Archive for RB

| June 20, 2011
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Tablet Notes

Tablet NotesiPad sold three million units in the first 80 days after its April 2010 release. Its current sales rate is about 4.5 million units per quarter, according to Bernstein Research. This sales rate is blowing past records. iPad is outselling iPhone and the DVD player, the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product.

Apple iPad Will Fail in the Enterprise

Dell logothe Apple (AAPL) iPad would ultimately fail in the enterprise. That is what Andy Lark, Dell‘s (DELL) global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organizations told CIO Australia.

… longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, high price and proprietary [Apple has] done a really nice job, they’ve got a great product, but the challenge they’ve got is that already Android is outpacing them.

Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.

Mr. Lark claimed Dell had taken an enterprise approach toward tablet PCs. This approach will ultimately give Dell an edge. Dell has a major stake in Microsoft Windows and the desktop PC market. “We’ve taken a very considered approach to tablets, given that the vast majority of our business isn’t in the consumer space,” he said.

The cost of Apple products was another deterrent to iPad deployments. Dell’s Lark claims that the economics on a fully loaded iPad did not add up. “An iPad with a keyboard, a mouse, and a case [means] you’ll be at $1500 or $1600; that’s double of what you’re paying,” he claimed. “That’s not feasible.”

Despite the company’s history with Microsoft, it had embraced both Windows Phone 7 and Android operating systems “…Our strategy is multi-OS,” Lark said. “We will do Windows 7 coupled with Android Honeycomb, and we’re really excited. We think that giving people that choice is very important.”

Outlook on the iPhone and iPad

Pst Mail an iPad appHelp has arrived for Apple (AAPL) iPhone and iPad owners who need access to their Microsoft (MSFT) Outlook e-mail. AppScout says users can check their email even when they don’t have an Internet connection.Pst Mail from Arrow Bit is an iPad app that provides offline access, potentially saving money on the user’s data plan. With the app, you can carry around a year’s worth of messages with you. Pst Mail can interact with the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad to reply to or forward messages. It can also open pst files created with any version of Microsoft Outlook.

AppScout says to find messages in large pst files, Pst Mail includes an advanced search feature. You can search by sender, recipient, subject text, message body, or even attachment name. You can also limit the search to a particular time frame. The developers offer a free lite version of the app in the iTunes Store, which has all the same features as the full version but is limited to the number of messages a user may open in each folder. The full version costs $9.99 in the iTunes app store.

GoToMyPC: iPad App

GoToMyPC Citrix (CTXS) has launched an Apple (AAPL) iPad version of GoToMyPC, a remote desktop application that lets you log in to your computer and control it on the go. Up until recently, you needed a PC to log in to a remote PC using the service. But the iPad app lets you do it anywhere you can get an internet connection on an iPad.

Mobilputing says GoToMyPC is hardly the first app of its type for the iPad. LogMein, TeamViewer, Parallels, and Splashtop all offer similar apps. But the GoToMyPC app has tight security features including 128-bit AES encryption, user authentication, and dual passwords, oriented for business.

Apple Sued Over Apps Giving Information to Advertisers

Apple is being sued over the collection and sharing of user data with outside companiesApple (AAPL) and Apple app developers have been sued over the collection and sharing of user data with outside companies (which I wrote about here). Two suits were filed in the Northern District of CA against the iPhone and iPad manufacturer. Apple is named in Lalo v. Apple, 10-5878.

Lalo seeks class action and claims that iPhones and iPads are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track what applications users download, how frequently they’re used, and for how long. “Some apps are also selling additional information to ad networks, including users’ location, age, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political views,” reports Bloomberg’s BusinesWeek.

According to Wired the second suit, Freeman v. Apple seeks both monetary damages and a court order to stop the profiling by app makers being sued are Pandora and Dictionary.com, Toss It, Text4Plus, The Weather Channel, Talking Tom Cat, and Pimple Popper Lite.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 18, 2011
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GM to Build New Data Center in Michigan

GM to Build New Data Center in MichiganDetroit Michigan based automaker General Motors (GM) will invest $130 million to build an enterprise data center at the GM Technical Center, in Warren, MI reports Data Center Knowledge. According to the article the new data center, the Information Technology Operations and Command Center, will allow GM to cut operating costs. The savings will come from consolidating GM global IT infrastructure into a more efficient facility.

GM said it will renovate and expand the former Cadillac administrative building on its Warren Tech Center campus. Design is underway on the renovation and construction, with the last phase scheduled for completion in 2015. The project is expected to create 25 high-tech jobs. InformationWeek says the state-of-the-art center will allow GM to merge tech operations spread across many sites into a single facility, reduce IT operating costs, and cut energy consumption by 40%. The company expects the data center to meet requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S Green Building Council.

Michigan to be center of GM IT

DCK reports the new enterprise data center will use a “modular design” to allow for future expansion. Data Center Modular designs often use factory-built structures, but the term is increasingly being used to describe phased build-outs using pods of raised-floor space. The facility will contain IT laboratories to run computer simulations for vehicle designs. It will also serve as a hub for monitoring GM’s digital applications globally. “The Enterprise Data Center will contain technology laboratories and a global information technology operations center that will serve as the hub for monitoring General Motors information technology applications around the world,” GM Vice President and chief information officer Terry Kline told reporters.

GM Enterprise Data Center at Warren tech Center

New GM Enterprise Data Center at Warren Tech Center

“This new facility and other GM data centers around the world support the tools the company needs to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles through digital applications enabling all business functions,” said Mr. Kline. “This investment is possible because of the cooperation between GM, the Warren community, and the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA). We think the result is a win for everybody involved.”

The automaker received a tax credit from MEGA to support the $130 million redevelopment of the computer center. The Warren city council unanimously approved a brownfield redevelopment plan for space at the sprawling Technical Center campus.

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A few years back,  I worked for about 18 months at the Tech Center, at the Vehicle Engineering Center (VEC). The best part of the job was going over to the Cadillac building for lunch. I recall the cafeteria having leather walls and real china with the Cadillac logo.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 15, 2011
Comments Off on Investigating Internet Liability Insurance

Investigating Internet Liability Insurance

Investigating Internet Liability InsuranceEnterprises now face the question of determining the right kinds of cyber insurance to buy in addition to the other traditional insurance that covers the risk of doing business. Internet Evolution asks, “What would you pay to be insured against data loss or theft“? While cyber insurance of all kinds has been around for a while, more firms than ever are seriously considering it, as data breaches, Web fraud, and security breaches continue to make headlines.

chubb_logoTracey Vispoli, global financial fidelity manager for Chubb, told Internet Evolution, “Although I would still characterize business interest in cyber insurance as emerging, we saw a 40 percent growth in firms securing some form of Internet liability insurance in 2009.” Chubb provides Internet liability and other insurance coverage for businesses worldwide. “I’ve been talking with several insurance companies now about entering the cyber-insurance area,” says Paul Sop, CTO for computer security and consulting firm Prolexic Technologies Inc.

For insurers like Chubb, the Internet provides an opportunity to develop new products to meet emerging business needs. For potential business clients, Internet insurance plugs gaps in coverage that current business insurance policies don’t address. The article says the gaps include:

  • Website-related losses,
  • Website copyright infringements,
  • Cyber-attacks and
  • Unauthorized online access to customer information.

“We encourage companies to think not only about their Web-based assets but also about their entire technology base when they consider insurance,” Ms. Vispoli told Internet Evolution. This includes not only cyber-attacks that directly target the Website from the Internet but also breaches of confidential corporate data such as customer and employee records. Ms. Vispoli explained that at least 45 states require a company whose data is compromised to send out official notifications to all those affected.

Someone from the outside can hack into your employee or customer information, and then there’s the financial pressure of not only fixing the breach and taking action, but also of notifying potentially hundreds of thousands of individuals whose information has been compromised.

The article says that the cost of notification alone can be worth insuring, but there are other costs as well. As recently as five years ago, companies were not required to send out notices nor did they spend the amount of money that it takes today to bring in a forensics team to analyze a cyber breach and find the hack.

The cost of Internet liability and other e-commerce-related insurance varies, depending on the risk factors a given organization presents. Internet Evolution says one of the variables is the amount of online sales it books each year. Common types of cyber-insurance that are available today include:

  • Technology professional liability,
  • Media errors and omissions,
  • Telecommunications professional liability and
  • Computer information and data security liability.

“We are seeing an aggressive trend in businesses subscribing to cyber-insurance, especially in industry sectors like healthcare, financial services, retail, services companies like hotel chains and media,” Ms. Vispoli said in the article. “Depending on the size of the organization, we might be contacted for coverage information by a Chief Security Officer, or possibly by a CFO or CIO.” All of them see growing exposures from e-theft, e-fraud, compromise of critical data, loss of goodwill, e-threats, and vandalism, denial of service, copyright infringement, and regulatory compliance issues.

What do you think?

Does your organization have cyber insurance?

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 13, 2011
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Tech Regulatory Capture

Tech Regulatory CaptureRegulatory capture occurs when governmental bodies created to act in the public interest instead advances the commercial or special interests that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating. Regulatory capture is a form of government failure, as it can encourage large firms to exploit the public.

Former Sen. Chris Dodd Named MPAA Chief

Former Sen. Chris Dodd Named MPAA ChiefChristopher Dodd, the former five-term Democratic senator from Connecticut is the head of the Motion Picture Association of America. He sat on the Foreign Relations Committee, headed the Banking Committee, and co-authored the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Among other things, he attempted to filibuster the legislation that immunized telecom companies from lawsuits over the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.

As head of the MPAA, he’s likely to be a little less friendly to the average netizen. The MPAA has lobbied hard for the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

It has pushed for the government to shutter websites suspected of hosting infringing material and is responsible for using the American legal system to sue U.S.-based torrent search engines out of existence. A case against Canadian-based Isohunt is pending.

Facebook Adds Friends in Washington

Facebook Prepares to Add Friends in WashingtonDemocrat Sheryl Sandberg, the former Clinton administration official is a chief operating officer for Facebook. Ms. Sandberg, is the company’s No. 2 official behind co-founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

Republican Ted Ullyot, a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is the social networker’s general counsel. Mr. Ullyot, was a White House lawyer and chief of staff for Alberto Gonzales when he was attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. Facebook  told the Los Angeles Times that Mr. Ullyot “has extremely strong connections with the Republican Party, and we think that’s a good thing.”

Facebook Adds to Its Public Policy Staff

Facebook Adds to Its Public Policy StaffFacebook increased its Republican credentials by adding Catherine Martin, who is the site’s first director of public policy. Previously, Ms. Martin worked for President George W. Bush, serving as deputy assistant to the president and deputy communications director for policy and planning.

Facebook May Hire Former Obama Aide

Facebook May Hire Robert Gibbs, Former Obama AideFacebook is in talks to hire Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s former White House press secretary, for a senior role in helping to manage the company’s communications, people briefed on the negotiations told the New York Times.

Mr. Gibbs, who left the White House in February after two years on the job, had planned to help set up President Obama’s re-election campaign before taking a private-sector job, these people said. A job for Mr. Gibbs at Facebook could be worth millions of dollars. While details of his potential compensation package have yet to be discussed, people briefed on the talks said that he would receive a cash salary as well as shares ahead of the initial offering. Some investors have valued Facebook at more than $60 billion and could be the largest offering in history. Mr. Gibbs and a spokesman for Facebook declined to comment.

Facebook Woos Washington

Facebook Woos WashingtonThe Daily Beast points out that Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg’s company has 600 million members, making it about twice as big as the United States. The Daily Beast says that Facebook needs to get as cozy as it can with the U.S. Government and Barack Obama. This company is gathering more personal information about more people than any other company ever, even more than Google. Suddenly it is dawning on everyone, including members of Congress, just how much power Facebook is amassing.

Co to counter the trend Facebook has hired two more former government officials.

  • Elliot Schrage worked at the Council on Foreign Relations and Google before joining Facebook. Mr. Schrage, a lawyer by training, serves as Facebook’s head of global communications and public affairs.
  • Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder, ran Obama’s 2008 social networking operation via a website called My.BarackObama.com.

$35,000 For a Dinner With Obama

Yelp Just Paid $35,000 For A Steak Dinner With ObamaAfter President Obama’s love-in speech video on Facebook, another group of tech luminaries got a meeting with POTUS. The steak dinner at the home of Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff cost $35,000-a-plate. According to Business Insider other Silicon Valley big-shots in attendance included:

Related articles
  • Facebook Prepares to Add Friends in Washington (nytimes.com)
  • Chris Dodd shows how Washington works (salon.com)

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 11, 2011
Comments Off on Asia Set to be the New Center of the Web

Asia Set to be the New Center of the Web

Asia Set to be the New Center of the WebStacey Higginbotham at GigaOm points out a report from UK analyst firm Informa Telecoms & Media which says that Internet traffic will grow seven-fold between 2010 and 2015 to reach roughly 1.2 zettabytes globally and that Asia will lead the growth.

roughly 1.2 zettabytes globallyAccording to the report, the amount of Internet and service traffic will vary greatly from region to region and, despite the focus on the U.S., Asia will be the larger region in terms of traffic by 2015. Asia Pacific’s share will have increased to 42% of global Internet traffic by virtue of the sheer growth in user numbers that this region will see over the forecast period. “Much of the hype about Internet traffic growth continues to come from the U.S. and Silicon Valley, but it is the Asian Internet users that are generating the most traffic. This will only become pronounced over the next few years, as the region’s Internet penetration grows”, comments Giles Cottle, Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.

China will also play a major role in fueling this growth. “China will not become the single largest Internet traffic market during our forecast period, but it will have a fundamental impact on shifting the online balance of power from East to West. In China alone, Informa predicts that there will be 670 million Internet users in the market in 2015; even if many of these users are not high-volume users, they will still collectively produce a huge amount of traffic,” concludes Cottle.

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I wrote about Chinese becoming the lingua franca of the web here.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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