Trim your application portfolio for savings

Paul Valente, a Chicago Public Schools systems engineer, jokes that his employer is "a $7 billion organization with a $6 billion budget." Not surprisingly, the underfunded department has a short-staffed IT team, so Valente is always looking for ways to cut costs and streamline operations -- and he feels he has struck gold with an application rationalization scheme.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Microsoft SQL Server 2016 finally gets a release date

Database fans, start your clocks: Microsoft announced Monday that its new version of SQL Server will be out of beta and ready for commercial release on June 1. The news means that companies waiting to pick up SQL Server 2016 until its general availability can start planning their adoption.SQL Server 2016 comes with a suite of new features over its predecessor, including a new Stretch Database function that allows users to store some of their data in a database on-premises and send infrequently used  data to Microsoft's Azure cloud. An application connected to a database using that feature can still see all the data from different sources, though. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

As CIO, this former CFO’s mission is to empower business partners

Herve Coureil spent more than two decades building a career before landing the top technology spot at Schneider Electric, which specializes in energy management and automation. Nothing unusual there -- except for the fact that Coureil spent most of his 23 years at Schneider outside of IT, in business and financial roles. In fact, he served as chief financial officer in Schneider's Critical Power and Cooling Services unit before becoming CIO in 2009.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Why referrals make the best hires

Looking for a new job but can't seem to land one? Maybe your poor networking skills are to blame? A new national survey reveals that while HR professionals say employee referrals are the best source for finding great candidates, only 7 percent of job seekers are using referrals as part of their job search.The Active Job Seeker Dilemma survey, from Future Workplace, a research firm and workforce management consultancy and Beyond.com, a career and hiring marketplace, polled 4,347 U.S. job seekers and 129 HR professionals. The survey revealed a major disconnect between job seekers and the HR pros who are looking to hire when it comes to how candidates are identified.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT leaders pick productivity over security

Results from two recent studies suggest that cybersecurity needs an overhaul at most companies with root causes of the problem including poor communication, a lack of employee awareness, slowed productivity and a lack of budget.In its 2016 Cybersecurity Confidence Report, Barkly, an endpoint security company, surveyed 350 IT pros to determine the top security concerns for 2016 and gauge how confident IT leaders are when it comes to cybersecurity issues. The survey looked at IT leaders' biggest security concerns, levels of confidence around security, number of breaches in 2015, amount of time spent on security, biggest priorities in IT and the downsides to current security solutions -- and, for the most part, the results were grim.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The expanding landscape of exploit kits

Angler, Magnitude, and Nuclear are a few of the most commonly used exploit kits criminals are using to deliver a variety of payloads from botnets to ransomware. Exploit kits are really just a means for malicious actors to get in the door. Once their payloads are installed, the payload is unique to the criminal, and the payload delivered has a profound impact on business operations.The prevalence of exploit kits and the techniques favored by attackers changes quite often. Only a few years ago, Black Hole was the most popular exploit kit until its author, Dmitry “Paunch” Fedotov was arrested. In the years that followed his arrest, the use of Black Hole declined. Despite "Paunch" being sentenced to seven years in prison last month, exploit kit authors remain undeterred and vigilant in their derivatives.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Yammer adds external groups feature

Microsoft’s message board/social network for business, Yammer, now allows administrators to invite people from outside of the Yammer network into groups for discussions and other messaging. The company made the announcement in the Yammer blog last week.Yammer is a high-powered message board Microsoft acquired in 2012 for $1.2 billion. It lets groups stay in regular contact while working on projects and has become a major component of Office 365. However, it operates in any environment, including stand-alone, to serve as an internal messaging platform the way Notes and cc:Mail tried to do years ago.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Highly social Linux nerds worth following

Social Linux butterflies When most people think of “Linux nerds,” the first phrase that comes to mind typically isn’t “super-duper social.” But it should be. If you’ve ever been to a Linux convention, you’ve seen these social Linux butterflies firsthand. And that social nature extends to social media as well. What follows is a carefully crafted cross section of some incredibly interesting Linux nerds from the various social networks. These are not companies or projects; we’re talking about actual people, speaking for themselves, who are uniquely relevant in the Linux world.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to make tech meetups work for you

On any given day, more than 9,000 groups in 180 countries will gather somewhere in their local community to attend a “meetup,” according to the company that coined the term and originated the concept, Meetup.com. While topics range widely – from Texas Hold’em to plant-based nutrition – there are more listings for technology-focused topics than any other area, except careers/business.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

6 colleges turning out open source talent

Most IT departments have project road maps that will require open-source skills, but finding recent college grads with open source talent can be challenging. Whether your company is planning an open-source-based big data implementation, installing an open-platform file manager, or adopting an open approach to customer relationship management, experts say traditional computer science departments might not be turning out students you need. “We still see that the status quo in computer science is very much missing an open-source component,” says Tom Callaway, team lead for Red Hat’s University Outreach program. Therefore, hiring managers and recruiters should look to non-traditional schools that have committed coursework and even degree programs to open source.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 5.2.16

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.CloudJumper nWorkspaceKey features: CloudJumper nWorkspace is a comprehensive Workspace as a Service platform for SMBs and the enterprise that simplifies IT while expanding access to desktops, software applications, data, and entire workspaces from any device or location. Users have access to thousands of applications or can add their own applications with ease using the platform. The fully packaged WaaS platform offers customers a choice of licensing models for greater flexibility and lower costs, including named user and concurrent user licensing options. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 5.2.16

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.CloudJumper nWorkspaceKey features: CloudJumper nWorkspace is a comprehensive Workspace as a Service platform for SMBs and the enterprise that simplifies IT while expanding access to desktops, software applications, data, and entire workspaces from any device or location. Users have access to thousands of applications or can add their own applications with ease using the platform. The fully packaged WaaS platform offers customers a choice of licensing models for greater flexibility and lower costs, including named user and concurrent user licensing options. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Robots at your service

Robo-versatility on displayImage by ReutersWhile some of us wait patiently for a real-life version of the housekeeper from The Jetsons, today’s “working robots” are taking on a surprising variety of tasks, as evidenced by this collection of recent photos provided by Reuters.Waiting to buy an iPhoneImage by Reuters/Robert GalbraithTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Robots at your service

Robo-versatility on displayImage by ReutersWhile some of us wait patiently for a real-life version of the housekeeper from The Jetsons, today’s “working robots” are taking on a surprising variety of tasks, as evidenced by this collection of recent photos provided by Reuters.Waiting to buy an iPhoneImage by Reuters/Robert GalbraithTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Qatar National Bank claims customer data released by hackers is authentic

Qatar National Bank has admitted that its systems were hacked but said that the information released online was a combination of data picked up from the attack and from other sources such as social media.The incident would not have a financial impact on the bank’s customers whose accounts are secure the bank said, without providing details of how its systems were hacked, the possible identity of the hackers, and what information was harvested.The announcement Sunday by one of the leading financial institution in the Middle East follows the posting online last week of leaked documents. The attack only targeted a portion of Qatar-based customers, the bank said, claiming the hack attempted to target the bank’s reputation rather than specifically its customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Qatar National Bank claims customer data released by hackers is authentic

Qatar National Bank has admitted that its systems were hacked but said that the information released online was a combination of data picked up from the attack and from other sources such as social media.The incident would not have a financial impact on the bank’s customers whose accounts are secure the bank said, without providing details of how its systems were hacked, the possible identity of the hackers, and what information was harvested.The announcement Sunday by one of the leading financial institution in the Middle East follows the posting online last week of leaked documents. The attack only targeted a portion of Qatar-based customers, the bank said, claiming the hack attempted to target the bank’s reputation rather than specifically its customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Touch Wipe: a question for you lawyers

Whether the police can force you to unlock your iPhone depends upon technicalities. They can't ask you for your passcode, because that would violate the 5th Amendment right against "self incrimination". On the other hand, they can force you to press your finger on the TouchID button, or (as it has been demonstrated) unlock the phone themselves using only your fingerprint.

So I propose adding a new technicality into the mix: "Touch Wipe". In addition to recording fingerprints to unlock the phone, Apple/Android should add the feature where users record fingerprints to wipe (erase) the phone. For example, I may choose my thumb to unlock, and my forefinger to wipe.

Indeed, I may record only one digit to unlock, and all nine remaining digits to wipe. Or even, I may decide to record all 10 digits on both hands to wipe, and not use Touch ID at all to unlock (relying solely on the passcode).

This now presents the problem for the police. They can't force me to unlock the phone. They can't get around that by using my fingerprints, because they might inadvertently destroy evidence.

The legal system is resilient against legal trickery such as this. If think you've Continue reading

Bangkok, Thailand: CloudFlare’s 79th Data Center

CloudFlare just turned up our newest data center in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand and a very popular destination with travelers in Southeast Asia. This expands our network to span 32 cities across Asia, and 79 cities globally.

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The floating market at Damnoen Saduak, just outside Bangkok (Photo source: CloudFlare's very own Martin Levy)

Thailand, with a population of 65 million, is the fourth largest country in Southeast Asia. As the central interconnection point for all Internet communications within the country, Bangkok was the natural choice for our newest deployment.

Southeast Asia expansion

Southeast Asia commonly includes the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Following Singapore and then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bangkok is the third location for CloudFlare in the region. We have more deployments in the works in the region; however our next data center beginning with the letter 'B' is roughly 6,000 miles away.

Online, in a massively mobile way

While only 40% of the population is online, Thailand has become a majority-mobile country very quickly, with 70% of its users accessing the Internet predominantly via smartphones. Through CloudFlare’s implementation of encryption using the ChaCha20-Poly1305 cipher suites, Continue reading

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