What's next for cloud storage?
The cloud infrastructure industry is in a bit of a price war that will ultimately benefit consumers. However, while some organizations may see this as an opportunity to move to the cloud, cost is not the only consideration, nor is it the most important. First and foremost, when it comes to data management, measures need to be taken to ensure the information is secure and accessible whether it’s stored on premises or in the cloud. The allure of low prices will certainly attract more customers and open up new markets for the cloud services industry. Yet, if end-user data is not managed holistically -- with a single view of data regardless of location -- ensuring that only the appropriate data is in the cloud in the first place, the cost and complexity in the future will negate any bargain entry costs.
It’s time to focus on what an investment in cloud storage can bring back to a business, from the ability to wipe data from a mobile device to end-to-end access, we are entering a time where it’s no longer what you can give to the cloud, but what the cloud can give to you.
One in three financial services firms inadequately protected against cyberattack
We trust financial services organizations with some of our most precious data, but are these companies doing enough to protect the information?
According to a new survey by Kaspersky Lab and market research company B2B International, 93 percent of financial services organizations have experienced some form of cyberthreat in the past 12 months.
Gartner makes the silliest claim yet regarding Internet of Things adoption
Companies are pouring a lot of money into creating connected hardware, but it will be some years before the Internet of Things really makes it big. In fact, a recent survey showed that most consumers haven't even heard of the term, let alone purchased any smart appliances yet.
A fortnight ago, Acquity Group (part of Accenture Interactive) released its 2014 State of the Internet of Things Study, and predicted that 69 percent of consumers will own an in-home IoT device by 2019. Today, Gartner makes a much bolder claim, stating that by 2022 the typical family home could contain more than 500 smart devices. This is one of Gartner's stupider predictions.
Facebook celebrates 1 billion daily video views with new view count feature
As demonstrated by the infuriatingly popular #ALS Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon, video on Facebook is more popular than ever. If you were in any doubt about just how popular these magic moving pictures really are, the social network announces that it is racking up an incredible 1 billion video views every day.
But have you ever wondered how many other people have wasted their time watching yet another video of crazy Russian drivers, drunken debauchery, or amusing animal antics? Wonder no more! Starting this week, Facebook is rolling out a new feature that shows how many views a particular video clip has received.
Microsoft takes down Bing Image Widget after Getty legal action
Following a lawsuit from Getty Images Inc, Microsoft has taken the beta version of its Bing Image Widget offline. The stock image firm had complained that Microsoft's widget infringed on copyright by enabling people to embed protected images in websites without attribution or authorization.
In opting to willingly pull the widget, Microsoft may have managed to sidestep at least some of the brunt of the legal action taken against the company. Getty had called for the immediate blocking of the tool and filed a lawsuit at US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Microsoft saves MSN from oblivion
Do you know what MSN is? Yes, it is that online portal opened by Microsoft nearly two decades ago. Yes, it is also that default Internet Explorer webpage which you change more quickly than a race car driver can shift. But, fret not if you are not familiar with MSN, as almost no one cares about it anymore. To save it from oblivion, Microsoft has decided that the first thing that MSN needs to make a splash again is a nice revamp.
For many years, MSN was a product Microsoft cared little about. Instead, the software giant has pushed products with more potential and consumer appeal, like Office, Windows and Windows Phone. Now though, Microsoft wants to tie MSN in with its newfound strategy, recreating the online portal "from the ground up for a mobile-first, cloud-first world", and using many Bing-powered services (News, Sports and Travel, just to name a few) to boost its appeal.
New collaboration tool to make online discussions more productive
Business collaboration is most often organized by email, but it isn't always the most efficient way of ensuring things get done and it can be time consuming to deal with.
A recent survey by the McKinsey Institute shows that an average American spends 28 percent -- around 9 hours -- of their work week just dealing with emails. You can see how this time breaks down in infographic form below.
What the iPhone 6 is likely to offer
Unless you've been hiking through the Appalachian mountains, you'll be aware that there has only been two topics of online discussion for the entirety of last week: How to look at naked pictures of Jennifer Lawrence, and just what Apple is pulling out of its bag for the launch of the iPhone 6 next week on September 9.
The gross violation of privacy of the former -- especially when over 100 other women were victimized -- would make for another article. The web's obsession with the latter, however, can be explained simply by shining a spotlight on Apple's ethos. Or, more simply, by walking into an Apple store.
What makes Amazon's Fire TV special?
Earlier this year I obtained both a Roku 3 and an Amazon Fire TV. I use both devices and find both work very well for any home theater enthusiast and media geek. But what separates the two products, aside from a name?
With extensive playing around with each product, I've discovered what does it for me. While the Roku 3 remote is simpler, and contains a headphone jack (handy for when family is asleep, and you don't want to disturb anyone) it doesn't really have a killer feature.
Watch out! More iPhones stolen than any other smartphone
New figures released by the Home Office and published by the BBC show that if you own an iPhone 5, 5C, 5S and 4S in England or Wales, you are most at risk of having your smartphone stolen. If the trend continues, it is likely that the upcoming iPhone 6 will also prove similarly attractive to thieves. Figures show that there were a total of 742,000 phone thefts between 2012 and 2013, and that the largest numbers of theft involved Apple's handsets. Interestingly, despite massively dwindling sales, the next most popular phone to be pocketed by thieves was the Blackberry 9790.
While the iPhone is the most appealing to the light-fingered, the figures show that Apple's claim to be "leading the industry in protecting" seems to be true. New security features introduced in iOS 7 led to a noticeable drop in iPhone thefts, but it still remains the most commonly stolen handset. Apple told the BBC:
Quickly search 50-plus torrent sites with Bit Che
Finding a particular torrent isn't always easy, and you might have to visit several search engines before you spot the one you need.
Bit Che is a free PC program which offers an interesting alternative, quickly running searches on 50-plus torrent sites in a single operation.
Enjoy crisper, cleaner videos with SmoothVideo Project
Trying out a new video player might get you a better interface, wider format support, more tools and extras. But the core video quality will be essentially the same, just a faithful rendering of your source footage.
SmoothVideo Project (SVP) goes a step further by using frame interpolation to perhaps double your video frame rate, delivering noticeably smoother, crisper pictures.
On Sept. 9th, Apple's Tim Cook era begins
I must disagree with colleague Mark Wilson, who last week asserted: "There is no reason for anyone to care about the iPhone 6", which as I write has 124 comments. I'm a big fan of provocative posts, because they engage the readership. But my feelings differ about commentaries that bluster without substance. Mark is absolutely wrong. There is every reason for everyone to care about the next iPhone.
Mark asserts that iPhone "used to be aspirational and high-end. Now the world and his dog has an Apple handset and it's turned from something special into a poor substitute for one of the countless alternatives...The iPhone is run-of-the-mill. It is predictable. It's just plain boring". In many ways, I agree, but his boring assessment is every reason to "care about the iPhone 6".
Uber, self-driving cars and Google
This is a topic I've briefly discussed on Twitter and then again on Bernard Leong's podcast, but I think it deserves a deeper look. Many are excited about the potential of Uber integrating with self-driving cars. But in my opinion, self-driving cars could be disruptive to Uber's current business model. Let's take a look at a few facets of Uber's business model and gauge the potential impact of Google's self-driving cars.
As I've mentioned previously, Uber is a platform that connects transportation providers (or drivers) with potential customers. Self-driving cars completely remove drivers from this equation and could force Uber to own and manage their own fleet. With their current model, Uber operates with "zero capex" and their marginal cost for adding supply is effectively zero. But by owning self-driving cars, this marginal cost becomes a meaningful amount, i.e. the cost of each vehicle. With this revised cost structure, the value of Uber's business model changes completely.
WordPress 4.0 adds content previews, expanding editor
WordPress.org has launched WordPress 4.0, named “Benny” in honor of the “King of Swing” Benny Goodman.
The new release doesn’t stand out in quite the way that Goodman did -- WordPress.org plays it down, in fact, saying “4.0 is just another number for us after 3.9 and before 4.1″ -- but there are still some worthwhile new features here.
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