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Category Archives for "Network World Wireless"

Good-bye Internet pioneers. Hello, Oath?

After its acquisition of Yahoo wraps up, Verizon plans to place AOL and Yahoo under the umbrella of a new company, called Oath.AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong on Monday announced the move on Twitter, writing, "Billion+ Consumers, 20+ Brands, Unstoppable Team. #TakeTheOath. Summer 2017."AOL, which owns the Huffington Post, Engadget and TechCrunch, will pool all of the properties with Yahoo under the Oath umbrella, according to Armstrong, in an interview with CNBC."This is a sad thing for everyone who remembers when Yahoo and AOL were riding high," said Dan Olds, an analyst for OrionX. "For many people, AOL was their first experience with the Internet and was probably their first email address. A lot of people's first experience with Internet search, and other services, was probably with Yahoo. Unfortunately, the companies couldn't keep up with the ever-changing competition and fell into the backwaters of the Internet."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: The evolution of data center segmentation

Data center transformation has delivered better resource utilization, scalability and automation for data center environments. While software-defined networking (SDN) and automation platforms can tie in network security, the options have been largely inflexible and static, limiting the amount of security automation that can be delivered. This has become even more apparent as DevOps environments continue to grow.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: Understanding Software-Defined Networking Micro-segmentation as a concept has been around for several years. It has recently become more mainstream with organizations now dedicating budgets and personnel to micro-segmentation projects. Micro-segmentation itself is really an evolution in network security. While many of the concepts (i.e. private VLANs) have been around for years, the implementation and use of these has evolved with micro-segmentation.   To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

After Congress revokes Internet privacy rules, downloads double of VPN-equipped Opera browser

Opera Software today boasted that the number of new U.S. users of its namesake browser more than doubled days after Congress voted to repeal restrictions on broadband providers eager to sell customers' surfing history.Opera debuted a VPN -- virtual private network -- a year ago, and finalized the feature in September. A VPN disguises the actual IP address of the user, effectively anonymizing the browsing, and encrypts the data transmitted to and from sites, creating a secure "tunnel" to the destination.By using a VPN, U.S. users block their Internet service providers (ISPs) from recording their online activity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AT&T trials open switches for better future services

A coast-to-coast network trial by AT&T last month, using open-source "white box" switches, pointed toward an imagined future of more reliable services that may come quicker than some people think.The carrier ran a trial on its core network earlier this year using switches based on chips from Intel, Broadcom and startup Barefoot Networks. The latter only started shipping in sample quantities in December, making the trial deployment a remarkably quick turnaround.Like other carriers and cloud providers, AT&T is aggressively shifting its network toward SDN (software-defined networking). As these changes are carried out across more infrastructure, they should give both service providers and subscribers more flexibility and higher performance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Which Mac should you buy?

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re thinking about buying a new Mac and may be in need of a little guidance. Fortunately, we’re quite familiar with Apple’s Macs, and we’re happy to help you choose the right Mac for you.Mac miniTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Review: Amazon QuickSight covers the BI basics

When I reviewed self-service exploratory business intelligence (BI) products in 2015, I covered the strengths and weaknesses of Tableau 9.0, Qlik Sense 2.0, and Microsoft Power BI. As I pointed out at the time, these three products offer a range of data access, discovery, and visualization capabilities at a range of prices, with Tableau the most capable and expensive, Qlik Sense in the middle, and Power BI the least capable but a very good value.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

IBM: Tax-related spam up 6,000% since Dec.; Darkweb tactics net billions

Tis’ the season for tax villains. The notion that spam has been increasing lately has been obvious recently and for more evidence of that nasty trends you need look no further than this fact: From Dec 2016 to Feb 2017, IBM X-Force researchers saw a 6,000% increase in tax-related spam emails.And that’s just one of a number of tax season scams and frauds IBM X-Force security researchers have been tracking in a report “Cybercrime Riding Tax Season Tides: Trending Spam and Dark Web Findings” issued today.+More on Network World: IRS Dirty Dozen: Phishing, phone cons and identity theft lead scam list for 2017+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What home products are most susceptible to cyber burglars?

No matter how intelligent they claim to be, many smart home gadgets are vulnerable to hackers. Nowadays even the lock on your front door is susceptible to a cyberattack. No longer do you only have to worry about someone simply picking the lock, now a burglar could go through cyberspace to unlatch the door.Just like the lock on your front door to keep out burglars, you should protect your high-tech devices from cyber threats. Start by choosing different passwords for your internet router and each of your smart devices. It is also important to use multi-factor authentication as an added protection to prevent a hacker who guesses your password from breaking into your home. You should regularly install manufacturer updates to make sure you are running the most current security system in your home.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FAQ: What just happened to online privacy?

The internet sure seems mad about something.You’re not kidding.More than usual, that is.You’re right. President Trump just signed a bill into law that rolls back internet privacy protections enacted by the previous administration, and that has made things just a little angry around the ol’ internet.What kind of privacy rules are we talking about here?The previous iteration of the Federal Communications Commission created new rules last October for ISPs which stipulated that those ISPs would be required to seek customer permission before selling things like browser history data to advertisers for targeting purposes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Turn an old Wi-Fi network into a wireless mesh

I’ve tested a lot of Wi-Fi mesh (aka whole-home coverage systems) products lately, but what if you already have a good Wi-Fi router and don’t want to do a rip-and-replace job? There’s a new device available aimed just at this purpose.The AmpliFi HD Mesh Point, by Ubiquiti Labs, lets you create a mesh system with an existing Wi-Fi router. The device acts like one of the company’s satellite units on its existing AmpliFi HD Mesh System to expand Wi-Fi coverage within your home. If you happen to own the company’s mesh router and satellites, the Mesh Point can expand the existing network even more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Portworx shows how its done—raises an impressive B funding round

There is significant enterprise interest in moving away from a server-centric application approach and instead exploring containers. While Docker, the company possibly most synonymous with containers, has struggled to gain the sort of traction that justifies its stellar valuation, that doesn’t call into question containerization per se. There is clearly an opportunity here, and it is incumbent on vendors to find their market fit, develop realistic objectives, and execute, execute, execute.INSIDER Review: Container Wars: Rocket v. Odin v. Docker And so it is for the vendors filling in the whitespaces around the container ecosystem. Weaveworks is a good example of such a company. Weaveworks is helping to solve many of the networking issues around the production use of containers. Another area that is problematic is around data services—the move to containers makes life more complex from a data storage perspective. Two companies, ClusterHQ and Portworx, were involved in this space.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Hacking for the greater good

In Jason’s last post, he discussed how we are apt to see more intricate and complex data integrity attacks this year, with the adversaries’ main motivation being financial gain and/or political manipulation.As the cyber landscape becomes increasingly complex, private enterprises and public entities are looking for ways to better protect information and preserve the integrity of their data, while individuals want to ensure that the internet remains open and provides equal access to information to all. And while there are a number of technologies that are valuable, people are now being recognized as a powerful tool to solve these problems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 things to worry about when your vendor divests

Potentially difficult timesImage by ThinkstockIn tech, divestitures are a fact of life and solutions are bought and sold all the time. But that doesn’t change the fact that when it happens to a solution that your company uses, it can make things difficult for you. Although your vendor’s divestiture is out of your control, you can at least do your due diligence in limiting any negative impact to your company. With that in mind, ZL Technologies lists 10 things you should worry about if your vendor divests.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Facebook appeal over New York search warrants fails

Facebook’s appeal against 381 warrants for information from the accounts of its users was rejected by a New York court on the ground that earlier orders refusing to quash the warrants issued in a criminal proceeding could not be appealed.The decision by the New York State Court of Appeals did not address key issues of whether the broad searches were unconstitutional, and whether internet service providers like Facebook have standing to challenge such warrants on behalf of their users, particularly when they are served with ‘gag orders’ that prevent providers from informing subscribers about the warrants.“This case undoubtedly implicates novel and important substantive issues regarding the constitutional rights of privacy and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and the parameters of a federal statute establishing methods by which the government may obtain certain types of information,” wrote Judge Leslie E. Stein, writing for the majority.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

37% off LifeStraw Personal Water Filter – Deal Alert

Having a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter at hand provides access to clean, safe drinking water whenever needed.  Weighing only 2 oz. (54g), LifeStraw is the perfect water filter for hiking and camping. LifeStraw uses advanced 0.2 micron hollow fiber membrane technology.  This highly efficient method of filtration requires no chemicals, batteries, or moving parts and can be easily backflushed to clean the filter. Perfect for a vehicle or home emergency kit.  The LifeStraw averages 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 5,200 people (read reviews). Its typical list price of $20 has been reduced 37% to $12.50.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Why are employers doubling down on the workplace?

Tech companies such as Google and Facebook are known for their informal, non-traditional work environments. But these days, even older, more staid firms are creating headlines in this space, rethinking not only how their employees work, but also where that work happens.Over the past few years, while I’ve been traveling to meet with business executives, I’ve seen office buildings that feature everything from standing desks and roof-top gardens to upholstered co-working rooms complete with craft beer on tap.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

35% off Airfox Backlit LED Mouse Bungee with Integrated 3-Port USB Hub and Charger – Deal Alert

The Airfox Gaming Mouse Bungee is designed to eliminate drag from your mouse cord, giving you the speed, nimbleness and responsiveness of a wireless mouse. An integrated 3-port USB 3.0 hub, and fast device-charging port are also included, as is a 7-color LED backlight. The typical list price of $29.99 has been reduced 35% to $19.47. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Micro-segmentation Projects Span Enterprise Organizations

Micro-segmentation is nothing new, we starting talking about the concept a few years ago, with the onset of software-defined networking technologies like OpenFlow.  More recently, micro-segmentation was most often associated with establishing trusted connections between cloud-based workloads.Micro-segmentation is simply a new software-based spin on the old practice of network segmentation which organizations have done for years with a variety of technologies – firewalls, VLANs, subnets, switch-based access control lists (ACLs) etc.  In fact, many organizations use a potpourri of some or even all of these technologies.  According to ESG research (note: I am an ESG employee)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Office 365’s deskless worker package expands with new features

Microsoft is adding new capabilities to one of its cheapest enterprise plans for Office 365, in a push to capture a group of users traditionally underserved by the productivity suite.New to the Office 365 Enterprise K1 plan (the K stands for Kiosk) now includes 2GB of OneDrive for Business storage, along with access to Microsoft Teams, PowerApps and Flow. Users on the plan also get the ability to send instant messages using Skype for Business and participate in video meetings conducted over Skype Meeting Broadcast.Expanding the capabilities of this plan is part of Microsoft’s continued push to make Office 365 useful for employees who don’t spend all day in front of a computer. All of these capabilities are designed for people like retail employees and service workers. The K1 plan is also priced at $4 per user per month, drastically lower than the company’s other enterprise subscriptions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here