HP rises again to be the world’s top PC maker as Lenovo slips

It was another tough quarter for PC shipments, but there was good news for HP, which edged Lenovo to regain the title of world top's PC maker, according to IDC.Worldwide PC shipments totaled 60.3 million units in the first quarter of 2017, growing by just 0.6 percent compared to the same quarter the previous year.IDC previously forecast a decline of 1.8 percent in PC shipments, so the positive growth was a sign the PC market is recovering. Quarterly PC shipments reported positive growth for the first time since the first quarter of 2012. Lenovo previously beat HP for the title of the world's top maker in 2013 and has mostly held the position since then. HP regained the top spot this quarter boosted by strong laptop shipments worldwide. Now the question remains if HP can hold the spot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft kicks security bulletins to the curb in favor of security update guide

Forget about security bulletins; Microsoft is so done with them. Now, it’s all about the Security Update Guide – something Microsoft claimed customers wanted back in November 2016. Bulletins were supposed to bite the dust starting in January 2017, but it appears as if they did starting in April 2017. This new era for patching Microsoft is great, if you really like clicking again and again. If not, I suppose that is too bad, so sad.The release notes are slightly more informative than the Microsoft Security Response Center post about the April patches. The latter simply stated, “Today we released security updates to provide additional protections against malicious attackers.” Microsoft recommends turning on automatic updates, but probably not to stop the upcoming migraine for the click-fest you will have to endure to find out about the security updates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft kicks security bulletins to the curb in favor of security update guide

Forget about security bulletins; Microsoft is so done with them. Now, it’s all about the Security Update Guide – something Microsoft claimed customers wanted back in November 2016. Bulletins were supposed to bite the dust starting in January 2017, but it appears as if they did starting in April 2017. This new era for patching Microsoft is great, if you really like clicking again and again. If not, I suppose that is too bad, so sad.The release notes are slightly more informative than the Microsoft Security Response Center post about the April patches. The latter simply stated, “Today we released security updates to provide additional protections against malicious attackers.” Microsoft recommends turning on automatic updates, but probably not to stop the upcoming migraine for the click-fest you will have to endure to find out about the security updates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Orange Pi takes on Raspberry Pi with new computer boards

Raspberry Pi may be the most well-known board computer, but rival Orange Pi is rolling out a much larger range of boards at a furious pace and at cheaper prices.The number of board computer users is growing, with Raspberry Pi's shipments passing 10 million units last year. Orange Pi hasn't shipped as many devices but is trying to customize its boards to meet a wider set of computing needs. The latest board computer is the US$30 Orange Pi Prime, which is almost identical to Raspberry Pi 3 in terms of features. The Orange Pi Prime has better graphics by using a Mali-450 GPU, which can process 2K video.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Microsoft’s Open Approach to Networking

At Microsoft, we’re focused on enabling our customers by supporting all the technologies they depend on, and collaborating across organizational and industrial boundaries to bring the best possible experience to the cloud. Microsoft embraces open source and partner ecosystems to scale our own development efforts and accelerate innovation. Products that include Visual Studio Code, .NET, and ASP.NET are being publicly developed on GitHub with contributions from both Microsoft and non-Microsoft developers. These products are targeting Windows, Mac, and Linux. Microsoft is a contributing member of open source communities, including the Apache Software Foundation, Linux Foundation, R Consortium, and Node.js Foundation. —Microsoft Azure Blog

The post Worth Reading: Microsoft’s Open Approach to Networking appeared first on rule 11 reader.

Worth Reading: Microsoft’s Open Approach to Networking

At Microsoft, we’re focused on enabling our customers by supporting all the technologies they depend on, and collaborating across organizational and industrial boundaries to bring the best possible experience to the cloud. Microsoft embraces open source and partner ecosystems to scale our own development efforts and accelerate innovation. Products that include Visual Studio Code, .NET, and ASP.NET are being publicly developed on GitHub with contributions from both Microsoft and non-Microsoft developers. These products are targeting Windows, Mac, and Linux. Microsoft is a contributing member of open source communities, including the Apache Software Foundation, Linux Foundation, R Consortium, and Node.js Foundation. —Microsoft Azure Blog

The post Worth Reading: Microsoft’s Open Approach to Networking appeared first on 'net work.

42% off TurboTax Deluxe 2016 Tax Software Federal & State – Deal Alert

TurboTax coaches you every step of the way and double checks your return as you go to handle even the toughest tax situations, so you can be confident you’re getting every dollar you deserve. Its typical list price of $59.99 has been reduced a generous 42% to $34.89, a deal that is exclusive to Amazon. Learn more, or take advantage of the deal now, on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Today, Get 43% off SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick 200GB – Deal Alert

Note: This deal is only active until 2am ET, 4/12The SanDisk Connect wireless stick is a flash drive with a unique twist -- you can access it wirelessly. Whether it's in your pants pocket, in your bag, or on the picnic table at your campsite, the Connect wireless stick lets you stream media or move files wirelessly with up to three computers, phones or tablets simultaneously. Connections are made via built-in wifi (think "hotspot"), so no external wireless or internet services are needed. A USB connection is also available, if desired. Storage on this model is a generous 200GB. Reviewers on Amazon report at least 8-10 hours of battery life on one charge. This model is currently discounted 43%, from $119.99 down to $67.99. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Today, Get 43% off SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick 200GB – Deal Alert

Note: This deal is only active until 2am ET, 4/12The SanDisk Connect wireless stick is a flash drive with a unique twist -- you can access it wirelessly. Whether it's in your pants pocket, in your bag, or on the picnic table at your campsite, the Connect wireless stick lets you stream media or move files wirelessly with up to three computers, phones or tablets simultaneously. Connections are made via built-in wifi (think "hotspot"), so no external wireless or internet services are needed. A USB connection is also available, if desired. Storage on this model is a generous 200GB. Reviewers on Amazon report at least 8-10 hours of battery life on one charge. This model is currently discounted 43%, from $119.99 down to $67.99. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Huawei Invests $1 Billion in Public Cloud Platform

The company plans to create a cloud business unit.

Fortinet Brings Security to SD-WAN and SaaS Applications

Fortinet's SD-WAN security was built in-house.

VeloCloud Creates Ecosystem of Security Partners for its SD-WAN

It wants to provide consistent security policies across its SD-WAN.

Notes on the FCC and Privacy in the US

I’ve been reading a lot about the repeal of the rules putting the FCC in charge of privacy for access providers in the US recently—a lot of it rising to the level of hysteria and “the end is near” level. As you have probably been reading these stories, as well, I thought it worthwhile to take a moment and point out two pieces that seem to be the most balanced and thought through out there.

Essentially—yes, privacy is still a concern, and no, the sky is not falling. The first is by Nick Feamster, who I’ve worked with in the past, and has always seemed to have a reasonable take on things. The second is by Shelly Palmer, who I don’t always agree with, but in this case I think his analysis is correct.

Last week, the House and Senate both passed a joint resolution that prevent’s the new privacy rules from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from taking effect; the rules were released by the FCC last November, and would have bound Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the United States to a set of practices concerning the collection and sharing of data about consumers. The rules were widely heralded Continue reading

Notes on the FCC and Privacy in the US

I’ve been reading a lot about the repeal of the rules putting the FCC in charge of privacy for access providers in the US recently—a lot of it rising to the level of hysteria and “the end is near” level. As you have probably been reading these stories, as well, I thought it worthwhile to take a moment and point out two pieces that seem to be the most balanced and thought through out there.

Essentially—yes, privacy is still a concern, and no, the sky is not falling. The first is by Nick Feamster, who I’ve worked with in the past, and has always seemed to have a reasonable take on things. The second is by Shelly Palmer, who I don’t always agree with, but in this case I think his analysis is correct.

Last week, the House and Senate both passed a joint resolution that prevent’s the new privacy rules from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from taking effect; the rules were released by the FCC last November, and would have bound Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the United States to a set of practices concerning the collection and sharing of data about consumers. The rules were widely heralded Continue reading

Multistage MC-LAG in Data Center

1       Executive Summary

Compute virtualization and converged infrastructure has introduced tremendous changes in Data Center networks.  Traditional network design (Core, Aggregation and Access layers) coupled with Spanning tree protocol for management of layer 2 loops could not simply afford requirements of virtual machine mobility and elephant flows required for modern applications. All major network vendors have collaborated and brought new technologies to solve modern day Data Center challenges. 3 tier traditional networks are being replaced with flat switching fabric or scalable IP-Fabric.

2       Multi-Chassis LAG, A Solution

Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation Group is   another solution besides “Switching Fabric and IP Fabric” where access devices or servers can have active-active connectivity and traffic load sharing on links connected with 2 different network devices.  The basic idea is to prune effects of spanning tree protocol and offer active-active topology and redundancy for link and device safe fail-over.

In this solution paper; we will discuss how to design a Data Center network for small to medium organization with collapsed core architecture (Core and aggregation layers combined in single layer) with active-active multi-homing between server and access layer switches and active-active multi-homing between access and core layer network devices. Thus completely removing spanning Continue reading

VMware Adds Native Security to its Software-Defined Storage

Customers can manage vSphere and vSAN together with native security.

Microsoft vs. Apple: Strategies change but the battle continues

The Microsoft vs. Apple argument is getting old. At this point, it's safe to say there's enough room in the enterprise for both tech giants. Still, it's difficult to ignore when one starts to surpass the other in either enterprise or consumer popularity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

8 great small business productivity and collaboration apps

Small business owners, whether working in a busy office, on the road or from home, can easily get distracted – and overwhelmed. From email (and text) messages bombarding their inboxes and smart phones, to having to stop what they are doing to attend meetings or put out fires, to the temptation to check social media, it can be hard – make that nearly impossible – to stay focused and complete tasks on time.And while many entrepreneurs claim to be excellent multitaskers, research has shown most are not.So what, if anything, can small business owners do to stay focused and on top of things? Following is a list of free or inexpensive tools (listed alphabetically) that can help.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What it takes to become a chief information security officer (CISO)

download Career Tracker: What it takes to be a chief information security officer CSO Jeff Foltz did not set out to be an information security professional. He arrived at his current role as CISO at Fidelity National Financial by making the most of a series of opportunities and constantly building his skillset. His degree in psychology and philosophy would also prove more useful in his CISO job than one might think.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

What it takes to become a chief information security officer (CISO)

download Career Tracker: What it takes to be a chief information security officer CSO To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)