Microsoft forcing Windows 10 onto people is wrong
Microsoft says it wants to get people to a "safer place" and that’s why it’s so aggressively pushing Windows 10. But it’s one thing to advertise the new OS on someone’s computer, and another thing entirely to force them to upgrade to it.
Microsoft Marketing Chief Chris Capossela, says a lot of people are putting off upgrading to Windows 10 ("constantly kick[ing] the can down the street" in his words), and so the software giant is taking steps to give them a "push" into taking action. But not with a gentle reminder, or even full on nagging, but by downloading and then starting the OS installation without permission, and that sucks.
Gmail and WhatsApp boast over one billion monthly active users each
There are many products that have hundreds of millions of active users in a single month, but there are few that have passed the billion mark. However, the select group, which includes the likes of YouTube and Facebook, has just gotten bigger.
And it is Google and Facebook which once again add new members to that list, with Gmail and WhatsApp, respectively, joining the pack. Both services passed that milestone in January, with one taking longer than the other to reach it.
A 7 step security checklist for migrating from on-prem SharePoint to Office 365
Microsoft Office is the tried and true solution for work, so it’s no surprise enterprises moving to the cloud look to a familiar face in Office 365. Despite the cloud services’ significant adoption numbers -- 87.3 percent of organizations have at least 100 employees using Office 365 -- the vast majority of companies have yet to migrate all users to the cloud: 93.2 percent of employees still use Microsoft on-premises solutions.
The transition to cloud leaves companies puzzled on how to safely and effectively migrate extensive on-premises SharePoint environments to SharePoint Online. Once content is successfully migrated, companies must have controls already in place to properly enforcing security, compliance, and governance of sensitive data. Microsoft has significantly invested in the security of Office 365. According to Gartner, however, 95 percent of security incidents involving cloud will come from customer vulnerabilities rather than the service provider. Companies need to worry less about Microsoft suffering a breach and more about their own users’ high-risk activity within Microsoft applications. It is ultimately up to the enterprise to secure their data in Office 365, and the greatest threats frequently come from within.
New cloud service helps organizations meet document preservation requirements
Companies increasingly face demands to keep documents in order to satisfy legal and compliance requirements. This can present problems in deciding what to keep but also in keeping up with the latest regulations.
The latest EU/US Data Transfer negotiations for example are causing businesses to re-think their current business processes and data governance strategy in order to address these changes.
Snooper's Charter is vague and confusing
A group of MPs has criticized plans put forward in the Draft Investigatoy Powers Bill after consulting with several top technology firms, including the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google.
The Science and Technology committee has slammed the bill as being vague and confusing, issuing a 43-page report outlining its views on key issues such as encryption and data collection.
Windows 10 is extremely popular among gamers
Windows 10 appears to be making good progress as, in January, it overtook Windows 8.1 in terms of usage share. Its lead varies, but no matter which web analytics resource you choose to go by, the new operating system is still very close to its predecessor at this time. Meanwhile, the gap between it and Windows 7, while no doubt getting smaller, is shrinking at a very slow pace.
The difference in usage share, when looking at NetMarketShare's and StatCounter's numbers, comes from the fact that both analytics companies sort through web traffic. But, if we look at how all the major Windows releases fare on the popular gaming platform Steam, things are very different -- Windows 10 comes quite close to Windows 7, which may surprise many.
The Internet of Things expected to roll out to law enforcement increasingly through 2025
The Internet of Things (IoT) seems to be everywhere these days, proliferating our lives with more gadgets than anyone can possibly need. Just yesterday we saw smart refrigerators and washing machines announced by Samsung.
But what do all of these devices mean for law enforcement? No, the police won't be checking the food supply in the station's fridge, but getting technology that will better aid them while on the move.
Opera 35 improves download manager, adds new customisation section
Opera Software has unveiled Opera 35 FINAL, a major new release of its desktop web browser for Windows, Mac and Linux PCs.
There are four new features of note in this release: first, a button for muting audio on specific tabs, followed by a refreshed downloads interface. There’s also the addition of a Basic section in Opera’s options page for faster access to key customization settings, plus a new advanced setting that allows users to search using a standalone Search bar.
netboot.xyz boots PCs from an image on the web
If you’ve been managing computers for a few years then you’ve probably build up a library of supporting discs or USB keys. OS installers, antivirus rescue discs, backup tools, partition repair, hardware checkers, and the list goes on.
These aren’t just a hassle to build. You’ll also need to keep them up-to-date, and make sure they’re around and working whenever you need them.
New risk management software helps companies handle sensitive data
Endpoint security and digital investigations specialist Guidance Software is launching a new solution to help organizations identify and classify confidential data.
EnForce Risk Manager allows organizations to reduce their surface area of risk, limiting the potential damage from breaches and improving their ability to comply with global data protection rules.
How much will Windows 10 cost at the end of the free upgrade period?
The launch of Windows 10 was revolutionary. We're not just talking (or even talking at all) about features and changes -- this was the first version of Windows to come without a price tag. Windows 10 for free. It's a tactic that paid off.
Microsoft tells us that this is the most successful version of Windows yet, with unprecedented rates of take up. It's free; it's hardly surprising, particularly when you factor in Microsoft's incredibly aggressive pushing of the upgrade. But all good things must come to an end. We've known that Windows 10 would only be free for first year. As the upgrade-for-free deadline of 29 July fast approaches, just what happens next? What if you haven't upgraded to Windows 10? What will it cost to upgrade if you're late to the party?
Cloud email adoption is low in the enterprise
Cloud email services are still not as big as you’d expect in the enterprise, but they are growing stronger. Those are the results of an automated survey by market analyst Gartner.
According to the survey, 8.5 percent of public companies use cloud email service from Microsoft’s Office 365, while 4.7 percent use Google Apps for Work.
Use smartphones to vote for president
Over the weekend, my 94 year-old father-in-law asked what I would do to assure that every American who could vote would do so. That was an unexpected question, but one I addressed gingerly. This post is my answer restated for a public venue.
Simple answer: Smartphone. According to PewResearchCenter, nearly 70 percent of Americans own one of the devices, but the number among voting age adults tops 80 percent, according to other estimates. Surely a program could be in place by the 2020 Presidential race, and if lawmakers were truly serious about universal suffrage, a Manhattan-like project could make it happen by the next Mid-terms.
If Apple iPad Pro is a failure, why did it beat Microsoft Surface in sales?
For a while, it seemed like everything Apple touched turned to gold. iPod, iPhone, iPad -- all changed the computing landscape. Unfortunately, the more recent products such as the Apple Watch and iPad Pro were viewed by many pundits to be weak. Heck, some have called the iPad Pro a failure.
But what if iPad Pro wasn't a failure? What if those pundits were wrong? Microsoft's Surface line has been viewed as a success -- part of the company's turnaround story. With that said, would you be surprised if I told you that the iPad Pro significantly beat the Surface during the holidays? Well, it is true. The perception of weak iPad Pro sales was exactly that -- perception only. The reality is, iPad Pro destroyed Surface in Q415.
Microsoft makes Windows 10 a 'recommended update' for Windows 7 and 8.1 users
Microsoft has been accused of pushing Windows 10 rather aggressively, and the company's latest move is going to do nothing to silence these accusations. For Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, Windows 10 just became a 'recommended update' in Windows Update.
This is a change from the previous categorization of the upgrade as an 'optional update' and it means that there is renewed potential for unwanted installations. After the launch of Windows 10, there were numerous reports of not only the automatic download of OS installation files, but also unrequested upgrades. The changed status of the update means that, on some machines, the installation of Windows 10 could start automatically.
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