A Kickstarter project for glowing Bluetooth beacons designed to make your smartphone more useful has blown past its $20K goal with about a week to go.Iota Labs is building physical Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Dots that use location tracking to put your smartphone notifications into context. For example, stick one in the kitchen to prompt you to check food expiration dates or in your car to automatically open up Waze. Put one in the hallway to let you know -- via its LED color as it senses you being in the area -- if a roommate is home and might need a bit of discretion on your part. Or if you want to stretch this initially consumer-oriented product into a business tool, have one alert you to unread emails from your boss as you step into your office. (See Iota's video pitch below.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft never sleeps. Even before the Windows 10 Anniversary Update was rolled out, the company began work on the next two major updates to Windows 10, code-named Redstone 2 and Redstone 3. (Redstone 1 was the code name for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.) Redstone 2 will likely be fully ready in the spring of 2017. It's not yet clear when Redstone 3 will be finished.If you want to test drive the upcoming updates, you don't have to wait until their final releases. As it did with the Anniversary Update, Microsoft has been releasing public preview builds, each a little bit closer to the final version. The updates are being tested and delivered the same way that those for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update were -- first to members of Microsoft's Insider Program via a series of public preview builds and then, when they are final, via Windows Update.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
AWS, or Amazon Web Services, is the premier cloud computing platform that services companies worldwide. Master this in-demand platform, and you’re certain to command a hefty paycheck.Unsure where to start? The AWS Mastery Bundle is a 4-course bundle certain to make you an authority on all things AWS--and turn you into a certified cloud guru.The following courses are included in your bundle:
AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam Prep - Master all you need to pass the AWS certification exam, a must-have for aspiring AWS pros.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Having lived in the world of IT for a while, I often find myself having to "call BS" during a vendor briefing. Why is that? Vendor representatives start a conversation with something like "we are the only ones to offer this capability" or "we are the first in the industry to solve this problem" when there are examples of the same capability from technology offered in the in the past. They do this in the hopes of breaking through industry chatter and, as a result, booking a meeting with my team or me.IT really hasn't been around all that long
When considered in the abstract, IT really hasn't been around all that long. In that short time, practitioners spoke of "working in the computer department," "working in data processing," "working in information systems" or " working in IT."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Having lived in the world of IT for a while, I often find myself having to "call BS" during a vendor briefing. Why is that? Vendor representatives start a conversation with something like "we are the only ones to offer this capability" or "we are the first in the industry to solve this problem" when there are examples of the same capability from technology offered in the in the past. They do this in the hopes of breaking through industry chatter and, as a result, booking a meeting with my team or me.IT really hasn't been around all that long
When considered in the abstract, IT really hasn't been around all that long. In that short time, practitioners spoke of "working in the computer department," "working in data processing," "working in information systems" or " working in IT."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Developers can now distribute their Windows desktop apps to people shopping through Windows 10's app store, with an update from Microsoft Wednesday.It's a move powered by Project Centennial, which lets developers take older Windows apps (known in Microsoft parlance as Win32 apps), port them to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), and then sell them on the Windows Store. The first of those apps are rolling out over the coming days, and developers can now submit their Centennial-converted apps for future release.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The challenges as the head of IT for a major international law firm with 700 attorneys, 1,500 total employees and 20 separate offices around the world aren’t exactly small, but Baker Donelson CIO John D. Green is up to the task – even when that task changes a little every day.Different parts of Baker Donelson’s sprawling practice have different needs, said Green, who sat down with Network World Tuesday at Riverbed’s Disrupt event in New York. The real estate practice, tax, and patent and trademark practices, among others, have their own software, all of which Donelson has to support.MORE: Riverbed upgrades set sights on the SD-WAN edge, cloud integrationTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Brocade this week rolled out a big data center router its says will handle and help manage the massive amounts of traffic expected to cross enterprise networks in the not-to-distant future.The Brocade SLX 9850 expands the Brocade data center routing family and supports 15x more total capacity than the current Brocade MLXe box via a 230Tbps non-blocking chassis fabric capacity for 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.+More on Network World: Brocade CEO says they've built an easy button for IP networks, are benefiting from SDN/NFV+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In flash storage these days, it takes more than speed to win over many enterprises.Violin Memory, an early player in enterprise flash, made strides more than a decade ago with storage arrays that outran spinning-disk systems for applications that needed data fast. Then the giants of the data center got into the game, and enterprises started looking at flash for their primary storage instead of targeted uses.That leaves Violin catching up. It’s added data services like replication and deduplication – the company calls its suite of integrated services the most complete in flash storage – and on Wednesday the company is announcing what it calls the industry’s highest performance all-flash array for primary storage.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As cars become more computerized, they're also facing a greater risk of being hacked. That’s why Volkswagen is founding a new cyber security company devoted to protecting next-generation vehicles.On Wednesday, the automaker said it would partner with a former Israeli intelligence agency director to jointly establish a new company, called Cymotive Technologies.It’s unclear how much Volkswagen is investing in the new firm, but security experts have been warning that internet-connected cars and self-driving vehicles could one day be a major target for hackers.Even older cars from Volkswagen are vulnerable. Last month, researchers said that millions of vehicles from the automaker can be broken into by exploiting the remote control key systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Adobe Systems has fixed more than 30 vulnerabilities in its Flash Player and Digital Editions products, most of which could be exploited to remotely install malware on computers.The bulk of the flaws, 26, were patched in Flash Player on all supported platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux.Twenty-three of those vulnerabilities can lead to remote code execution and the remaining three can be used for information disclosure or to bypass security features, Adobe said in an advisory.Adobe advises users to update Flash Player version 23.0.0.162 on Windows and Mac or version 11.2.202.635 on Linux. The new version of the Flash Player extended support release, which only receives security patches, is now 18.0.0.375.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When I first started dabbling with Linux back in the 1990s, a lot of various types of software was missing for me to be able to use it full time.Games. Video editing tools. High-quality productivity software. Those three categories were the most critical for me (and from what I’ve seen, for most people). Sure, there were some projects in those categories, but not many—and they were not typically overly robust or polished. + Also on Network World: Ultimate guide to Linux desktop environments +So, I kept dabbling. I’d use Linux for a few weeks, then go back to a different system (Mac OS, Windows, OS/2, you name it). There just always seemed to be something—some critical piece of software—missing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Looking to fill in some gaps in its own wireless LAN portfolio – such as security and managed services -- and jump into some new vertical markets like retail and transportation, Extreme Networks said it would buy Zebra Technologies wireless business for $55 million in cash.With the purchase, Extreme will get Zebra’s wireless LAN 802.11ac high-speed wireless access portfolio, which includes Zebra’s WiNG wireless operating system, NSight advanced network troubleshooting package as well as a managed service suite that Extreme does not currently offer, said Extreme President and CEO Ed Meyercord.+More on network World: CEO Ed Meyercord talks about Enterasys merger and an expanding set of software capabilities undergirding Extreme’s wired-wireless switches+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Canadian enterprise information management vendor OpenText has agreed to buy Dell Technologies' EMC enterprise content division for $1.62 billion in a deal that, the companies say, will allow them to focus on their core missions.
The acquisition of the "highly profitable" Dell EMC Enterprise Content Division will allow OpenText to expand its related services to Asia and Africa and across a larger customer base, including the healthcare and oil production industries, said OpenText CEO and CTO Mark Barrenechea. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft released one of its biggest security updates this year, fixing 50 vulnerabilities in its products and 26 more in Flash Player, which is bundled with its Edge browser.The patches are split into 14 security bulletins, including the one dedicated to Flash Player, seven of which are rated critical. They address vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office web services and apps.For desktop deployments, administrators should prioritize the fixes for Internet Explorer, which are covered in the MS16-104 bulletin, Microsoft Edge (MS16-105), Microsoft Office (MS16-107), Microsoft Graphics Component (MS16-106), OLE Automation for VBScript Scripting Engine (MS16-116) and Adobe Flash Player (MS16-117).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
New home Wi-Fi systems based on wireless mesh technologies keep coming out of the woodwork. That’s a good thing, because being able to compare different systems, seeing what works and what doesn’t, should spur innovation. While most people want a system that you just set up and forget (until the kids complain), I like having a system that you can tweak or obtain data from. But yeah, easy setup also makes it worthwhile.Enter the AmpliFi wireless mesh system, courtesy of Ubiquiti Labs (the new consumer arm of Ubiquiti Networks). This system includes a cube-shaped router with two satellite units - vertical rectangles attached to a magnetic sphere with a power outlet (more on that later). The router includes an LED screen that displays data about your Wi-Fi network, as well as four Ethernet LAN ports and a USB port (reserved for later use). The company offers three models - the basic system ($199) includes a router and two satellites; the LR system ($299) stands for Super Long Range, and the HD system ($349) supports high-density environments. For this review, I tested the HD system.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
We didn't claim that our recent story titled "Lights out! Why IT shops are disabling wireless AP LEDs" was tackling one of the world's major problems, but it clearly addressed one of the tech world's ongoing annoyances.Roughly 300 comments have been made about the story by those who found it on the Slashdot website, others chimed in on Reddit, and more contacted me directly. (The original story was prompted by discussion among IT professionals at universities, seeking ways to reduce light pollution in dorm and hospital rooms.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was hacked and confidential medical files of US Olympic athletes Simone Biles, Serena and Venus Williams and Elena Delle Donne were leaked online. The hackers dubbed the dump as “just the tip of the iceberg.”A group claiming to be the Fancy Bears' Hack Team took credit for the attack and accused American Olympic athletes of doping, of using “dirty methods to win.” Furthermore, the hackers claimed that although the US Olympic team had "played well but not fair,” it had “disgraced its name by tainted victories.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was hacked and confidential medical files of U.S. Olympic athletes Simone Biles, Serena and Venus Williams, and Elena Delle Donne were leaked online. The hackers said the dump is “just the tip of the iceberg.”A group claiming to be the Fancy Bears' Hack Team took credit for the attack and accused American Olympic athletes of doping, of using “dirty methods to win.” Furthermore, the hackers claimed that although the U.S. Olympic team "played well but not fair,” it had “disgraced its name by tainted victories.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As the internet of things starts to generate data from far-flung sensors and automate remote equipment, it doesn’t always make sense to house all the intelligence for these systems in data centers.
The alternative is edge computing, where smaller systems located on site in factories or other facilities can make sense of IoT data and act on it. Edge computing components like gateways can shorten response times or just filter out sensor readings that don’t matter so they won’t burden the network.
But how to build edge computing systems and write their software, like so much else in IoT, is still a work in progress. The constraints on things like size and power are unique to this new field.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here