40% off WeMo Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Works with Amazon Alexa – Deal Alert

Did you forget to turn off the window A.C.? How about that curling iron? Want the living room lamp to turn on when the sun goes down—automatically? The Wemo Switch gives you control of your lamps and small appliances whenever you want, wherever you choose, with tons of options for scheduling and automation. Paired with Amazon Alexa, you can control your lamps and appliances with just the power of your voice. When Wemo works with Nest Thermostat, you can set your lights to turn off automatically when you leave the house, and on when you get home again. No central hub or subscription is required. Wemo also has an on/off switch on the unit, in case the Wi-Fi goes down. Compatible with Apple iOS 8 or higher and Android 4.1 or higher. With a list price of $49.99, this 40% discount puts the WeMo Smart Plug at just $29.95.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A year after separation, HP and HPE are still trying to shed rust

Five years ago, then Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker was derided for an abrupt plan to spin off the PC division from the mothership. It happened anyway in 2015, when the idea seemed more logical.The spin-off led to the creation of HP, which focuses on PCs and printers, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which focuses on enterprise hardware and the cloud. Now a year after the split, the companies are still trying to shed off the rust as they try to stand on their own legs.Growing pains have afflicted both companies as they try to find their identities. HP and HPE both had to change their business focuses and also shed excess fat, announcing layoffs last month within days of each other.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New partner programs for AWS are aimed at growing Alexa, IoT, and more

While Amazon Web Services touts the self-service capabilities of its cloud, the company also works with a large number of channel partners to help companies migrate to and use its services. The cloud provider announced a suite of updates to its partner programs at its Global Partner Summit keynote in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The updates are focused on helping customers get increased use of Amazon’s cloud services and getting partners to invest further in AWS. The keynote was an opportunity for the cloud provider to make a hard sell to the companies that will help businesses adopt Amazon’s cloud services. Partners shouldn’t hedge their investment in the public cloud, but should instead commit to supporting one provider deeply and aggressively, AWS CEO Andy Jassy said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

On the ‘Net: BGP Security, LACNOG 26

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Worth Reading: Security and BYOD

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, more than 169 million personal records were exposed as a result of 781 publicized security breaches across the financial, business, education, government and health-care sectors in 2015. As shocking as these numbers are, they may not fully convey the scope of the threat: Any company or consumer that connects to the Internet is at risk of becoming a victim of a cyberattack. The challenge of protecting networks from these attacks has been exacerbated by the bring-your-own-device phenomenon, which opens the door to new vulnerabilities for many organizations daily. More and more, business is taking place over personal devices as employees work from home or travel. For some staff members, relying on their own laptops, tablets and smartphones is simply a matter of personal preference. —Data Center Journal

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Tips for building SD-WANs

The substantially high cost of MPLS circuits ($200-$400/Mbps/month) compared to easily deployed, lower cost broadband Internet (with a price tag of $1/Mbps/month) has triggered a shift in enterprise architectures to the software defined WAN. SD-WAN provides the flexibility to choose the most optimal transport and dynamically steer traffic over a mix of MPLS circuits, the public Internet, or even wireless LTE circuits.  The access transport selection depends on a variety of factors, including the type of application, traffic profile, security requirements, QoS and network loss and latency. When implemented correctly, SD-WAN truly has significant advantages: Faster service deployment, increased flexibility, unified management and improved application performance, to name a few. But, while familiarity about SD-WAN has increased over the last year, a survey by Silver Peak and IDG shows only 27% of small- to mid-sized enterprises have shifted to SD-WAN.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tips for building SD-WANs

Tips for building SD-WANs

The substantially high cost of MPLS circuits ($200-$400/Mbps/month) compared to easily deployed, lower cost broadband Internet (with a price tag of $1/Mbps/month) has triggered a shift in enterprise architectures to the software defined WAN. SD-WAN provides the flexibility to choose the most optimal transport and dynamically steer traffic over a mix of MPLS circuits, the public Internet, or even wireless LTE circuits.  The access transport selection depends on a variety of factors, including the type of application, traffic profile, security requirements, QoS and network loss and latency. When implemented correctly, SD-WAN truly has significant advantages: Faster service deployment, increased flexibility, unified management and improved application performance, to name a few. But, while familiarity about SD-WAN has increased over the last year, a survey by Silver Peak and IDG shows only 27% of small- to mid-sized enterprises have shifted to SD-WAN.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Isolation technologies create an “air gap” to eliminate the risk of malware

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Like the threat landscape itself, web gateways have changed over the years. Back in the 1990s, organizations primarily used them to prevent employees from wasting time surfing the web – or worse, from visiting gambling, adult and other unauthorized websites. Today web gateways do much more than enforce regulatory compliance and HR policies. Whether they are implemented on-premise or as cloud-based services, organizations rely on web gateways to thwart Internet-borne threats delivered through users’ browsers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Isolation technologies create an “air gap” to eliminate the risk of malware

Isolation technologies create an “air gap” to eliminate the risk of malware

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Like the threat landscape itself, web gateways have changed over the years. Back in the 1990s, organizations primarily used them to prevent employees from wasting time surfing the web – or worse, from visiting gambling, adult and other unauthorized websites. Today web gateways do much more than enforce regulatory compliance and HR policies. Whether they are implemented on-premise or as cloud-based services, organizations rely on web gateways to thwart Internet-borne threats delivered through users’ browsers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Spooked by Trump, Internet Archive looks to make a copy of itself … in Canada

The folks who run the indispensable Internet Archive Wayback Machine, among other services, have seen the future of a Trump Administration and it scares them enough to spur the creation of the Internet Archive of Canada … just in case.From the organization’s blog post today: The history of libraries is one of loss.  The Library of Alexandria is best known for its disappearance.Libraries like ours are susceptible to different fault lines: Earthquakes, legal regimes, institutional failure.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows could get design language overhaul

Microsoft is reported to be working on a new design language, which affects how the UI looks and functions, that will eventually be rolled into one of the major Windows 10 updates coming out next year. Windows Central said Microsoft is working on what it called Microsoft Design Language 2 (MDL2), or Project NEON. A design language is a term that refers to a language for how controls, fonts and iconography in the desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10 are controlled. It manages things such as switches, toggles, pickers and dialog windows. You know and hate MDL1 already. It was Metro, introduced in Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7. It introduced the flat, dull UI instead of the more 3D-looking skeuomorphism that iOS and Android were adopting. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ABI Research Names Top Vendors for Virtual Evolved Packet Core

Spending for virtual mobile packet core will top $8 billion by 2021.

DARPA building space consortium to set standards for safe robotic maneuvers

DARPA next month will talk about a proposed consortium of industry players that will research, develop, and publish standards for safe commercial robotic servicing operations in Earth’s orbit.Specifically, DARPA said it wants to create the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations or CONFERS that looks to establish a forum that would use best practices from government and industry to research, develop and publish non-binding, consensus-derived technical and safety standards for on-orbit servicing operations. In doing so, the program would provide a clear technical basis for definitions and expectations of responsible behavior in outer space. In the end the ultimate goal is to provide the technical foundation to shape safe and responsible commercial space operations to preserve the safety of the global commons of space, DARPA stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

DARPA building space consortium to set standards for safe robotic maneuvers

DARPA next month will talk about a proposed consortium of industry players that will research, develop, and publish standards for safe commercial robotic servicing operations in Earth’s orbit.Specifically, DARPA said it wants to create the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations or CONFERS that looks to establish a forum that would use best practices from government and industry to research, develop and publish non-binding, consensus-derived technical and safety standards for on-orbit servicing operations. In doing so, the program would provide a clear technical basis for definitions and expectations of responsible behavior in outer space. In the end the ultimate goal is to provide the technical foundation to shape safe and responsible commercial space operations to preserve the safety of the global commons of space, DARPA stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: The metrics that matter for your private/hybrid cloud

So you want a private/hybrid cloud strategy for your company. Great idea. Now, how do you ensure that your cloud strategy will be successful? Well, this requires understanding how to measure success. Let me suggest the following criteria: Your constituents (generally the business and applications owners) can voluntarily decide to adopt your cloud or not. You need to be able to prove to them that it is to their advantage to run their applications in your cloud. MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: How to build a private cloud Now, to do the above, you need to be able to provide cloud operational metrics that mirror what the business uses. Let’s review what the business uses as metrics:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

HPE Discover Spotlights ‘The Machine,’ Synergy & Azure

The Machine is here! In prototype form, anyway.

5 tips for succeeding with a virtual workforce

With the rise of technology, the availability of instant communication and collaboration tools that bring the virtual world into the boardroom, the face of the modern office is rapidly changing. According to Gallup's most recent Work and Education poll, 37 percent of U.S. workers say they have telecommuted. And with GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com reporting that at least half of all jobs in the U.S. lend themselves to telecommuting that number is likely to continue to rise. Already, in Fortune 1000 companies, increasingly mobile employees “are not at their desk 50-60 percent of the time,” according to GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How to defer Windows 10 updates

Forced updates in Windows 10 have their appeal. For Microsoft, it helps keep the majority of its users on the same build of Windows 10, reducing legacy support issues. For users, it keeps your system up-to-date and reduces the chances of getting hit with malware that takes advantage of unpatched systems.But some folks resent the idea of having updates forced on them—especially when some of those updates cause problems or won’t install properly. If you’re running Windows 10 Home you’re at the mercy of Microsoft’s update schedule (though we have some tips for you at the end of this article). Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users, however, have the opportunity to defer certain types of updates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here