IT Executive news

• BrandPost: Microsoft Teams Is Here

  02-05-2017 23:50
  
  On November 2nd, 2016, Microsoft released a brand new chat-based digital workspace called Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams Service is tied together by an intelligent fabric called Office 365 Groups. Office 365 Groups is a group membership service powered by Azure AD that provides a single identity for teams in Office 365 and equips them with a set of group collaboration assets such as a calendar, a OneNote notebook, a Plan to manage tasks and conversations powered by Outlook or Yammer.
  
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• Shodan search engine starts unmasking malware command-and-control servers

  02-05-2017 23:36
  There's now a new tool that could allow companies to quickly block communications between malware programs and their frequently changing command-and-control servers.Threat intelligence company Recorded Future has partnered with Shodan, a search engine for internet-connected devices and services, to create a new online crawler called Malware Hunter.The new service continuously scans the internet to find control panels for over ten different remote access Trojan (RAT) programs, including Gh0st RAT
  
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• Boston Fed conference: Security still comes down to the basics

  02-05-2017 23:28
  
  BOSTON - Not every bank has the money or the staff to do everything on the “best practices” lists of multiple regulatory agencies.As one member of the audience at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s 2017 Cybersecurity Conference this week noted, it is much more difficult for the “minnows” to comply with all the “guidance” out there, than it is for the “big fish.”But multiple speakers and panelists agreed that most financial institutions, no
  
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• Google's surging Chromebooks will test Microsoft's new Windows 10 S PCs

  02-05-2017 23:07
  
  Microsoft for years has been trying to tackle the growing threat of Google's Chrome OS, which is siphoning PC market share away from Windows.The company's new Windows 10 S operating system, announced on Tuesday, will be Microsoft's latest attempt to tackle Google's surging Chrome OS. The OS is targeted at the education market, which in the U.S. is dominated by Chromebooks.Even with the new Windows OS, worldwide Chromebook shipments are expected to grow by double digits this year, analysts from I
  
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• 46% off Razer Kraken Pro Gaming Headset for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 - Deal Alert

  02-05-2017 23:05
  
  On top of being optimized for extended wear, the Razer Kraken Pro is outfitted with a fully retractable microphone, in-line volume controls and mute toggle, giving you easy access to all its features. Powered by large, high-quality drivers, this full-sized headset provides you with immersive gaming audio for hours on end.  The 3.5mm combined audio jack and splitter cable ensure that you have mic support on your mobile devices as well as full connectivity to any gaming setup.This gaming head
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why software engineers should focus on users, not the competition

  02-05-2017 22:19
  
  Today, we thrive on instant gratification: consuming the news via 140-character tweets, watching videos instead of reading long articles, scrolling through photos or gifs and skipping over the captions altogether. There are no shortage of user experience lessons to be learned from this cultural shift. Whether a user is designing, managing or personalizing websites, finding success should be (almost) as easy as scrolling through a photo-filled listicle or typing up a tweet.The thing is, most soft
  
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• H-1B giant Infosys gets carrot -- and stick -- to hire ‘Americans’

  02-05-2017 22:11
  
  IT offshore outsourcing giant Infosys -- a firm in the Trump administration's H-1B reform bullseye -- said Tuesday it plans to hire 10,000 "American workers" over the next two years.The India-based Infosys will hire those employees in four separate locations in the U.S., first in Indiana, which offered the company more than $30 million in tax credits. The other locations weren't announced.[ Further reading: Hottest jobs, cities and industries for IT pay in 2017 ]President Donald Trump wants to m
  
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• In the digital era, CIOs not buying ‘this bimodal crap’

  02-05-2017 21:42
  
  The proliferation of digital technologies is forcing CIOs to manage IT as a product rather than simply provide IT services. That shift requires a different mindset and work approach. Agile and DevOps are increasingly becoming the go-to software development strategies as companies overhaul their IT operating models for the digital era. And while some CIOs can afford the luxury of operating IT in two speeds, others say there is no place for bimodal in their businesses.“I think over the last
  
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• April 2017: The month in hacks and breaches

  02-05-2017 21:17
  
  April may not have been the busiest month for security breaches, but what it lacks in volume it made up for in variety. The month began loudly when a hacker set off all of Dallas’s 156 emergency tornado alarms for 90 minutes in the wee hours of the morning on the seventh.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Atlassian focuses on verification, integration in Bitbucket upgrade

  02-05-2017 21:05
  
  Emphasizing enterprise devops, Atlassian is focusing on automation enhancements this week to its code management and continuous integration platforms.The 5.0 versions of Bitbucket Server and Data Center, Atlassian's Git code management tool, focus on compliance requirements with a committer verification capability. Only the author of a commit can push changes back to the central repository, and a log of code changes is kept for auditing purposes. Data Center is intended for datacenter deployment
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why and how to run Linux in macOS ... for free

  02-05-2017 20:44
  
  MacBooks are quite popular within the commercial open source community. I cover a lot of open source events and all I see are MacBooks running macOS. I myself carry a MacBook to such events.Why?The short answer is that it just works.The longer answer is that macOS is UNIX so you get access to all utilities, commands and tools that you get on your desktop Linux box, including running cronjobs, rsyncing files and writing USBs with the ‘dd’ command from macOS's native Terminal app.
  
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• Cybersecurity threats that keep the banks up at night

  02-05-2017 20:35
  
  In the current climate of major data breaches amidst an ever-shifting cyber threat landscape, the people in charge of vast volumes of valuable financial data are under increasing pressure to keep customer data safe from hackers and fraudsters.Speaking at the SWIFT Business Forum in London last week, a range of senior security professionals at financial services firms and banks told the audience what keeps them up at night when it comes to cyber security and fraud. Here's what they said:1. A cons
  
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• Surface Laptop hands-on: Microsoft transforms the Surface Pro 4 into a mainstream laptop

  02-05-2017 20:32
  
  Two things will immediately strike you about the new Surface Laptop: It’s amazingly light and sturdy, and it borrows a lot of its look and feel from Surface Pro 4.Microsoft debuted two classes of devices for education at its event Tuesday morning: a number of third-party, rugged inexpensive clamshell devices for elementary and middle-school classrooms to compete with Chromebooks; and the Surface Laptop, designed for college students. We went hands-on with the latter after the event conclud
  
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• Red Hat beefs up its OpenShift containerization platform

  02-05-2017 20:03
  
  Red Hat is beefing up its OpenShift containerization-as-a-service offering with a new developer tool for packaging apps into containers, foundations for incorporating microservices into those applications, and tighter integration of Amazon Web Services functionality with the platform. The biggest news, as far as Red Hat is concerned, is that it will offer native access to AWS from within OpenShift Container Platform later this year. That will make it possible for enterprises to configure AW
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Diversity is the key to successful digital marketing in 2017

  02-05-2017 20:00
  
  It’s easy to get comfortable with one marketing strategy and spend all of your time, energy and money on it. For example, a lot of companies see a return on social media and decide to allocate their entire digital marketing budget towards amassing followers and creating advanced pay-per-click (PPC) ads. But be wary of closing off your strategy and focusing on one single method. Success is usually found in a diversified approach.The case for diversifying your digital marketing
  Meet Tom Hess
  
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• How a small ISP delivers ultra-fast broadband when the giants won’t

  02-05-2017 19:53
  While Google, Verizon, Comcast and other giant providers struggle to deploy ultra-fast broadband, a small, regional ISP is bringing gigabit fiber service to thousands of homes and small businesses in San Francisco at a surprisingly low price.The success of Sonic, an independent ISP based in Santa Rosa, California, shows that even a small provider can deliver the latest technology when regulators allow it to compete with its much larger rivals on an even playing field.But Sonic, and other ISPs co
  
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• Inkoopafdeling leunt zwaar op ambachtelijke systemen

  02-05-2017 19:47
  Bijna driekwart van het Nederlandse grootbedrijf werkt nog met eigen inkoopsoftware ondergebracht op eigen computersystemen. Ongeveer 14% maakt gebruik van inkoopsoftware in de private cloud en slechts 1% maakt gebruik van een publieke cloud. Daarop duidt een enquête in opdracht van leverancier van inkoopsoftware... lees meer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why racist AI bots are our fault

  02-05-2017 19:38
  
  A bad habit which many people have with artificial intelligence (AI) is that we view it as something alien. Omniscient computers, making calculations beyond our feeble human brains, make judgments from on high and endlessly outsmart us as they march to surpass humans in every way.But while computers may do things differently from us, they are closer to children than gods. And like children, computers can learn the biases and stereotypes which we innately harbor, placing a damper on their intelli
  
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• Microsoft to cut update ties between Edge and Windows 10

  02-05-2017 19:17
  
  Microsoft will sever the update ties between Windows 10 and its default browser, Edge, to give company developers a way to refresh the browser more often than twice a year, according to an online report."Users will finally be able to get updates to the Edge browser via the Windows Store, which will allow Microsoft to add new features more frequently," wrote Rich Woods of Neowin Monday, citing unnamed sources within Microsoft.Since the mid-2015 launch of Windows 10, Edge feature updates have been
  
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• Cisco fires back at VMware decision to whack third party virtual switches

  02-05-2017 19:03
  
  Cisco today said it would offer its virtual switch users technology to get around VMware’s recent elimination of support for third party virtual switches such as Cisco’s Nexus 1000V.VMware in March announced that going forward it would no longer support third party virtual switch (vSwitch) programs and that customers should just work with VMware’s  vSphere products.+More on Network World: Cisco grabs-up SD-WAN player Viptela for $610M+To read this article in full or to lea
  
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• 58% off Anker Portable Charger PowerCore - Deal Alert

  02-05-2017 18:59
  
  The powerful 20000mAh PowerCore 20100 from Anker weighs just 12.5 oz, but fully charges most phones and tablets to 100% several times over without needing to be recharged. It charges the iPhone 6s seven times, the Galaxy S6 five times or the iPad mini 4 twice. Industry leading output of 4.8 amps provides enough power to simultaneously charge any combination of devices at full speed. Surge protection, short circuit protection and more advanced safety features keep your devices safe. For additiona
  
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• These new super fast Intel SSDs provide a bridge to Optane

  02-05-2017 18:30
  
  If you can't afford Intel's super fast Optane SSDs but need a massive speed boost, the company's latest DC P4600 and DC P4500 SSDs may fill the need.The new SSDs are based on conventional 3D NAND and targeted at data centers. The SSDs will be used in servers or storage arrays to serve up quick video streams, voice-assistant AI responses, and even pull out information from databases.These SSDs are a reliable upgrade for those who don't want to mess with Optane, which is based on brand-new memory
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why hasn’t Apple killed the Hackintosh?

  02-05-2017 18:06
  
  Apple has been a bit of a mess for a while when it comes to desktop computers. The 2013 Mac Pro is an aging fossil, the Mac mini is also outdated, and even the iMac has been lagging when it comes to updates. The end result of this is that some Mac users have given up on Apple’s desktops and built their own Hackintosh machines.Given Apple’s penchant for going after anybody that threatens its business, trademarks or copyrights, you’d think that the company would have taken steps
  
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• Microsoft's full Office desktop apps are coming to beef up the Windows Store

  02-05-2017 18:04
  
  Microsoft’s bringing its big guns to bear to support the launch of Windows 10 S, an education-focused version of the operating system limited to Windows Store apps alone. Not only is there a sleek new Surface Laptop to lead the charge, but Microsoft’s crucial Office suite is coming to the Windows Store as well.“Wait, wasn’t Office already in the Windows Store?” I hear you asking. Yes—and no. Office apps are available in the Windows Store, but they’re the
  
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• Microsoft adds a Surface Laptop to its growing stable of devices

  02-05-2017 17:54
  
  Microsoft has added a new laptop to its growing stable of Surface devices, and it's amazingly thin and fast.The Surface Laptop has performance, features and design that will redefine the category, said Panos Panay, corporate vice president at Microsoft during an event in New York City on Tuesday.The 13.3-inch laptop is the first pure laptop in the product line and offers an elegant design. Microsoft's other portable Surface devices include the Surface Pro, which is a tablet, and the Surface Book
  
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• Android gets patches for critical flaws in media handling, hardware drivers

  02-05-2017 17:34
  
  Android is getting security fixes for more than 100 vulnerabilities, including 29 critical flaws in the media processing server, hardware-specific drivers and other components.Android's monthly security bulletin, published Monday, was split into two "patch levels," which are represented as date strings on the "About" page of Android devices.The 2017-05-01 security patch level covers fixes for vulnerabilities that are common to all Android devices while the 2017-05-05 level covers additional fixe
  
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• Microsoft's sleek Surface Laptop brings computing class to classrooms and beyond

  02-05-2017 17:09
  
  Windows is taking aim at Chromebooks yet again, but with Windows 10 S, Microsoft’s leading the charge with a Google Chromebook Pixel-like ‘halo’ PC of its own: the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop.Yes that’s right, laptop. Unlike the convertible Surface Book and Surface Pro, the new Surface Laptop sticks to a traditional clamshell notebook design. One glance confirms it’s a Surface device, though. The laptop’s keyboard features the same Alcantara material used on Micr
  
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• 33% off Mass Effect Andromeda For Amazon Prime Members - Deal Alert

  02-05-2017 17:08
  
  Mass Effect: Andromeda takes you to the Andromeda galaxy, where you will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory as the Pathfinder -- a leader of military-trained explorers. Prime members right now get 33% off this title for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
  
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• Microsoft's new Windows 10 S will take on Chrome OS

  02-05-2017 17:02
  
  Microsoft hopes a new Windows 10 operating system called Windows 10 S will usurp Chromebook's domination in education and provide a better way for students to learn.The new version of Windows, announced at an event in New York Tuesday, is targeted at teachers, students, artists and creators. It's got features very similar to that of Chrome OS in Chromebooks, which dominates the education market.It has a traditional Windows 10 desktop look, and will only run applications downloaded from the Windo
  
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• BrandPost: ChatOps: Incident Management on Steroids

  02-05-2017 16:54
  
  As companies rely more and more on cloud-native services, parts of their infrastructure are breaking more often and causing bigger disruptions. When it comes to managing them, legacy systems simply aren't cutting it anymore. And your IT team certainly can't afford to spend hours or days getting things back online.But there's a better way – a framework that combines your communications with a full "alert-triage-respond-deploy" loop, so you can dispense with context-switching. We call it Cha
  
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• 'View Mixed Reality' will turn any Windows PC into an augmented reality screen

  02-05-2017 16:47
  
  Windows 10’s virtual reality chops will be bolstered by a nifty-looking new Microsoft app launches this fall, presumably alongside the next big Windows 10 update.The straightforward-named “View Mixed Reality” app will allow users to view augmented reality images and 3D rendered digital objects through their device screen, placing them alongside real-world objects. In an onstage demo at Microsoft’s educational event today, View Mixed Reality was used to display the Mars Cu
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Youth, IT pros and health experts to gather at YTH Live

  02-05-2017 16:37
  
  Specializing in what it calls "youth-centered health design," YTH (short for Youth, Tech and Health) partners with companies, institutions and organizations to implement new ways to use technology to advance the health of youth and young adults. The Oakland, Calif.-based organization believes that young people need honest information, deserve to have their voices heard, and have a right to live healthy lives without shame or fear.Through projects and partnerships with organizations like the Ford
  
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• Meet Windows 10 S, a streamlined, simplified, Windows Store-only OS for schools

  02-05-2017 16:25
  
  Don’t call it a comeback—because it isn’t quite. While Windows 10 S, Microsoft’s new education-focused version of Windows, bears striking resemblance to the disastrous Windows RT, this Chrome OS competitor harbors key differences that make it more useful.The “S” in “Windows 10 S” stands for four different aspects, according to Windows chief Terry Myerson: Secure, superior performance, streamlined for simplicity, and “the soul of Windows 10.&r
  
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• Nederlandse bedrijven besteden ERP steeds vaker uit

  02-05-2017 16:24
  Een groeiende groep Nederlandse organisaties kiest ervoor de hosting van hun ERP-applicatie uit te besteden. Met 2012 als ijkmoment is de groei ruim 400%. Hierop duidt een analyse van Computer Profile.
   
  Bij bijna drie op de tien locaties is de gebruikte ERP-toepassing ondergebracht in een datacenter van een... lees meer
  
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• BrandPost: There’s Simply No Such Thing as “Good Enough” in Cyber Security

  02-05-2017 16:15
  
  History tells us that there comes a time when almost every new innovative service starts to lose ground to a “good enough” competitor.  In fact, many of the products that we buy are much cheaper than the original models, because competitors cut corners to make something that is good enough to fit our needs at a cheaper price. As a director of operations, I can fully appreciate a lower priced option that still fits the needs of my organization.But good enough, could spell trouble
  
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• Fitbit Offers Up To 50% off and Free Shipping For Mom's Day - Deal Alert

  02-05-2017 16:05
  
  Fitbit wants you to motivate the women who motivate you, and they're offering 50% off select gifts, plus free 2-day shipping when you spend $50 or more on Alta, Flex 2, Charge 2, or others. Jump over to Fitbit's site and browse their gift guide and exclusive discounts in honor of Mother's Day. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Machine-learning van de plank voor geavanceerde data analytics

  02-05-2017 15:36
  Leverancier van informatietechnologie Unisys voegt een oplossing toe aan zijn platform voor data-analyse waarmee organisaties veranderingen in marktomstandigheden kunnen voorspellen zodat ze daar snel op kunnen reageren.Deze 'Machine-learning-as-a-Service' combineert een database van machine... lees meer
  
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• Red Hat kicks off annual Summit by leaning dev-wards

  02-05-2017 15:31
  
  Red Hat’s annual summit opened today with the announcement of three new products aimed with uncharacteristic directness at developers, rather than the company’s usual target of IT operations staff.Openshift.io is the company’s free SaaS development environment, specifically designed for cloud-native apps, that lets geographically far-flung teams work together and automatically containerizes code for easy deployment. The environment builds on open source projects like Kubernetes
  
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• How Microsoft plans to reinvent business productivity

  02-05-2017 15:29
  
  Microsoft's Office applications haven't changed much over the past 25 years. Indeed, a time-traveller from 1992 who knew how to use Word 5.5 for DOS or Mac System 7 would have to get used only to the tools moving from vertical menus to the horizontal ribbon.  Yes, Microsoft successfully brought Office back to the Mac after years of neglect. It also used the acquisition of Accompli and Sunrise to quickly get high-quality email and calendar apps onto iOS and Android — those teams are re
  
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• Why AI careers can start with a degree in linguistics

  02-05-2017 15:27
  
  A linguistics degree traditionally prepares students for careers in academia, professional writing or translation, but as technology continues to advance, these graduates are finding their skills in high demand from an unlikely place-positions in artificial intelligence.Companies in the AI market are turning to those with linguistic backgrounds to help aid in things like product development and customer service, says Caterina Balcells, chief linguistic officer at conversational search technology
  
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• 15 ways to make meetings more productive

  02-05-2017 15:15
  
  Let’s be honest, almost no one likes meetings. They can be disruptive, tend to go on for too long and often feel like a waste of time.But meetings don’t have to be boring, drawn out affairs. Meetings, when done right, can produce new ideas, solve problems and help move projects forward.Here are 15 ways you can make your organization’s meetings must-attend gatherings that make attendees feeling like they accomplished something.[ Related: How to make meetings more productive ]To
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: What do cognitive science and swarm intelligence have in common?

  02-05-2017 15:00
  
  In every field, there’s a pioneer, a prototype, an individual or group that blazed the path forward to uncover previously hidden value. Observing the giants in artificial intelligence allows us to revisit the early instrumental concepts in the development and maturation of the field. Biological principles are the roots of swarm intelligence, and self-organizing collective behavior is its organizing principle. Better understanding these foundational principles results in the ability to acce
  
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• BrandPost: Digital transformation makes data management top priority

  02-05-2017 14:54
  
  As organizations become increasingly digitally driven, there is an urgent need to get to grips with data management. Too many businesses lack a clear insight into the mountain of information they’re sitting on; and with data growing at an average of 39% a year, now is the time to change that. Failing to do so will harm the business through a combination of data leaks and attacks, unnecessary data storage and management costs, and poor data compliance.This is particularly timely with the GD
  
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• Security automation is maturing, but many firms not ready for adoption

  02-05-2017 14:00
  
  The security automation industry is still in its infancy, with most vendors just a year or two old, but there are already some promising technologies that enterprises can put to use -- if they have already laid the required ground work.The main problem that security automation is designed to address is that there are so many attack attempts coming in, so quickly, that human beings just can't keep up.Then there's the enormous amounts of money cybercriminals are bringing in from ransomware and oth
  
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• How to connect business strategy with project management

  02-05-2017 13:10
  
  To align business goals with project management (PM), leaders from the enterprise project management office (EMPO) or project management office (PMO) need to be involved in strategic planning sessions alongside senior-level management.The foundation for overall business success and project initiatives starts here, making it imperative for executive sponsors to be in sync with project leadership out of the gate. By having company and project leadership in lockstep, project success ratios are more
  
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• Human weakness enabling financial cybercrime

  02-05-2017 13:03
  
  It may be time for a revision of, “the customer is always right,” at least in the financial sector.That, Boston Police Detective Steven Blair told an audience of bankers at the Boston Fed’s 2017 Cybersecurity Conference on Monday, is because too many banking “customers” are fraudsters, who take advantage of the generally laudable desire of front-line employees to provide good customer service.Attendees had heard Kenneth Montgomery, first vice president and COO of th
  
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• Lessons from a flight gone wrong

  02-05-2017 13:00
  
  It’s the stuff corporate nightmares are made of. The video of Dr. David Dao being dragged off United Express Flight 3411 on April 9, 2017, his face bloodied, quickly went viral. People (read: potential customers) questioned why a passenger who was already seated and held a proper boarding pass would be forcibly removed to make space for an airline employee.Social media feeds were swamped with bitter commentary. Ad parodies included the taglines “We beat our competitors … not o
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 7 tips for engaging millennials in tech companies

  02-05-2017 13:00
  
  As the technology industry reaches a golden age of maturing powerhouses and disruptive start-ups, the demand for talent has increased. Universities, bootcamps and training programs have spent decades catching up with talent demands, and those returns on education are coming to fruition. An entire workforce of millennials has grown up with the internet as central and ubiquitous, so it’s no surprise a 2016 PayScale report indicated nearly 40 percent of tech companies surveyed had a median em
  
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• SMBs continue to be a target of cybercriminals

  02-05-2017 12:00
  
  Because they don’t see themselves as targets, small-to-midsize businesses (SMB) have for a long time believed that their security programs are good enough. They have a firewall, antivirus, maybe they even use two-factor authentication.The mistake is believing that this is enough because they have nothing of value to an attacker. While they may have a smaller attack surface, they are no less vulnerable than a major enterprise.Not only are small businesses growing as the favored targets for
  
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• Red Hat and IBM raise objections to Java 9 modularization

  02-05-2017 12:00
  
  Modularization is slated to be the key feature in Java SE (Standard Edition) 9, due in late July. But Java participants Red Hat and IBM have raised concerns that the base module plan could lead to incompatibilities with applications and enterprise Java.In a recent bulletin, Scott Stark, vice president of architecture for Red Hat’s JBoss group, outlined a litany of issues Red Hat and other Java Executive Committee members have with JSR (Java Specification Request) 376, pertaining to the Jav
  
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