IBM grows in cloud and data analytics but overall revenue slides

IBM’s revenue continued to decline in the second quarter but growth in some of its strategic initiatives like cloud computing and data analytics suggest that the company may be on track in its transition plans.The Armonk, New York, company said Monday that revenue from its new “strategic imperatives” like cloud, analytics and security increased by 12 percent year-on-year to US$8.3 billion. That increase was, however, lower than the growth the company had reported in these businesses in the first quarter.Cloud revenue – public, private and hybrid – grew 30 percent in the second quarter, while revenue from analytics grew 4 percent, revenue from mobile increased 43 percent and the security business grew 18 percent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM grows in cloud and data analytics but overall revenue slides

IBM’s revenue continued to decline in the second quarter but growth in some of its strategic initiatives like cloud computing and data analytics suggest that the company may be on track in its transition plans.The Armonk, New York, company said Monday that revenue from its new “strategic imperatives” like cloud, analytics and security increased by 12 percent year-on-year to US$8.3 billion. That increase was, however, lower than the growth the company had reported in these businesses in the first quarter.Cloud revenue – public, private and hybrid – grew 30 percent in the second quarter, while revenue from analytics grew 4 percent, revenue from mobile increased 43 percent and the security business grew 18 percent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How AT&T wants to use AI as a crystal ball

AT&T uses artificial intelligence to tell if things are going wrong in its network. Soon, AI may know it before it happens.The carrier says it’s been using AI for decades in areas like call-center automation but developed it for each use as they came along. Now AT&T is pouring its AI smarts into a one platform that can be used with multiple applications.“I can’t just keep doing this once at a time. We need a foundation,” said Mazin Gilbert, assistant vice president of the company’s Inventive Sciences division, in an interview last week at the AT&T Shape conference in San Francisco.That foundation is about two million lines of the code that powers AT&T’s Domain 2.0 software-defined network, which the carrier built so it could roll out new services more quickly and efficiently. Along with its own AI code, much of which is open source, the company is using open-source components from partners including universities and third-party vendors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How AT&T wants to use AI as a crystal ball

AT&T uses artificial intelligence to tell if things are going wrong in its network. Soon, AI may know it before it happens.The carrier says it’s been using AI for decades in areas like call-center automation but developed it for each use as they came along. Now AT&T is pouring its AI smarts into a one platform that can be used with multiple applications.“I can’t just keep doing this once at a time. We need a foundation,” said Mazin Gilbert, assistant vice president of the company’s Inventive Sciences division, in an interview last week at the AT&T Shape conference in San Francisco.That foundation is about two million lines of the code that powers AT&T’s Domain 2.0 software-defined network, which the carrier built so it could roll out new services more quickly and efficiently. Along with its own AI code, much of which is open source, the company is using open-source components from partners including universities and third-party vendors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How AT&T wants to use AI as a crystal ball

AT&T uses artificial intelligence to tell if things are going wrong in its network. Soon, AI may know it before it happens.The carrier says it’s been using AI for decades in areas like call-center automation but developed it for each use as they came along. Now AT&T is pouring its AI smarts into a one platform that can be used with multiple applications.“I can’t just keep doing this once at a time. We need a foundation,” said Mazin Gilbert, assistant vice president of the company’s Inventive Sciences division, in an interview last week at the AT&T Shape conference in San Francisco.That foundation is about two million lines of the code that powers AT&T’s Domain 2.0 software-defined network, which the carrier built so it could roll out new services more quickly and efficiently. Along with its own AI code, much of which is open source, the company is using open-source components from partners including universities and third-party vendors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How a healthcare hacker is pressuring victims to pay up

Pay up or face your patients' wrath.That’s how one hacker is trying to shake down U.S. healthcare providers after stealing sensitive data about their patients.TheDarkOverlord claims to have stolen 10 million patient records and is selling them on the black market. In the meantime, the hacker is trying to extort the providers by telling them their patient data won't be sold if they pay a ransom.At least one of the healthcare providers so far has refused to give in, TheDarkOverlord said in an interview Friday. To apply pressure, the hacker claims to have called some of its patients to warn them their records will be leaked if the provider doesn't pay up.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How a healthcare hacker is pressuring victims to pay up

Pay up or face your patients' wrath.That’s how one hacker is trying to shake down U.S. healthcare providers after stealing sensitive data about their patients.TheDarkOverlord claims to have stolen 10 million patient records and is selling them on the black market. In the meantime, the hacker is trying to extort the providers by telling them their patient data won't be sold if they pay a ransom.At least one of the healthcare providers so far has refused to give in, TheDarkOverlord said in an interview Friday. To apply pressure, the hacker claims to have called some of its patients to warn them their records will be leaked if the provider doesn't pay up.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The FBI is using outdated IT to foil FOIA requests, lawsuit alleges

The FBI is using antiquated computer systems to deliberately foil requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, a new lawsuit alleges.Ryan Shapiro, a national security researcher and Ph.D. candidate at MIT, has been studying the Freedom of Information Act for years with a particular focus on noncompliance by government agencies. He already has multiple FOIA lawsuits in motion against the FBI, and earlier this month he filed a new one.In it, he describes numerous attempts to obtain information over the past two years, and the FBI's frequent response that it can't locate what he's looking for.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

19% off Polaroid ZIP Mobile Photo Printer with ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology – Deal Alert

Enjoy the power and fun of a Polaroid camera without the Polaroid camera. This little standalone photo printer connects to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth, and is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer battery, so it's designed to be portable, easy and fun to use. On a single charge the gadget will print 25 photos -- without ink. Instead, it uses heat to produce deep, vibrant colors that are completely smudge-proof, on 2x3 paper that is waterproof, tear-proof and backed with adhesive so you can peel-and-stick for added fun. It ships with 10 sheets loaded, but paper is easy to find on Amazon and comes in packs of 20, 30 or 50 (found here). A compact and protective carrying case is also available at what seems to be a reasonable price (found here).  The Polaroid ZIP mobile printer currently averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 1,150 customers (read reviews). Its typical list price of $159.99 has been reduced by 19% to $129.99. If you're looking for a fun and unusual summer gift idea for yourself or someone on your list, see the discounted Polaroid ZIP mobile printer Continue reading

Ms. Lo Goes to Washington

By: Laurie Falconer, Director of Integrated Communications On Friday, Ruckus Wireless Business Unit CEO Selina Lo was in Washington, D.C. speaking alongside White House administrators and industry leaders at an event marking the launch of the Advanced Wireless Industry Consortium,...

ZTE’s $99 Zmax Pro smartphone packs in top-line features

ZTE's US $99 ZMax Pro packs in some of the latest smartphone technologies, something you wouldn't expect in a low-priced handset.The smartphone has a 6-inch screen and is available only through MetroPCS in the U.S. It weighs about 175 grams and is 8.9 millimeters thick.It has some top-line features found in the latest smartphones, like a USB Type-C port. It also runs on the latest Android OS 6.0 code-named Marshmallow.The Gorilla Glass 3 screen shows images at a full HD resolution. The handset has 32GB of internal storage, and a micro-SD card for expandable storage. That's a lot of storage for a handset under $100.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Rep. Pascrell’s H-1B bill is a message to Democrats

Early this month, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) introduced an H-1B reform bill that, he said, has little chance of being enacted this year. But that wasn't the point of the bill."I introduced my legislation, in fact, when I saw [that H-1B] wasn't going to be in the [Democratic] platform," Pascrell said during a telephone press conference Monday about his legislation.The Democrats, both presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the party itself, have not called for H-1B reforms. It's not mentioned in Clinton's or in the party's draft platforms. That's in contrast to Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump, who has detailed visa reforms in his platform.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ICYMI Cloud News: Congress considers a cloud migration; AWS acquisition; Microsoft legal win

It’s summertime, which means you may not be keeping up with all the news in the busy cloud computing industry.Last week there were a handful of announcements that flew somewhat under the radar, but have important implications for this market.Congress considers moving Federal IT to the cloud There’s a movement afoot in Congress to encourage more government workloads to migrate to cloud computing platforms, according to GovInfoSecurity.com. A bill named Move IT Act aims to sure up cybersecurity defenses and upgrade legacy infrastructure systems while making it easier for federal agencies to use cloud computing services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Don’t look now, but Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak just got a big step closer

Harry Potter fans, take note: Scientists have made an object "disappear" using a cloaking device similar in many ways to the invisibility cloak imagined by author J.K. Rowling.Researchers from the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at the Queen Mary University of London worked with U.K. industry recently to demonstrate a device that allows curved surfaces to appear flat to electromagnetic waves. It's not an invisibility cloak just yet, but it could bring the much-yearned-for item closer to reality.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here