We constantly hear about the benefits big data can bring to organizations, but a shortage of expertise means that many are missing out. A recent McKinsey report reckoned that the US alone faces a shortage of up to 190,000 people with big data skills.

In order to overcome this DataRPM is introducing Smart Machine Insights which uses machine learning to automatically model data, perform advanced statistical analyses, and present key insights to users in an easy to use visual format.

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Organizers of events and conferences often find themselves using multiple software tools in the process, from ticketing services and project management to emails and spreadsheets.

To streamline things Bizzabo is launching what it calls an Event Success Platform, equipping small to medium event organizers with a complete system to promote, manage and monetize their events.

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While we all know the Vikings for Scandinavia and for their raids on Britain, we forget the great explorers that they were. They settled in Iceland, Greenland and eventually made their way to North America long before Christopher Columbus "discovered" it. However, it's that second stop we're talking about today.

Google Maps and its Street View technology is more or less constantly adding locations, allowing users to view exotic locals from the comfort of their home or office. This time it’s the Fjords and Viking sites located in Greenland.

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Some of the features that have made Windows Phone special, differentiating it from its rivals, are slowly being stripped away. The latest victim is Rooms, which Microsoft has announced it will no longer be supporting starting next month. What a shame.

The software giant says that, as a result, users of Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 will be unable to chat with their Room contacts, create new rooms, add or remove members, or change permissions. And, if they upgrade to Windows 10 Technical Preview, their beloved rooms will be gone forever.

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If a workforce is engaged people will be happy and more productive in their jobs, so it's something that businesses are keen to promote. But a Gallup survey last year found that 87 percent of workers worldwide and 70 percent of employees in the US are either not engaged or are actively disengaged in their jobs.

In order to try to put this right Californian company Glint is launching a real-time cloud solution to help people succeed at work. It's based on attractive and user-friendly pulse surveys that take only two or three minutes to complete.

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The four-largest carriers in US have come up with a list of measures designed to make phone unlocking easier for their customers, following pressure from FCC and activist groups, among others. The deadline for enforcing these measures passed last week, so how do AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon fare today?

According to consumer rights activist Sina Khanifar, surprisingly to some, Verizon, which is the leading carrier in US, is the only player that implements all the measures. At the other end of the spectrum are T-Mobile and Sprint, which appear to be doing a shoddy job, only managing to implement half.

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The web could be in line for a speed boost as the HTTP/2 standard edges closer to being finalized. The updated standard will be the first major alteration to the protocol since the late 1990s, and it includes a number of important updates that should help to make life online faster and more enjoyable.

Although HTTP/2 is yet to be published as a completed standard, it is already supported by some web browsers including Chrome and Firefox. However, it won't be until the standard is far more widely adopted that the real benefits will be felt.

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Dropbox has unveiled Dropbox for iOS 3.7.0, a major new version of its client for iPhone and iPad. The new release adds a single feature to its roster, one that requires iOS 8 in order to work.

The feature in question is the addition of a new action extension, which allows users to save files straight to their Dropbox storage from within selected other apps without first having to open Dropbox itself.

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StripPhoric is a free tool which removes JPG and PNG metadata, reducing file sizes, and -- by removing details like geotags -- perhaps protecting your privacy.

The program is extremely basic, and has a few annoyances, but if you’re looking for ease of use then it’s hard to beat.

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Tech giant IBM unveils IBM Spectrum Storage, a new storage software portfolio designed to address data storage inefficiencies. The portfolio is aimed to change the economics of storage with a "layer of intelligent software".

The software creates a "data footprint", which stores data at the optimal cost, thus maximizing performance and security. The Spectrum Storage incorporates more than 700 patents to help users move massive amounts of data fast and easy, from a single dashboard.

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It's Oscar time, baby -- woo! It's time to start planning your parties and get-togethers. Hopefully you've seen all of the nominated films. Sadly, I have not seen any, which is tragic, as I love the cinema. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford to regularly go to the movie theater (who can, nowadays?), and I am opposed to pirating films. I've heard wonderful things about American Sniper, Whiplash and The Theory of Everything -- maybe I will try to see one of them on Saturday (Whiplash looks like the best of the bunch).

Microsoft announces that its search engine is predicting the Academy Awards. Believe it or not, Bing has a pretty good overall track record -- it predicted the Patriots to win the Superbowl long before New England was guaranteed a spot in the game. With that said, it predicted Beyoncé to win best-album Grammy, but the more talented Beck won instead. Will Bing see success at the 87th Academy Awards?

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The Surface Pro 3 is still one of the the best computers you can buy. Sure, there are more powerful and less expensive machines, but the overall Surface experience is unique and versatile. It can be a tablet, laptop, or desktop, while the included pen offers even more added value.

The problem for many, however, is the price. Yes, you can get a core i3 Surface Pro 3 for $799, but once you add in the keyboard attachment -- which is technically optional, but realistically necessary -- you are approaching the $1,000 mark. With that said, it is not overpriced; the price is quite reasonable for what you get, especially when the cost is averaged over the life of ownership. If you want to get one at a discount, today is your lucky day -- sort of. If you have a previous generation Surface -- both ARM and x86_64 -- you can trade it in towards a Surface Pro 3. Believe it or not, you can earn up to $650! However, there is a catch and you shouldn't do it.

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TorrentRover is a torrent search tool for the Windows desktop.

Do we really need this, we wondered? Surely it'll be packed with adware? But no, there's nothing to worry about, it's portable and payload-free.

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It's not all that long since Google launched Inbox. The 'smart' alternative to Gmail appeared a few months ago and Google tried to get the hype machine going by launching it as an invite-only service, gradually trickling out invites here and there.

Now the search giant is trying a new tactic to encourage people into using the service, specifically Apple users. Google has pulled the iOS and Mac version of the Sparrow email app from the App store; the hope is clearly that Sparrow users will migrate to Inbox.

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Most web-based threats come from malicious adverts placed on websites (aka malvertising), but Malwarebytes has discovered a well hidden malicious injection on the official website of Jamie Oliver which redirects unsuspecting visitors to an exploit kit.

The compromised site -- www.jamieoliver.com -- is currently ranked 519 in the UK (5,280 in the world), according to Alexa, with around 10 million visitors a month, which makes it a valuable target for hackers.

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