One in three workers expect some tasks to be automated soon

Automation

Workers are ceding responsibility for learning new skills to their employers, according to a new report by BMC. After polling 3,200 office workers in 12 countries, it was concluded that workers like the idea of enhancing their work lives through technology.

However, 40 percent don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with the pace of change, and 88 percent say the responsibility of innovative cultures lies in the hands of their employers.

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How DevOps became mainstream in the enterprise

DevOps

2016 was the year that DevOps became part of IT organizations’ everyday language. While forward thinking, agile businesses have embraced DevOps from the outset, what we’re seeing now is what, in the technology adoption lifecycle are known as "the late majority" shifting towards new DevOps practices.

Bringing development and operations together to deliver what a business needs, quickly, reliably, flexibly defines the DevOps approach. It can transform how an organization works, breaking down traditional barriers between IT teams and the business. It’s the opposite of the siloing and segmentation that limit so many businesses. And, as more people realize its benefits, more IT leaders are demanding it. Yet while it redefines what is possible for a business, it can require challenging changes. Ones that seemingly more organizations were finally ready to take on in 2016.

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How tech writers can benefit the enterprise

laptop

The need for clear, concise documentation within a company is more paramount than ever. Customers don’t read any more, they use documentation. How should customers learn about how to use a product? Where can they find more information? Who should handle an escalated issue? Why are users ultimately doing what they do? All of this may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s a stumbling block for many, many companies.

Let me give a quick example of what I mean. I’ve been fortunate to work for a variety of tech companies over the last decade as a technical writer and documentation specialist -- places ranging from Google to Facebook to gaming companies and financial institutions. But what I’ve noticed time and again is a lack of documentation, particularly internal-facing documentation used within a corporation.

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AI-powered chatbot helps combat cyber attacks

Endgame Artemis

The key to defeating cyber attacks lies in being able to make the correct response in a timely manner, but frontline security staff may lack the skills or resources to spot problems early.

Endpoint security company Endgame is launching an intelligent assistant built to automate security operations analyst actions and guide users of any skill level to detect and respond to advanced attacks.

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Data breaches up by 40 percent in 2016

data breach

The last year has seen fewer of the large scale breaches that made the headlines in 2014 and 2015, but that doesn’t mean the problem has gone away.

A new report from CyberScout and the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has found a 40 percent increase in the US with a total of 1,093 data breaches in 2016, up from 780 in 2015.

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Younger workers are a major security threat to enterprises

office workers

It is now normal for technology companies, media and telecom companies to be victims of either fraud or cyber-attacks, a new Kroll report says.

Almost four-fifths (79 percent) of companies were victims of fraud in the last year, with physical assets or stock being most sought after (35 percent). Cyber-attacks were no less dangerous, with 77 percent claiming to have been victims. These attacks are mostly virus or worm infections.

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Work and personal app usage blurs as enterprise users change their habits

Office staff

The use of the cloud and as-a-service software models is having a big impact on the way businesses operate, but just how is this shift playing out?

Identity management specialist Okta has collected anonymized data from its customers' networks around the world to create the third edition of its Businesses @ Work report looking at how organizations and the people who work for and with them get work done.

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Why advertisers need to wake up to mobile games

Happy mobile user

Mobile devices are increasingly used for many aspects of our lives and that includes playing games. But what does this mean for enterprises looking to promote their brands?

New research from mobile engagement platform Tapjoy suggests that consumers are twice as likely to say they feel relaxed when playing mobile games than they are when using social apps and that means more potential for advertisers to get their message across.

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Businesses not prepared for the risk from mobile and IoT apps

Internet of things

Despite widespread concern about the security of mobile and IoT applications, organizations are ill-prepared for the risks they pose, according to new research.

The study from threat prevention company Arxan Technologies, IBM Security  and the Ponemon Institute reveals that 60 percent of respondents believe it’s either certain or likely their organization has experienced a material data breach or cyber attack over the past 12 months that was caused by an insecure mobile app.

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Businesses missing out by not engaging customers with SMS

smartphone user

Consumers want to communicate with businesses using SMS according to a new study, but companies are failing to grasp the opportunity this offers.

The research from mobile engagement specialist OpenMarket unveils a missed opportunity for financial service providers, retailers and hospitality companies that don't make use of SMS-powered chatbots to more effectively engage with customers.

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UK companies take too long to react to Internet disruptions

clock timer

Internet disruptions, in their biggest part, are taking place outside a company’s network, a new report by Dyn claims. The report also says having poor visibility beyond "company walls" makes it harder for those companies to react on time.

More than half (57 percent) of all Internet disruptions UK companies faced in the last year happened outside company networks. These companies need double the time to react compared to companies in the US.

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Marketers divided on the importance of analytics

Marketing compass

Technology means that marketers are able to collect more information on customers and their purchasing habits than ever before.

But a new study shows that there's a divide on how important using that information is going to be. The survey by marketing software company Marketo reveals that while 57 percent of all respondents in the US believe predictive analytics will be the primary technology they use to engage with their customers, only 11 percent of international marketers think the same.

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European businesses are not ready for ransomware attacks

Ransomware skull

Ransomware was the number one way hackers attacked businesses in 2016, a new report by Radware confirms. Entitled Global Application and Network Security Report 2016-2017, it says 49 percent of European businesses confirmed cyber-ransom as the biggest motivator last year.

That basically represents a 100 percent increase compared to a year before, when it stood at 25 percent.

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People, not technology, drive innovation

Innovation

Anyone who has worked in the technology industry for a long time will develop a healthy cynicism towards industry buzzwords. They may also come to realize that the majority of technology "paradigms" are adaptations of concepts that have been done before. Digital disruption is not the automatic result of the arrival of new types of tech. Disruption, transformation, innovation -- call it what you will -- comes about as a result of human ingenuity, good fortune, and hard work -- in addition to technology.

Take Pokémon Go as an example. Plenty of analysis has been done on why it was so successful. Nothing about it was particularly radical; the smartphone, mapping, GPS, AR and, of course, the Pokémon themselves are not new. However the combination of these things tapped into a desire for nostalgia, collectables, and the need to complete and compete. Originally developed as an April Fool’s joke, it was, by all accounts, a highly successful mistake.

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Android overtakes iOS in mobile ad revenue

Mobile ads

Analysis of data from billions of mobile ad impressions served during the third quarter of 2016 shows that for the first time Android has passed iOS in terms of revenue generated.

The report from real-time advertising platform Smaato shows that based on eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) in the third quarter of 2016, Android accounts for 55 percent of global mobile ad revenue generated by publishers compared to 41 percent for iOS, the share of which is eroding.

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