from Check Point Software Technologies, was distributed via email phishing campaigns to users in Europe.One of the rogue emails was crafted to look as if it was sent by a Swiss government agency warning recipients about apparent errors in their tax returns. The malware was attached to the email as a file called Dokument.zip
  
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• Surface revenue does a U-boat, and dives

  28-04-2017 22:09
  
  Revenue generated by Microsoft's Surface hardware during the March quarter was down 26% from the same period the year before, the company said yesterday as it briefed Wall Street.For the quarter, Surface produced $831 million, some $285 million less than the March quarter of 2016, for the largest year-over-year dollar decline ever.Microsoft blamed the portfolio's age and increased competition from hardware partners for the fall-off. "Our Surface results fell short of expectations impacted by end
  
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• Microsoft and Google riding the cloud wave

  28-04-2017 21:48
  
  Google and Microsoft are both benefiting from solid growth in enterprise cloud services. Both companies released earnings reports this week that highlighted significant momentum in G Suite, Office Suite, respectively, and more sophisticated cloud platforms for business.“We crossed a major milestone with more than 100 million monthly active users of Office 365 commercial,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during a conference call. “Office 365 commercial seats grew 35 percent yea
  
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• Microsoft reinstates My People for Windows 10, connecting you to your BFFs

  28-04-2017 21:43
  
  Microsoft’s feature for connecting you to close friends, known as My People, may have been cut from the Creators Update, but it has resurfaced as part of the latest Windows Insider build (16184) for Windows 10 PCs.With the Creators Update finished, Microsoft is now working on the next major update of Windows 10, known as Redstone 3. While the initial builds of Redstone 3 focused on framework, Microsoft appears to have moved on to adding features: namely, the My People “experienc
  
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• Google's Chrome will soon start warning you more about HTTP pages

  28-04-2017 21:21
  
  A Google effort to push websites to implement encryption is expanding. Starting in October, the company will roll out new warnings to flag HTTP connections as insecure in its Chrome browser.For users, it means Chrome will display the words “not secure” in the browser’s address bar whenever they type any data into web pages that connect over HTTP.However, for users who like to browse through Chrome’s privacy-enhancing Incognito mode, the warnings will appear by d
  
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• Kindred Group reviews machine learning to address problem gambling

  28-04-2017 20:49
  
  Unibet parent company Kindred Group is turning to machine learning to recognise patterns of problem gambling across its suite of betting and casino websites.Kindred Futures is the group's innovation wing, tasked with bringing in entrepreneurs and experts on how to "co-create the future of gambling," according to the organisation's website. It recently held a working group that brought in academics and figures from the technology industry to discuss how machine learning and AI might be able to he
  
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• Legal war with Apple hits Qualcomm's revenue projections

  28-04-2017 19:48
  
  The legal fight between Apple and Qualcomm on licensing modem technology is turning uglier every day.Apple has filed lawsuits against Qualcomm in countries like the U.S., U.K., China and Japan, accusing the chipmaker of using its dominant market position to overcharge licensing fees.The iPhone maker itself doesn't pay licensing fees directly to Qualcomm. The fees are paid by partners like Foxconn, which makes the iPhone and iPad for Apple.Qualcomm is now accusing Apple of interfering with the li
  
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• Your car will eventually live-stream video of your driving to the cloud

  28-04-2017 19:40
  
  As self-driving cars become more advanced with a greater number of onboard computers, sensors, cameras and WiFi, the amount of data is expected to balloon, providing automakers, insurers and others with rich information to harvest.A single autonomous car could generate as much as 100GB of data every second, said Barclays analyst Brian Johnson, in a note published Wednesday.If extrapolated out to the entire U.S. fleet of vehicles -- 260 million in number -- autonomous cars and trucks could potent
  
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• 54% off Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard - Deal Alert

  28-04-2017 19:29
  
  Here's a Bluetooth keyboard for your computer that you can also use with your tablet and smartphone -- switch between all three effortlessly by just turning the dial. And unlike other Bluetooth keyboards, Logitech has integrated a cradle so your device stays propped up at just the right angle as you type. Works with Windows or Mac, Android or iOS, and features a key layout you'll be familiar with on any of those platforms. Logitech's multi-device keyboard currently averages 4 out of 5 stars from
  
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• The North Face’s parent company names new CIO

  28-04-2017 19:28
  
  VF, parent of The North Face, Timberland, Wrangler and other clothing and footwear brands, is promoting Sandra Harris to CIO effective January 1, 2018. Harris, who currently manages workforce productivity solutions as vice president of global business technology, will succeed Martin Schneider, who is retiring at year's end after 11 years as the retailer's CIO.VF Sandra Harris will become CIO of VF in 2018.  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Qualtrics invades the enterprise with its customer experience software

  28-04-2017 19:11
  
  Qualtrics has gone from the Silicon Slopes of Utah, building software for university researchers, to a platform of tools used by the world's biggest brands to survey their customers and employees.As the story goes, Qualtrics started from the Smith family basement in Provo, Utah. Ryan Smith, cofounder and current CEO, started building research software as a project with his seriously ill father, a marketing professor at Utah's Brigham Young University (BYU), back in 2002.Qualtrics started by targ
  
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• NetSuite launches spate of ERP products and features

  28-04-2017 19:06
  
  Much of the talk at NetSuite's annual conference SuiteWorld has been of new parent company Oracle's plans for the firm's global expansion, but the world's largest cloud ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) vendor also unveiled a host of new products and features.Flames were thrown from vertical torches to herald the key launches of a human resources (HR) service called SuitePeople and a holistic cloud system for cloud adoption called SuiteSuccess, which NetSuite executive vice president Jim McGeev
  
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• Android device updates: Galaxy S8, S8+ update arrives for T-Mobile and Verizon models

  28-04-2017 18:58
  
  The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are already getting an update right out of the gate. Well, as long as you have the model for T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T. There are a variety of minor software bumps that ought to improve the experience for these rather excellent smartphones.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. Make sure your device is running the latest ava
  
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• Raspberry Pi roundup: Conduct your own symphony, play some Atari, and Competitor Corner

  28-04-2017 18:13
  
  Homemade musical instruments don’t usually work out very well. I remember the experiment we all had to do with the rubber bands and the empty tissue boxes and finding the resulting sound, well, pretty disappointing. How’s a fifth grader supposed to rock out and impress girls for reasons he only vaguely understands with this thing?!Perhaps unsurprisingly, the age of ubiquitous computers has made the possibilities of the homemade instrument a lot more exciting than the twanging rubber
  
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• Network management vulnerability exposes cable modems to hacking

  28-04-2017 17:17
  Hundreds of thousands of internet gateway devices around the world, primarily residential cable modems, are vulnerable to hacking because of a serious weakness in their Simple Network Management Protocol implementation.SNMP is used for automated network device identification, monitoring and remote configuration. It is supported and enabled by default in many devices, including servers, printers, networking hubs, switches and routers.Independent researchers Ezequiel Fernandez and Bertin Berv
  
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• What the Fox News Bill O’Reilly fiasco teaches businesses

  28-04-2017 16:49
  
  Fox News screwed up when it fired Bill O’Reilly. The guy was a money machine, worth billions to the company and they actually had to pay him millions to leave. It should have never gotten to the point where they had to fire the guy as there were very clear and expensive indications that he had a problem long before they parted ways.In the process of failing, O’Reilly also caused a number of highly productive women to leave or grow disenchanted with Fox News. This not only increased t
  
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• Sorry Pixel owners, Google probably won't update your phones past Android P

  28-04-2017 16:08
  
  When the Pixel came out last year, it was a clear departure from the Nexus program. With a Google logo stamped on the back, the phones weren’t just crafted around the purest vision for Android, they gave us hope that we would finally have a phone that received years of updates.Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Google has updated the Check & update your Android version page of the Nexus support section to include the Pixel and Pixel XL, and the obsolete dates are the same a
  
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• 25% off NHL 17 For PS4 and Xbox One - Deal Alert

  28-04-2017 16:03
  
  All-new game modes, new and deeper experiences in fan-favorite modes, and the best on-ice gameplay ever make NHL 17 the most exciting EA SPORTS NHL game to date.
  
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• 57% off Brother P-Touch PTM95 Label Maker - Deal Alert

  28-04-2017 15:47
  
  This handy P-touch labeler is lightweight, portable and easy to use. It features a Qwerty Keyboard and easy-view display. It comes with a variety of type styles, frames and symbols to easily personalize your labels. Great for home and home office use. Right now the PTM95 is significantly discounted 57%, for what will likely be a limited time. So instead of $23 you'll be paying just $10. See the deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Fitbit Blaze best wearable for wellness programs

  28-04-2017 15:46
  
  Among 21 wearables tested, Fitbit’s fitness watch Blaze is the best device for workplace wellness programs, according to a new study from Sprinbuk, a health analytics provider for employers.Out of a possible 100 score, Blaze earned a 94, the highest in the survey. “The Fitbit Blaze is at the top of Fitbit’s lineup,” according to the report, available as a free PDF download. “As a sleek and stylish watch that also functions as a robust fitness tracker, the Blaze is a
  
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• Blame terrorists if you get a speeding ticket while driving in France

  28-04-2017 15:26
  
  Drivers in France might be able to blame terrorists for their next speeding ticket, as police there crack down on mobile apps warning of their presence.It's already illegal for smartphones and other GPS devices in France to warn of nearby fixed radars used to issue automatic penalties for speeding, so road information apps from Waze, Coyote and TomTom lose some of their functionality on crossing the French frontier.Soon French police will be able to order such services not to display warnings of
  
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• IT leaders say current H-1B program works

  28-04-2017 15:20
  
  The majority of IT leaders are happy with the H-1B visa program as is and say that proposed changes will make it harder to fill skilled IT roles, according to survey released by IT recruiting firm Harvey Nash this week.Following the Trump administration’s executive order earlier this month calling for restructuring the temporary skilled labor program relied on most heavily by IT service providers and technology giants, Harvey Nash polled 174 U.S. IT leaders across 20 industries. Nearly two
  
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• If software eats everything, are network engineers on the menu?

  28-04-2017 15:00
  
  If you're a network engineer, don't rush out and learn a programming language. To compete in the new world of software-defined networking, it might be more important to start thinking like a programmer.That was one of the ideas that emerged this week from an Open Networking User Group debate that generated healthy feedback from users in the audience.The days of managing individual switches and routers and configuring them with proprietary CLIs (command-line interfaces) are numbered, four panelis
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why swarm intelligence enhances business and bitcoin

  28-04-2017 15:00
  
  Fish school. Birds flock. Bees swarm. A combination of real-time, biological systems blends knowledge, wisdom, opinions and intuition to unify intelligence. There’s no central control unit. These simple agents interact locally, within their environment, and new behaviors emerge.Swarm intelligence is the self-organization of systems for collective decentralized behavior. Swarm intelligence enables groups to converge and create an independent organism that can do things that individuals can&
  
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• Surface sales sag and Windows Phones fade, as Microsoft's hardware business takes a hit

  28-04-2017 13:00
  
  Four little words from Microsoft CFO Amy Hood describe the tragic state of Microsoft's mobile experiment: "negligible revenue from phones."Phone sales for the current quarter were bad, falling $730 million from the same period a year ago, Microsoft executives said Thursday during the company's second-quarter earnings call. But they can't fall much further: Hood was referring to a forecast of the current quarter ending in June, when sales of all Microsoft-branded phones will apparently trickle of
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: ATSC 3.0: Broadcast's last addressable stand

  28-04-2017 13:00
  
  The history of TV innovation has largely encompassed more quantity and greater quality. The latter in particular has been a hallmark of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, which brought the U.S. digitally transmitted high-definition broadcast television about a decade ago. It kicked off the analog shutoff and the rapid rise and fall in sales of converter boxes for analog tube TVs.Now the ATSC is back with ATSC 3.0. (ATSC 2.0, like Windows 9, has been relegated into that land of product ve
  
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• Apple’s confusing method of device authorization and association

  28-04-2017 13:00
  
  The iTunes Store was launched 14 years ago today, and has morphed from its initial music-only offering to embrace all forms of digital media. It’s now just another digital purveyor among many, though still the leading seller of digital music in the world.While music files were protected with digital rights management (DRM) in the early years, it’s now been eight years since this was removed. But other types of content sold on the iTunes Store still have DRM: movies, TV shows, apps, a
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Digital success: 3 areas where you need to broaden your horizons

  28-04-2017 12:45
  
  Allianz innovation executive Christian Locher, speaking at the Transform With the Best conference on digital business transformation, shared how his organization transformed itself through a digital initiative. There's something Allianz and other successful organizations do. They all look far beyond the boundaries of traditional tech projects. In fact, they have broadened their horizons in three specific areas:Strategic themes
  Reservoir
  Technologies
  Here's a closer look at each.Strategic themes
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Corporate culture will always matter

  28-04-2017 12:30
  
  Like just about everything else we touch, Western civilization appropriates, abuses and then discards words and phrases with alarming regularity. But “corporate culture” is one buzzworthy phrase that might never die — it’s always going to matter.Requiem for the traditional workplace?
  Paul Michelman, editor in chief of the MIT Sloan Management Review, recently had some strong words to say on the subject of corporate culture — and it’s hard not to sympathize wit
  
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• Users have little confidence their company can protect their mobile device

  28-04-2017 12:24
  
  A survey sponsored by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. found that 64 percent of respondents are doubtful that their organization can prevent a mobile cyberattack, leaving employees' personal information vulnerable to theft.Alvaro Hoyos, chief information security officer at OneLogin, said that number does not surprise him. He said the employees might not know the ins and outs of their company's security controls. IT departments typically don’t go out of the way to communicate all the
  
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• The framework formerly known as JavaScriptMVC hits 1.0

  28-04-2017 12:00
  
  DoneJS, an open source JavaScript framework previously known as JavaScriptMVC, has reached version 1.0 status.Intended for building high-performance real-time apps for mobile, web, and desktop, DoneJS supports capabilities like server-side rendering and fast downloads, according to developer Bitovi. The goal for developers is to get a feature-rich development and production environment set up in a day, according to Bitovi CEO Justin Meyer, a founder of the DoneJS project.To read this article in
  
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• Should your next big hire be a chief A.I. officer?

  28-04-2017 12:00
  
  As companies increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to communicate with customers, make sense of big data and find answers to vexing questions, some say it's time to think about hiring a chief A.I. officer.A chief artificial intelligence Officer – or CAIO -- could round out your C-level execs, sitting at the big table with your CIO, CFO, CTO and CEO.[ For more on A.I. in the workplace, see Computerworld’s Artificial intelligence in the enterprise: It’s on. ]"A.I. is going
  
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• Retail CIO accelerates IT service delivery

  28-04-2017 02:55
  
  HALF MOON BAY, Calif. – Brick-and-mortar retailers have struggled to change their corporate culture even as they’re swept along by the ecommerce tidal wave. That’s one lesson Gap Inc. CIO Paul Chapman has learned as he and the rest of the apparel conglomerate’s C-suite try to adopt a culture that prizes fast decision-making and agility.“I love my company dearly… but [Gap] is so slow to decision-making,” Chapman said at the Forbes CIO Summit here this we
  
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• Intel projects decline in chip prices, and AMD's Ryzen is one reason

  28-04-2017 02:13
  
  Intel is forecasting a "slight decline" in its premium chip prices for the remainder of the year, and AMD's Ryzen chips could have played a part in that.Prices of Intel's chips in both desktops and laptops went up in the first quarter. That helped drive up the quarterly revenue for Client Computing Group -- which deals in PC chips -- to $8 billion, which was up 6 percent compared to the same quarter last year.But Intel's PC chips now face serious competition from AMD's new Ryzen chip, which was
  
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• BrandPost: The Road to Transformation

  28-04-2017 01:50
  
  The Road to TransformationHaving a nice car doesn’t make you a good driver. And, your car won’t help you get to your destination if you don’t know where you want to go. Digital transformation is no different. You need to know what you want to accomplish and plan how you are going to get there. Sure, it sounds obvious. So why do we see so many organizations struggling to make progress? It seems too many organizations believe they can make progress simply by hopping into a taxi a
  
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• Google Cloud growth is outpacing the company's ad business

  28-04-2017 00:07
  
  Google is still an advertising company, but the tech titan’s cloud business is growing faster than its advertising revenue. That’s one of the key take-aways from the company’s first quarter earnings report released Thursday.Google Cloud Platform is one of the fastest-growing lines of revenue across Alphabet, the parent company that includes Google and other businesses like self-driving car maker Waymo, company CFO Ruth Porat said on a conference call with analysts. That growth
  
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