In Nice attack, government’s official terror alert comes too late

"Take cover," the French government warned people in Nice via its official terror alert app.But the alert came almost three hours after police shot the driver of a truck as he plowed through crowds gathered on the waterfront late Thursday to watch a firework display celebrating France's national holiday.The System to Alert and Inform Populations (SAIP) app, introduced last month, is supposed to provide more timely and informative warnings than the existing nationwide network of sirens and radio messages. The ministry began working on the app after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, finally putting it into service on June 8.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

In Nice attack, government’s official terror alert comes too late

"Take cover," the French government warned people in Nice via its official terror alert app.But the alert came almost three hours after police shot the driver of a truck as he plowed through crowds gathered on the waterfront late Thursday to watch a firework display celebrating France's national holiday.The System to Alert and Inform Populations (SAIP) app, introduced last month, is supposed to provide more timely and informative warnings than the existing nationwide network of sirens and radio messages. The ministry began working on the app after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, finally putting it into service on June 8.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Blockchain-based OS for banks surfaces, could shake up retail banking

Some banking software is so old that programmers have had to come out of retirement to fix glitches in the code and integrate it into mobile phone device interfaces. That’s if the banks could find the poor guy, who's probably out fishing somewhere, or if he’s still alive.Yet banks haven’t wanted to invest in from-scratch, well-documented re-engineering. It’s too expensive—bankers prefer to count money than spend it—and it’s difficult to justify a new back end to owners because code is so invisible. Banking code has thus stagnated and gotten patched when necessary, or possible, despite fraud and cyber theft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Blockchain-based OS for banks surfaces, could shake up retail banking

Some banking software is so old that programmers have had to come out of retirement to fix glitches in the code and integrate it into mobile phone device interfaces. That’s if the banks could find the poor guy, who's probably out fishing somewhere, or if he’s still alive.Yet banks haven’t wanted to invest in from-scratch, well-documented re-engineering. It’s too expensive—bankers prefer to count money than spend it—and it’s difficult to justify a new back end to owners because code is so invisible. Banking code has thus stagnated and gotten patched when necessary, or possible, despite fraud and cyber theft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco patches serious flaws in router and conferencing server software

Cisco Systems released patches this week for several vulnerabilities in its IOS software for networking devices and the Cisco and WebEx conferencing servers.The most serious vulnerability affects the Cisco IOS XR software for the Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 6000 Series Routers. It can lead to a denial-of-service condition, leaving affected devices in a nonoperational state.Unauthenticated, remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability by initiating a number of management connections to an affected device over the Secure Shell (SSH), Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) or Secure FTP (SFTP).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco patches serious flaws in router and conferencing server software

Cisco Systems released patches this week for several vulnerabilities in its IOS software for networking devices and the Cisco and WebEx conferencing servers.The most serious vulnerability affects the Cisco IOS XR software for the Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 6000 Series Routers. It can lead to a denial-of-service condition, leaving affected devices in a nonoperational state.Unauthenticated, remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability by initiating a number of management connections to an affected device over the Secure Shell (SSH), Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) or Secure FTP (SFTP).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco patches serious flaws in router and conferencing server software

Cisco Systems released patches this week for several vulnerabilities in its IOS software for networking devices and the Cisco and WebEx conferencing servers.The most serious vulnerability affects the Cisco IOS XR software for the Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 6000 Series Routers. It can lead to a denial-of-service condition, leaving affected devices in a nonoperational state.Unauthenticated, remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability by initiating a number of management connections to an affected device over the Secure Shell (SSH), Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) or Secure FTP (SFTP).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM Quantum Computing Push Gathering Steam

For the first time access to cutting-edge quantum computing is open free to the public over the web. On 3 May 2016, IBM launched their IBM Quantum Experience website, which enthusiasts and professionals alike can program on a prototype quantum processor chip within a simulation environment. Users, accepted over email by IBM, are given a straightforward ‘composer’ interface, much like a musical note chart, to run a program and test the output. In over a month more than 25,000 users have signed up.

The quantum chip itself combines five superconducting quantum bits (qubits) operating at a cool minus 273.135531 degrees …

IBM Quantum Computing Push Gathering Steam was written by Nicole Hemsoth at The Next Platform.

IDG Contributor Network: The Pokémon Go effect on the network

Imagine sitting courtside at game seven of the NBA finals without having to pay the reported $99,000 someone spent on two tickets last month. Or imagine watching that same game in the stadium, and live statistics pop up on your connected glasses that show a certain player is approaching a triple-double—without having to take your eyes off the action. If you think either seem unrealistic, you probably didn’t think you’d be bumping into people chasing virtual Pokémon around the streets, did you? + Also on Network World: Amazon CTO says cloud can help crashing Pokemon Go +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: The Pokémon Go effect on the network

Imagine sitting courtside at game seven of the NBA finals without having to pay the reported $99,000 someone spent on two tickets last month. Or imagine watching that same game in the stadium, and live statistics pop up on your connected glasses that show a certain player is approaching a triple-double—without having to take your eyes off the action. If you think either seem unrealistic, you probably didn’t think you’d be bumping into people chasing virtual Pokémon around the streets, did you? + Also on Network World: Amazon CTO says cloud can help crashing Pokemon Go +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Best Deals of the Week – Deal Alert

Best Deals of the WeekCheck out this roundup of the best deals on gadgets, gear and other cool stuff we have found this week. All items are highly rated, and dramatically discounted.APC Performance SurgeArrest Outlet with Phone Splitter and Coax ProtectionThe APC Surge Arrest Performance series from APC offers the highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection for all of your data lines. The P11VT3 features 11 heavy duty outlets. Telephone and coax cable line surge suppression jacks are available to protect against dangerous surges traveling along data lines. Wiring Fault LED proactively notifies you of potentially dangerous building wiring conditions. Additional features like a ten foot power cord, safety shutters, status indicator, cord management, lifetime equipment protection policy and more make this their most complete surge offering. Over 1,100 customers on Amazon rate this item 4.5 out of 5 stars (read reviews) and Amazon indicates that its typical list price of $39.99 has been reduced by 36% to just $25.50. See this item now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What Silicon Valley doesn’t say in its Trump attack

Donald Trump will be "a disaster for innovation," according to some of Silicon Valley's technology leaders. But the innovation disaster they're warning of is already ongoing in America.U.S. support for research is declining, and just last month China surpassed the U.S. in number of supercomputers on the Top500 list. Both countries are now in a race to build exascale systems (1,000 petaflops), a competition the U.S. is almost certain to lose based on published roadmaps.The U.S. has set 2023 as its goal for exascale; China is aiming for 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft downsizes OneDrive accounts, enforces restrictions

Users of Microsoft's OneDrive have begun receiving notifications that their storage allotments have already, or will soon be, reduced to 5GB.The emails to OneDrive account holders were the first step in a process that Microsoft announced last year as part of a broader reduction in cloud-based storage allowances. The free amount was to be lowered from 15GB to 5GB, and another 15GB that many had -- the photograph-specific "Camera Roll" bonus that had been given to any who asked -- was to be erased.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows as a Service: What’s it mean?

The idea that Microsoft would eventually unveil a subscription licensing model for Windows 10 -- the so-called Windows-as-a-Service (WaaS) model -- has been bandied about for a while now. This week Microsoft made that idea real, but only for enterprise customers. At its Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Toronto, the company announced the details of Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and Windows Enterprise E5.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Q&A: SnapLogic tackles app integration in cloud era

Gaurav Dhillon knows a thing or two about integration. In his twenties, he co-founded Informatica and helped thousands of enterprises deal with the challenges of application and data integration in the client-server world. Now, as CEO of San Mateo, California-based SnapLogic, Dhillon is tackling the integration challenges IT shops face in the new world of cloud.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

10 compelling reasons to upgrade to Windows 10

An offer you shouldn't refuseThe deadline cometh. July 29 looms, and after that, Windows 7 and 8 users will no longer be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. If you’ve been waiting for Microsoft to polish out the operating system’s initial bugs, it’s time to make the leap.This article’s more for the fence-sitters—the folks who haven’t decided whether to stick with what they know or embrace Microsoft’s new-school operating system. There are some very valid reasons not to upgrade to Windows 10, to be honest. But Windows 10 is the best Windows yet, and most people should claim the free upgrade while there’s still time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wearables could compromise corporate data

As smartwatches and other wearables gain popularity, experts are warning of potential data security risks in workplaces.Some employees have begun connecting their personal smartwatches with corporate Wi-Fi networks, which could mimic the problems caused when personal smartphones started showing up at work several years ago. That earlier bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend fostered an explosion of software products from various vendors for managing devices securely, alongside laptops and desktops.As wearables begin to flood the workplace, the risk to employers could begin to look like "BYOD on steroids," said Peter Gillespie, an attorney at Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 travel apps to smooth your next business trip

Clear skies aheadImage by ThinkstockIt sometimes seems as if business travel is expressly designed to raise blood pressure. Cancelled flights, long airport security lines, even a misplaced receipt for your expense report can throw a monkey wrench into your trip. To help, we’ve rounded up several mobile apps designed to reduce travel stress in a variety of ways, from booking a flight or last-minute hotel room to finding a quiet airport lounge or secure Wi-Fi hotspot. With one exception, all of our picks are available for both iOS and Android devices, and many are free.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

WAN Options For The Cloud

Tesla asked to brief Senate committee on fatal car crash

Tesla Motors has been asked by a U.S. Senate Committee to brief it on the circumstances leading to a fatal accident that killed the driver of a Tesla Model S, while the vehicle’s Autopilot driver-assistance software was turned on.The request by the committee on Thursday comes on the same day that Consumer Reports, a product-testing and rating nonprofit, called on Tesla to disable hands-free operation in its cars until it can be made safer. Though advanced active safety technology in vehicles could eventually make roads safer, today "we're deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology,” said Laura MacCleery, vice president of consumer policy and mobilization for the organization, in a statement.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here