When CompTIA technology analyst Seth Robinson was researching his new report on the state of cloud computing in July some of the results were puzzling. The 500 business and IT executives who participated reported that their use of SaaS applications had declined since the last time CompTIA completed the survey in 2014. The data ran contrary to claims from every consultant, research firm and tech pundit.The head-scratching stat: 45 percent of CompTIA respondents said they used cloud productivity software, down from 63 percent in 2014; 51 percent consumed cloud email, compared to 51 percent in 2014; and only 35 percent consumed cloud analytics/business intelligence software, a decline from 53 percent two years ago. In all, 12 of the 14 applications CompTIA listed posted declines.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The emergence of application containers has come with questions about where this technology fits in the enterprise technology landscape, and more specifically how it compares to virtual machines.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Are containers VM killers?A new report from 451 Research has some provocative findings on just how advantageous containers could be, not just for developers and operators, but for the finance team too.“451 Research believes containers are better placed, at least theoretically, to achieve lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than traditional hardware virtualization,” 451 Researchers Owen Rogers and Jay Lyman write. “In fact, we have found that double-digit resource savings are achievable even with relatively simple implementations.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The biggest U.S. carriers planning to deploy controversial LTE-Unlicensed technology expect to use gear that’s been tested for coexistence with Wi-Fi, their executives said Wednesday.Speakers from Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA said they expect all the LTE-U devices they use to be vetted through a test plan created by the Wi-Fi Alliance. They also anticipate that gear based on a related technology, LAA (Licensed Assisted Access), will be certified through tests for that system.That’s good news for anyone worried about LTE networks using some of the same frequencies that carry Wi-Fi traffic. The WFA test plan, despite being developed with input from those carriers and other LTE-U backers, was harshly criticized before its completion last week. Backers of LTE-U, including Verizon and Qualcomm, have demonstrated their own coexistence tests. When it released the plan, WFA warned that anything but the full test suite would be inadequate to ensure that LTE-U devices would be fair to Wi-Fi.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IT is a peculiar appliance and has resisted change in the form of overall transparency and/or standardization, perhaps in part due to its unique nature.Generally speaking, IT does not have a great track record in welcoming parties to the decision-making process and even resists efforts to increase transparency. Because IT displaces or eliminates other forms of resource consumption, trying to apply efficient IT principles can invite the threshold question of ‘Why?’ Some people think, “If I can avoid an airplane trip, ride in my car, overnight delivery or firing up a printing press, isn’t that enough?”+ Also on Network World: America’s data centers are getting a lot more efficient +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google is making a major change to its cloud platform infrastructure that will help shore up one of the company's biggest weaknesses relative to competitors like Microsoft and Amazon.On Thursday, Urs Hölzle, the company's senior vice president of technical infrastructure, unveiled eight forthcoming regions around the world for the company's cloud services. The regions are all slated to launch in 2017 and will be comprised of multiple data centers for companies looking to run high-availability applications.Having a broad distribution of cloud infrastructure is important to Google's competitive chances. More and more countries are requiring that some types of data are stored in particular geographic locations. And even with high-speed networks, a large distance between where an application is hosted and where its users are located will lead to a slowdown.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Sphero 2.0 is the app-enabled ball that does it all. Intelligent and well-rounded, Sphero lets you play, learn, and explore. Create obstacle courses, turn your living room into a video game with augmented reality apps, upgrade family game night with multiplayer fun, or learn to program with their free SPRK lessons. This virtually unstoppable companion is waterproof, pet-proof, and ready for any adventure. It averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 300 people (read reviews) and its list price of $130 is currently discounted 24% to $99. At sub-$100, maybe a fun option to kick off the inevitable holiday shopping you're trying not to think about.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft is previewing a cloud-based bug detector, dubbed Project Springfield, that it calls one of its most sophisticated tools for finding potential security vulnerabilities.Project Springfield uses "whitebox fuzzing," which uncovered one-third of the "million dollar" security bugs during the development of Windows 7. Microsoft has been using a component of the project called SAGE since the mid-2000s to test products prior to release, including fuzzing both Windows and Office applications. [ From Docker containers and Nano Server to software-defined storage and networking improvements, Windows Server 2016 is packed with great additions: Get the scoop on Windows Server 2016 from InfoWorld. | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows Report newsletter. ]
For this project, SAGE is bundled with other tools for fuzz testing, featuring a dashboard and other interfaces that enable use by people without an extensive security background. The tests are run using Microsoft's Azure cloud.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Take the power of an AC Outlet with you wherever you go. This battery pack from ChargeTech is the first battery pack not to be limited by USB ports. Compact enough to fit your purse, backpack, or briefcase, it can handle laptops, lights, projectors, and even medical devices up to 85 watts -- almost anything you can think of. The included international adapter allows ChargeTech to work in any country around the globe. Take it on your travels or let your friends from other countries use it while they visit. This product averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 300 people on Amazon (read reviews). Its typical list price has been reduced 16% to $189. See the discounted ChargeTech portable battery pack now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Quite a lot of news came out of the Microsoft Ignite 2016 conference, most of which we have already covered. But there's more, as Microsoft announced a big upgrade to its OneDrive cloud storage service.Microsoft wants to provide a single sync client for all of its cloud storage services, whether its OneDrive, OneDrive for Business or SharePoint, and it has been for some time. To achieve this, it has added the ability to sync SharePoint Online document libraries with OneDrive folders,and added an "activity center" to the OneDrive sync client to allow you to view synchronization and file activity at a glance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It's been nearly two years since President Obama created the U.S. chief data scientist role, and the man currently in the job had an urgent message Thursday for attendees at Strata+Hadoop World: We need you."We are at the first step in making data work for every American," said DJ Patil in a keynote speech at the show. "It's only going to make a difference when people like you step up and show that it's not just feasible but scalable."As chief data scientist in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Patil's mission is to "responsibly unleash the power of data to benefit all Americans," he said, with an emphasis on the word "responsibly" and the focus on inclusion.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft has announced the formation of its AI and Research Group, which it says will help the company democratize artificial intelligence use across individuals and organizations.The group unites Microsoft Research, which has been its own unit since 1991, with more than 5,000 computer scientists and engineers working on the company’s artificial intelligence products. 20-year Microsoft veteran Harry Shum will lead the group as executive vice president, and the group is hiring.MORE: Microsoft research on why Micro Datacenters really matter to mobile's futureTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Low-frequency transmissions created by off-the-shelf biometric devices, such as fingerprint sensors, can be diverted through the body and can securely transmit password-like authentication.The off-the-shelf biometric sensors, such as touchpads, are “re-purposed to send out information,” says Shyam Gollakota, University of Washington assistant professor of computer science and engineering and senior author on the research paper, in a University of Washington article. The secret passphrases and such are confined to the human body, so they can’t be eavesdropped on.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When the leading candidates for America's next presidency traded barbs this week during the first presidential debate, political operatives and energized voters were hard at work sharing opinions (and insults) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Much of today's political discourse starts on social media, and the medium often amplifies vitriol and slants information.The 2016 presidential election isn't the first event for which social media has been used as a political tool, but today it carries tremendous weight and influence over the electorate. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both use social to their advantages, but it's often the surrogates, supporters and influencers who shape perceptions, according to whatever views serve their preferred candidate's interests.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
On paper, the Obama administration has taken many steps toward advancing education and training in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math -- a critical policy priority for many businesses that say they struggle to hire qualified workers.[ Related: Obama expands STEM education and training efforts ]But White House officials are quick to acknowledge that more work needs to be done, particularly in recruiting girls and minority students into computer science and other technical fields. They are hoping that a newly launched advanced placement course will help attract more interest in computer science by integrating the field with other disciplines and emphasizing real-world applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Well, the short answer to this question is nothing. After the impressive and (mostly) stable Anniversary Update in 2016, your Windows 10 system should be sitting at version 1607.To answer the important question of what's next, let's review the different update approaches to Windows 10 that exist out there.The mainstream consumer release of Windows 10 that most of us have updated with the Anniversary Update is called the Current Branch (CB). Understand that the Current Branch for Business (CBB) lags behind the CB by several months. This is an excellent idea, since most businesses want there to be extra time while any issues with the CB are ironed out with bug fixes. That's right—Microsoft experiments a bit with us home users.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Our increasingly connected world gives hackers even more ways to exploit technology for malicious purposes. We’re now entering a period when cyber attacks could cause major physical damage. To protect people from these combined cyber and physical threats, information security experts and law enforcement, which traditionally handles physical security, will have to share strategies.+ Also on Network World: The IoT is uranium +After all, the boundaries between cyber and physical attacks are already blurring. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice claimed seven Iranians hacked the control systems of a small dam in New York state in 2013. The dam was offline for repair, preventing the hackers from controlling the flow of water. However, the incident demonstrated that hackers could take over infrastructure that was controlled by computers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has found more attempts to hack the voter registration systems of states, ahead of national elections.The agency had reportedly found evidence in August that foreign hackers had breached state election databases in Illinois and Arizona, but it appears that there have been other attempts as well, besides frequent scanning activities, which the FBI describes as preludes for possible hacking attempts."There have been a variety of scanning activities, which is a preamble for potential intrusion activities, as well as some attempted intrusions at voter registration databases beyond those we knew about in July and August," FBI Director James Comey told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has found more attempts to hack the voter registration systems of states, ahead of national elections.The agency had reportedly found evidence in August that foreign hackers had breached state election databases in Illinois and Arizona, but it appears that there have been other attempts as well, besides frequent scanning activities, which the FBI describes as preludes for possible hacking attempts."There have been a variety of scanning activities, which is a preamble for potential intrusion activities, as well as some attempted intrusions at voter registration databases beyond those we knew about in July and August," FBI Director James Comey told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IT administrators trying to figure out how to move their organizations to Windows 10 have a new tool that might change the game. This week, Microsoft released the Windows Upgrade Analytics Service, designed to make it easier to decide whether you can carry out a massive upgrade.WUAS gives administrators a sense of what drivers and applications are running in their environment, as well as how many devices are running Windows 10. Using Microsoft telemetry data, it decides whether those devices and the software running on them will be compatible with Windows 10 and suggest fixes for compatibility problems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Common criminals, not state-sponsored hackers, carried out the massive 2014 data breach that exposed information about millions of Yahoo user accounts, a security firm said Wednesday.
Yahoo has blamed state actors for the attack, but it was actually elite hackers-for-hire who did it, according to InfoArmor, which claims to have some of the stolen information.
The independent security firm found the alleged data as part of its investigation into "Group E," a team of five professional hackers believed to be from Eastern Europe.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here