IT Executive news

• Why dynamic mapping is changing network troubleshooting for the better

  15-05-2017 23:10
  
  Effective network troubleshooting requires experience and a detailed understanding of a network’s design. And while many great network engineers possess both qualities, they still face the daunting challenge of manual data collection and analysis.The storage and backup industries have long been automated, yet, for the most part, automation has alluded the network, forcing engineering teams to troubleshoot and map networks manually. Estimates from a NetBrain poll indicate that network engin
  
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• How to use blockchain: Following an asset through its lifecycle to learn more

  15-05-2017 22:43
  
  This contributed piece has been edited and approved by Network World editorsPossession is nine-tenths of the law, right?  But thanks to blockchain, this old adage may no longer be a viable way to settle property disputes.Artists and enterprises alike have long struggled to prove ownership of their work after it has been disseminated, especially when it is uploaded online. What if there was a way to use technology to reliably track asset provenance with absolute certainty, from creation to m
  
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• BrandPost: Windows 10 Keeps Getting Better

  15-05-2017 22:29
  
  It has been almost a year and a half since the release of Windows 10, and today it’s running on more than 400 million devices worldwide. IT administrators are reporting an estimate of 15% improvement in OS management time to put toward other IT areas. Plus, security remediation has been greatly reduced, thanks to Windows 10 security features like Credential Guard and Device Guard, along with improved features like BitLocker.No matter what your reason is to move to Windows 10, there will be
  
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• 12 ways to improve run-time container security

  15-05-2017 22:22
  
  This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.There still really aren’t many enterprise run-time security tools for containers available, which has skewed the conversation toward establishing defensive barriers prior to run-time – during the build, integration, and deployment stage.Of course, with rapidly evolving technology like containers, it
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Content analytics shows us alternative pathways to success

  15-05-2017 22:20
  
  To be “enterprising” is to be eager to undertake or prompt to attempt. To show initiative and be resourceful. These are leadership traits, so to be enterprising is to lead. “Analytics” is how we use data to inform decision making, in the context of achieving business objectives. These are management practices, so analytics is about management.”Enterprising Analytics” is about being creative, resourceful and adventurous with decision making to achieve business
  
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• At Google I/O, enterprises may get AI they can put to work

  15-05-2017 21:52
  
  As Google I/O, the search giant's major developer conference, gets ready to kick off on Wednesday, enterprises will be curious to see if Google offers new artificial intelligence technology they can put to work.Google executives are expected to talk about A.I. and machine learning during the Wednesday morning keynote, led by CEO Sundar Pichai.During last year's Google I/O conference, Pichai said the company was moving from a mobile-first to an A.I.-first world, and the company is expected to div
  
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• Nonstop IT and the myth of zero-downtime

  15-05-2017 21:41
  
  Downtime cost estimates generally produce arresting numbers, but for many CIOs they don’t really tell the story. Your downtime costs could be measured in hundreds of dollars per hour or millions of dollars per hour, and your downtime risks could be measured in billions of dollars. An automated trading system that is down during a market correction event could quickly represent a multi-billion dollar loss. But in truth downtime is no longer about the costs and risks of crisis. It has become
  
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• China pays for Windows XP addiction as 'WannaCry' hits

  15-05-2017 21:34
  
  The WannaCry ransomware has wormed its way into tens of thousands of Windows PCs in China, where Windows XP runs one in five systems, local reports said Monday.[ Related: 8 ways to manage an internet or security crisis ]More than 23,000 IP addresses in the People's Republic of China (PRC) show signs of infection, the country's National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT) told Xinhua, the state-run news agency, on Monday.To read this article in full or
  
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• Security-as-a-service supplier Alert Logic started with IDS and blossomed from there

  15-05-2017 21:21
  
  Gray Hall, CEO of Alert Logic, cut his teeth delivering enterprise-class services when he started VeriCenter, one of the earliest managed hosting companies.  Hall eventually sold that company to SunGard Data Systems in 2007, and in 2009 joined Alert Logic where he has since driven revenue growth 12x.  Network World Editor in Chief John Dix recently caught up with Hall to learn more about Alert Logic and the security-as-a-service movement.Lets start with a brief background on the compan
  
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• Secure platforms as a service allow you to focus on function

  15-05-2017 20:47
  
  Even though larger cloud providers offer security and implementation guidelines, companies still face significant risks and challenges when deploying secure applications to the cloud. A new class of security-focused cloud platforms promises to bridge this gap, bringing best-practices and regulatory compliance with the convenience of platform as a service (PaaS).Notable examples of this type of company include Datica, Healthcare Blocks and Aptible, all founded in 2013 and all container-based. The
  
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• New WannaCry variant being monitored, DHS official says

  15-05-2017 20:40
  
  A variant of the WannaCry ransomware that emerged Monday has been able to infect some of the computers patched after the original malware struck last week, according to a top cyber official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."We're working on how to address that [variant] and sharing as we can," said the official who asked not to be named. The official did not say how many computers have been affected by the variant, other than to say "some." The original WannaCry attack hit more than
  
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• How to make Fully Homomorphic Encryption 'practical and usable'

  15-05-2017 20:39
  
  Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) for years has been a promising approach to protecting data while it’s being computed on, but making it fast enough and easy enough to use has been a challenge.The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, which has been leading the Department of Defense’s examination of this topic, recently awarded research and development firm Galois a $1M contract to explore ways to bring FHE to programmers. The goal, says Galois Principal Investigato
  
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• How Sky UK uses Atlassian tools to improve communication

  15-05-2017 20:33
  
  Sky UK is using Atlassian collaboration tools to manage software development for its customer relationship management (CRM) systems, helping to improve communication between developers and business teams.The company has more than 12 million customers across its television, broadband, and telecoms service. Keeping all of them happy is no easy task, but Sky UK still consistently tops Ofcom's customer satisfaction reports. Central to this success is the performance of the CRM platform used in the c
  
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• What is ransomware and how do I protect my PC from WannaCry?

  15-05-2017 20:29
  
  On Friday 12 May and over the weekend, thousands of computers were attacked by malware called WannaCry, also known as WCry, WannaDecryptOr, and WannaCrypt. It's ransomware and stops you from accessing any files on the 'infected' computer until you pay the ransom.[ Related: 8 ways to manage an internet or security crisis ]NHS computers were infected in the UK by the attack, along with computers in over 100 other countries including those owned by FedEx.To read this article in full or to leave a c
  
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• A smart exoskeleton can keep the elderly safe

  15-05-2017 20:07
  
  A team of Italian and Swiss researchers has developed a prototype exoskeleton that can prevent elderly people from falling. The device is wearable from the waist down and made of carbon fiber braces. These can be easily adjusted to the wearer by tightening a few nuts and bolts. Hillary Sanctuary / EPFL A prototype of the exoskeleton at a rehabilitation center in Florence, Italy. Once the exoskeleton is fitted, it must first learn the specific walking patterns of the user, known as gait
  
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• 57% off Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000 2-in-1 Portable Charger and Wall Charger - Deal Alert

  15-05-2017 20:03
  
  Charge your device and PowerCore Fusion's internal battery via a wall outlet, then take it with you for up to 3 phone charges -- any place, any time. In the wall or on-the-go, Anker's exclusive PowerIQ and VoltageBoost technologies ensure that all devices receive their fastest possible charge. Also features a foldable plug to ensure maximum portability. At the moment, its list proce of $50.99 is reduced 57% on Amazon to just $21.99. See the discounted Anker PowerCore 5000 on Amazon.To read this
  
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• WannaCry attacks are only the beginning

  15-05-2017 19:39
  
  Thousands of organizations from around the world were caught off guard by the WannaCry ransomware attack launched Friday. As this rapidly spreading threat evolves, more cybercriminals are likely to attempt to profit from this and similar vulnerabilities.As a ransomware program, WannaCry itself is not that special or sophisticated. In fact, an earlier version of the program was distributed in March and April and, judging by its implementation, its creators are not very skilled.To read this articl
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Picking at the word salad of Dell EMC World

  15-05-2017 19:00
  
  The word salad at Dell EMC World in Las Vegas last week included many of the likely suspects: hyperconvergence, infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), digital transformation (with variants like IT and business transformation), cloud and its variants (public, private, hybrid, native), security and its variants (data, network, at rest, in flight), appliance, and, of course, the all-weather “solutions,” good for any season.Ready to repair for the evening, perhaps to try to
  
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• Google is reportedly eyeing an iOS Assistant app as it fires new salvo in the AI wars

  15-05-2017 18:52
  
  The battle for AI supremacy is no longer about which device you want to buy. First Microsoft’s Cortana made the leap from Windows to the Android lock screen, and Android followed up by integrating Alexa into its shopping app. But now things are starting to get really interesting as Google reportedly readies a major push onto iOS.According to Android Police, Google is planning to release a standalone Assistant app on iOS, with an announcement possibly coming at I/O this week. According
  
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• Ransomware makes healthcare wannacry

  15-05-2017 18:48
  
  Around 200,000 systems have been hit by the malware WannaCry, resulting in doctors being blocked from gaining access to patient files and forcing emergency rooms to send people away.Despite Microsoft sending out a patch for the vulnerability a few months ago, those unpatched Windows XP and Server 2003 systems were the culprit of the mass ransomware worm spread around the world. It only took one click of a link in an email to send mass hysteria through many organizations.“Healthcare organiz
  
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• What to do about WannaCry if you’re infected or if you’re not

  15-05-2017 18:46
  
  Today is likely to be painful for many organizations all over the world that took the weekend off and are returning to the work-week to find hundreds or thousands of computers on their networks encrypted by WannaCry ransomware, which surfaced Friday and has been propagating ever since.[ Related: 8 ways to manage an internet or security crisis ]Estimates by law enforcement agency Europol estimated yesterday that more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries were infected, but with the worm continu
  
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• Samsung to detail new Tizen OS for smart home appliances, IoT devices

  15-05-2017 18:45
  
  In the future, your Samsung vacuum cleaner, robot or washing machine will run on an OS called Tizen RT, slated to be introduced and detailed on Tuesday.The OS for smart devices and gadgets -- in other words, internet of things (IoT) devices -- will be introduced by Samsung at its Tizen Developers Conference, which will be held in San Francisco starting Tuesday.Samsung will share the architecture and future release schedule for Tizen RT at the conference. A number of sessions are being held on ho
  
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• Google moves Android out of the app and into the auto with Volvo, Audi partnerships

  15-05-2017 17:55
  
  Over the past year or so, Android Auto been stuck in neutral. Even by removing the car requirement and making Android Auto a standalone app, the initiative hasn’t really picked up speed. We’re still waiting for most of our favorite apps to join the fray (including Waze, which was promised at last year’s I/O), and for the most part, Android Auto hasn’t really advanced beyond its initial concept.However, a new partnership with Audi and Volvo aims to kick it into high gear.
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The NHS ransomware event and security challenges for the U.S healthcare system

  15-05-2017 17:41
  
  Which industry went from nearly zero to 1 billion dollars in 2016? If you guessed ransomware, you would be right. Ransomware payments were expected to hit $1 billion in 2016, according to the FBI. The malware that affected over 100,000 organizations last weekend in 150 countries may have delivered that kind of revenue in a single day to the cyberattackers.Late last week, reports emerged of a large-scale ransomware attack against the U.K’s NHS hospitals that impacted nearly 50 hospitals; it
  
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• BrandPost: ITSM vs. DevOps: Which Side Are You On?

  15-05-2017 17:35
  
   
  “We aren’t doing ITIL or ITSM any more – we’re a DevOps shop now.”’ “ITIL is too slow and formal for us now.” “We’re far too process driven and formal to do DevOps – it won’t happen here.”In the IT industry, we often hear such varying opinions around DevOps and IT Service Management. These concepts are typically pitched against each other, as an ‘either/or’ decision. – so we either are an ITIL
  
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• MP3 audio quietly fades into history

  15-05-2017 17:27
  
  Neil Young and opinionated sound engineers everywhere have a reason to smile: The organization responsible for the MP3 audio format is closing the doors on its licensing program.The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits recently announced that it and Technicolor would no longer license “patents and software” for the MP3 format. The licensing program officially ended on April 23.“We thank all of our licensees for their great support in making mp3 the defacto audio codec i
  
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• Will Windows 10-on-ARM PCs support Mixed Reality headsets?

  15-05-2017 17:22
  
  A Windows-on-ARM PC is getting closer to reality. Microsoft showed off a prototype mini-desktop with an ARM processor running Windows 10 at last week's Build conference, with the PC running applications like Office.The PC was shown in a video posted on the Channel 9 website. The presenters reinforced Microsoft's previous message saying that all x86 applications will work on Windows-on-ARM PCs.Microsoft has maintained that the experience on Windows 10-on-ARM PCs will be similar to x86 laptop
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Review: Galago Pro is a Linux laptop for professionals

  15-05-2017 17:13
  
  There used to be a time when buying a new laptop was a huge undertaking for a Linux user. It required a lot of pre-sales research to ensure that the system you were going to buy would work with Linux, ‘with’ a workaround or extra effort.Linux has come a long way, thanks to the efforts of the kernel community, especially Greg Kroah-Hartman who works with hardware vendors to add support for Linux. Nowadays, in most case, everything just works.This improved support for Linux h
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Municipal shared services agreements for information technology

  15-05-2017 17:00
  
  In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Countywide Shared Services Initiative “requires counties to assemble local governments to find efficiencies for real, recurring taxpayer savings... by coordinating and eliminating duplicative services and propose coordinated services to enhance purchasing power.”[i] New York is currently offering substantial financial incentives to municipal organizations that “create savings.”According to a 2013 study[ii], about 8 percent
  
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• 'Perfect storm' of ransomware and network worm hits unprotected computers globally

  15-05-2017 16:59
  
  The cruel reality of a global ransomware attack that crippled computer systems in 150 countries on Friday is this: Attackers took advantage of under-prepared computer users and their organizations. [ Related: 8 ways to manage an internet or security crisis ]Enterprises -- including manufacturers, car makers, hospitals and government agencies -- were running older versions of Windows or hadn't patched even the newest Windows versions with a patch that Microsoft released in March.To read this
  
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• How QVC uses streaming analytics to drive revenue

  15-05-2017 16:59
  
  The idea of selling goods directly to consumers on television may seem quaint in the age of ecommerce, but not to QVC, which today provides televised home shopping to more than 350 million households in seven different countries. It may seem quaint, but it is in fact a sophisticated data-driven operation that leverages real-time streaming analytics to help it make decisions that it can act upon within moments.Since 1986, QVC has been a fixture on American cable, broadcast TV and satellite TV net
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Should Apple News be released for macOS?

  15-05-2017 16:40
  
  There was a great deal of excitement when the Apple News app was first released for iOS. Apple got a ton of media coverage and Apple News quickly became a useful tool for many iOS users.But is it now time for Apple News to come to macOS?This question recently came up in a thread on the Apple subreddit, and the folks there didn’t pull any punches in sharing their opinions about it.I’ll share my thoughts below, but here’s a sample of the comments posted in the Reddit thread:Wakaa
  
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• Google readies Duo, Assistant integration as its elevation of Allo continues

  15-05-2017 16:39
  
  With I/O just around the corner, there are signs that Google is preparing Allo to take a central role in its increasingly convoluted messaging strategy. First, we got chat backups and link previews, then the ability to create custom stickers based on our selfies. But there might be some new changes on the horizon that could elevate it even further.In their teardown of the most recent APK, Android Police and 9to5Google have uncovered some interesting tidbits that could put Allo in a much more pro
  
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• 8 ways to manage an internet or security crisis

  15-05-2017 16:28
  
  Your business is hit with a ransomware attack. Or your ecommerce site crashes. Your legacy system stops working. Or maybe your latest software release has a major bug. These are just some of the problems that ecommerce, technology and other companies experience at one time or another.The issue is not if a problem – or crisis – occurs, but how your company handles it when it does. Manage the problem poorly, you risk losing customers, or worse. Handle a crisis promptly and professional
  
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• 53% off HAVIT 2.4GHz Adjustable 2000 DPI Wireless Gaming Mouse - Deal Alert

  15-05-2017 16:21
  
  Reliable connection with advanced 2.4ghz wireless. Features a working distance of up to 15m, sleep mode, a comfortable ergonomic design, and three-gear DPI adjustment: 1000/1500/2000DPI, to quickly change speed in your games with one key.
  
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• Risks to the enterprise from the one-trick pony

  15-05-2017 15:00
  
  With the rise of as-a-service products, there's been some buzz about the growing number of unsophisticated attackers. Whether an adversary is highly skilled and targeting an organization or taking advantage of a black market service to make a few bucks, any threat is a threat.In fact, some one-trick pony adversaries may well be quite sophisticated. Simply because they rely on a singular tried-and-true method doesn't mean their attack poses any less of a risk.Mike Cotton, vice president research
  
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• Lyft riders may get early taste of self-driving tech from Google's Waymo

  15-05-2017 14:43
  
  Cars driving for ride-hailing service Lyft may soon sport lidar sensors alongside the pink logo and Amp dash display.The company is teaming up with Alphabet's Waymo subsidiary, the autonomous vehicle business spun out of Google. Details on the deal, reported by the New York Times and later confirmed by the two companies, are vague.Under the deal, the companies will work together on pilot projects and product development efforts to make autonomous vehicles mainstream, the newspaper said, cit
  
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• WWDC wish list: What we’d like from the Siri Speaker

  15-05-2017 14:13
  
  A recent rumor posited that Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo, which we’ve been calling the Siri Speaker, could be announced at WWDC. This isn’t a new idea—we’ve been ruminating on the possibility of such a product for years.And while all you’d really need for a Siri Speaker is a speaker that has Siri, that might not be enough to unseat the Echo or the Google Home—not to mention the brand-new Echo Show, which ups the ante by adding a screen, perfect for
  
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• Silicon Valley VCs have a message for CIOs

  15-05-2017 14:00
  
  In the IT leadership discussion today, CIOs, consultants and other influencers use terms like “innovation” and “disruption” prolifically — sometimes to the point where their true meanings are blurred.In Silicon Valley, thought of by most as the hottest of hotbeds for technological advancements, those terms are rarely used.There’s good reason for that, and it tracks well with the evolution of the CIO role itself: Focusing on bright, shiny technology objects and
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 machine learning trends that will define 2017

  15-05-2017 13:29
  
  Machine learning has been quietly working in the background for years, powering mobile applications and search engines. But recently it has become a more widely circulated buzzword, with virtually all recent technological advancements involving some aspect of machine learning. An impressive rise in data and computing capabilities has made this exponential progress possible. The remarkable growth in sophistication and applications of machine learning will define the technological trends of 2
  
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• Tips to help smaller companies build a corporate culture

  15-05-2017 13:04
  
  When Greg Besner's company, CultureIQ, was in its infancy, he took the entire company -- just a few people, at that point -- hiking. Besides strengthening trust and developing stronger relationships between colleagues, the adventure had another purpose: to determine the core values on which the company's culture would be anchored as it grew.
  Culture kumbaya
  "It sounds really cheesy, right? I mean, we all got on a train to upstate New York, we went hiking, we built a campfire, and we sat around a
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: If it is worth doing, it is worth automating

  15-05-2017 13:00
  
  Pete and Repeat were walking across a bridge. Pete fell in. Who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat were walking across a bridge. Pete fell in. Who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat...— Traditional joke from third gradeEndless repetition gets boring. If you find you are doing the same thing every day, you might consider automating it. I ran across an iPhone/iPad app called IFTTT, which stands for "If this, then that." In a nutshell, it allows you to automate activities based on certain event
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Can you teach ethics to algorithms?

  15-05-2017 13:00
  
  When people think of the ethical issues surrounding algorithms and AI, too many of us think of killer robots or movies like “The Matrix.” But plenty of reasonable people are now rightly concerned that algorithms, far from being unbiased, can be used to perpetuate unjust or racist results.Last May, ProPublica published an article declaring that, “There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks.” ProPublica we
  
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• Google I/O 2017: What to expect from this year's developer's conference

  15-05-2017 13:00
  
  In just a few days, Google will kick off its annual I/O conference and the year of Android will finally begin in earnest. The company has been busy, but until Sundar Pichai takes the stage at the Shoreline Amphitheater, we won’t know for sure what Google has in store for the rest of 2017.Last year we met a new Google Assistant, Daydream, Home, Allo, Duo, and, of course, Android N, and we can’t wait to see what Google rolls out this year. Google usually keeps a pretty tight lid on its
  
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• How CISOs can answer difficult questions from CEOs

  15-05-2017 12:42
  
  The CEO puts all the trust in the chief security officer to keep the company off the front page and out of danger. But as the number of attacks across the internet skyrockets, that trust has slowly eroded or at the very least is increasingly questioned.CEOs don’t want to be caught off-guard, so they are asking pointed questions to ensure they know what security precautions are being taken. Here is a hypothetical Q&A between a CEO or board member and the CISO. Lucas Moody, vice presiden
  
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• Linksys Velop boosts home network throughput

  15-05-2017 12:40
  
  EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a series on smart home networking: Our introductory article set the decor for this series, and the second one focuses on home hubs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Incident response is like tracking down a perpetrator

  15-05-2017 12:35
  
  What is incident response?Image by ThinkstockIncident response is like investigating a real burglary. You look for evidence of the intruder at the crime scene, find his targets and his getaway car, and repair any holes. Discover any cuts in your chain link fence. Take a few steps back for more perspective. Find the intruder’s targets. What assets are near the compromised fence? Investigate in both directions to find the intruder's target and getaway car. Fix the fence. Resolve any issues a
  
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• The 10 best Edge extensions so far

  15-05-2017 12:30
  
  Ever since the Windows 10 Anniversary Update rolled out last August, Microsoft Edge has offered third-party extensions to increase the functionality and customizability of the browser. Despite the popularity of extensions in other browsers, however, Edge has yet to secure a large number of add-ons in the first nine months of its extensibility.At this writing there were less than 40 extensions available in the Windows Store compared to the hundreds available in the catalogs for Chrome and Firefox
  
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• IoT standards battles could get messy

  15-05-2017 12:22
  
  As enterprises start to think about building Internet of Things (IoT) networks, the key question becomes: What’s happening on the standards front?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• U.S. law allows low H-1B wages; just look at Apple

  15-05-2017 12:00
  
  If you work at Apple's One Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino as a computer programmer on an H-1B visa, you can can be paid as little as $52,229. That's peanuts in Silicon Valley. Average wages for a programmer in Santa Clara County are more than $93,000 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.However, the U.S. government will approve visa applications for Silicon Valley programmers at $52,229 -- and, in fact, did so for hundreds of potential visa holders at Apple alone.To
  
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