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Shared services delivery models are becoming increasingly popular in the business world, as a way of driving growth and increasing profit margins. However, not all of these models are up to the same standard. While some of the basic approaches might be suitable for smaller businesses, your best bet is to opt for one that allows the flexibility you need to grow successfully. To help you make the right choice for your business’s future, read on to discover just why flexibility is key in today’s highly competitive economy,

Inflexible shared services models essentially mean you are putting a cap on how much you can expand your business and keep up with customer and marketplace demands. Instead, you should look at crafting an advanced shared services organization, which can quickly react to marketplace and competitive changes to stay one step ahead of the game.

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It’s a good time to be a Windows Insider. Microsoft is busy cramming in last minute features and changes to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (also known as Redstone 3), including rather unexpected surprises, and the builds are a lot more stable now.

A week ago, Microsoft introduced the option to bypass any future Fall Creators Updates builds and skip ahead to the Redstone 4 branch. If that sounds like something you would have liked to have done, there’s some bad news -- it’s now too late.

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How often do you hear "it won’t happen to me", which is the primary reason many of us do not bother to backup our data. Sure, like us you can store some of your most important files in the cloud, but that has storage limitations and none of us wants to spend time trying to salvage our computer when we’re pressed for time.

The rise of ransomware means your computer is vulnerable, even if you have the latest security software. Once your files are encrypted, short of paying the ransom, there’s little else you can do.

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There are so many Bluetooth speakers nowadays, that it is hard for any to stand out. That's not to say they are all equal from a sound quality perspective. Actually, many of them are downright terrible. It is hard to find a model that produces acceptable-sounding music. This is why it is wise to stick with reputable brands, such as JBL, Bose, and Ultimate Ears. Don't misunderstand me, there are solid offerings from some less-known brands, but they are few and far between.

One reputable company that has been involved in sound technology for many years is Creative -- maker of the iconic Sound Blaster series of PC sound cards. Today, Creative unveils an absolutely beautiful Bluetooth speaker called "Halo." What makes it stand out from other such speakers is the cool-looking "halo" effect on the face. This is done with LED lights which feature an impressive 16.8 million color options. The lighting can be customized using a mobile app, allowing the user to find the best color combination for them. How cool is that?

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There's good news and bad news for OnePlus handset owners -- whether it's good or bad depends on whether you have a OnePlus 3/3T or a OnePlus 5. For users of the older handset, there's a new OxygenOS Open Beta which adds a decent selection of new features.

For OnePlus 5 users, however, the OxygenOS 4.5.7 update that was released earlier in the week is being recalled. OnePlus is responding reports of terrible gaming performance in withdrawing the update.

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The fourth episode of the latest season of Game of Thrones has leaked online before its official air date. Download links to the episode -- The Spoils of War -- have been shared on Reddit and Twitter, and the video appears to be a low-quality internal version.

Earlier this week, HBO was the victim of a hack in which 1.5TB of data was stolen. In addition to full episodes of other shows, there were scripts and spoilers for Game of Thrones, and these were subsequently leaked. This time around, however, it does not seem that the hack was the source of the S07E04 leak.

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Microsoft Azure is increasingly popular as a business cloud platform, but migrating to Azure often means bringing together data from a range of sources. Lack of access to this data can hinder development and slow delivery.

Data management specialist Delphix is launching a new Dynamic Data Platform for Azure, which offers enterprises the ability to streamline cloud migration projects, accelerate development and testing, and significantly reduce cost and complexity.

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WikiLeaks has published the latest installment of its cache of CIA documentation known as Vault 7. This time around we learn about Project Dumbo, a hacking tool which allows for the control of webcams and microphones.

Wired, Bluetooth and wireless devices can all be detected by Dumbo. In addition to this, Dumbo gives the CIA the ability to delete or corrupt recordings that have been made. WikiLeaks has published user guides for three versions of Dumbo, the most recent of which is dated June 2015.

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As Summer continues relentlessly, why not escape the sun and spent some time optimizing your PC? From today, 4 August 2017, you’ll be able to do just that thanks to our 48-hour Downloadcrew Giveaway, which is for a year’s license for Advanced SystemCare 10.5 PRO, worth $19.95.

This package contains an entire library of essential tools to help you clean up, optimize, maintain and secure your PC.

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Before Bitcoin Cash arrived, Coinbase made it clear that it had no plans to support a hard fork of Bitcoin and the resulting coins. That policy applied to its trading platform, GDAX, as well. So, customers who wanted to access Bitcoin Cash were told to withdraw their Bitcoin before the beginning of August.

However, fast forward to today and Coinbase announced that it will support Bitcoin Cash after all, in what looks like an attempt to appease the horde of angry customers that either did not get its original message or couldn't withdraw their Bitcoin in time for the hard fork.

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Starting with the K8 Note, all of Lenovo's smartphones will come with stock Android installed. The company is dropping its customized Vibe Pure UI in favour of an (almost) untouched version of Android.

The Lenovo K8 Note will come with Android 7.1.1 Nougat installed, and the company is making only minor additions in the form of Dolby Atmos and TheaterMax -- gone is the bloatware that irks users so much.

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The UK outsourcing market has enjoyed some of its strongest performance for several years, according to new figures released today.

The latest Arvato UK Outsourcing Index, revealed that the first six months of 2017 has been the most successful since 2012, with £5.2 billion worth of outsourcing deals in this time.

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A bipartisan group of US senators have introduced a new bill to better secure Internet of Things (IoT) devices and to protect security researchers as they attempt to find vulnerabilities in these devices.

The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act 2017 will require manufacturers that supply the US government with connected devices to comply with industry-wide security practices.

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Whether or not password managers are a good idea is up for debate. I understand the concerns about storing all of your login credentials in a single place -- in the cloud no less. With that said, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Look, it is impossible to remember a unique password for countless web sites nowadays. One alternative to a password manager is reusing the same password on numerous sites, and that is foolish behavior. Right now, a solution like LastPass or 1Password is the best we have, and I suggest it wholeheartedly.

LastPass in particular is great, as it is free to use and is cross-platform. It even works on Linux desktop operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Chrome OS. For a single dollar every month, you can opt for a premium account that supports the developer and gives you a few exclusive features. Well, guess what? LastPass is doubling the monthly fee for the Premium tier from one dollar to two. Yes, rather than $12 a year, it is now $24. Still extremely inexpensive, right? No one would complain about that, right? Wrong. Many LastPass users are stupidly complaining.

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LogMeIn has revealed a major new deal which it says will help its services become smarter and more personalized than ever.

The privacy firm has announced that it will acquire the digital self-service, chatbot and virtual assistant company Nanorep to provide more personalized experiences for its customers.

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