IT Executive news

• BrandPost: Walgreens: Expanding Customer Loyalty with Microservices

  05-05-2017 23:06
  
  Not too long ago, if a big brand wanted to implement an omnichannel customer rewards program, it was a little like gathering 1,000 or so of your closest friends for a particularly epic and elaborate mannequin challenge video—it was logistically daunting, and beholden to so many moving pieces that a hiccup or proposed change anywhere in the chain could bring the whole thing crashing down.Needless to say, that old approach limited what brands could do, and who was willing to partner with the
  
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• BrandPost: Winning With Omnichannel Is Like Learning a New Language

  05-05-2017 23:01
  
  Languages have fascinated me since I was a young child. Words hold a power and history whose lure I could never resist, and I’ve made a lifelong hobby of learning new languages.To my surprise and delight, what started as a personal fascination has gradually given me insight into my job at Apigee helping companies execute digital platform and omnichannel strategies. I’m often asked, for example, whether someone can learn a foreign language using some popular app. No, you can’t,
  
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• Patch to fix Intel-based PCs with enterprise bug rolls out next week

  05-05-2017 22:46
  
  Next week, PC vendors will start rolling out patches that fix a severe vulnerability found in certain Intel-based business systems, including laptops, making them easier to hack.   Intel on Friday released a new notice urging clients to take steps to secure their systems.The chipmaker has also released a downloadable tool that can help IT administrators and users discover whether a machine they own has the vulnerability.In addition, vendors including Fujitsu, HP, and Lenovo have r
  
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• BrandPost: A Revolution in Retail (and Beyond): Some Key Omnichannel Dynamics

  05-05-2017 22:45
  
  In a previous article we discussed how important the “outside-in” approach of understanding customers’ expectations is to omnichannel retail in a variety of subsectors (apparel, grocery, and malls). Across retail, the cool and differentiated customer experiences that enable seamless interaction with customers, regardless of whether they’re in a retail store, on their laptops, or on their phones, are enabled by APIs.To deliver the constantly evolving and highly unified exp
  
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• BrandPost: Omnichannel: Seeing the World Through Customer-Colored Glasses

  05-05-2017 22:36
  
  After meeting with many retail customers, I’ve found that a common ingredient among the most successful ones is an “outside-in” approach. Great retailers think carefully about what kinds of experiences their customers want and expect; it’s the exact opposite of the “build it and they will come” mentality espoused by many businesses (some of which aren’t around any longer).The experience they’re all trying to get to right now in the pervasive mashup
  
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• BrandPost: Ticketmaster: How APIs Help Provide "Moments of Joy"

  05-05-2017 22:25
  
  Ticketmaster’s mission is to bring "moments of joy to fans of live entertainment everywhere,” and APIs play a critical role in this.We spoke with Ismail Elshareef, senior vice president of fan experience and open platform at the ticket sales and distribution company, to discuss how APIs remove friction from innovating and fostering partnerships at Ticketmaster.Ticketmaster partners like Groupon and Walmart can easily provide their customers with access to live entertainment inventory
  
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• Red Hat nicely positioned for the turn to cloud

  05-05-2017 22:21
  
  Red Hat CEO James Whitehurst kicked off the company’s Summit meeting in Boston this week, which attracted more than 6,000 people, up 20% from last year. Network World Editor in Chief John Dix caught up with Whitehurst at the show for an update on the company’s position and prospects. One of your keynote speakers said 84% of Red Hat customers have cloud deployment strategies. Is the shift to cloud accelerating your business?I do think the shift to cloud is helping. We have data that s
  
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• We've gotten our first look at an Echo with a built-in screen, and it's straight out of 2005

  05-05-2017 21:55
  
  Alexa is poised for a major breakout. Over the past few months, Amazon’s AI assistant has expanded to the iPhone in the Amazon app, Android with the Huawei Mate 9, and gotten a camera upgrade with the fashion-minded Echo Look. But a new leak suggests Amazon has even bigger plans for Alexa.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• 40% off Dell Computer Ultrasharp U2415 24.0-Inch Screen LED Monitor - Deal Alert

  05-05-2017 20:55
  
  The Dell Ultrasharp monitor has virtual borderless viewing ideal for a multi-monitor set-up; with more vertical resolution available on the U2415 16:10 monitor . Fully adjustable features like tilt, swivel, height adjust including pivoting both 90 Degree clockwise or counter-clockwise, allowing the thinnest possible edges to be placed side by side . Connect seamlessly to other peripherals simultaneously without compromising on picture quality via digital connectivity. A high curre
  
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• 39% off Dell Computer Ultrasharp U2415 24.0-Inch Screen LED Monitor - Deal Alert

  05-05-2017 20:55
  
  The Dell Ultrasharp monitor has virtual borderless viewing ideal for a multi-monitor set-up; with more vertical resolution available on the U2415 16:10 monitor . Fully adjustable features like tilt, swivel, height adjust including pivoting both 90 Degree clockwise or counter-clockwise, allowing the thinnest possible edges to be placed side by side . Connect seamlessly to other peripherals simultaneously without compromising on picture quality via digital connectivity. A high curre
  
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• Oracle’s enterprise cloud journey is only just beginning

  05-05-2017 20:49
  
  REDWOOD CITY, Calif.- Cloud computing was the primary focus of a media day for journalists here at Oracle headquarters yesterda. A bevy of Oracle executives starting with CEO Mark Hurd detailed the company’s progress and product offerings in the cloud during the event that also featured several customers.Most companies haven’t fully committed to the cloud and Hurd said this hybrid approach of on-premises and cloud computing is likely to remain popular for the next decade. “Most
  
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• Why one CIO chose ‘speed over elegance’ in corporate split

  05-05-2017 20:41
  
  It isn’t often CIOs can make like the pros and draft “players” for their IT team but in early 2015 that’s exactly the scenario Tony Bender found himself in after he agreed to help Edgewell Personal Care peel off its Energizer brand as a separate company. Bender recalls meeting with Mike Aufdembrink, who Energizer hired as its CIO in December 2014, so they could fill out each of their IT teams."Early in the year we sat down and had what was akin to a draft," Bender recalls
  
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• Java modular battle heats up as Oracle criticizes Red Hat, IBM

  05-05-2017 20:06
  
  Amidst a budding controversy surrounding the module system planned for Java, Oracle’s chief Java architect, Mark Reinhold, lashed out today at Red Hat and IBM’s opposition, saying the companies are just guarding their own self interests.In an open letter to the Java Community Process (JCP) Executive Commitee published Friday morning, Reinhold was highly critical of the two rival vendors. The current disagreement centers on Java Specification Request 376, which focuses on the module s
  
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• Fatboy ransomware adjusts demands based on local price of a Big Mac

  05-05-2017 19:55
  
  A new ransomware-for-hire scheme called Fatboy adjusts the ransom it charges based on international exchange rates so it’s more likely the victims get hit for the largest amount they can reasonably pay.Posted on Exploit, a Russian-language online forum, Fatboy automatically adjusts ransom demands according to where the victim is located, according to the Recorded Future blog.That adjustment is based on the Big Mac Index, which was created by The Economist as a way to show whether official
  
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• Chromebook shipments surge by 38 percent, cutting into Windows 10 PCs

  05-05-2017 19:55
  
  In a slowing PC market, Chromebooks siphoned market share away from Windows PCs in 2016 as their popularity grew outside the education market.Chromebook shipments grew by a stunning 38 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. Gartner estimated 9.4 million Chromebooks shipped, compared to 6.8 million units in 2015.The number is just a fraction of overall PC shipments, but growth came in an otherwise down PC market. Overall PC shipments in 2016 were about 270 million units, a decline of about 6.2 percent
  
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• Android device updates: T-Mobile sends out a fix for the Galaxy S8, S8+ red screen

  05-05-2017 18:47
  
  The few Galaxy S8 and S8+ models that were seeing red shouldn’t do so for much longer. T-Mobile is the first to push out a fix for the strange tint that appeared on some users’ new phones.It was a busy week for updates on other fronts, with the monthly patch out for Google’s devices and Nougat hitting a few more Samsung phones.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, smart
  
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• Motorola could be working on a killer new feature for a tablet that no one will want to buy

  05-05-2017 18:31
  
  Unsurprisingly, the Android tablet market on the decline. You don’t have to be an analyst to see that usage is dramatically down, and a new report confirms that very fact. But that’s not stopping Motorola from trying to resuscitate it.According to Android Police, Motorola is working on a new Moto tablet, it’s first in a number of years. And according to a screenshot it received from a source, the tablet isn’t just another run-of-the-mill 10-inch affair with a metal-and-gl
  
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• PC makers will ship Windows 10 mixed reality headsets in Q4

  05-05-2017 18:28
  
  Microsoft's hardware partners will flood the market with Windows Mixed Reality headsets by the holiday season this year, offering up a new way to enjoy Windows 10.A Windows Mixed Reality headset from Acer is already being seeded to select developers by Microsoft, but isn't available to consumers yet.So far three PC makers -- Lenovo and HP as well as Acer -- said they would ship headsets later this year. Dell is still mulling a release date. The headsets will start at $299, the rough minimum pric
  
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• Trump presidency offers lessons in how not to lead

  05-05-2017 17:41
  
  As we watch what is shaping up to be a failed presidency, one historic problem becomes clear. Time and again we witness how CEOs who have been advanced to leadership roles without first building a breadth of competencies cannot succeed. It all comes down to the need to ensure an adequate foundation for success, something that often separates successful firms from those that fail. Other than being defined by irony, the Trump presidency is, so far, as much a showcase of what not to do when you hav
  
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• UK seeks end to end-to-end encryption

  05-05-2017 17:38
  
  It could put an end to end-to-end encryption in services such as WhatsApp: The U.K. government wants telecommunications providers to help it tap their customers' communications, removing any encryption the provider applied.The government's desires are set out in a draft of the regulations obtained by Open Rights Group (ORG), which campaigns for digital civil rights."These powers could be directed at companies like WhatsApp to limit their encryption. The regulations would make the demands that [H
  
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• BrandPost: The Critical Difference: Continuous Quality versus Continuous Testing

  05-05-2017 17:07
  
  The rapid adoption of the Agile method and the software development and operations (DevOps) approach isn’t surprising. As anyone in our industry knows, the pressure to conduct system testing and quality with both speed and accuracy is a daily struggle. Employing Agile methodologies allows us to better address business and customer needs, while breaking through the challenges and limitations of traditional waterfall development. As an extension of Agile, DevOps has emerged as a solution to
  
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• New Android security report is alarming, but not because of the amount of malware

  05-05-2017 17:06
  
  We’re all used to hearing about how horrible malware is on Android, but a new report is the most disturbing yet. Security firm G Data is projecting that not only will new Android viruses and exploits reach new heights in 2017, but a new one will be discovered once every 10 seconds. But before you toss your Android phone in the trash, let’s explore how bad it really is.While 8,400 malware discoveries every day is certainly alarming, it’s important to know that they’re not
  
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• Cyberspies tap free tools to make powerful malware framework

  05-05-2017 16:55
  
  Over the past year, a group of attackers has managed to infect hundreds of computers belonging to government agencies with a malware framework stitched together from JavaScript code and publicly available tools.The attack, analyzed by researchers from antivirus firm Bitdefender, shows that cyberespionage groups don't necessarily need to invest a lot of money in developing unique and powerful malware programs to achieve their goals. In fact, the use of publicly available tools designed for system
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Six highlights of Red Hat Summit 2017

  05-05-2017 16:36
  
  At the Red Hat Summit 2017, the company showed how it is evolving from being a Linux vendor to a cloud provider and recognized the work of individuals and partners who have contributed to the popularity of open source.Collaboration with AWS: Multi or hybrid cloud is the future. Companies are using a mix of cloud technologies and Red Hat is working on making it easier to access AWS services right from Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.Customers can use the Red Hat OpenShift console to configur
  
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• Most U.S. households have ditched landlines for mobile phones

  05-05-2017 16:24
  In America, landlines aren’t the norm anymore.A recently released survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PDF) estimates that during the second half of 2016 50.8 percent of U.S. households were wireless only. That’s up from 48.3 percent during the same time period in 2015—a rise of 2.5 percentage points.The story behind the story: It might seem odd to hear that the CDC is tracking phone usage, but there’s actually a good reason for it. Every year, the
  
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• Facebook nears 2 billion users, warns ad growth will slow

  05-05-2017 16:21
  
  Facebook is on track to surpass 2 billion monthly active users (MAU) before the end of this summer. The company ended the first quarter of 2017 with 1.94 billion MAUs and 1.28 billion people using the social network every day.While the monthly user base grew 17 percent year-over-year, daily usage jumped at a slightly higher rate of 18 percent during the same period. Overall growth remains steady, which is unique for a company with such a massive global user base. Facebook reported identical grow
  
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• How to survive a move when your ISP can’t go with you

  05-05-2017 16:20
  
  You’ve just moved into a new place and getting your Internet connection will take a while. Or maybe you’re travelling on business and your hotel has sub-standard WiFi with an outrageous price tag. Staying offline isn’t an option. So what’s the easiest, least costly way to solve this bump in the road?I faced this very problem when I recently moved across town here in San Francisco. I’ll have an ultra-fast fiber connection by next week, but while I’m waiting I n
  
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• Released Today Amazon Prime Members get 20% off Prey for Xbox One, PS4 and PC - Deal Alert

  05-05-2017 15:33
  
  Amazon Prime members get an exclusive 20% off of Prey. In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong.
  
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• Microsoft teases a Surface event to 'show the world what's next.' Is it mixed reality?

  05-05-2017 15:18
  
  Microsoft said Thursday night that it will host another mysterious event for reporters, to “show the world what’s next” in Shanghai, China.So far, the invitation has come somewhat out of left field. Microsoft representatives were unavailable for comment at press time, and Microsoft executives haven’t previously indicated that such an event was planned. It likely involves new hardware, though, since Microsoft’s device chief, Panos Panay, has tweeted that he
  
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• Net neutrality defenders gear up for new fight

  05-05-2017 14:47
  
  Advocates for strong net neutrality rules enforced by a powerful federal regulator may be on the ropes, but they are striking a defiant tone as they look to whip up grassroots opposition ahead of the effort to dismantle the FCC's open internet order.Later this month, the FCC is planning to hold a vote at its May 18 meeting that would begin consideration of an order reclassifying broadband service under communications law such that the commission would significantly limit its authority to police
  
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• Don't fear the robots, embrace the potential

  05-05-2017 14:40
  
  A new study suggests that business and IT automation is taking over tasks, not jobs.The implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) is enabling enterprises to execute business processes 5-10 times faster with an average of 37 percent fewer resources, according to a report released this week by Information Services Group (ISG). However, the productivity gains are not necessarily leading to mass layoffs, but rather the redeployment of employees to handle higher-value tasks and a greater vol
  
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• Burnout isn't budging in the U.S. workforce

  05-05-2017 13:57
  
  Feeling exhausted, uninspired, cranky, unmotivated and burned out? You're not alone.According to a new study from professional service automation company Kimble Applications, which focused on professionals that track billable hours, the majority underreport the number of hours they work. This has broad implications for professions like IT consultants and contract software engineers, as well as attorneys and accountants, says Rob Bruce, vice president of strategy at Kimble Applications.[ Related
  
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• Microsoft plots changes to Windows 10's release lingo

  05-05-2017 13:42
  
  Microsoft will change the nomenclature of its Windows 10 release model in September, dropping terms used since the operating system's debut and substituting names that sync with Office 365.In an online Q&A Thursday about "Windows as a service," Microsoft's concept of an ever-evolving, ever-updating OS, Michael Niehaus, a director of product marketing on the Windows 10 team, answered a question about the new terminology.[ Related: Fix Windows 10 problems with these free Microsoft tools ]"New
  
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• Top tips for finding the right cybersecurity products

  05-05-2017 13:00
  
  Having trouble finding the right security products for your business? You’re not the only one.Today’s market is filled with hundreds of vendors and plenty of marketing hype. But figuring out which solutions are worthwhile can be a challenge, especially for businesses with little experience in cybersecurity.  So we asked actual buyers of enterprise security products for tips, and here’s what they said.  Damian Finol, security technical program manager at a major intern
  
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• The pitfalls of cybersecurity shopping: hype and shoddy products

  05-05-2017 13:00
  
  There's a growing threat on the cybersecurity scene that could drain millions from unsuspecting businesses and leave them vulnerable to hacking threats.It isn’t a new strain of ransomware. It’s the cybersecurity industry itself.It's ironic, but the products vendors sell, and the marketing they use, sometimes leave buyers misinformed and less secure, according to several business directors who actually buy the tech.   “There’s definitely a lot of vaporware,&rdquo
  
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• Surface Laptop: Everything you need to know

  05-05-2017 12:30
  
  The Surface Laptop stole the show at Microsoft’s May 2 event. The focus may have been on education, Windows 10 S, and affordable laptops for classroom use, but the oohs and ahhs went to the Surface Laptop for its beautiful display and Alcantara-clad keyboard, not to mention its light weight and long battery life. College kids are the Surface Laptop’s purported target user, but a lot of regular folks are intrigued by this new addition to Microsoft’s premium Surface family—
  
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• Windows 10 S FAQ: Everything you need to know about Microsoft's streamlined operating system

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  Microsoft’s taking aim at Chromebooks and MacBooks alike with Windows 10 S, a new version of Windows 10 designed foremost for educational use. But schools alone aren’t Microsoft’s target audience, and while the new operating system shares the same underlying bones as the standard version of Windows 10, there are some stark differences too.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Third parties leave your network open to attacks

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  Most businesses hire third-party providers to fill in when they lack in-house resources. It is often necessary to allow third-party vendors access to their network. But after Target’s network was breached a few years ago because of an HVAC vendor’s lack of security, the focus continues to be on how to allow third parties access to the network without creating a security hole.The use of third-party providers is widespread, as are breaches associated with them. Identity risk and lifest
  
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• Resiliency, staying afloat in the face of cyberthreats

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  Today's reality is that if the enterprise uses networked computers, they will get hit at some point. Not having and practicing a recovery plan could be the doom of any organization.John Bruce, CEO and co-founder at IBM Resilient said, "Resiliency is the ability of an organization to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of cyber incidents."Cyber resiliency is a critical element of the overall organizational resiliency, which includes the many things that organizations grapple
  
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• Pitfalls of identity access management

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  TrackingImage by ThinkstockIt is easy to overlook identity access management as static infrastructure in the background, and that's the chief problem: Too few organizations treat IAM as the crucial, secure connective tissue between businesses' multiplying employees, contractors, apps, business partners and service providers. Aaron Perry, president at Focal Point Data Risk, runs through some of IAM’s pitfalls.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Oracle rethinks modular Java plan after Red Hat’s objections

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  Oracle's chief Java architect has proposed tweaks to Java's modular plan. The revisions were said to be not in response to recent objections by Red Hat and IBM, but they do appear to address one of the concerns.In a post to an openjdk mailing list on Thursday, a proposal by Oracle's Mark Reinhold, chief architect of the Java platform group, centers on an "AutomaticModuleNames" feature. He also referenced the plan on his twitter feed, tweeting, "Module names should be reverse-DNS and so automatic
  
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• 25 geek-inspired gifts for Mother's Day

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  To mom, with loveImage by Ultimate Ears, Looking Glass Design, ThinkGeek, Vik Muniz and MoMA StoreIf you're looking for Mother’s Day gift ideas that are less about gadgets and more about stellar product design, this is the collection for you. The tech quotient is low, but the design bar is high. The creators are artists, craftspeople and industrial designers – and their inspiration comes from science, technology, engineering and math.To read this article in full or to leave a comment
  
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• 10 Unix commands every Mac and Linux user should know

  05-05-2017 12:00
  
  GUIs are great—we wouldn’t want to live without them. But if you’re a Mac or Linux user and you want to get the most out of your operating system (and your keystrokes), you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with the Unix command line. Point-and-click is wonderful whenever you need to do something once or twice. But if you need to repeat that task many times, the command line is your savior.The command line is a window into the full, awesome power of your computer. If you lon
  
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• How upgrading from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro could cost you

  05-05-2017 11:00
  
  There’s plenty about Microsoft’s new Windows 10 S that’s not fully understood, not the least of which is its built-in upgrade path to Windows 10 Pro. Which Windows 10 S device you buy and where you buy it, however, will decide whether you’ll pay a $49 fee for the the upgrade—or have Microsoft pay you with a year’s subscription to Office 365.With most Windows 10 S devices reserved for closely managed classrooms, there's arguably only one Windows
  
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• Uber may be under a US federal criminal probe for its ‘Greyball’ tool

  05-05-2017 08:33
  
  Uber Technologies is reportedly under a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the U.S. over its use of secret software, which helped the company avoid officials seeking rides to investigate the ride-hailing service, according to news reports Thursday.Their accounts appear to tally with a report last month by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, which stated that the City of Portland was notified by the U.S. attorney of the Northern District of California that Uber is the subject of
  
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• Trade commission finds Arista infringed on two original Cisco patents

  05-05-2017 06:08
  
  The legal ping-pong battle between Cisco and Arista Thursday found Cisco on the winning side as In the International Trade Commission ruled that Arista switches infringe on two core Cisco patents that the company says are key technologies in its network switching pantheon.+More on Network World: Arista gets important win over Cisco in patent battle+Mark Chandler, senior vice president, General Counsel and Secretary of Cisco wrote in a blog post of the Commission’s specific ruling
  
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• Google Docs phishing attack underscores OAuth security risks

  05-05-2017 01:20
  
  Google has stopped Wednesday’s clever email phishing scheme, but the attack may very well make a comeback.One security researcher has already managed to replicate it, even as Google is trying to protect users from such attacks.“It looks exactly like the original spoof,” said Matt Austin, director of security research at Contrast Security.The phishing scheme -- which may have circulated to 1 million Gmail users -- is particularly effective because it fooled users with a dummy ap
  
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• Snake cyberespionage malware is ready to bite Mac users

  05-05-2017 01:09
  
  A sophisticated Russian cyberespionage group is readying attacks against Mac users and has recently ported its Windows backdoor program to macOS.The group, known in the security industry as Snake, Turla or Uroburos, has been active since at least 2007 and has been responsible for some of the most complex cyberespionage attacks. It targets government entities, intelligence agencies, embassies, military organizations, research and academic institutions and large corporations."Compared to other pro
  
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