Demand for IT contractors in UK is rising
Demand for IT contractors has strengthened over the past six months despite the uncertainty caused by the vote to leave the European Union. At first glance this seems counterintuitive.
Historically, contractors have been the first into and first out of a period of economic malaise or even just uncertainty. The fear was that the EU referendum result would send the jobs market into a tailspin, and that contractors would be first to feel the pain. They are, after all, a flexible resource and it is much more cost effective for organizations to divest themselves of contractors than employees. In the months leading up to the referendum last June, that is exactly what we saw. Demand for contractors weakened as organizations hesitated over their IT investments until some measure of clarity was achieved.
What is dark data?
As a society, and as businesses, we used to have a good handle on our data. We knew what it was, where it was kept, and we used it in a very formal way, treating it as something very precious. You could argue that a lot of it was always "dark," as it was locked in files and accessed only by those with physical proximity as well as the permission to use it.
Within organizations, data processing used to rely on very structured, defined data sets, but the rise of social data, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and constantly connected devices has introduced a seemingly unlimited supply of unstructured data. It comes streaming in from multiple sources -- cloud data, device-driven data, social data, financial data, and everything in between...
UK SMBs losing money filing taxes
Almost half of all SMBs in the UK (49 percent) have lost money in the digital tax submission process, signaling that there is still a lot more work to be done before the Make Tax Digital initiative is completed successfully.
This is according to a new report by cloud accountancy software Pandle, which surveyed 1,000 UK SMBs. The report says that SMBs lost money despite feeling well-informed on the recent changes to the system.
Enterprises replacing data centers with hybrid clouds
Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, summed up on the concept of cloud computing very succinctly. "All it is, is a computer attached to a network." Ellison and Oracle have gone on to embrace both open source and cloud technologies including OpenStack, but the basic premise that it starts with a physical server and a network still holds true.
The server industry is going through massive change, driven in the main part by advances in open source software, networking and automation. The days of monolithic on-site server rooms filled with rack-space, and blinking lights and buzzing air-con, are gone. However, the alluring simplicity of this concept is not quite how it works in the real world.
Why website reinfections happen
We all know someone who’s been in a difficult position following a security breach. They are rushing to assess the damage, while simultaneously repairing website functionality to limit the compromise. It’s a stressful situation, especially if you’ve had to deal with a compromise more than once. Unfortunately for some website owners this is a reality -- shortly after the initial security breach, the website becomes compromised again. It leaves the website owner asking why their website is being targeted and how the website re-infection is happening.
The short answer is that it’s most likely due to unresolved vulnerabilities. While it may seem like you’ve been singled out and targeted by some menacing hackers, most of the time that isn’t the case. The majority of website compromises are preceded by automated campaigns that locate websites vulnerable to a particular exploit the hacker wishes to employ. The bottom line is, you aren’t the target that the hacker is singling-out, it’s the software on your website. There are a couple main culprits for this scenario.
Moving beyond the responsible, digital future
Few trends have received more hype and attention in the past couple of years, than this broad-based phenomenon termed as "digitalization." If one were to do a simple cause-and-effect analysis, then it would be easy to arrive at a definition which would attribute digitalization to digital technologies such as mobile, social, cloud and IoT. Further, advances from robotics to cognitive intelligence to augmented reality, have catapulted the idea of "digitalization" into businesses across industries.
In today’s world, if a business hasn’t digitally transformed it won’t be around for much longer. But a technology-centric definition would be a radical over-simplification of this "business model necessity." While digital transformation -- much like the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" -- might be technology led, the change itself is much deeper, and has the potential to disrupt entire societies. To succeed in an already present change, organizations must look beyond the current changes and towards the future at four key themes:
9 low-cost, high-tech ways to secure your home
Technology is ever the equalizer, and this is increasingly true in the realm of home security. For most people, home security means a few good deadbolts and possibly some bars on the window. Whole-home, monitored, wired security systems that cost upwards of $50 a month (not to mention long-term contracts and multiple up-charges for installation and additional features) are an expensive option if all you want to know is if someone is in your backyard or trying to open your front door.
Today, thanks to wireless technology, there are multiple lower-priced options for home monitoring systems, including complete DIY systems that you can install and monitor yourself. However, these still start at around $200. What if you just want some basic, high-tech security that won’t break the bank? Here is a round-up of nine low-cost, high-tech ways you can protect your home, based on your specific security needs, all for under $100.
Fujitsu announces six new enterprise devices
Fujitsu has announced six new enterprise devices on six different product series, offering faster machines and more security. There's the new 10.1-inch Arrows Tab Q507/P-SP tablet, a new Notebook Lifebook, two ESPRIMO models, a 17.3-inch Celsius H970 mobile workstation, and the Futro MU937 mobile notebook device (which Fujitsu claims is the world's lightest).
What's particularly interesting about the Arrows device is that, for the first time, it comes with Fujitsu's Biometric Authentication Slide Passport functionality. This biometric authentication service allows users to log in using the palm of their hand.
How to unlock a Samsung Galaxy S8, or any other smartphone, quickly and safely
Your two-year contract is almost up and you can’t wait to switch to another carrier, that has cheaper plans and better options. Your mobile data is never enough, and on top of everything you pay absurd roaming fees every time you travel.
Or maybe you want to get your hands on a new flagship, like the Samsung Galaxy S8, for example, but you can’t afford a SIM-free version, so getting it with a two-year contract remains the best option. Unfortunately, everybody knows that such phones come locked... Worry not, it's perfectly possible to unlock your phone and the process is actually very straightforward.
Lloyds Bank offers Windows Hello facial and fingerprint recognition
Lloyds Bank customers will soon be able to log into their accounts through fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technology, rather than typing in passwords. According to the bank, it has teamed up with Microsoft to bring the Windows 10 authentication technology to its customers.
The biometric authentication technology, which Microsoft named Windows Hello, uses a combination of infrared technology and advanced software to identify the user in various lighting conditions. It was also emphasized that fraudsters can’t bypass the security measure by using a photograph.
IT convergence drops costs and complexity
The IT infrastructure landscape is in the middle of a massive change. The proliferation of point security and networking appliances continues to drive up IT cost structures. Cloud adoption and the shift to a mobile workforce has made connectivity between entities other than physical offices ever more critical. Buying more point-solution or continuing to running networks separately only adds more complexity and cost.
Instead we’re starting to see the convergence of IT. By moving towards a simpler infrastructure with fewer point solutions, we reduce the costs and complexity plaguing our current IT environments. This trend is playing out across four IT tiers: networks, appliances, services, and management.
8 things businesses can do to lower cyber attack risks
Hardly a day goes by without some media coverage that is focused on cyber. Whether is it sensationalist headlines announcing the most recent cyber-attack that has left some unfortunate company red faced and bereft, the outcome of yet another survey generally conducted by an entity selling cyber related goods or services, or the announcement of new regulation and legislation. A front page headline of CITY AM screams CYBER CRIME WIPES £42BN OFF SHARES -- surely there cannot be a board director left who can deny awareness that cyber-crime poses a threat to his or her business.
Having engaged in the cyber debate for more than a decade, it seems we can at last all agree that the foundation stone is now well in place with widespread, if not universal, acceptance that cyber-crime and cyber risk are real and now an ever present challenge to businesses.
Outdated practices and tech affect employee morale
It’s no surprise to anyone that the UK is in the grips of a legacy technology crisis. But, in an age of digital innovation it’s not acceptable that so many organizations are still running on technology that should have been left behind over a decade ago.
The golden rule with technology in any organization is to not lag too far behind. Equipment that is old, breaks down or slows work activity will have significant effects on the motivation levels of employees, and it’s already giving way to a negativity epidemic in UK offices.
'Here be dragons': Look past FUD to see the real security threats
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that cybercrime is big business, and is growing at an exponential rate. In 2015, UK insurer Lloyd’s of London estimated the cybercrime market at $400 Billion. Today, just two years later, the World Economic Forum estimates that same market to currently be $3 trillion. And the prediction from Cybersecurity Ventures is that it will cost the world in excess of $6 trillion annually by 2021.
The "darknet" -- the part of the Internet that most people have never seen and which lies beyond normal web browsers -- is protected by layers of anonymity, and has become a haven for criminal commerce. Its inaccessibility lends it a certain mystique, but that aura of mystery breeds misunderstanding. At the edge of the unknown, understanding tends to be a scarce commodity and is often replaced with fear, uncertainty, and doubt -- a trio so intertwined they’re better known simply as "FUD."
UK businesses face nearly 500 attacks a day
OK, so, Beaming says UK businesses suffered, on average, 43,000 cyber-attacks in the first quarter of 2017 -- each. If this number sounds way too big, then it would be even more interesting to hear that this is actually seven per= cent lower than what was going on in the same period last year.
Breaking the numbers down, Beaming says each business gets attacked 474 times per day. Almost all of these attacks, 92 percent of them, are targeting Internet of things devices, such as networked security cameras or building control systems, as these IoT devices can be controlled remotely, over the internet.
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