The Internet of Things is on its way, and we are seeing new applications for web-connected devices every day. Perhaps one of the most interesting ways to use Internet of Things technology is its integration into agriculture, or more specifically, artichoke growing at Ocean Mist Farms in Salinas Valley, California.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has been a hot IT trend for the past few years. Initially, everybody loved the idea of workers using their personal smartphone for work and organizations were quick to adopt BYOD. Now, after years of trying out the policy, companies and employees are having reservations about BYOD, making some even long for the days of Blackberry.
Taking notes is a pain, and we all know that. One of the biggest problems with taking notes is that your team might store them all in different places. Before you know it, you have no idea where anything is or what has been done. Microsoft's OneNote on OneDrive changes that, providing a collaborative cloud-based solution for note taking.
When diagnosing your computer's security problems, it should be noted that malware is not always located on the PC itself. A lot of the time, problems could be occurring in a number of different operating systems and browsers, making it difficult to diagnose the cause. A recent study by Ronald Kaplan and Dylan Kaplan proved that malware can be located not only on your computer and devices, but even on your wireless router.
Across the country kids are hopping on buses and heading back to school. Schools sure have changed and classes aren't quite the same as they used to be. Perhaps the most important thing about these changes has been the classes available for the kids. In fact, some schools have started teaching children how to code, and France is next on the list.
With more businesses becoming aware of the environmental impact of their day-to-day operations, one would assume that a practice like printing would be on the decline due to how wasteful it is. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Despite advances in digital communication, paper consumption continues to increase by 20 percent each year in modern offices.
Data is the lifeblood of business. Therefore, IT workers who maintain business critical systems that "keep the blood pumping" are at the heart of every data-driven organization. Can your business live if an in-house IT worker took a vacation? Many employers think not. Statistics show IT workers have a difficult time "getting away from IT all."
There have been a lot of complaints against the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, and finally, another prominent service provider has spoken out against it. Dish Network has expressed their dismay over the cable juggernauts' union in a very long, in-depth petition aimed at convincing the Federal Communications Commission to shoot down the merger before it destroys cable provider competition.
The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The ancient Chinese military general Sun Tzu might have been around long before the Internet was a thing, but he sure knew how to make an impression on the world. In his extremely influential book on ancient Chinese warfare, The Art of War, he says that "every battle is won before it's ever fought." This applies to protecting your IT network, too.
Today, almost everybody has an Internet-connected camera in their pocket. A crazy amount of photos are posted online. In fact, Facebook alone claims to have over 250 billion photos, with 350 million user images posted every day. All of these pictures are fun, but how do you ensure that only the people you want to see your photos are seeing them?
You may have noticed last week that the Internet was having some trouble with its operating speeds, but now we know for sure why. The root of the problem lies in Tier 1's Internet routers' Border Gateway Protocol routing tables, which have exceeded their maximum size, and has brought about the failure of these routers to operate at maximum speed.
Picture this, you're at the airport with your laptop, knocking out an important project between flights. Suddenly, you're approached by some touristy-looking people about taking their picture. You're a nice person so you grant them their request. After a longer-than-expected photo session, you return to your seat only to find that your laptop has been stolen. You've been conned.
We all experience temporary mental lapses (also known as "brain farts"). The worst kind of brain flatulence is when the consequences stink up the workplace, causing downtime and loss of revenue. One of the worst places to let a brain fart rip is in the IT department.
A change is happening in the White House. Mikey Dickerson, a Google site reliability engineer, has just been appointed by the United States government as the deputy federal CIO, proving that even the big wigs need consulting from time-to-time.
In an attempt to push users toward the most recent installment of Internet Explorer (IE 11), Microsoft has announced that, as of January 2016, all older versions of Internet Explorer will reach their end-of-support date. This means discontinued patching and security update support, putting all who refuse the upgrade at risk.
We all know how annoying email can be at times. Your inbox is constantly being filled with new messages, and before you know it, you have no idea what you've responded to or what needs to be responded to. To make matters worse, the average office worker spends roughly two hours staring at their email inbox and responding to messages. Not only is this counterproductive, but is also a massive time-wasting practice.
A few months ago, we mentioned that a ransomware called CryptoLocker was spreading at a dangerous rate due to the GameOver Zeus malware. The ransomware would lock down files on victims' computers until a fee was paid, but not anymore. Now, with the help of FireEye and Fox-IT, a solution has been created called DecryptCryptoLocker.
Over the past few years, we've seen a revolution in the computer market as mobile device sales skyrocketed and PC sales slumped. If this trend were to continue for just a few more years, PCs would have possibly become extinct. However, as is the case with any trend, it appears things in the computer world may be normalizing.
If your business purchases hardware or other supplies from a retailer, or if you are your own point-of-sale, your company might be targeted by a new type of Point-of-Sale malware known as Backoff. The malware is capable of stealing credit card information from unsuspecting victims, and should be a cause for concern for those unprepared to fight against it.
Google's not just good for scouring the Internet for cat videos and funny memes. Google X, with a new project called Baseline, is now looking to study the makeup of the human body, which they are hoping will be able to prevent disease and foster a more healthy existence for individuals around the world.
