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Category Archives for "Network World Wireless"

7 tips for developing a powerful data disaster plan

Data disasterImage by ThinkstockThe massive amount of data enterprises deal with today has resulted in them facing many difficult challenges. Among these challenges are not only various types of data disasters themselves, but the difficulties associated with developing a strong plan to deal with and recover from such disasters. These plans need to be able to both recover growing amounts of data from an increasingly larger set of applications, and do so in alignment with service level agreements that meet the needs of their business.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Continuous authentication: Why it’s getting attention and what you need to know

User authentication is one of the basic components of any cyber security program. Identifying an individual based on a username, password or other means helps companies ensure that the person is who he or she claims to be when accessing a system, application or network.But in some cases traditional authentication processes are not enough to provide strong security throughout a user work session. That’s where continuous authentication comes in. The concept is still relatively new, and experts say few products yet exist in the market. But it’s gaining more attention as companies look for ways to prevent unauthorized access to their critical business data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows Vista has just 30 days to live

In a month’s time, Microsoft will put Windows Vista to rest once and for all. If you’re one of the few people still using it, you have just a few weeks to find another option before time runs out.After April 11, 2017, Microsoft will no longer support Windows Vista: no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates, Microsoft says. (Mainstream Vista support expired in 2012.) Like it did for Windows XP, Microsoft has moved on to better things after a decade of supporting Vista.As Microsoft notes, however, running an older operating system means taking risks—and those risks will become far worse after the deadline. Vista’s Internet Explorer 9 has long since expired, and the lack of any further updates means that any existing vulnerabilities will never be patched—ever. Even if you have Microsoft’s Security Essentials installed—Vista’s own antivirus program—you’ll only receive new signatures for a limited time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to get diversity initiatives right

Despite the increased attention paid to diversity in tech, problem persists, according to new research from job search site Indeed, and that's negatively impacting companies' bottom lines. Addressing the issue requires a focus not only on diversity, but on inclusion to create a welcoming environment where talent can truly thrive.Indeed polled 1,002 U.S. technology workers in December 2016, and found that 24 percent of respondents felt they had been personally discriminated against at their current company. In addition, almost half (45 percent) of women said they witnessed non-inclusionary behavior, with 34 percent reporting they have been made personally uncomfortable. Over half (64 percent) of non-white respondents have felt personally uncomfortable, compared to 24 percent of respondents who identify as white.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: NGINX ups the web app performance ante

NGINX isn’t what I’d call a sexy company. Its products are, by definition, solid and steady—and they need to be.NGINX offers an application delivery platform that powers a massive proportion of the world’s websites. Some 300 million sites rely on NGINX for its load balancing, web and mobile acceleration, security controls, application monitoring, and management needs. More than half of the internet’s busiest websites rely on NGINX, including Airbnb, Box, Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest, SoundCloud and Zappos.But NGINX, while undeniably having a huge footprint, isn’t alone in the space and needs to keep innovating to gain and retain market share. And so it does with the announcement of its latest release, NGINX Plus Release 12. R12 looks to upgrade NGINX’s load balancer, content cache and web server offerings to increase reliability, security and scale for its customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

MapR unveils platform for IoT analytics at the edge

At Strata + Hadoop World in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, MapR Technologies took the wraps off a new small footprint edition of its Converged Data Platform geared for capturing, processing and analyzing data from internet of things (IoT) devices at the edge.MapR Edge, designed to work in conjunction with the core MapR Converged Enterprise Edition, provides local processing, aggregation of insights at the core and the ability to then push intelligence back to the edge.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 ways Google improved its cloud at NEXT

Google cloud is seen by analysts as an up and comer. Company executives will even admit that the past few years Google has not had everything it needs to compete for enterprise customers in the IaaS public cloud market against Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and even IBM.But they will also tell you that Google is ready now.+MORE FROM NETWORK WORLD: Google Cloud President of Customers talks courting enterprises, competing with Amazon and Microsoft +Last week Google held NEXT, its user conference where the company introduces new cloud features and users get to learn about the cloud platform.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

It’s time to turn on HTTPS: the benefits are well worth the effort

After Edward Snowden revealed that online communications were being collected en masse by some of the world's most powerful intelligence agencies, security experts called for encryption of the entire web. Four years later, it looks like we've passed the tipping point. The number of websites supporting HTTPS -- HTTP over encrypted SSL/TLS connections -- has skyrocketed over the past year. There are many benefits to turning on encryption, so if your website not yet support the technology it's time to make the move. Recent telemetry data from Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox shows that over 50 percent of web traffic is now encrypted, both on computers and mobile devices. Most of that traffic goes to a few large websites, but even so, it's a jump of over 10 percentage points since a year ago.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Pi Day Challenge: How many digits of pi can you recite?

Happy Pi Day! Here at Network World we take the holiday seriously. In years past we have provided tips of how to celebrate the 14th day on the third month of each year. (Pi is 3.14, so 3/14 is Pi Day, if you’re not in the know).Well, this year we decided to do something a little different: The first ever Network World Pi Day Challenge. The premise is simple: Recite the most digits of Pi. Winner gets to pie the loser in the face. Multimedia editor Keith Shaw and I have been training for weeks, memorizing digits five at a time.The competition was intense, but we acted rationally and recited our digits. But who knows more?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

16% off AVerCapture HD 1080p Game Stream Video Capture Device – Deal Alert

AVerCapture HD is a USB capture card that can record and stream Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, WiiU or PC gameplay up to full HD 1080p with HDMI and component input. It features built in H.264 hardware encoder for ultra-low latency to perfectly synchronize gameplay and voice commentary. AVerCapture HD requires less CPU processing power and generates smaller MP4/H.264 format files in full HD 1080p, resulting in a faster processing and post-editing experience. With the TimeShift function, never miss out on the epic moment by simply click-and-drag to record retroactively. Time Shift function is available within 1 hour buffer. AVerMedia RECentral (Included) software provides intuitive settings for live streaming to YouTube, Twitch, Ustream and etc, directly from your own account. The typical list price has been reduced 16% on Amazon to $90.99. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Say goodbye to the camera bump with this smartphone concept

Engineers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute have developed a smartphone camera module that's thin enough to be squeezed inside a smartphone, removing the need for a "camera bump" without compromising on quality.On most modern smartphones, the camera necessitates a bump on the back of the phone. That's because the focal length of the lenses and camera assembly cannot be made any thinner.The concept from Fraunhofer does things differently.It uses four image sensors rotated 90 degrees so they point out of the side of the phone. A set of tiny mirrors in front of the sensors reflects the image from the front or rear of the phone.The basic concept would have worked with a single mirror, said Jacques Duparré, a senior scientist at Fraunhofer's Microoptical Imaging Systems lab in Jena, Germany.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

With quantum computers here, developers seek uses

After decades of research, the first quantum computers are now up and running. The question now is: What do we do with them?IBM and D-Wave are trying to cash in on their expensive quantum computers by commercializing services. Both agree that quantum computers are different than PCs and can't be used to run every application.Instead, quantum systems will do things not possible on today's computers, like discovering new drugs and building molecular structures. Today's computers are good at finding answers by analyzing information within existing data sets, but quantum computers can get a wider range of answers by calculating and assuming new data sets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New iPads and iPhone SE may hit stores next week

Citing anonymous sources from within Apple's supply chain, MacRumors reports we may see a slew of new Apple products as early as next week. The report is particularly interesting given that we previously saw rumors pointing towards a new iPad rollout sometime in March. Curiously, though, the iPad rumor mill has been unusually quiet up until now.The report reads in part: Apple is expected to announce new products later this month, most likely between Monday, March 20, and Friday, March 24, according to reputable supply chain analysts we spoke to who wish to remain anonymous. The analysts said the information is from its own sources and not based on other reports.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Technology health check: 10 early-warning signs of a failing vendor or product

It’s a fact of business life that technology vendors sometimes go out of business or sunset their products. This happens less than most customers fear, but when it does, the results can range from damaging to catastrophic. Therefore, a prudent enterprise will monitor key technologies and suppliers for potential problems.At Real Story Group, a lot of our research goes into reviewing “vendor intangibles” to help guide customer decision making early on. Over the years, we've found a failing vendor or open-source project will exhibit telltale signs. By identifying these signs, you the customer can conduct your own risk mitigation accordingly.10 warning signs a vendor is failing 1. Significant fall-off in new customers When a vendor fails to attract new customers at historically meaningful levels, it can indicate something is wrong with the offering—usually that it has fallen behind its peers with respect to intrinsic functionality or its core value proposition.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

55% off Gears of War 4 for Xbox One – Deal Alert

A new saga begins for one of the most acclaimed video game franchises in history. After narrowly escaping an attack on their village, JD Fenix and his friends, Kait and Del, must rescue the ones they love and discover the source of a monstrous new enemy. In Gears of War 4 for Xbox One, enjoy two-player co-op with friends locally via split-screen or over Xbox Live. Player 2 can select either Kait or Del. Team up with four others and battle wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies by choosing your combat class, leveling up your skills and deploying fortifications anywhere on the map. Compete online in new and favorite game types, all at 60fps on dedicated servers. A new visible ranking system means fairer matchmaking for social, competitive and professional players alike. The typical list price has been reduced significantly on Amazon to just $27.29, for now. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Public cloud services sneak in through IT’s back door

“I’m a back door man, I’m a back door manThe CIO don’t know, but the users understand.”Well, maybe those aren’t the exact lyrics sung by Jim Morrison (or Howlin’ Wolf). Yet much of the information technology used by enterprises is first snuck in the back door by users rather than invited in the front door by the CIO.The personal computer was a prime example of back door technology. Back in the 1980s, while the IT department ran their mainframes and minicomputers, department managers were stuck tracking budgets and forecasts with adding machines and pads of paper. But a PC with spreadsheet software made those tasks much simpler and quicker. (By the way, you can still download and run original VisiCalc. Only 27,520 bytes!) A departmental budget could absorb the cost of several thousand dollars, and getting started was simple enough. Soon PCs were showing up everywhere.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Too lazy to fill out a March Madness bracket? Technology has you covered

Let’s say you can’t be bothered to fill out one of those basketball forms you’ll see floating around the office this week. You couldn’t care less but want to look like you care. Well, ESPN the website has just the feature for you: “Autofill a bracket.”Just don’t expect to win anything.Autofill comes in four different flavors, each guaranteed to produce a filled-in bracket form with one click, and each guaranteed to look nothing like the form filled out by your future office pool winner.The first option is called “chalk,” which is sports slang for picking the higher-seeded team. You don’t really need any technology to fill out a chalk bracket; just go with the higher seeded team in every single game until you’re done. You could do that with a pen, or pencil if pen seems intimidating. But we’ve already established that you’re lazy, so click chalk. (Spoiler alert: Villanova will be your winner because Villanova is the tournament’s top-seeded team.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

BrandPost: How to develop mature DevOps practices

Every company must act like a software company these days. That's why DevOps is so critical to your success: DevOps methodologies help you get better software to your users, and build tighter feedback loops for more effective learning.If you’ve already undergone a DevOps transformation, you’re likely already seeing better cross-functional alignment and shared responsibility.  Hopefully you’re deploying software more frequently, recovering from failures faster, and dealing with far fewer security issues.Now it’s time to take your DevOps initiative to the next level to achieve greater control, predictability and flexibility. By continually improving, you make room for more experimentation and innovation, and can even retain top talent. (See the proof in Puppet’s annual State of DevOps Report.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Here’s why Google Cloud support is now priced per person

One of the key messages out of Google Cloud Next last week: The company has gotten serious about serving enterprise customers in a way that meets their needs. A key component of that is a new set of support plans for customers of its cloud platform.Instead of paying one big support fee, businesses will pay per user for support privileges, based on how quickly they will get a response. The new plan replaces a set of monolithic tiers that required businesses to pay a flat fee per month plus a percentage of their monthly product usage. In the past, Google wasn't exactly known for its support capabilities, but that's something the company has changed in recent years. Google engineers originally believed they could create great technology that was self-service and easy to use, and that would be enough for business customers, said Dave Rensin, the company’s director of customer reliability engineering.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here