February 22nd, 2010 by Richard Morgan

Daily News 19/02

Computing.co.uk – IT attention going to upgrades, not overhauls

IT budgets are being focused on maintaining old systems, rather than implementing new ones, according to a new report from Forrester.

Computer Weekly – More young people vote on Big Brother than in a general election

Three-quarters of young people would engage in politics if they could vote by text message or social media, according to a survey of 1,082 UK citizens. The survey, which was carried out by mobile phone price comparison website Right Mobile Phone, found that over one-third of young voters would not vote in the election.

CBR – New virus targets corporate networks, credentials

Internet security firm NetWitness has discovered a new type of computer virus that has affected 75,000 systems in 2,500 organisations around the world. According to the security firm, the newly-discovered virus, known as ‘Kneber botnet’ gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information to miscreants who can use it to break into accounts, steal corporate and government information, and replicate personal, online and financial identities.

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December 1st, 2009 by Lisa Francis

Daily News: 01/12

Computing.co.uk – Server market shows signs of stabilising, says Gartner
Despite shipments falling 17 per cent and revenue dropping 15 per cent, the global server market seems to be stabilising, according to analyst Gartner.

Computing.co.uk – Malware can be hidden in English language text, says US scientists

A team of US security researchers has engineered a way of hiding malware in sentences that read like English language spam.

IT PRO – Twitter crowned top word of 2009
The Global Language Monitor has announced that Twitter is the Top Word of 2009 in its annual global survey of the English language. ‘Twittered’ was followed by Obama, H1N1, Stimulus, and Vampire. The near-ubiquitous suffix, 2.0, was number six, with Deficit, Hadron – the object of study of CERN’s new atom smasher – Healthcare, and Transparency rounding out the top 10.

IT PRO – Heathrow rolling out facial recognition tech
New electronic border gates are set to be introduced at Heathrow to speed up the process of passing through border control. The new gates will allow travellers over 18 with biometric passports to come back into the UK using facial recognition technology, comparing the picture with that on their passport as well as checking against any internal watch lists held by the UK Border Agency.

IT PRO – Parents call for online privacy lessons
The majority of parents want their children to receive lessons in online privacy, according to survey results released today. The YouGov study, commissioned to form part of the Digital Literacy Report 2009, showed 69 per cent of parents asking for the Government to provide compulsory lessons in school so children understand their online footprint and the effects it can have.

Computerworld UK – Are YouTube and Facebook guzzling your company bandwidth?
Figures uncovered by managed network provider Network Box between July and November of 2009, reveal the enormous impact YouTube and Facebook are having on corporate bandwidth.

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November 2nd, 2009 by admin

Daily News 02/11

IT PRO – Cyber espionage a serious business threat
Cyber espionage is an increasing problem for businesses, with employees stealing information to sell or pass to other companies or even governments. So claims Rick Caccia, vice president for product marketing at Arcsight. He said that this was one of the big trends he was seeing in its work analysing the log files and system data of his firm’s business clients.

CRN – Windows 7 frenzy set to cause supply drought
Demand for boxed copies of Windows 7 is expected to outstrip supply as the operating system (OS) continues to fly off the shelves.  Windows 7 is the biggest launch for Microsoft since the decidedly underwhelming Vista in 2007, which saw many firms and consumers sticking to its predecessor XP.

The Daily Telegraph – Facebook awarded hundreds of millions in damages against ‘Spam King’
The message to mischievous junk mailers is clear – don’t mess with Facebook – after the social networking website was awarded $711 million dollars (£430 million) in damages against Sanford Wallace, known as the “Spam King”. Facebook originally asked for more than $7 billion (£4.2 billion) in damages.

Computer Weekly – Mobile market faces rocky road to growth
Consumers are likely to take advantage of aggressively-promoted new touch-screen mobile smartphones in the run-up to Christmas, analysts say. If their predictions prove true, the mobile handset industry could end a year of falling sales. But as manufacturers gear up to service pent-up demand, they risk over-supplying the market. This could lead to price crashes later in 2010 as retailers try to move stock.

CBR Online – Flu virus threatens internet bandwidth supply
Internet bandwidth supply may buckle under the weight of extra workers choosing to work from home once the flu season takes hold. The Centre for Disease Control estimates that in pandemics 40% of the workforce will be away from the workforce for an extended period. While wide area network (WAN) carriers say they can easily cope with a 40% hike in demand, the ‘last mile’ or ‘edge’ internet access loop could crash under the extra pressure, warned a Gartner report.

CBR Online – Amazon launches shortcut for online payments
Amazon Payments has launched PayPhrase, an easy-to-remember shortcut for paying on Amazon.com and other websites. With PayPhrase, online shoppers choose their own customised phrase and then enter the phrase along with a PIN to preview their order and complete their purchase.

BBC – Internet addresses set for change
The internet regulator has approved plans to allow non-Latin-script web addresses, in a move that is set to transform the online world. The board of Icaan voted at its annual meeting to allow domain names in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts.

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October 29th, 2009 by admin

Daily News 29/10

ComputerWorldUK – Why mobility matters to EAs and IT
Here at Forrester, we spend a good deal of time talking about the future of the mobile enterprise. Whether that’s an emerging standard for a faster, more capable mobile network or a future of all-out mobile connectivity with applications and devices ready to tap into it.

The Register – Google music search thingy revealed
Google has officially rolled out its new music-search service, after widespread rumours it was on the way.

CRN (online) – Security incidents costing mid-sized firms £26K a year
New research from security giant McAfee claims that security incidents cost mid-sized firms an average of £26,000 last year.

Computer Weekly – Wi-fi and Wimax tax could be backdated five years
Business rates tax on wi-fi and Wimax networks may be backdated to April 2005, potentially putting an intolerable strain on many community networks in rural areas that depend on them for broadband access, Computer Weekly has learned.

The Daily Telegraph – Google Android 2.0 ‘turns mobile phones in to sat navs’
An update to Google Maps will give Android users turn-by-turn directions, and alert them to local points of interest. The new tool, Google Maps Navigation, will be released as beta software for phones running the latest version of the Android operating system.

ComputerWorldUK – Why mobility matters to EAs and IT

http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?RSS&entryid=2615

Here at Forrester, we spend a good deal of time talking about the future of the mobile enterprise. Whether that’s an emerging standard for a faster, more capable mobile network or a future of all-out mobile connectivity with applications and devices ready to tap into it.

The Register – Google music search thingy revealed

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/29/google_music_onbox/

Google has officially rolled out its new music-search service, after widespread rumours it was on the way.

CRN (online) – Security incidents costing mid-sized firms £26K a year

http://www.channelweb.co.uk/v3/news/2252137/mid-sized-firms-losing-26

New research from security giant McAfee claims that security incidents cost mid-sized firms an average of £26,000 last year.

Computer Weekly – Wi-fi and Wimax tax could be backdated five years

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/10/28/238330/wi-fi-and-wimax-tax-could-be-backdated-five-years.htm

Business rates tax on wi-fi and Wimax networks may be backdated to April 2005, potentially putting an intolerable strain on many community networks in rural areas that depend on them for broadband access, Computer Weekly has learned. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which is responsible for rating non-domestic buildings, plant and equipment, known as the “heriditament”, for business property taxes, is considering whether wi-fi and Wimax equipment should form part of the heriditament on which the tax is based.

The Daily Telegraph – Google Android 2.0 ‘turns mobile phones in to sat navs’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6455259/Google-Android-2.0-turns-mobile-phones-in-to-sat-navs.html

An update to Google Maps will give Android users turn-by-turn directions, and alert them to local points of interest. The new tool, Google Maps Navigation, will be released as beta software for phones running the latest version of the Android operating system.

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October 12th, 2009 by admin

Daily News 12/10

IT PRO – Could Hotmail password theft be due to a trojan?
A security researcher has claimed that some of the passwords stolen from Hotmail, Gmail and other webmail services were the result of a data theft trojan rather than a phishing attack. Originally 10,000 Hotmail passwords were leaked onto the pastebin website, posted by an anonymous user. Later on, Google confirmed Gmail had been targeted as well.

The Times – Spotify ‘could be dead within a year’
Britain’s most popular music-streaming service could be out of business within a year unless it can make more of its users pay for music, industry experts claimed today. Senior executives said that Spotify could soon be “dead” if it continued to be available free and relied on advertising to fund the service.

The Financial Times – US launches probe into Google Voice

The US Federal Communications Commission has called on Google to explain why its Google Voice service blocks calls to certain numbers, saying telcos that refuse to put calls through to rural areas are prevented from lowering costs. Google said it avoids connecting to local networks that have business relations with adult numbers, which would drive up expenses for the free service.

The Financial Times – BSkyB to launch digital music service
British Sky Broadcasting will this month launch Sky Songs, its long-awaited digital music service designed to compete with music services such as iTunes and Spotify.

The Daily Telegraph – People in North East ‘are most timid internet users’
Internet users in the North East of England have the most nervous attitude towards the web, according to research that highlights the country’s “digital divide”. London and the North West are leading the digital revolution, with just 19 per cent of people in those areas defining themselves as technophobes. But top of the league is Northern Ireland, where only 14 per cent of the population are timid users of the web.

Computer Weekly – Virtual world theft heads to real life court
While global economies have endured a torrid time of late, business is booming in the virtual economies of Second Life, Facebook and Everquest. As the economic boundaries between virtual and real worlds blur, the supposedly liberated virtual worlds are now running up against real-world legal problems.

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September 21st, 2009 by admin

Daily News 21/09

Total Telecom – Telco CEOs see a lot of uncertainty and little improvement ahead
Telecommunication chiefs on Thursday painted a picture of a stabilizing economy, but none saw any improvement in the near term. Unlike other industries, telecom has been relatively shielded from the worst effects of the downturn thanks to the growing need for communications services. But it isn’t completely immune, as the industry faces continued landline losses and weak demand on the business side.

IT PRO – Should software companies be liable for data breaches?
Holding software companies, ISPs and financial institutions liable for public and private sector data breaches could help prevent them, according to an internet public policy expert. Speaking at ENISA’s annual security conference in Greece, Ian Brown, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, said that holding them liable could help prevent data breaches better than direct spending on government intervention.

Computer World UK – Should the US President have the power to turn off the internet?
Currently pending before the US Congress, the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009 contains provisions that would give the US President power to “declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network.”

Computing – CBI urges business to help more students into science and technology
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on businesses to do more to encourage and help young people who want to study science and technology in higher education. In a new report, Stronger together – businesses and universities in turbulent times, the CBI’s Higher Education (HE) Taskforce calls for major, far-reaching changes to maintain the quality of graduates being turned out by the UK’s universities.

Silicon.com – Scammers pose as banks in live chat hack
Online scammers have created a phishing site masquerading as a US-based bank that launches a live chat window where victims are tricked into revealing more information, researchers at the RSA FraudAction Research Team said on Wednesday. After a user accesses the phishing site, the chat window messages come through the browser and not via a typical instant messenger application, RSA said in a blog post.

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August 24th, 2009 by admin

Hot off the tech media 24.08.09

IT PRO – Cloud computing gets boost as energy costs skyrocket
The increase in cost of power and cooling in data centres is encouraging the move towards cloud computing, according to US researchers. In a conference call yesterday, Dr Jonathan Koomey from Stanford University claimed that rising power and cooling costs makes it more economically viable for companies to hold data in large centralised hubs.

IT PRO – Criminals using real-time hacks to target businesses

A malware researcher has warned about hackers using the ‘real-time web’ to target the web pages of businesses like banks and other financial institutions. Joe Stewart, director of malware research for SecureWorks, spoke to the New York Times about a Trojan called ‘Clampi’, which used real-time techniques to attack people who could access corporate bank accounts with particularly big balances.

IT PRO – Broadband growth booming, but many left without access

The number of broadband lines has risen above expectations in the first half of this year, according to broadband specialists. Point Topic announced today that 445,000 more lines were added this year, making the total in the UK over 17.8 million.

IT PRO – What’s next for enterprise tech?
Tech trends are often a long time coming, with many bits and pieces hyped for years and years as the next big thing before finally tipping into the mainstream. Others drop on the sector out of nowhere – Twitter, anyone? – and change the game before half of us even know what’s going on.

New Scientist – Worldwide battle rages for control of the internet

WHEN thousands of protestors took to the streets in Iran following this year’s disputed presidential election, Twitter messages sent by activists let the world know about the brutal policing that followed. A few months earlier, campaigners in Moldova used Facebook to organise protests against the country’s communist government, and elsewhere too the internet is playing an increasing role in political dissent. Now governments are trying to regain control. By reinforcing their efforts to monitor activity online, they hope to deprive dissenters of information and the ability to communicate.

FT.com – Nokia vows to challenge Apple’s iPhone
Nokia has pledged to strike back at Apple and produce mobile phones that will compete effectively with the US technology company’s iPhone. Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chief executive of Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, said that it was aiming to be “even more competitive” following criticism that it had failed to come up with a handset to match the iPhone.

Computing – Young developers to mash-up government data
Official government web portal Directgov is sponsoring an event this weekend that offers 50 young developers the chance to build and create useful applications with government data. Organisers James Darling and Emma Mulqueeny set up the Young Rewired State event to encourage young people to engage with each other for peer-to-peer support and to highlight to government the need for good programming skills in many languages, as well as to showcase young talent.

Computer Weekly – FCC seeks definition of broadband
The US communications regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is trying to define the meaning of broadband so it can create a $7.2bn national broadband plan by 17 February 2010. The idea mirrors the UK’s Digital Britain process that led to a government commitment to having a national 2Mbps system in place by 2012, but with much more attention to operational details.

Computer Weekly – ICO raps two for stolen unencrypted laptops
The Information Commissioner’s Office has received undertakings to improve data protection from a London borough and a motor vehicle repair advice centre following the loss of personal data that included driving convictions.

BBC News – Mobile TV ‘very slow’ to take off
Mobile TV has so far failed to deliver on its promise of ubiquity, but analysts expect worldwide user numbers to increase to 54 million in 2009. Analysts also predict that by 2013 there will be about 300 million people watching TV on the so-called third screen, their smart phone.

The Register – Hotmail pulls Attach-Photo feature over security concerns
Microsoft has suspended the “Attach-Photo” feature in Hotmail as a result of security concerns. Webmail users can still add photos as attachments to Hotmail messages, just not in the same way as before. Microsoft expects to restore the suspended feature by the end of September.

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July 9th, 2009 by Chris Measures

Hot off the press 9/7

Computer Weekly: We don’t need no more competition, says Ofcom: The UK mobile telephony market is competitive enough according to Ofcom.

The Register:- Google uncloaks Chrome OS hardware pals – After announcing plans to release an operating system to compete with Windows yesterday, Google has revealed some of the hardware manufacturers it is partnering with to design and build devices that will run the Google Chrome Operating System.

IT PRO: 70 per cent of organisations hit by data breaches: Data breaches are still a serious problem in Britain, with 70 per cent of enterprises and public sector organisations hit by at least one in the past year.

Computing: Communications skills vital for IT leaders
– but hard to find – IT managers seem more convinced they have the rights skills than employers do, says research.

FT.COM:Moguls talk down Twitter at Sun Valley – Evan Williams, Twitter chief executive, may be the talk of the annual confab of media and technology moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho this week, but some members of the old guard are unimpressed – including News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch.

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July 3rd, 2009 by admin

Hot of the press 03.07.09

Computing: Government aims to bolster UK’s cyber defences: The UK plan highlights the need for government, organisations across all sectors, international partners and the public to work together to meet the strategic objectives of reducing risk and exploiting opportunities by improving knowledge, capabilities and decision-making to secure the UK’s use of cyber space.

CWUK: IT value – we reap what we sow: How does your organisation define the value of IT? Many IT organisations have defined their value based on the ability to deal with complexity. Many times we pride ourselves on how much complexity we deal with.

Silicon: Apple, Nokia, RIM agree to one charger for all: Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal mobile phone chargers starting next year.

IT Pro: Oracle exec calls Amazon’s cloud model ‘unprofitable’: Cloud computing models from companies like Amazon and Google are “unprofitable,” according to a senior executive from Oracle.

IT Pro: Private clouds could save businesses money and time, according to Canonical: Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu open source project, yesterday released its new professional services that will let enterprises build private clouds behind their firewalls.

BBC: Mixed results for green IT goals: The majority of public sector employees do not know about environmentally friendly IT targets set out in the government’s Greening ICT Strategy.

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