Comcast shouldn’t buy any companies until it fixes its core competencies

Today I’m confronted with the possibility that Comcast may buy DreamWorks. This should be banned. Why? Last Thursday, I called Comcast to move my service. No matter that I’ve had Comcast on and off (no pun intended) since 1998. Disregard the numerous complaints to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission regarding the company’s service, billing, infrastructure problems and varying forms of incompetence. During call #1, the over-eager customer service agent (CSA) disconnected my service then and there, and thus also terminated my call, as it was over Skype.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World teams with IDC on new Cloud Access Security Broker study

Cloud Access Security Brokers are increasingly popular because they give enterprise IT shops a centralized way to control access to multiple cloud resources.  But are they worth it?  We want to find out.Network World is teaming with IDC to field a survey of companies that have implemented or have experience with CASBs and invite you to participate. Your answers are confidential and will be reported in combination with responses from your peers.  As way of thanks, we'll send you a PDF of the survey highlights and you will be eligible to enter a sweepstakes for $250.To participate, click on the following URL or paste into your browser: https://response.questback.com/idg/casb2016/To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple needs the iPhone 7 to reignite growth

Apple depends on the iPhone flywheel effect to draw consumers into its proprietary ecosystem and throw off iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, App Store and iTunes revenues. When that effect doesn’t work, things go south, as we’ve seen in Apple’s first decline in 13 years.The decrease, in fact, marks the beginning of the end of the iPhone 6 product cycle. iPhone 6 growth spiked because of pent-up demand for iPhones with larger screens that Android competitors proved consumers wanted. Former iPhone users that became large-screen Android users returned to Apple, increasing iPhone sales. For iPhone sales to rebound from this current decline, though, the iPhone 7 must have a vital growth-reigniting feature–something really important to consumers that hasn’t been invented by a competitor.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel Does The Math On Broadwell Server Upgrades

The “Broadwell” generation of Xeon processors debuted a month ago, and now that the basic feeds and speeds are out there, customers are trying to figure out what to buy as they upgrade their systems and when to do it. This being a “tick” in the Intel chip cadence – meaning a shrink to smaller transistors instead of a “tock” rearchitecting of the Xeon core and the surrounding electronics – the Broadwell Xeons snap into existing “Haswell” systems and an upgrade is fairly straightforward for both system makers and their customers.

It all comes down to math about what to …

Intel Does The Math On Broadwell Server Upgrades was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

In rare unanimous move, House passes bill to protect email and cloud privacy

The U.S. House of Representatives, in a rare unanimous vote, has approved a bill to strengthen privacy protections for email and other data stored in the cloud.The Email Privacy Act would require law enforcement agencies to get court-ordered warrants to search email and other data stored with third parties for longer than six months. The House on Wednesday voted 419-0 to pass the legislation and send it to the Senate.The bill, with 314 cosponsors in the House, would update a 30-year-old law called the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Some privacy advocates and tech companies have been pushing Congress to update ECPA since 2011.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

In rare unanimous move, House passes bill to protect email and cloud privacy

The U.S. House of Representatives, in a rare unanimous vote, has approved a bill to strengthen privacy protections for email and other data stored in the cloud.The Email Privacy Act would require law enforcement agencies to get court-ordered warrants to search email and other data stored with third parties for longer than six months. The House on Wednesday voted 419-0 to pass the legislation and send it to the Senate.The bill, with 314 cosponsors in the House, would update a 30-year-old law called the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Some privacy advocates and tech companies have been pushing Congress to update ECPA since 2011.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Swisscom’s Elastic Cloud Uses PLUMgrid OpenStack SDN

It plans to use more containers in the future.

59% off StarTech SATA to USB 3.0 Converter Adapter – Deal Alert

Who doesn't love a good adapter? The USB3S2SAT3CB USB 3.0 to SATA adapter cable lets you connect a 2.5" SATA hard drive or solid state drive to your computer through an available USB port. This is one of those geeky adapters you're going to want to keep on hand. Swap between hard drives without installing in the enclosure. Clone or back up HDD drives as if they were external. It's likely you'll find many more applications once you have this in your tool box. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 2,200 people (read reviews), most of which indicate that this adapter is well made, and simply does what it claims to do. With a regular price of $29.65, the 59% discount gets you down to just $12.26. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Headaches likely to grow over auto cybersecurity concerns

The concerns around the cybersecurity of your car are likely magnify in the near term while experts try to figure out what can be done simply to eliminate risks.But while some short-term fixes may develop, forthcoming government auto cybersecurity standards won’t happen until at least 2018. Furthermore, technologies, such as message encryption and authentication, which can be used to secure and verify the legitimacy of communications occurring along in-vehicle networks—cannot be incorporated into existing vehicles. Rather, such technologies must be incorporated during the vehicle design and production process, which according to experts, will take approximately 5 years to complete, according to a report out this week by the Government Accountability Office.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Headaches likely to grow over auto cybersecurity concerns

The concerns around the cybersecurity of your car are likely magnify in the near term while experts try to figure out what can be done simply to eliminate risks.But while some short-term fixes may develop, forthcoming government auto cybersecurity standards won’t happen until at least 2018. Furthermore, technologies, such as message encryption and authentication, which can be used to secure and verify the legitimacy of communications occurring along in-vehicle networks—cannot be incorporated into existing vehicles. Rather, such technologies must be incorporated during the vehicle design and production process, which according to experts, will take approximately 5 years to complete, according to a report out this week by the Government Accountability Office.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Ask Me Anything About HTTP/2

We're big fans of HTTP/2 at CloudFlare. Our customers make up the majority of HTTP/2 enabled domains today. HTTP/2 is a key part of the modern web, and its growth and adoption is changing how websites and applications are built.

On Thursday April 28, 2016, our friends at CatchPoint are hosting a live AMA (Ask Me Anything) with experts from CloudFlare, Akamai, and Google answering questions in real time about the protocol's features, adoption, and future.

When: Thursday April 28, 2016 from 2pm-3pm Eastern Time (1600-1700 UTC)

How: Ask questions ahead of time (and vote on questions). Join in real-time on Thursday.

Who: CloudFlare's own Suzanne Aldrich will join Ilya Grigorik from Google, Tim Kadlec from Akamai, and Andrew Smirnov from Catchpoint.

Need the basics on HTTP/2 ahead of time? Visit the CloudFlare HTTP/2 website.

“The Good Wife” TV show could teach you a few things about modern technology

The CBS legal and political drama The Good Wife ends its 7-season run on May 8, and if you’re not a regular viewer of the show it might surprise you to learn how clever the writers are at coming up with plots ripped from the day’s top technology news headlines. Back in 2007 I documented “What ‘The Sopranos’ taught me about technology,” and here’s my rundown of what The Good Wife has taught its audience about tech and its influence on everything from politics to the law to sex (yes, I confess this show is one of my guilty pleasures). For the uninitiated, The Good Wife in the show title is Alicia Florrick, who had put aside her legal career during her husband Peter’s rise in politics, only to get back into it after he ruins their marriage by cheating on her. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

“The Good Wife” TV show could teach you a few things about modern technology

The CBS legal and political drama The Good Wife ends its 7-season run on May 8, and if you’re not a regular viewer of the show it might surprise you to learn how clever the writers are at coming up with plots ripped from the day’s top technology news headlines.  Back in 2007 I documented “What ‘The Sopranos’ taught me about technology,” and here’s my rundown of what The Good Wife has taught its audience about tech and its influence on everything from politics to the law to sex. For the uninitiated, The Good Wife in the show title is Alicia Florrick, who had put aside her legal career during her husband Peter’s rise in politics, only to get back into it after he ruins their marriage by cheating on her. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Secret Court Takes Another Bite Out of the Fourth Amendment

Defenders of the NSA’s mass spying have lost an important talking point: that the erosion of our privacy and associational rights is justified given the focus of surveillance efforts on combating terrorism and protecting the national security. -Electronic Frontier Foundation

The post Worth Reading: Secret Court Takes Another Bite Out of the Fourth Amendment appeared first on 'net work.

Worth Reading: Secret Court Takes Another Bite Out of the Fourth Amendment

Defenders of the NSA’s mass spying have lost an important talking point: that the erosion of our privacy and associational rights is justified given the focus of surveillance efforts on combating terrorism and protecting the national security. -Electronic Frontier Foundation

The post Worth Reading: Secret Court Takes Another Bite Out of the Fourth Amendment appeared first on 'net work.

Intel’s Edison board now links up to IBM’s Bluemix cloud service

Intel is making it easier to create smarter and more functional gadgets, robots, drones, and wearables using its Edison developer board.The company has made a series of improvements to its latest IoT Developer Kit 3.0, which is used to program functionality into devices.The developer kit adds support for a wider range of sensors and adds connectivity to IBM's Bluemix cloud service. The kit also has improved programming tools and integration with Google's Brillo and Android.Edison has been used as a developer board to prototype and test devices. The new features provide a springboard to make Edison a viable platform for end products. The board could be used in products such as smart helmets, but it is too big for small electronics and some wearables.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

2FA for Mother’s Day

One of the things that stands out in Verizon's 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report is that “63% of confirmed data breaches involve using weak, default or stolen passwords.”The thing is, many of the breaches could have been prevented had a company been using two-factor authentication (2FA).Authors of the Verizon report wrote: We are realists here, we know that implementation of multi-factor authentication is not easy. We know that a standard username and password combo may very well be enough to protect your fantasy football league. We also know that implementation of stronger authentication mechanisms is a bar raise, not a panacea. Even with all of that, 63% of confirmed data breaches involved leveraging weak/default/stolen passwords. This statistic drives our recommendation that this is a bar worth raising.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

2FA for Mother’s Day

One of the things that stands out in Verizon's 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report is that “63% of confirmed data breaches involve using weak, default or stolen passwords.”The thing is, many of the breaches could have been prevented had a company been using two-factor authentication (2FA).Authors of the Verizon report wrote: We are realists here, we know that implementation of multi-factor authentication is not easy. We know that a standard username and password combo may very well be enough to protect your fantasy football league. We also know that implementation of stronger authentication mechanisms is a bar raise, not a panacea. Even with all of that, 63% of confirmed data breaches involved leveraging weak/default/stolen passwords. This statistic drives our recommendation that this is a bar worth raising.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Save 69% on Dell XPS 13 13.3″ Full HD Signature Edition Laptop – Deal Alert

The Dell XPS 13 9343-2727SLV 13.3" Full HD Signature Edition Laptop is powerful, feature-packed, and currently discounted over $1,600 on Amazon, making this a very good option for the money if you're considering a new machine for home or school. With the current 69% discount you can order it for just $719 via Amazon.It's 13-inch screen display is virtually borderless, and at 1920 x 1080 resolution it delivers twice as many pixels as standard HD (720p). It's CPU is an Intel Core i5-5200U 2.20GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.70 GHz. For memory you're looking at a generous 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz. And for storage, 128GB solid-state. Battery life is listed at up to 15 hours. The body is made from aluminum and carbon fiber, so it weighs in at only 2.6 lb making it super portable as well. See the dramatically discounted Dell XPS 13 on Amazon to learn more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Featured Report: How to Translate New Capabilities into New Revenues with “Telco Cloud”

New HPE report breaks down how a telco cloud can help generate new revenues. Read more.