UK IT contractor rates up nearly 10 percent
In the last 12 months, the average IT contractor day rates have jumped 9.11 percent, and have hit £431, according to a new report by Experis. The Tech Cities Job Watch Survey says the UK’s Gig economy is picking up pace, with an almost double year-on-year growth in permanent salaries, up by 4.61 percent.
The "freelance dream", which includes higher pay and flexible hours is becoming a reality for a larger number of people, as now 15 percent of the UK workforce works solo. There is now more demand for solo workers, than there is for permanent workers -- 2.23 percent against 1.95 percent.
Microsoft raises dividend, launches $40 billion share buyback program
Microsoft has authorized a share buyback program that will see the company reacquiring $40 billion of its own shares, just over nine percent of the company.
This is the fourth $40 billion buyback program launched by the company, which said that it will complete the first round by the end of this year. Microsoft's most recent buyback was first announced in 2013 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.
Businesses spend nearly $3 billion a year on mobile connectivity
The cost related to mobile connectivity through roaming, pay-on-demand Wi-Fi and free Wi-Fi is costing businesses in Europe and North America at least $2.91 billion every year. This is according to iPass, provider of global mobile connectivity.
The cost is high because, as the report puts it, mobile professionals have an "insatiable need for connectivity". When traveling and working on the go, they spend on average 6GB every month. The report has an interesting conclusion -- free Wi-Fi is not always as free as you’d think. These connections, being available to everyone, can often be slow, unresponsive and crowded. Business users are then stuck on these slow connections, which are hurting their productivity, which then reflects on the bottom line.
Server sales are up, but revenue is down
New research has revealed that despite increased server sales, revenue has continued to decline for the companies responsible for manufacturing and shipping servers worldwide.
The analyst firm IDC brought this information to light in its new Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker report, which covered server market share and revenue from April to June 2016.
Ransomware is lucrative: Attacker's profits near $100 million
Hackers are increasingly targeting healthcare institutions with malware because of their poor cyber-security posture, reliance on legacy IT systems, third-party services and the need to access information as soon as possible in order to deliver great patient care. These are the conclusions released in a new report entitled McAfee Labs Threats Report: September 2016.
It says that hospitals paid almost $100,000 (£75,500) to a specific bitcoin account. In the first half of 2016, one "actor" (it could be a single hacker, but more likely a group) apparently received $121 million in ransomware (189,813 bitcoin), targeting various industries. This actor, according to the report, has had profits of $94 million in the first six months of this year.
Public cloud services market to reach $208.6 billion in 2016
Both businesses and consumers have embraced the cloud and Gartner projects that the worldwide public cloud services market will grow by 17.2 percent by the end of this year.
In 2015, the public cloud services market was worth $178 billion. Gartner's projection that it will grow by 17.2 percent in 2016 will bring that number up to $208.6 billion, which is a testament to the way in which the cloud has matured and won over businesses and consumers.
Cost of a cyber-attack will soon reach $1 million for large businesses
We are coming closer to the point where a cyber-attack will cost every large business more than $1 million. According to a new Kaspersky Lab report, a single cyber-security incident now costs a large business, on average, $861,000.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) pay ten times less, on average -- $86,500. The new report also stresses, once again, how costs go up the longer the threat remains unseen. For an SME, it will have to pay 44 percent more to recover from a week-old attack, compared to the one spotted on the first day. Among large companies, the percentage sits at 27.
Samsung's exploding Galaxy Note7 batteries wipe billions off its market value
When batteries in the Samsung Note 7 started catching fire or exploding, everyone knew that the company was in for something of a rocky ride. The initial recall was deemed ineffective, leading Samsung to up its game in the US, UK and around the world.
But while the replacement program for one of 2016's biggest flagship handsets is already under way, investors are starting to feel a little wobbly. In to the estimated five billion dollars the recall and replacement program is going to cost, the value of Samsung shares has plummeted, wiping $14.3 billion off Samsung's market capitalization.
PayPal teams up with Mastercard for in-store payments
Just days after announcing a similar deal with Visa, PayPal has now announced it has come to an agreement with MasterCard, as well. This will allow customers to use PayPal to pay in stores, it was said, through the use of smartphones and contactless payment cards. According to multiple media reports, this deal actually means losses for PayPal in the short term.
Wall Street Journal reported that PayPal is "shifting away from promoting free bank transfers to fund customers' transactions and toward the networks, which charge a fee". But with strong competition coming from the likes of Apple or Stripe, PayPal wants to become a "ubiquitous" payment tool, as soon as possible.
How much will the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus cost in Europe?
The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be hugely expensive in Europe when they go on sale later this month. Apple has decided to increase the prices of its new flagships compared to the previous generation, with the bump likely triggered by the US dollar's gains against the Euro and British Pound.
To put things into perspective, it is interesting that the iPhone 7 Plus will also see a $20 price increase over the iPhone 6s Plus in the US, while the iPhone 7 will continue to be sold at the same price as its predecessor. The bigger device now starts at $769, as opposed to $749 for the iPhone 6s Plus, while the iPhone 7 kicks off at $649.
Android Pay now supports Google Chrome, Chase cards, and Uber Payment Rewards
Cash is dumb. No, I do not necessarily mean stupid; I mean it is not "smart" from a technology standpoint. Understandably, some folks like the idea of paper money as it allows their honest transactions to occur below the radar, and for a privacy standpoint, I understand that. However, cash also assists people that commit crimes, such as drug dealers -- and that is not cool. Once all monetary transactions are digital, and cash no longer exists, law enforcement will have an easier time tracking illegal transactions, while honest folks can more easily track and budget their finances.
Digital payment systems, such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay are paving the way for a cashless society. Google's Android pay is also part of the push, and today, it is getting even better. Not only is it adding many new banks to the program, such as Chase, but it is also adding support for mobile Google Chrome and Uber's Payment Rewards program.
Cyber-attacks costing the UK economy £147 billion a year
Apparently, 1.8 million of UK’s businesses have been victims of a cyber-attack, and that costs the country’s economy more than £147 billion, in the last year alone. This is according to a new report by Gareth Bacon, GLA Conservative London Assembly, entitled Safe & Secure: Protecting London’s data.
Pretty much all businesses affected by these security breaches -- 99 percent of them -- are small businesses, counting 249 employees, or less. With that in mind, the report proposes a Mayoral Standard for data security, helping London consumers and businesses protect themselves from cyber-attacks.
How much does it cost to start a business in UK?
How much money do you think it needs to kickstart a business in UK? A couple of thousands? Maybe go straight into five figures? Wrong. According to a new report by cloud accounting software provider FreeAgent, you probably don't need any money.
The company surveyed micro-business owners and freelancers in the UK, and according to the results 44 percent of business starters required no funds at all. Almost the exact same percentage (43 percent) used their personal savings, and that was enough. Four percent borrowed money from friends or family, two percent used either credit card or bank loan, while just one percent used government assistance.
Your personal data is worth less than $1
There's a new calculator online which will tell you exactly how much your digital data is worth. This tool, created by Totally Money, asks you to name the price for 13 different data types, including email address, health condition, or credit rating. After giving your price, the calculator then tells you the real price.
The whole project was basically designed to show people just how easy and cheap it is for companies to buy your personal data. Following the release of the calculator, the company also did a survey of 1,000 UK adult consumers. Forty percent of Facebook users, for example, didn’t know the social media giant sold their data to third parties.
UK tech salaries continue to grow
Salaries for tech jobs in the UK are still rising in the second quarter of the year, despite the fact that the number of jobs in the industry is slowly declining. This is according to a new report by Dice, the online career site for the technology community.
Together with Watch, it lists the most wanted jobs and skills in the industry. The two companies say cloud and security skills are still most wanted, both in permanent and contract roles.
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