EMC and VMware spin-off Virtustream cloud services business
EMC Corporation and VMware have announced plans to combine their respective cloud capabilities into a new cloud services business.
The new business will incorporate existing Virtustream cloud offerings and will be marketed under the Virtustream brand, which will be jointly owned by VMware and EMC and led by Virtustream CEO Rodney Rogers.
How data is changing your life
Not so long ago collecting data required considerable effort. You had to measure and count things, then turn that raw information into useful data by inputting it into some sort of model. It was time consuming and took time to produce results.
Now there are millions of everyday devices collecting data, and lower storage costs mean that more of it can be retained and used to spot historical trends. This shift in how data is gathered, stored and analyzed is starting to have a significant effect.
7 Android apps that have successfully adapted Material Design
Material Design -- the new(ish) design language introduced by Google in Android Lollipop, and inspired by 'paper and ink' -- aims to provide a unified experience irrespective of device fragmentation.
This was very much needed for a mobile first world, where the market for small screen devices (read wearables) is growing at a rapid pace.
How business process outsourcing is evolving to a tech-enabled model driven by robotics [Q&A]
Service-based businesses, like those in healthcare, insurance, commercial real estate and financial services, among others, need to focus on growth and delivering quality customer service. However, back-end financial processes -- from billing and collections to vendor selection and accounting -- are also critical to business health. Firms face challenges in handling these tasks in an efficient, profitable manner. Too often, firms drain internal resources handling activity that doesn’t generate revenue (and in which they don’t specialize). The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market combines domain expertise in various fields with the resources and technology capabilities to assess and improve processes.
Xchanging is a business technology and services provider which focuses on delivering technology-enabled process services across finance and accounting, CRM and customer administration, and analytics. I spoke with Sean Allen, Xchanging's Vice President for Business Process Services, about how the BPO market is changing, and the new technology-based elements that are beginning to be incorporated.
Machine learning solution helps to fight fraud
Data is an essential part of combating and preventing fraud, but many organizations lack the data science and engineering teams needed to allow them to exploit the information they have effectively.
Big data company Feedzai is launching its new Data Science Studio software that uses artificially intelligent, machine-based learning to help prevent fraud.
BlackBerry Priv will cost £580 in UK
BlackBerry’s Priv handset is arriving sooner than we thought, and in fact pre-orders are now live with Carphone Warehouse.
And as expected, the company’s new smartphone, which runs Android rather than BlackBerry OS, is priced at the premium end of the spectrum. The SIM-free version will set you back £580, and is available in just the one color -- black.
Microsoft's new note-taking Android app works on the lockscreen
The new Microsoft is not afraid to try new things, as proven by the increasing number of experimental apps published by the team of developers at Microsoft Garage. Many of them were released on rival platforms first, and not on Windows or Windows Phone, and that is again the case with Parchi.
Parchi is an interesting new note-taking app that has made its debut on Android. What makes it noteworthy is the fact that it is designed to work on the lockscreen, unlike other offerings in this category -- like Microsoft's own OneNote or Evernote.
Why Yahoo is worth less than nothing
A reader pointed out to me today that Yahoo, minus its Alibaba and Yahoo Japan stakes plus cash, is now worth less than nothing according to Wall Street. This says a lot about Yahoo but even more about Wall Street, since the core company is still profitable if in decline. If I were a trader (I’m not) that would argue Yahoo is a buy since there’s likely to be a future point at which the company will be free of those other riches and even Wall Street will be forced to give the carcass a positive value.
But when I heard about the negative value story the first thing that came to mind was something my old friend Joe Adler said long ago about one of my startups. "Your company is starting to have a stench of death about it", Joe said. And Joe was right.
Western Digital acquires SanDisk in $19 billion deal
Data storage company Western Digital is acquiring another data storage company, SanDisk, thus creating a true behemoth in the industry.
According to Western Digital, it has to shell out $19 billion (£12.3bn) for the acquisition, which means SanDisk’s stock is worth $86.50 per share (£55.9).
Hulu brings James Bond to your TV, adds a second season of Casual
James Bond is one of the longest running movie series of all time. From Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Daulton all the way up to the present with Daniel Craig. The franchise has provided movie-goers with some of the greatest thrills to hit the big screen.
Now 007 is landing on Hulu beginning November 1st. Classics such as Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and number of others. The most recent in this release is 1989's A License to Kill.
Will you pay Google $10 per month for ad-free YouTube Red? I sure as heck won't be
Cord-cutters -- people that cancel their cable or satellite TV service -- often talk of the alternatives. Netflix and Hulu are two popular streaming video services, but don't forget about YouTube. If you are open-minded, you can actually discover a lot of great content on Google's video site . PewDiePie, for example, is brilliant; give him a chance, y'all.
Of course, the cool thing about YouTube is that it is free. Well, it does not cost money at least. You see, you pay by viewing the advertisements before, during, and after the content. The problem? Ad-blocking is rampant, so many viewers never even see these ads. Unfortunately, Google is launching a paid option called "YouTube Red" (ugh, terrible name). I know what you are thinking -- why is it unfortunate to have choice? Well, it is a slippery slope. If it proves popular (I don't think it will be), the search-giant could start charging for more services -- maybe as the only option. Google historically offers free services through advertising. This moves makes me wonder if the search-giant's "free" business model is realistically sustainable.
What’s really running on your PC? Part 1: Windows System Processes
PC too slow, possible malware infection, just not behaving as it should? Then you'll probably launch Task Manager or something similar to figure out what’s going on.
Sounds great, until you find 50 or more cryptically-named background processes and realize you’ve barely any idea what most of them do.
Google's Amazon Problem
I have long been a critic of the "Peak Google" argument because it is based on a flawed premise -- that deep engagement and consequently "brand advertising" are somehow a threat to Google's model of transactional engagement. While I strongly disagree with that line of reasoning, there are other threats that Google faces within the transactional realm.
Search advertising drives the vast majority of Google's revenue and the most profitable searches are frequently those that are made with the intent to purchase. These purchase-oriented searches are hardly monolithic but can broadly be categorized into B2B and C2B searches. C2B searches can be broken down further into products and services. Looking at taxonomy of transactional opportunities makes it clear that the threat from "deep engagement" is vastly overstated. Facebook is a great place to generate awareness but it's hardly a way to reach customers looking for something specific. Also, breaking down the gamut of transactional opportunities makes it easier to identify threats.
Apple releases iOS 9.1, OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan, watchOS 2.0.1 -- here's what's new
When Apple releases an update for iOS these days you can expect to find new versions of OS X and watchOS too. So, today, on top of making iOS 9.1 available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, Apple is also bringing OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan to Macs and watchOS 2.0.1 to Apple Watch. So, let's take a look at what's new.
The common denominator between the three operating system updates is a refreshed collection of emoji, which now includes over 150 new items -- and, yes, the middle finger emoji is among them as the controversial photo above would suggest. But, probably, the most-awaited changes are under-the-hood.
Windows 10 is a great platform for advertising
The latest desktop buzz is about Windows 10, the new operating system from Microsoft that’s free to those who have Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. A lot of theories are going around about how Microsoft plans to monetize its software now that the company is giving it away.
Will it be a subscription like Office 365, will it go the advertising route or will it charge for extras, like playing Solitaire? It could very well be any of these options or all but one thing is certain; Microsoft needs to make money from its new and improved operating system.
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