How to create enterprise apps employees want to use

Mobile apps have become a cornerstone in the enterprise as a way to connect business leaders, clients and employees. A major contributing factor to this shift, according to Adam Fingerman, cofounder and chief experience officer of ArcTouch Mobile & Connected Experiences is our reliance on our mobile devices; there's even a name for this phenomenon, "nomophobia." This reliance on technology has fundamentally affected businesses that have adopted a "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude about mobile devices. But a problem arises when a business thinks it can just create an app and expect employees to use it. People are accustomed to using apps that are finely tailored to their user experience, easy to use and fun. Business apps should be no exception -- if you want them adopted by your staff.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 interview questions to ask remote workers

Interview questions to ask remote workersImage by PexelsInterviewing remote workers is much different than hiring for a traditional, on-site position. In addition to the usual questions about knowledge, hard skills and experience, interviewing candidates for a remote position must take into account commitment, communication skills, conflict resolution, motivation and technology prowess. "There are some differences to look for when you're hiring remote workers. You need to emphasize constant communication, availability and collaboration skills, as well as the ability to work independently, to solve problems and resolve conflicts and be able to gauge productivity," says Madhav Bhandari, head of growth at cloud productivity management and time tracking software company Hubstaff. Here are 10 interview questions for remote workers that will help you find the perfect fit.1. What's your remote work experience?Image by PexelsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Envisioning a 65-story data center

Two Italian architects have designed a data center that challenges how the structures are built. Instead of constructing a flat, sprawling complex, they are proposing a data center that reaches skyscraper heights.At this stage, the data center designed by Marco Merletti, who works in Paris, and Valeria Mercuri, who is in Rome, is just an idea. But it's gotten recognition. The pair, who are both 28, recently received third place honors in the annual Skyscraper Competition held by architecture and design journal eVolo.From a visual perspective, the circular, futuristic-looking "Data Tower," as Merletti and Mercuri call it, almost seems like something out of Star Trek. But it incorporates sustainable technology for efficiently cooling hundreds of thousands of servers, while increasing reliance on automation. Its ideas are grounded in existing technologies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Envisioning a 65-story data center

Two Italian architects have designed a data center that challenges how the structures are built. Instead of constructing a flat, sprawling complex, they are proposing a data center that reaches skyscraper heights.At this stage, the data center designed by Marco Merletti, who works in Paris, and Valeria Mercuri, who is in Rome, is just an idea. But it's gotten recognition. The pair, who are both 28, recently received third place honors in the annual Skyscraper Competition held by architecture and design journal eVolo.From a visual perspective, the circular, futuristic-looking "Data Tower," as Merletti and Mercuri call it, almost seems like something out of Star Trek. But it incorporates sustainable technology for efficiently cooling hundreds of thousands of servers, while increasing reliance on automation. Its ideas are grounded in existing technologies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Symantec: Zero-days doubled in 2015, more companies hiding breach data

Fifty-four zero-day vulnerabilities were discovered last year, according to a report released this morning by Symantec, more than double that of 2014, and the number of mega-breaches of more than 10 million records also hit a record high.In fact, the number of newly-discovered vulnerabilities stayed between eight and 15 a year since 2006, then jumped to 23 in 2013 and 24 in 2014, leading researchers to hope that it had reached a new plateau.Instead, last year's 125 percent increase in zero-days was a sign of the increasing professionalization of the industry.INSIDER: Traditional anti-virus is dead: Long live the new and improved AV "People figured out that they could make money by finding zero-day vulnerabilities and selling them to attackers," said Kevin Haley, director of security response at Symantec. "So there became a marketplace, and these things started to have value, and people started to hunt for them."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Symantec: Zero-days doubled in 2015, more companies hiding breach data

Fifty-four zero-day vulnerabilities were discovered last year, according to a report released this morning by Symantec, more than double that of 2014, and the number of mega-breaches of more than 10 million records also hit a record high.In fact, the number of newly-discovered vulnerabilities stayed between eight and 15 a year since 2006, then jumped to 23 in 2013 and 24 in 2014, leading researchers to hope that it had reached a new plateau.Instead, last year's 125 percent increase in zero-days was a sign of the increasing professionalization of the industry.INSIDER: Traditional anti-virus is dead: Long live the new and improved AV "People figured out that they could make money by finding zero-day vulnerabilities and selling them to attackers," said Kevin Haley, director of security response at Symantec. "So there became a marketplace, and these things started to have value, and people started to hunt for them."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Key features of Windows 10 Enterprise

The Enterprise edition of any Windows version is aimed directly and more or less exclusively at businesses and other organizations of some considerable scale. It isn’t normally available for retail purchase (though you can find some retailers online willing to sell single copies). Usually, Windows 10 Enterprise must be acquired through some kind of licensing agreement with Microsoft or one of its partners, such as through the company’s Volume Licensing Service Center.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Datera Bets on Massive Middle Ground for Block Storage at Scale

For those who wonder what kind of life is left in the market for elastic block storage beyond Ceph and the luxury all-flash high rises, Datera, which emerged from stealth today with $40 million in backing and some big name users, has a tale to tell. While it will likely not end with blocks, these do form the foundation as the company looks to reel in enterprises who need more scalable performance than they might find with Ceph but aren’t looking to the high-end flash appliances either.

The question is, what might the world do with an on-premises take

Datera Bets on Massive Middle Ground for Block Storage at Scale was written by Nicole Hemsoth at The Next Platform.

A Baker’s Dozen, 2015 Edition

As is our annual tradition, this blog provides a year-end review of how the Internet providers at the top of our Internet Intelligence – Transit global rankings fared over the previous year.  The structure and performance of the Internet remains a huge blind spot for most enterprises, even those critically dependent on it for business operations.  Whether it’s the next 3 billion people coming online, poor performance due to suboptimal routing, impaired connectivity due to natural disasters or sabotage, slow DNS performance, routing leaks, or security breaches of a trust-based Internet infrastructure, Dyn provides critical insight into the structure and performance of the Internet, both real-time and historical, via its Internet Intelligence product suite.  More importantly, our services help our customers make the changes necessary to optimize Internet availability, reliability, and reach in a very dynamic environment.

Back in 2008, we chose to look at the 13 providers that spent at least some time in the Top Ten that year, hence the name “Baker’s Dozen“.  We repeated that exercise in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.  During the past 8 years, I’ve Continue reading

Jigsaw crypto-ransomware deletes more files the longer you delay paying

Understanding how to buy bitcoins and pay ransomware authors for decryption keys is hard enough, yet some cybercriminals now expect their victims to do it in under an hour if they want all of their files back.A new ransomware program dubbed Jigsaw encrypts users' files and then begins to progressively delete them until the victim pays the equivalent of $150 in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.The ransomware deletes one file after the first hour has passed and then increases the number of files it deletes in every 60-minutes cycle. If no payment has been made within 72 hours, all remaining files will be deleted.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords "Try anything funny and the computer has several safety measures to delete your files," the program's creators warn in their ransom message that's accompanied by a picture of the Jigsaw killer's mask from the horror film series Saw.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Jigsaw crypto-ransomware deletes more files the longer you delay paying

Understanding how to buy bitcoins and pay ransomware authors for decryption keys is hard enough, yet some cybercriminals now expect their victims to do it in under an hour if they want all of their files back.A new ransomware program dubbed Jigsaw encrypts users' files and then begins to progressively delete them until the victim pays the equivalent of $150 in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.The ransomware deletes one file after the first hour has passed and then increases the number of files it deletes in every 60-minutes cycle. If no payment has been made within 72 hours, all remaining files will be deleted.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords "Try anything funny and the computer has several safety measures to delete your files," the program's creators warn in their ransom message that's accompanied by a picture of the Jigsaw killer's mask from the horror film series Saw.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

With few options, companies increasingly yield to ransomware demands

Faced with few options, companies are increasingly giving in to cybercriminals who hold their data hostage and demand payment for its return, while law enforcement officials struggle to catch the nearly invisible perpetrators.The risks to organizations have become so severe that many simply pay their attackers to make them go away -- a strategy that may only embolden the crooks.It's a case of asymmetric electronic warfare. Ransomware, which encrypts files until a victim pays to have them unlocked, can be devastating to an organization. Barring an up-to-date backup, little can be done aside from paying the attackers to provide the decryption keys.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

With few options, companies increasingly yield to ransomware demands

Faced with few options, companies are increasingly giving in to cybercriminals who hold their data hostage and demand payment for its return, while law enforcement officials struggle to catch the nearly invisible perpetrators.The risks to organizations have become so severe that many simply pay their attackers to make them go away -- a strategy that may only embolden the crooks.It's a case of asymmetric electronic warfare. Ransomware, which encrypts files until a victim pays to have them unlocked, can be devastating to an organization. Barring an up-to-date backup, little can be done aside from paying the attackers to provide the decryption keys.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Box goes international with AWS and IBM-powered Zones feature

Box is trying to make it easier for companies outside the U.S. to comply with regulatory requirements on where their data is stored with a new feature that lets them pick a variety of new countries in which they can house their data.Starting next month, companies will be able to pay for a new Box Zones feature that will let them store data in Germany, Ireland, Japan and Singapore, while using Box's content and management services as though they had kept that information in the company's U.S. datacenters.That's important for companies that have to meet data sovereignty requirements in order to comply with their country's laws. Depending on the specific requirement, they may be prevented from storing some or all of their data in another country, which would until now have precluded them from working with Box.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Enterprise Sticking With Private Cloud

This slide was posted on Twitter this morning rom Sam Charrington:   This matches with what I hear and see in the market. Most enterprises will build private clouds They have so much data in their existing DCs that migrating is impossible/impractical That OpenStack (not VMware SDDC) is the preferred platform Some key market points that I […]

The post Enterprise Sticking With Private Cloud appeared first on EtherealMind.

Host-to-Network Multihoming Kludges

Continuing our routing-on-hosts discussions, Enno Rey (of the Troopers and IPv6 security fame) made another interesting remark “years ago we were so happy when we finally got rid of gated on Solaris” and I countered with “there are still people who fondly remember the days of running gated on Solaris” because it’s a nice solution to host-to-network multihoming problem.

Quoting RFC1925, “It’s easier to move a problem around than to solve it” and people have been extremely good at moving this particular problem around for decades.

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IDG Contributor Network: Datera emerges from stealth to offer another take on cloud scale-out storage

Stealthy startup Datera is launching today with its promise to bring an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud-type of offering to large enterprises and service providers.If that sounds like an offering you might have heard before, it's probably because for the past six to eight years, a number of vendors, seeing the traction that AWS has gained, have jumped on the bandwagon and offered a value proposition in the same area. There have been broad cloud operating system offerings, including OpenStack, CloudStack and Eucalyptus, more specialist storage platforms such as Ceph, Gluster, SimpliVity and Nutanix and hyperconverged offerings form the likes of VMware, Dell and Hewlett Packard. It's a busy space and one that is hanging off incredible growth in awareness and adoption of cloud offerings.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here