Although I’ve refused to get into the “what is cloud computing” argument over the years, it doesn’t mean I don’t have a very specific definition. I believe down at the very core of cloud computing sits an airtight, inviolable principle: A cloud enables the buyer to forgo asset ownership. + Also on Network World: Banking on the cloud +Through my years of consulting I have come to the conclusion that technology asset ownership is an addiction and one that must be overcome through willpower, a support network and a change in habit. I’ve had to commiserate too often with CIOs despondent over the failure of private clouds that don’t meet their goals to remain silent. The best way to illustrate my point is to consider the approaches of my fictional, but all too real, clients: Accumulation, Inc. and Leverage Enterprises.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Companies that develop enterprise applications download over 200,000 open-source components on average every year and one in every 16 of those components has security vulnerabilities.This is indicative of the poor state of the software supply chain, a problem that's only getting worse with the increased reliance on third-party code combined with bad software inventory practices.According to software development lifecycle firm Sonatype, third-party components account for 80 percent to 90 percent of the code found in a typical enterprise application today.The number of downloads from the largest largest public repository of open-source Java components reached 31 billion last year, a 82 percent increase over 2014, the company found.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The new smash-hit game "Pokemon Go" could become bait for hackers wanting to take over your phone.Researchers at security firm Proofpoint have already found an Android version of the game containing malware. Once installed, it uses a remote access tool called DroidJack that can give a hacker full access to the phone, Proofpoint said Thursday.The company hasn’t yet seen the infected game in the wild, but it shows that hackers are already hard at work targeting it. Proofpoint discovered the software in a malicious online file repository.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Desktops with AMD's $199 Radeon RX 480 graphics card have started to go on sale a month after the GPU was announced.Some of the desktops are priced under $800, which is very affordable by gaming PC standards. That's largely because of the GPU's low price, but the RX 480 is no slouch: it's capable of 4K gaming and makes desktops VR-ready.It's the first GPU based on AMD's new Polaris architecture, but you can expect even faster, higher-priced Polaris cards later this year.Best Buy is selling the CyberPowerPC Desktop with an eight-core AMD FX 8320 CPU and RX 480 for $849.99. It has a 2TB hard drive, eight USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 16GB DDR3 RAM (not the speedier DDR4 in some gaming systems).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Many computer users don't realize it, but for most people their internet router is the most important electronic device in their home. It links most of their other devices together and to the world, so it has a highly privileged position that hackers can exploit.Unfortunately many consumer and small-business routers come with insecure default configurations, have undocumented backdoor accounts, expose legacy services and have firmware that is riddled with basic flaws. Some of these problems can't be fixed by users, but there are many actions that can be taken to at least protect these devices from large-scale, automated attacks.Don't let your router be a low-hanging fruit for hackers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
For today only Amazon has significant discounts on a few select items, just a small taste of what's to come when Amazon unleashes 100,000+ discounts on "Prime Day" this Tuesday, July 12th, for Amazon Prime members only. If you're not a Prime member, you should at least sign up for the free 30 day trial so you're ready when the deals start to drop: sign up here. The powerful 20000mAh PowerCore 20100 from Anker weighs just 12.5 oz, but fully charges most phones and tablets to 100% several times over without needing to be recharged. It charges the iPhone 6s seven times, the Galaxy S6 five times or the iPad mini 4 twice. Industry leading output of 4.8 amps provides enough power to simultaneously charge any combination of devices at full speed. Surge protection, short circuit protection and more advanced safety features keep your devices safe. For additional peace of mind, the Anker PowerCore 20100 comes with an 18 month warranty and easily accessible customer service. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4,500 people (85% rate it 5 stars -- read reviews). Its regular list price of $79.99 has been Continue reading
The encryption methods used to secure today’s Internet communications won’t be impenetrable forever. More powerful “quantum computers” on the horizon could very well crack them.That’s why Google is testing out new cryptography that computers in the future might not be able to break. The processing power offered by "hypothetical, future" quantum computers could be enough to “decrypt any internet communication that was recorded today,” wrote Matt Braithwaite, a Google software engineer in a company blog post on Thursday.This could affect the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol used when visiting websites. Old information, originally meant to be secured for decades, could suddenly become exposed, he added.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The encryption methods used to secure today’s internet communications won’t be impenetrable forever. More powerful “quantum computers” on the horizon could very well crack them.That’s why Google is testing out new cryptography that computers in the future might not be able to break. The processing power offered by "hypothetical, future" quantum computers could be enough to “decrypt any internet communication that was recorded today,” wrote Matt Braithwaite, a Google software engineer in a company blog post on Thursday.This could affect the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol used when visiting websites. Old information, originally meant to be secured for decades, could suddenly become exposed, he added.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Britain's vote to exit the European Union will depress global IT spending this year, as companies cut back spending over uncertainty about what the future holds, Gartner has predicted.
"We're looking at a 2-5 percent reduction in IT spending in the UK," compared to Gartner's previous forecast of a 1.7 percent decline, analyst John-David Lovelock said in an interview.
"That's going to be enough to tip the worldwide IT spending negative this year," he said.
The "Brexit" vote has led to massive uncertainty about what the future holds economically for Britain and the entire European Union, which means that companies have scaled back on their strategic plans in the fifth-largest IT market in the world.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A Romanian hacker's claim that he broke into Hillary Clinton's private email server in 2013 was a lie, according to the FBI. Marcel Lehel Lazar, also known as Guccifer, has boasted about the breach to various media outlets, saying in May that it had been "easy."But on Thursday, FBI director James Comey said that Lazar, who is now in U.S. custody, has admitted the claim was false."He admitted that was a lie," Comey said during a congressional hearing on Clinton's use of her own private email server.Lazar, originally from Romania, was extradited to the U.S. and is awaiting sentencing for breaking into the email and social media accounts of various U.S. officials as well as a member of the Bush family.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The world’s largest social network today announced that it will launch OpenCellular, a mobile infrastructure platform designed to lower barriers to entry for would-be providers of internet service to the developing world.OpenCellular, in essence, is designed to be a customizable base chassis for a wireless access point, able to connect devices using 2G, LTE or even Wi-Fi. Facebook said that the emphasis in the design process was on keeping the design as modular and inexpensive as possible, as well as making it easy to deploy.+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Boston is nation’s top tech-talent exporter + Antivirus merger: Avast offers $1.3 billion for AVGTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A data breach that hit Wendy's fast food restaurants was more than three times bigger than originally disclosed and exposed customer credit card data.The company said Thursday that malware installed in point-of-sale systems was discovered at over 1,000 of its franchised U.S. restaurants -- a big jump from the "fewer than 300 stores" it said in May had been affected.Hackers gained access to the machines using remote access credentials of a third-party service provider, Wendy’s said.The breach began in fall 2015 and wasn't discovered until early this year. As part of its investigation, the company discovered a second malware variant had infected its systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Take one major trend spanning the business and technology worlds, add countless vendors and consultants hoping to cash in, and what do you get? A whole lot of buzzwords with unclear definitions.In the world of big data, the surrounding hype has spawned a brand-new lingo. Need a little clarity? Read on for a glossary of sorts highlighting some of the main data types you should understand.1. Fast data The shining star in this constellation of terms is "fast data," which is popping up with increasing frequency. It refers to "data whose utility is going to decline over time," said Tony Baer, a principal analyst at Ovum who says he coined the term back in 2012.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning today about a scam that sounds ridiculous but is nonetheless surprisingly common: Con artists are convincing victims that they’re from the IRS and will accept outstanding payments in the form of iTunes cards.From an FTC blog post:
People have told the FTC about scammers who called and demanded iTunes cards as “payment.” Bogus “IRS agents” told people they owed back taxes and would be arrested soon, unless they bought an iTunes card and gave the code to the “agent.” Phony “government grant” officers called and promised a big payout, after the person bought an iTunes card and read the code to the “grant officer.” Other fraudsters told people their grandkids were in jail and the only way to help was — you guessed it — to buy an iTunes card and read the code over the phone. All the stories were false.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The AC1900 router from TP-LINK supports 802.11ac, the latest Wi-Fi tech. It operates on the 5GHz band as well as 2.4 for older devices. Dual USB 3.0 and 2.0 let you easily share files and media across your network. The AC1900 strives to create a stronger, faster and more reliable network that efficiently manages many connected devices simultaneously. Amazon currently has it listed for 24% off its typical list price of $170, so you can buy it now for $130. Over 2,700 customers rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars (read reviews). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Managing clouds can be a challenge given that virtual machines and storage are running in two different environments simultaneously. A crowded industry of cloud management platforms (CMP) has emerged to help.Gartner Research Director Mindy Cancila says the CMP market is young and maturing; customers should understand the limitations of various options.Here are four tips from Cancila for organizations considering cloud management products.IaaS needs its own tools Many organizations began their cloud journey by using SaaS tools like Office 365, Salesforce or some other business planning software. These SaaS platforms may require some new skills, but customers don’t usually need to purchase a whole new management platform to use them. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is different. Consuming cloud-based virtual machines, storage, databases and other services is such a complex issue that Cancila says users can benefit greatly from using a dedicated management platform for IaaS, especially if they’re managing a hybrid cloud computing environment.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Cisco Live, the world’s largest network event, kicks off next week in Las Vegas. Every year at the conference, Cisco and many of its technology partners announce new products or features that hopefully capture the attention of Cisco’s customers. ThousandEyes put some news out ahead of the event by announcing it uses Linux containers to run its network performance monitoring (NPM) software to track Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR) and Aggregation Service Routers (ASR).+ Also on Network World: Annual State of the Network survey results +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Everyone has a bad day at work now and then, but when those bad days start to outnumber the good ones, it’s time to consider looking for a new job. As the economy continues to improve, there’s no reason to stay with a company that’s struggling to survive, or to settle for a role in which you’re not happy, says Howard Seidel, Partner at executive leadership and career consulting firm Essex Partners.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Firewall devices are only as good as the hundreds, or even thousands, rules that govern them. Misconfigurations, unused rules and conflicting rules can cause firewalls to fail in their crucial missions. Firewall security management products can help security managers monitor compliance, orchestrate device policies, optimize rules and manage firewall changes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
The 18.0 megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera Kit is currently discounted by 27% on Amazon from $749.99 down to $549. The complete bundle includes EF-S 18-55mm and EF 75-300mm Zoom Lenses. It also has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, providing easy sharing to compatible smart devices, select social media sites and the Canon Connect Station CS100 device.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here