I was excited to see what Double Robotics has accomplished with their telepresence robot, especially when one showed up on an episode of The Good Wife. Double Robotics’ device (see http://www.doublerobotics.com/) is making it possible for teleworkers to have their “doubles” moving around the office, chatting with staff, and attending meetings. The devices works like an iPad on a Segway, though the stand/roller part of the setup is much lighter and slimmer than a Segway, so it’s more like an iPad on a rolling stick. But the movement is controlled remotely and the person controlling it has a sense from their screen of moving around the office and interacting with the staff because their “double” really is.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The word is out: Your SSD won’t retain your data forever when you unplug it. Yup, you’ll never be able to go on vacation again without toting your SSD along. It’s incapable of surviving for two weeks without you, poor thing.I kid, of course.Not archival, but not pathetic
The truth is, yes, under disastrously unfortunate environmental conditions (we’re talking Biblical), your SSD could lose data retention just a few days after it’s pulled from your PC. It could also lose it immediately if you pulverized it with a sledgehammer or threw it in a vat of sulphuric acid—almost-as-likely scenarios. To the point: I’ve re-tasked SSDs after a couple of years of sitting on the shelf, and annoyingly—I still had to secure-erase them to get rid of the old data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Fujitsu has developed stamp-sized wearable sensor tags that can detect whether users have changed their location or posture, fallen down or are experiencing high heat.The tags transmit data via Bluetooth Low Energy and can be worn as wristbands or location badges on lapels or breast pockets. They could be used by people including hospital patients and infrastructure workers to relay data to supervisors.The tags can also be attached to objects such as shopping carts or walkers for the elderly. They’re part of a cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform from Fujitsu called Ubiquitousware that’s aimed at making IoT applications easier for businesses.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
There’s been a flurry of speculation that Salesforce.com could be up for sale, but an alternative line of thinking points to a deal with Sage Group as the explanation for the team of lawyers Salesforce recently hired.On Tuesday, Sage and Salesforce revealed the proof in the proverbial pudding. The two companies have announced a broad global partnership along with a new service from Sage that’s built on the Salesforce1 platform-as-a-service designed to help small businesses move to the cloud.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Intel is expanding its custom server chip program by integrating a special processing unit that could speed up specific applications in cloud computing environments.The chip maker said it will integrate ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) in future Xeon chips, which will speed up cloud, security and big data applications. The ASIC designs will be provided by eASIC, a fabless semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California.Intel declined to comment on the type of ASICs being integrated, or when they will be integrated in Xeon chips. But the integrated ASICs will be reprogrammable, and customers will be able to add more flexibility to their servers to handle specific types of tasks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Life today is vastly more complicated for IT managers than it used to be, thanks in large part to two key trends: bring-your-own-device computing and the growing prevalence of mixed-infrastructure IT environments.Aiming to ease some of the pressure on both ends, Citrix on Tuesday unveiled a new cloud offering designed to give enterprises maximum flexibility.The Citrix Workspace Cloud is built on the notion of a personal “work space” that includes all the desktop, Web and mobile apps a user needs, along with data, documents and collaboration tools. Essentially, the software lets IT administrators put all that together in a unified package and deliver it securely to users wherever they are, no matter what device or network they’re using.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Big Switch Networks rolled out new versions of its SDN-based cloud fabric and monitoring applications which feature tighter integration with VMware, among other enhancements.Big Cloud Fabric is a leaf/spine Clos fabric providing physical and virtual workload connectivity in data centers. Version 2.6 provides fabric automation and analytics for VMware vSphere environments.+ MORE ON NETWORK WORLD:SDN start-up Big Switch bullish on new course +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Not satisfied with offering eight-core chips, Taiwan’s MediaTek has unveiled a mobile processor with 10 cores.On Tuesday, the vendor announced its Helios X20, a “deca-core” chip that it claims can offer better power efficiency and improved performance over competing processors.The cores of the Helios X20 are in three clusters, essentially packing together a dual-core chip with a pair of quad-cores. The dual-core cluster, which uses two ARM Cortex-A72 2.5 GHz processors, is meant to handle the most intensive tasks. The pair of quad-core clusters are designed for medium and lower-scale computing.MediaTek claims this configuration can help save 30 percent on battery life over traditional chips, while keeping the phone’s software running smoothly.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Verizon Communications has agreed to buy AOL for about $4.4 billion, as it looks to build more extensive digital and video platforms to drive future growth.Network operators have to find new ways to make money as their traditional revenue streams are under pressure from a new generation of companies such as Skype, Facebook and WhatsApp.Verizon’s acquisition plan further drives its LTE wireless video and OTT (over-the-top) video strategy, the operator said, adding that its plan is to deliver services to customers over a global multiscreen network platform;AOL’s key assets include its subscription business: Media brands such as The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, Makers and AOL.com, as well as original video content, according to Verizon. The company is also after AOL’s programmatic advertising platforms, and looks to combine that with its own assets to build a mobile-first advertising platform.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Last week, embattled game maker Zynga announced $100 million in spending reductions. The hundreds of layoffs rightly garnered most of the headlines, but there was another important development as well – the company also said that it was abandoning the data centers on which it reportedly just spent $100 million to build. Zynga will return its infrastructure to the cloud.It seems that after being a big Amazon Web Services customer for several years (running a reported 80% of its computing load), in 2012 the company made a "dramatic shift" from the public cloud to its own network, called zCloud. At the time, Allan Leinwand, Zynga's CTO for infrastructure, told PC World that AWS was like a four-door sedan, and that, "we love four-door sedans, but it's a car that's used for a lot of things – doing the shopping, moving the kids. I like to think of zCloud as the sports car built for the Le Mans of social gaming. It's tuned for the track." (Of course, the company still ran some workloads on AWS using a hybrid cloud model.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
11 up-and-coming tech companiesLast week, TechCrunch held its annual Disrupt NY event, where hopeful tech companies gather to explain their ideas, show off their products and try to attract allies, funding and attention.I attended on Monday, May 4th, the first day of the three-day event, and talked to some of the companies exhibiting in Startup Alley, a large, packed room in which several rows of hopefuls showed off their ideas to a loud and lively crowd.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I get it. I really do. Containers let data-center and cloud administrators put two to three times more server instances on a given server than they can with virtual machines. That means fewer servers, which means less power usage, which equals -- Ka-ching! -- less spending on your IT budget. What's not to like?MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 12 Free Cloud Storage options
Well, ahem, you see there's this little, tiny problem. It’s unclear just how secure containers are, and there is certainly not much agreement on how to secure them or who will take that on.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Many companies not making the migration off of Windows Server 2003 before support ends in July cite cost as the reason; either they can't afford it or they haven't got the budget this year but will later in the year or next year. If you are in such a scenario, you should still begin preparing for the eventual move and not wait until you have the money to begin planning. That way you can hit the ground running when the funds are there. Endpoint security company Bit9 recommends several steps in the process:Don't do it alone: A smooth transition to a new platform will require full buy-in and agreement from any and all impacted stakeholders. That means not just the IT department, but the business units impacted and the budgeting finance team.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In the new world of cloud storage, there’s still room for old standbys like tape. IBM says combining them can save enterprises money.At its Edge conference in Las Vegas this week, the company will preview an archiving architecture that can span all tiers of storage from server-based flash cache to tape, moving data to the best and most cost-effective tier at any time based on enterprise policies.Enterprises are accumulating growing volumes of data, including new types such as surveillance video that may never be used on a regular basis but need to be stored for a long time. At the same time, new big-data analytics tools are making old and little-used data useful for gleaning new insights into business and government. IBM is going after customers in health care, social media, oil and gas, government and other sectors that want to get to all of their data no matter where it’s stored.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In a surprising move, game maker Zynga tried to do its own data center thing, then went back to the cloud, reports the Wall Street Journal.Was it a game of chicken, to see who would bleed first between Zynga and Amazon? Or was it a venture where, as the WSJ cites, you discover that your groove doesn't involve adding expertise in a field where lowering your costs may not pay off? Sorry to sound cryptic. Let me explain.The capex of running a data center can be gruesome. Even with way-cool software-defined routing, eco-cooling, and plentiful cheap connectivity, they're still expensive. The payback is going to come in decades, one can only hope. In the old days, organizations would install a bunker of a data center, often deep in the sub-basements of a building, designing all for the long term, and sinking cooling and initial infrastructure costs that would include some wild-haired expansion factor over the perceived life of the building.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Your PC may not be as essential to you as your smartphone, but chances are it’s still pretty damn important. So it’s completely understandable if your first reaction is to freeze and freak out when you run into a PC emergency, such as a broken screen, accidentally-deleted important file, or a virus. But panicking is counter-productive, because time is often of the essence.Don’t worry. While you can’t call 9-1-1, here’s what you can do to fix five common PC emergencies.Broken laptop screen
A few months ago, I was working on my MacBook Air next to my French bulldog, Blanka. For some unexplained dog reason, Blanka suddenly decided he needed to be in my lap, so he jumped on me—and landed on my laptop’s screen. A laptop screen is no match for a 27-pound Frenchie, so, needless to say, my screen was toast.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Barracuda NG Firewall on AzureKey features – Barracuda NG Firewall now supports new routing functionality in Azure with User Defined Routes and also works with ExpressRoute providing additional security, redundancy, and application aware traffic routing. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The median pay for CEOs at 50 tech companies was $11.5 million in 2014, according to Network World's analysis of compensation packages.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
IBM is building slimmer versions of its Power hardware—used by its Watson supercomputer—to run complex database applications as well as simpler Web-based ones.IBM has designed its latest Power servers for social networking, search engines and cloud storage, as computing moves from PCs to mobile devices. Beyond the cloud, the new servers with Power8 chips also have the horsepower to handle more complex applications like databases and analytics.The multipurpose servers include the four-socket Power E850, which can handle private, public and hybrid clouds, and in-memory database applications. The more powerful Power E880 is for large-scale database and cloud implementations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple plans to make its supply chain in China greener as a way to cutdown on carbon emissions from its product manufacturing, the company announced on Monday.The U.S. tech giant has already been making its offices and data centers more environmentally friendly, but wants to extend those efforts to its suppliers in China, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. Although the transition to more greener manufacturing will take years, Cook said it is important work that needs to be done.In China, Many Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad, are assembled in large factories run by Foxconn Technology Group and by other large contract manufacturers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here