Riverbed searches for the IT Holy Grail

There’s a historical fable about the Holy Grail. Various cultures have different versions, but it’s described as some kind of dish or chalice with miraculous powers that gives the wielder eternal youth, riches or some other wonderful thing. Many people throughout history have spent their lives looking for the Holy Grail, but they never found it because it is, after all, a myth. The world of IT has it’s own Holy Grail and that’s being able to understand how the infrastructure is performing through the lens of the user. In theory, one should be able to monitor the application and use that as a proxy for user experience. In theory, this makes sense and seems easy, but practically speaking it’s extremely difficult to do because the “end user experience” can be impacted by the application, device, network, databases, service or a number of other factors. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Half of American adults are in face recognition databases

Half of all American adults are in a face recognition database, and not one law enforcement agency requires a warrant before tapping into that tech to identify someone.While you might be binge-watching Netflix, cooking, working or sleeping—in other words, minding your own business and doing nothing illegal—law enforcement may be running your photo through a face recognition network, using your face in a virtual line-up to find a person suspected of committing a crime.How did you end up in this digital manhunt? It could be because you have a driver’s license or state-issued ID, since 26 states “enroll their residents in a virtual-line up.” That covers more than 117 million American adults, an investigation found, but since not all drivers are adults, then the total number of drivers in face recognition networks is more than 131 million.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Half of American adults are in face recognition databases

Half of all American adults are in a face recognition database, and not one law enforcement agency requires a warrant before tapping into that tech to identify someone.While you might be binge-watching Netflix, cooking, working or sleeping—in other words, minding your own business and doing nothing illegal—law enforcement may be running your photo through a face recognition network, using your face in a virtual line-up to find a person suspected of committing a crime.How did you end up in this digital manhunt? It could be because you have a driver’s license or state-issued ID, since 26 states “enroll their residents in a virtual-line up.” That covers more than 117 million American adults, an investigation found, but since not all drivers are adults, then the total number of drivers in face recognition networks is more than 131 million.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Netgear joins the 802.11ad game with Nighthawk X10

Another home networking vendor has joined the 802.11ad Wi-Fi market – Netgear today launched the Nighthawk X10 AD7200. Aimed at users interested in faster data transfers for large file sizes, which includes 4K video streaming and VR gaming, the Nighthawk X10 is powered by a 1.7GHz Quad Core processor and Quad-Stream Wave 2 Wi-FI architecture. The router is now available for pre-order via Netgear for $499.99, with retail availability expected by the end of October.Adding the 802.11ad feature means that users can get faster data transfers via the 60 GHz frequency (aka 60Gig), but in a limited space (about 20 feet, line of sight between the client and the router). Backward compatibility with 802.11ac (and b/g/n) means that you can still use this in your home network, but speeds will drop as you get further from the router. There are a limited amount of clients currently supporting 802.11ad (Acer has a few notebooks and docking stations), but Netgear says it’s preparing for the future as more client devices support 802.11ad for different scenarios. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft is killing Project Spark, its ambitious cross-platform creation game

We saw it coming last fall, and now the reality is here: Project Spark is dead. Microsoft removed its game-creation platform from the Windows Store and the Xbox Marketplace on Friday. Project Spark, which lets users create games with no coding experience necessary, went into “maintenance mode” in September. At that time, Microsoft stopped active development of the platform but continued to operate it as “a free incubation engine.” The company unlocked all previously paid downloadable content—character packs, themes, etc.—and continued to operate the online services for the platform. That will all end soon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Oracle fixes 100s of vulnerabilities that put enterprise data at risk

Oracle has released another large batch of patches, fixing many critical vulnerabilities in enterprise products that are used to store and work with critical business data.About 40 percent of the patched flaws are located in Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle PeopleSoft, Oracle Retail Applications, Oracle JD Edwards, Oracle Supply Chain Products and Oracle Database Server. Many of these flaws can be exploited remotely without authentication to compromise the affected components.In total, Oracle's October Critical Patch Update (CPU) contains 253 security fixes across hundreds of products including database servers, networking components, operating systems, application servers and ERP systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Oracle fixes 100s of vulnerabilities that put enterprise data at risk

Oracle has released another large batch of patches, fixing many critical vulnerabilities in enterprise products that are used to store and work with critical business data.About 40 percent of the patched flaws are located in Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle PeopleSoft, Oracle Retail Applications, Oracle JD Edwards, Oracle Supply Chain Products and Oracle Database Server. Many of these flaws can be exploited remotely without authentication to compromise the affected components.In total, Oracle's October Critical Patch Update (CPU) contains 253 security fixes across hundreds of products including database servers, networking components, operating systems, application servers and ERP systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Recruiting and retaining cybersecurity talent

As we know, there is an acute shortage of cybersecurity talent available on a global basis. For example, previous ESG research from 2016 reveals that 46 percent of organizations say they have a “problematic shortage” of cybersecurity talent at present.Unfortunately, the cybersecurity skills shortage goes beyond headcount alone.  According to a recently published report from ESG and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)—The State of Cyber Security Professional Careers, Part 1—cybersecurity teams can be in a constant state of flux due to issues with employee satisfaction, a lack of adequate training and staff attrition. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25% off ARRIS SURFboard SB6190 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem – Deal Alert

The SURFboard SB6190 is the first Gigabit+ cable modem available in retail, and is compatible with major US Cable Internet Providers like Xfinity by Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Brighthouse and many others, so you can ditch their cable modem (along with their rental fee) and regain control. It harnesses the power of DOCSIS 3.0 technology to bond up to thirty two downstream channels and eight upstream channels--providing you advanced multimedia services with data rates up to 1.4 Gbps download and 131 Mbps upload depending on your Cable Internet provider service. That makes streaming HD Video, gaming, shopping, downloading, working, high-quality voice and video conferencing, and peer-to-peer networking applications far more realistic, faster, and efficient than ever before. It averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4,100 people (read reviews). Its typical list price of $149.99 has been reduced 25% to $111.99. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25% off ARRIS SURFboard SB6190 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem – Deal Alert

The SURFboard SB6190 is the first Gigabit+ cable modem available in retail, and is compatible with major US Cable Internet Providers like Xfinity by Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Brighthouse and many others, so you can ditch their cable modem (along with their rental fee) and regain control. It harnesses the power of DOCSIS 3.0 technology to bond up to thirty two downstream channels and eight upstream channels--providing you advanced multimedia services with data rates up to 1.4 Gbps download and 131 Mbps upload depending on your Cable Internet provider service. That makes streaming HD Video, gaming, shopping, downloading, working, high-quality voice and video conferencing, and peer-to-peer networking applications far more realistic, faster, and efficient than ever before. It averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4,100 people (read reviews). Its typical list price of $149.99 has been reduced 25% to $111.99. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tim Cook or Bill Gates as Clinton’s VP? It was considered

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates were both on a list of potential vice presidential candidates for Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to a leaked email published on Tuesday by Wikileaks.The email, apparently sent by campaign chairman John Podesta on March 17, named the two tech titans alongside 37 other people as "a first cut of people to consider for VP."Also on the list, published by WikiLeaks, was Gates' wife Melinda. She co-founded the charitable foundation that bears both their names.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords Other business leaders that made the cut were General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Bloomberg News founder and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tim Cook or Bill Gates as Clinton’s VP? It was considered

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates were both on a list of potential vice presidential candidates for Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to a leaked email published on Tuesday by Wikileaks.The email, apparently sent by campaign chairman John Podesta on March 17, named the two tech titans alongside 37 other people as "a first cut of people to consider for VP."Also on the list, published by WikiLeaks, was Gates' wife Melinda. She co-founded the charitable foundation that bears both their names.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords Other business leaders that made the cut were General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Bloomberg News founder and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel’s revenue soars with help from the PC group

Though Intel’s PC group, data center, and Internet of Things businesses helped drive Intel to record revenue in its third quarter of 2016, all eyes seemed focused on one number: the company’s fourth-quarter forecast, which isn’t great. Intel achieved a 9 percent year-over-year increase in profits, up to $3.4 billion, and a 9 percent increase in revenue as well, to a record high of $15.8 billion.Unfortunately, the company’s projections for fourth-quarter revenues are actually slightly down: $15.7 billion, with some $500 million either way in terms of wiggle room. Traditionally, Intel sees its highest revenue in the fourth quarter, so the numbers provide an indication of how the holiday tech sales season is expected to go.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The march toward exascale computers

It's good to be near the top of the list.As for the embargo's likely effectiveness, #1 on the Top500 list happens to be China's Sunway TaihuLight at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi. It sustains a performance of 93 petaflops using 10,649,600 cores, all of them 1.45GHz Sunway (also rendered ShenWay) SW26010 devices, which fit Dongarra's description of "lightweight" processors. And all were made in China.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

The march toward exascale computers

It's good to be near the top of the list.As for the embargo's likely effectiveness, #1 on the Top500 list happens to be China's Sunway TaihuLight at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi. It sustains a performance of 93 petaflops using 10,649,600 cores, all of them 1.45GHz Sunway (also rendered ShenWay) SW26010 devices, which fit Dongarra's description of "lightweight" processors. And all were made in China.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Cisco revs up storage connections for data centers and WANs

Data is piling up, and storage keeps getting faster thanks to flash, so the networks that link it all together need to keep up, too.Both traditional Fibre Channel and more general-use protocols used in storage keep steadily ratcheting up performance. On Wednesday, Cisco Systems is boosting the speed of long-distance storage links for disaster recovery and business continuity. It’s also introducing higher speeds for IP (Internet Protocol) storage networks in data centers and enhancing its software to simplify storage management.Fibre Channel hangs on as the glue that binds together SANs (storage area networks) because it’s dependable and secure, said 451 Research analyst Steven Hill. A majority of large enterprise installations use it even though typically cheaper IP-based systems like iSCSI have been around for years, he said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco revs up storage connections for data centers and WANs

Data is piling up, and storage keeps getting faster thanks to flash, so the networks that link it all together need to keep up, too.Both traditional Fibre Channel and more general-use protocols used in storage keep steadily ratcheting up performance. On Wednesday, Cisco Systems is boosting the speed of long-distance storage links for disaster recovery and business continuity. It’s also introducing higher speeds for IP (Internet Protocol) storage networks in data centers and enhancing its software to simplify storage management.Fibre Channel hangs on as the glue that binds together SANs (storage area networks) because it’s dependable and secure, said 451 Research analyst Steven Hill. A majority of large enterprise installations use it even though typically cheaper IP-based systems like iSCSI have been around for years, he said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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