A Baker’s Dozen, 2016 Edition

As is our annual tradition, this blog provides a year-end review of how the Internet providers at the top of our Internet Intelligence – Transit global rankings fared over the previous year.  The structure, performance and security of the Internet remains a huge blind spot for most enterprises, even those critically dependent on it for business operations.  These are familiar topics that we’ve covered over the years in this blog and our Twitter feed, and 2016 was no different.  We saw bogus routing and subsequent grossly misdirected traffic from Ukraine and Iran, for just two examples.  We saw cable breaks, new cable activations, censorship and crippling attacks.  And much, much more.  Dyn provides such critical insight into the structure and performance of the Internet, both real-time and historical, and uses this data set to make 40 billion traffic steering decisions daily for customers.

Back in 2008, we chose to look at the 13 providers that spent at least some time in the Top Ten that year, hence the name “Baker’s Dozen“.  We repeated that exercise in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Continue reading

RSA: Watch out for a new weapon – your own data

As tens of thousands of the world’s top security pros gather at RSA Conference 2017 they are being called upon to watch out for a new threat: their own data.By corrupting data that is used for making decisions, attackers can cause all kinds of problems, says Chris Young, general manager of Intel Security. “Now data is manipulated and used against us to affect the decisions we make,” he says.He calls this corruption “data landmines,” which when factored into decision making, can result in bad choices, missed opportunities and economic losses.He says stolen and manipulated data combined to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, for example, and the consequences of similar manipulations could be high for businesses whose big-data analysis is undermined by altered small data that makes it up. With inaccurate input to draw on, the outcomes will be faulty, he says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

RSA: Watch out for a new weapon – your own data

As tens of thousands of the world’s top security pros gather at RSA Conference 2017 they are being called upon to watch out for a new threat: their own data.By corrupting data that is used for making decisions, attackers can cause all kinds of problems, says Chris Young, general manager of Intel Security. “Now data is manipulated and used against us to affect the decisions we make,” he says.He calls this corruption “data landmines,” which when factored into decision making, can result in bad choices, missed opportunities and economic losses.He says stolen and manipulated data combined to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, for example, and the consequences of similar manipulations could be high for businesses whose big-data analysis is undermined by altered small data that makes it up. With inaccurate input to draw on, the outcomes will be faulty, he says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Sponsor: FutureWAN – a virtual conference on SD-WAN

A couple of months Packet Pushers hosted an open format, non-boring, live discussion about the reality of operating a SD-WAN with people who have lived through it. This was part of the Future WAN Virtual Summit series from Viptela which are now available online.

The session format was live questions & answers from the audience (via chat window)  we answered them live, on air.

Packet Pushers Open Mic Live: Real SD-WAN Challenges Live Q&A

Ethan Banks & Greg Ferro, Analysts, Packet Pushers Date: Jan 17 2017, 0900PST Duration: 45 mins

Direct link to Access 

On a separate note, I would welcome any feedback about the “Virtual Summit” idea. The sessions were recorded and now available for anyone to watch.

Which has me thinking about the potential of running a “virtual conference”.

Could that work ? Drop a note in the comments or email me I would love to hear what you think.

The post Sponsor: FutureWAN – a virtual conference on SD-WAN appeared first on EtherealMind.

Review: Samsung SmartCam PT network camera

The home security camera market has taken a big hit in recent months, becoming the poster child for “bad security behavior” when people talk about the security (or lack thereof) of Internet of Things. Last year’s highly publicized DDoS attack on Dyn highlighted insecure cameras being used as part of a botnet; vulnerabilities were also found in Chinese-based security cameras and at least one Samsung SmartCam product. In the U.S., the FTC filed a complaint against D-Link over claims that their webcams were “secure”.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Review: Samsung SmartCam PT network camera

The home security camera market has taken a big hit in recent months, becoming the poster child for “bad security behavior” when people talk about the security (or lack thereof) of Internet of Things. Last year’s highly publicized DDoS attack on Dyn highlighted insecure cameras being used as part of a botnet; vulnerabilities were also found in Chinese-based security cameras and at least one Samsung SmartCam product. In the U.S., the FTC filed a complaint against D-Link over claims that their webcams were “secure”.To read this article in full, please click here

Review: Samsung SmartCam PT network camera

The home security camera market has taken a big hit in recent months, becoming the poster child for “bad security behavior” when people talk about the security (or lack thereof) of Internet of Things. Last year’s highly publicized DDoS attack on Dyn highlighted insecure cameras being used as part of a botnet; vulnerabilities were also found in Chinese-based security cameras and at least one Samsung SmartCam product. In the U.S., the FTC filed a complaint against D-Link over claims that their webcams were “secure”.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AARP award program to honor innovation in caregiving

The AARP, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Americans over 50 years of age, has launched its search for nominees for its Innovation Champion Awards to recognize providers of technology-powered products and services that focus on caregivers.Submissions will be accepted in six categories: daily essential activities; caregiver quality of life; health and safety awareness; care coordination; social well-being; and transition support. AARP judges will select five finalists in each category, then invite the public to select winners. MORE: Cisco names winners of Innovate Everywhere ChallengeTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

47% off Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag Compression Sack And Phone Case – Deal Alert

Whether you are Kayaking, Beaching, Rafting, Boating, Hiking, Camping or Fishing, Earth Pak believes they have created the best dry bag on the market for any adventure. Toss in your gear, roll it down, and don't be afraid to toss this bag around. It's designed to last for years and will keep your phone, gadgets and gear dry and protected. It comes in 10L, 20L and 30L size, and all models feature 24-42 inch adjustable shoulder straps. Included is Earth Pak's IPX8 certified waterproof phone case that can fit even the largest phones, with simple snap and lock access and clear windows that allow for picture taking without removing from the case. This bag is currently discounted 47% from $45 down to just $24, and averages 5 out of 5 stars from over 1,500 customers (91% rates a full 5 stars -- read all recent reviews here). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Culture key to attracting and retaining tech talent

For IT leaders, it's a bit of déja vú: for the fifth straight year, the Tech Hiring and Retention Survey from executive search and technology firm Harris Allied shows that management's top concern is finding and hiring elite tech talent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Smackdown: Office 365 vs. G Suite productivity

Google has been trying for years to get businesses to abandon Microsoft Office in favor of what it now calls G Suite, the collaboration-oriented trio of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, plus companion apps Gmail and Drive. Microsoft has long been the productivity standard-bearer, with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, supplemented by Outlook and most recently OneDrive.Office 365 vs. G Suite: DocumentsOffice 365 vs. G Suite: SpreadsheetsOffice 365 vs. G Suite: PresentationsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

3 enterprise-strength file sync services to check out

This should be the year your organization looks to dump its consumer file-sharing software. Don't get me wrong -- many of those services are great for individuals, but they're not really suitable for enterprises. There are other products, however, that offer the file sync that Dropbox and Box and others do so well and so seamlessly, while also providing enterprise-level controls around access, encryption, identity, and more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Experts warn businesses not to over-buy on unlimited data plans

Unlimited data plans, like the one announced this week by Verizon, are mostly irrelevant to large businesses that negotiate lower prices with carriers for large pools of data, voice and text for hundreds of workers.But smaller businesses -- say, those with fewer than 50 workers -- could benefit from an unlimited plan, especially if they don't have an assigned telecom manager who manages wireless contracts."Smaller organizations that don't have the staff or capacity to manage their mobility budgets could benefit" from an unlimited plan, said Michael Nziolek, vice president of strategic consulting at Tangoe, a telecom expense management consultancy.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Too many victims say yes to ransomware

If you are a victim of ransomware, don’t pay!That has been the mantra of the FBI for several years now – one that was forcefully echoed by one of the nation’s highest-profile security bloggers – Brian Krebs – in a recent post.But based on the statistics, either a lot of people aren’t listening, or it’s a bit more complicated than that. The reality is that the success of ransomware isn’t just increasing. It’s exploding.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Too many victims say yes to ransomware

If you are a victim of ransomware, don’t pay!That has been the mantra of the FBI for several years now – one that was forcefully echoed by one of the nation’s highest-profile security bloggers – Brian Krebs – in a recent post.But based on the statistics, either a lot of people aren’t listening, or it’s a bit more complicated than that. The reality is that the success of ransomware isn’t just increasing. It’s exploding.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

9 simple ways to raise capital for your ecommerce startup

It is easier than ever, or so it seems, to open a new business, especially an ecommerce or tech business. But getting money to fund your startup, especially with so many new businesses competing for the same pool of seed money, can be tough. So which methods, or sources, are the most likely to get or give you the money you need to grow your business? Following are nine of the best, according to entrepreneurs and investors.“In the first six months of building my startup, Humblee, we participated and won the Make It in Brooklyn pitch competition,” says Zuley Clarke, cofounder, Humblee. “In addition to the prize money, we received valuable feedback from influential judges, made connections with investors and generated a buzz surrounding our business. Winning the pitch competition was incredible, but the benefits of simply entering [a pitch competition] are great too.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Report: some small cities have surprisingly high number of exposed devices

Trend Micro this morning released a report about the exposed cyberassets in the top U.S. cities and most critical industry segments -- and in many cases, it was the smaller municipalities that had the largest number of problems."Larger cities had fewer systems being exposed," said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro.Houston, for example, had 3,900,208 exposed devices, compared with 1,031,325 in New York City, even though New York has nearly four times as many people.But many of the cities with the highest numbers of exposed devices were even smaller. Sometimes, much, much smaller.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Report: some small cities have surprisingly high number of exposed devices

Trend Micro this morning released a report about the exposed cyberassets in the top U.S. cities and most critical industry segments -- and in many cases, it was the smaller municipalities that had the largest number of problems."Larger cities had fewer systems being exposed," said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro.Houston, for example, had 3,900,208 exposed devices, compared with 1,031,325 in New York City, even though New York has nearly four times as many people.But many of the cities with the highest numbers of exposed devices were even smaller. Sometimes, much, much smaller.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

12 Sizzling SD-WAN Vendors

6 Internet of Things companies to watch

Network World increasingly has been writing about companies transforming their businesses via the Internet of Things rather than just tracking the latest IoT vendor announcements. But after taking a spin through our ongoing and interactive startup funding timeline, we figured it was a good time to round up some of the latest startups to rein in venture capital for their IoT-related businesses. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here