Data and containers and the keys to success

Digital data

In the beginning, workloads, tools, and requirements for big data were simple because big data wasn’t really all that big. When we hit 5TB of data, however, things got complicated. Large data sets weren’t well suited to traditional storage like NAS, and large sequential reading of terabytes of data didn’t work well with traditional shared storage.

As big data evolved, the analytics tools graduated from custom code like MapReduce, Hive, and Pig to tools like Spark, Python, and Tensorflow, which made analysis easier. With these newer tools came additional requirements that traditional big data storage couldn’t handle, including millions of files, read-writes, and random access for updates. The only constant was the data itself.

Continue reading

Get 'Hacking the Hacker' ($13 value) FREE for a limited time

Meet the world's top ethical hackers and explore the tools of the trade.

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly critical at all levels, from retail businesses all the way up to national security. Hacking the Hacker takes you inside the world of cybersecurity to show you what goes on behind the scenes, and introduces you to the men and women on the front lines of this technological arms race. Light on jargon and heavy on intrigue, this resource drives to the heart of the field, introducing the people and practices that help keep our world secure.

Continue reading

Have you seen Chrome 69? It's had a 10th-anniversary 'Material Design' refresh

Finding the right web browser isn’t easy. As a Chrome user for years, I was forced to switch when it went through a much-publicized Mac slowdown, moving to Safari. I became rather impressed with Safari, particularly if you move between the iOS and desktop edition.

Problem is, add a Windows PC into this mix and you’ll find there’s little point using Safari. So I switched to Firefox as recent UI changes made it look as fantastic on a Mac as it does on a Windows 10 computer.

Continue reading

New forecasting solution helps companies reduce cyber risk

Risk dial

The current feeling is that the chances of a company being hacked is a matter of when rather than if, but businesses continue to struggle with how to actually measure if their security solutions are working.

Security ratings company BitSight is launching a new tool that will help customers identify the optimal course of action needed to improve their overall risk posture.

Continue reading

BitTorrent embraces streaming torrents and takes uTorrent Web out of beta

uTorrent Web

Acknowledging that we are now very much in the streaming age, BitTorrent has launched the first version of µTorrent Web. The aim of the browser-based tool is to make torrenting as simple as possible and -- most importantly -- support torrent streaming.

It remains to be seen how many people are willing to switch from a dedicated app to a browser-based torrenting experience, but the promise that you can "play while you download, no more staring at progress bars" is certainly alluring.

Continue reading

How well are high availability applications supported?

Tech suport

Most businesses have critical applications that are vital to their remaining in operation. But support for these programs is a mixed picture according to a new report.

The study from application availability specialist SIOS Technology finds 86 percent of organizations are operating their high availability (HA) applications with some kind of clustering or high availability mechanism in place.

Continue reading

Over 12 million Brits have fallen victim to online fraud

payment card shopping cart

Almost one in four Brits (23 percent) have been victims of fraud when shopping online -- with eight percent duped more than once, according to a new study

The inaugural Fraud Tracker report from online payment service Shieldpay  shows that the average victim loses £608, yet receives only £55 back from their bank.

Continue reading

Firefox Quantum 62 tweaks home page, allows deletion of personal data when disconnecting Sync

Mozilla has released Firefox Quantum 62.0 for desktop, along with Firefox for Android 62.0. Version 62 ships with several minor new features, the most visible of which is support for up to four rows of personal customizations -- top sites, Pocket stories and highlights -- on the new Firefox Home menu.

Android users gain the most notable changes in Firefox 62: scrolling performance is improved, and there’s the promise of faster loading times over Wi-Fi by loading from the network cache if it’s quicker than the disk cache. Users also gain more control over notifications with the addition of a 'Product and feature tips' option.

Continue reading

New update from Microsoft means you can now record Skype calls

There's been a lot of Skype activity from Microsoft recently, starting off with the news (disappointing and frustrating for many) that Skype classic was to be killed off -- although this decision was later postponed. The company had also announced that call recording was coming to Skype 8.0, and now this is a reality.

There will be obvious privacy concerns about the arrival of this new feature, but Microsoft believes that it has a solution that will help keep people happy and informed.

Continue reading

A third of organizations say their leadership doesn't understand the value of data

Confusion

According to a new study, 32 percent of UK business and IT decision makers think their business leaders don't understand the role of data and the value it creates.

The research from analytic database firm Exasol finds 80 percent of organizations are unable to function without their data sources, with 25 percent being totally reliant on data to drive daily operations and decision-making.

Continue reading

Chrome vulnerability leaves Wi-Fi networks open to attack

Chrome icon with a padlock

Millions of home Wi-Fi networks could be easily hacked, even when the network is protected by a strong password, thanks to a flaw in Chrome-based browsers.

Researchers at cybersecurity and penetration testing consultancy SureCloud  have uncovered a weakness in the way Google Chrome and Opera browsers, among others, handle saved passwords and how those saved passwords are used to interact with home Wi-Fi routers over unencrypted connections.

Continue reading

OnePlus 6T leak hints at in-screen fingerprint reader and smaller notch

OnePlus 6T box leak

The launch of a T version of OnePlus handsets has become an annual event, and a new leak gives us a good idea of what to expect from the upcoming OnePlus 6T.

What purports to be images of the retail box for the OnePlus 6T has been shared on Weibo and -- assuming it is genuine -- it gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming handset. We can see that there appears to be a smaller, redesigned notch, and also a fingerprint reader that's built into the screen.

Continue reading

TiVo discontinuing dial-up service

For many consumers, dial-up internet is a distant memory. Broadband has long replaced the slow and unreliable telephone-based internet connection. Believe it or not, some people in rural areas still utilize it -- ugh, those unfortunate people.

Surprisingly, TiVo still offers dial-up access to some of its users, allowing them to download program guide information. Yes, really. Sadly, today, the company began alerting those users that it will be discontinuing dial-up connectivity later this month -- the end of an era.

Continue reading

Google Chrome gets a 10th Birthday makeover

When Google released its Chrome web browser ten years ago, everything changed. At the time Microsoft's terrible Internet Explorer reigned supreme -- it was a slow and bloated piece of software with massive security issues. Many people only used it because it came pre-installed on Windows. It seemed unfathomable to even try to compete since Microsoft's browser was already installed -- how do you convince users to switch?

Google managed to convince consumers to switch through speed and good design. You see, Chrome was simplistic and focused. More importantly, it was fast. Users were given a clear reason as to why Chrome was superior. Over time, Chrome has become more bloated, but it remains the best web browser on all platforms. Today, the search giant celebrates the Chrome web browser's 10th birthday with a makeover -- on both desktop and mobile.

Continue reading

Windows 10 edges ever closer to overtaking Windows 7 -- could it happen this month?

Depending on which market share monitoring service you trust, Windows 10 either overtook Windows 7 back in December 2016 (Microsoft), in February this year (StatCounter), or is still trailing its predecessor, but catching up quickly (NetMarketShare).

NetMarketShare’s latest round of usage figures show Windows 10 putting on a burst of growth in August, while Windows 7 lost more users than expected in the same time frame.

Continue reading

© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.