Category: Comments & opinions

I still remember the first time I did an Internet search. It was both amazing and confusing. Clicking on the first of many matches, I quickly forgot what I was searching for in the first place, but I learned a lot. At least I think I did. That was more than twenty years ago and certainly SEO has improved a lot. So much so, that now we can quickly find more than we want to know about almost anything, including the dirt on almost company, true or not. That sounds…

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One of the biggest complaints leveled at Android smartphones is the plethora of apps, many of which unwanted, that come preinstalled on the devices. Samsung has listened to this and has made the bloatware it installs on the Galaxy S6 user-removable. According to screenshots uploaded to the XDA Developers forum by member Jeshter2000, users are able to uninstall a range of apps including Google apps such as YouTube and Play Store, along with the Microsoft OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype apps. Not only that, but users will also be able to…

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We’re living in a hyper-connected world, an era of pervasive instrumentalization – from wearable technology, to people remotely “speaking” to their home appliances. On a consumer level, digitalized connectivity – made possible through a skein of communications through the Internet of Things (IoT) – has become commonplace, even expected. Indeed, the installed base for Internet-connected devices already exceeded 14 billion by early 2015, and is forecast to mushroom to nearly 50 billion by 2020 according to one estimate. So, what does all this mean for US manufacturers? We’ve explored this question in…

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The job picture for IT workers has changed considerably, thanks to new technologies and shifts in business processes and priorities. This list of in-demand skills may surprise you.   Image: iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages Companies around the world are engaged in a fierce fight for talent. Especially in IT, the growth of new disciplines like big data, a need to understand the business and to be malleable in the face of change, and the impending retirement of legions of highly skilled baby boomers are presenting companies with unique IT hiring challenges. This is forcing…

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I love visiting my father-in-law at his office: it’s like visiting with the great Dicky Fox from the movie Jerry Maguire. He’s been a small businessman all of his life, ever the consummate salesman, and today—even in his 70s—he still has a bunch of new ventures that he’s knocking out. On his back credenza, running off an antiquated PC, is his customer relationship management (CRM) system. It’s not particularly innovative, except perhaps to my son, who thinks it’s neat that it’s all one color—green text on a black screen. So yes, it’s…

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IT departments are using Server 2003 expiry as opportunity to virtualise, says Spiceworks. Security fears are prompting IT departments to migrate away from Windows Server 2003 ahead of end of life this summer, according to a report. Around 85 per cent of IT professionals cited security concerns as the main factor behind upgrading their server operating systems, followed by 72 per cent worried about software incompatibility. End of life for Server 2003 will strike on July 14, and means Microsoft will issue no new software upgrades or bug patches for…

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While Microsoft has dropped hints that the Internet Explorer brand is going away, the software maker has now confirmed that it will use a new name for its upcoming browser successor, codenamed Project Spartan. Speaking at Microsoft Convergence yesterday, Microsoft’s marketing chief Chris Capossela revealed that the company is currently working on a new name and brand. “We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10,” said Capossela. “We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser…

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HP CEO Meg Whitman shares her thoughts on the technology trends impacting the telecommunications industry. This week, I’m traveling to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, where I’ll join customers and colleagues to discuss the monumental changes being driven by new and creative applications of mobile technology. Since the advent of the telephone nearly 140 years ago, we’ve seen technology—and the telecommunication industry’s application of it—progress by leaps and bounds. Today, we’re moving at warp speed to connect our devices, our homes, our businesses, and even ourselves. The future of telecommunications…

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Like many global companies, EMC depends heavily on a CRM to manage sales and purchasing data about its vast global installed base. Over time, we realized that without big data analytics, this customer data was trapped inside our systems and providing limited value. EMC decided that offering analytical capabilities through a data lake architecture would substantially increase the value of this data. To get there, EMC hired Todd Forsythe, EMC Vice President, Corporate Marketing, to create the Marketing Science Lab. I spoke to Todd about why he is so excited…

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RESEARCHERS WORKING with the Central Intelligence Agency have conducted a multi-year, sustained effort to break the security of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, according to top-secret documents obtained by The Intercept. The security researchers presented their latest tactics and achievements at a secret annual gathering, called the “Jamboree,” where attendees discussed strategies for exploiting security flaws in household and commercial electronics. The conferences have spanned nearly a decade, with the first CIA-sponsored meeting taking place a year before the first iPhone was released. By targeting essential security keys used to encrypt…

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