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BetaNews.Com (17 non lus)

Google Play now offering 4K movies -- but there's a catch

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 7:37pm CET par Wayne Williams

If you have a 4K TV or monitor, you can enjoy Ultra HD content from the likes of YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon. You can get 4K Blu-rays, but you’ll need a compatible player, and they aren’t that cheap. Starting today, Google is offering a new way to get your hands on the latest 4K resolution movies. SEE ALSO: Want to watch 4K Netflix content in Windows 10? You'll need Microsoft Edge If you’re in the US or Canada you can purchase 4K blockbusters on an Android device or on the web and stream them via a Google Chromecast Ultra, Sony… [Continue Reading]
Iperius Backup adds incremental cloud backup

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 7:24pm CET par Mike Williams

Iperius Backup 4.7.0 has shipped with support for incremental and differential backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, OneDrive and Azure. That’s the commercial builds, anyway -- as with previous editions, Iperius Backup Free 4.7.0 doesn’t support cloud backups. There’s a new cloud synchronization tool, and optional concurrent uploads may increase backup speeds. Extended support for virtual environments sees faster connection speeds to VMware ESXi hosts, compatibility with ESXi 6.5, and improved backup of Hyper-V VMs. Handy tweaks include an option to automatically eject removable media, and the ability to apply your proxy settings to local and cloud backups. The… [Continue Reading]
The big security problems in 2017

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 7:19pm CET par Andrew Tang

If there’s one thing you can say with certainty about cyber-security in 2017, it’s that many companies are going to fail because they are simply not doing the right thing. Fundamental flaws still exist. Until the technical people lift their heads up and see that security and business are different sides of the same coin, we will inevitably see more damaging attacks. When security people learn to speak in the language of business they will begin to understand just where in the organization they need to apply their expertise. It's About the Business This might be smart configuration options, cautious… [Continue Reading]
Windows 10 Creators Update will offer more advanced security features

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 6:49pm CET par Wayne Williams

Mostly everything that Microsoft has revealed about the forthcoming Windows 10 Creators Update to date has focused on the "creator" side of things, and 3D in particular. Not wishing to completely alienate users with no interest in 3D and mixed reality, the company today reveals how the update will improve security and better "protect, defend and respond to threats". Rob Lefferts, Director of Program Management, Windows Enterprise and Security, says the update will "deliver new features and capabilities for modern IT and bring even more security advancements to our enterprise customers as IT administrators drive digital transformation to optimize operations,… [Continue Reading]
Manage, view and annotate your PDFs with Gaaiho Reader 4.0

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 6:49pm CET par Mike Williams

Gaaiho Reader is a lightweight and feature-packed PDF reader for Windows. The program opens with a more cluttered interface than Adobe Reader -- menus, buttons, sidebars -- but basic viewing remains very straightforward. Drag and drop a file, scroll through it as usual, and you can use page thumbnails or bookmarks to jump directly to whatever section you need. A handy split-screen viewing option enables splitting the client window horizontally, vertically or into four panes, useful for viewing different parts of the current document at once. The Search tools are excellent. The basic Find dialog works like any other --… [Continue Reading]
Insurance companies hesitate to leverage big data -- but things are changing

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 6:46pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Insurance companies are mostly reluctant to use big data analytics to rate their customers’ driving habits, but the trend is slowly picking up pace, a new report by PTOLEMUS Consulting Group says. The report is based on an analysis of the world’s 27 largest usage-based insurance (UBI) policies, including those of Admiral, Allianz, Allstate, AXA, Generali, Desjardins, Direct Line, State Farm, The Hartford, UnipolSai, Uniqa and Zurich. It says the number of UBI policies reached 14 million at the end of Q3 this year, but things are still slow. Global telematics insurer Progressive still uses a temporary device and doesn’t… [Continue Reading]
Instagram getting safer

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 6:23pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Instagram can be a very rewarding experience. If you have never tried it, please know that the concept is rather simple. A user posts either a picture or video, and then other people can comment on it. It is a refreshing alternative to other social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, Instagram isn't always a safe space. As you can imagine, trolls will make fun of people's appearances in the photos by leaving negative comments. Not only does this harm someone's self-esteem, but it contributes to an overall declining society that feels to be increasingly dominated by negativity. Some of… [Continue Reading]
IDC says Apple Watch sales are nosediving -- Tim Cook touts 'off the charts' growth

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 5:54pm CET par Mihăiță Bamburic

Here's the deal. Apple doesn't want to publish smartwatch sales data in its quarterly financial reports. So, to tell us where Apple Watch stands in relation to the competition in the wearables market, analysts come up with estimates, which may or may not be close to the truth. IDC did the same thing this week, claiming that Apple Watch sales nosedived in Q3 2016. Apple typically does not comment on such claims, as it prefers to keep quiet and not add any fuel to the fire. It's a strategy that works, because, first of all, the Apple Watch was never in any real… [Continue Reading]
Google goes green -- 100 percent renewable energy usage in 2017 to combat climate change

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 4:34pm CET par Mark Wilson

Big companies like to be seen to be doing their bit, particularly when it comes to the environment, and tech companies are no different. Google -- being one of the biggest companies in the world -- has huge energy requirements, and it's looking to help address the problem of climate change. The company has already done a lot to increase the energy efficiency of its data centers, but in 2017 it is going further. It says that it will be fully powered by renewable energy from next year, and that includes both data centers and offices. In terms of energy… [Continue Reading]
100 percent of holiday retailers vulnerable to cyber security issues

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 4:11pm CET par Ian Barker

With more of us than ever doing our shopping online over the holiday period we want to feel that we can do so safely. But a new report from security ratings company SecurityScorecard exposes cyber security vulnerabilities across 48 of the biggest US retailers. The company studied the 48 largest retailers as indicated by the National Retail Federation. It finds that more than 50 percent may have failed to meet the Payment Card Industry’s Security Standards (PCISS). It also uncovered issues including malware infections, use of end-of-life products, weak network security and low security awareness among employees. Overall 100 percent… [Continue Reading]
Tape backups are too expensive

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 4:10pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

It’s almost 2017 and many organizations are still using tape to archive their data. According to a new report by Kroll Ontrack, that can be challenging, risky and expensive. After polling 819 IT administrators, more than a quarter (27 percent) don’t have clear insight into which information is being backed up on legacy tapes. It can also be quite costly. Survey respondents have said that maintaining legacy tape backup solutions can cost anywhere between £8,000 and £1 million. The biggest drivers of cost are storage, maintenance and staff. All in all, almost 40 percent want to terminate their maintenance contracts… [Continue Reading]
New platform gives businesses control of SaaS

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 3:25pm CET par Ian Barker

The switch to as-a-service models for delivering software gives organizations a wide range of providers to choose from, but it can lead to a proliferation of different solutions and a challenge for management. Cloud management specialist BetterCloud is launching a new unified software-as-a-service (SaaS) management platform to give IT departments powerful automation and governance capabilities. "The rise of the SaaS-powered workplace is transforming the role of IT," says David Politis, CEO of BetterCloud. "What was once a behind-the-scenes department is now becoming deeply integrated into the business. But the explosion of SaaS offerings from thousands of providers brings a new and significant set… [Continue Reading]
The key cyber threats to businesses in 2017

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 1:22pm CET par Ian Barker

The past year has been a pretty eventful one for many reasons, not least in the area of cyber security which has seen attacks gaining in sophistication and persistence. If you were expecting 2017 to be an improvement you may be in for a disappointment according to the Information Security Forum (ISF) which is today publishing its outlook for the threats businesses will face in the next year. The four key threats it identifies will come from the Internet of Things, crime syndicates, end users, and an over reliance on government and regulators. These it says are are not mutually… [Continue Reading]
Identify mystery file types with TrID-Net

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 1:15pm CET par Mike Williams

Identifying a file type is often very easy. A glance at the icon gives you a general idea -- VLC Media Player tells you it’s a media file, for instance -- and the extension tells you everything else. Life isn’t always that simple, though. File extensions might be lost, changed, or maybe you’ve just found a mystery file in a folder somewhere and would like to know what it is. Opening the file in Notepad can give you some clues. If the first two characters are MZ, it’s a Windows executable; PK means a ZIP file; ID3 is a media… [Continue Reading]
One in three enterprises is not ready for digital transformation

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 12:16pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

A third of enterprises, globally, are completely unprepared for the process of digital transformation, a new report by global data, market research and advisory firm Ovum says. Six in ten (60 percent) of enterprises say that the process of digital transformation is "well advanced" or "in progress". However, just seven percent say the process is "complete". The financial services sector seems to be spearheading the charge, with 60 percent of enterprises saying the process is "well advanced". Retail banks, as well as payment, insurance and financial markets, are most advanced. The retail sector considers itself least prepared. "The uneven maturity of digital… [Continue Reading]
Are remote workers happier?

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 11:35am CET par Ian Barker

Thanks to technology, remote working is easier and more popular, with both workers and employers, than ever before. But does being able to work remotely lead to a happier workforce? Time management specialist Time Doctor has produced an infographic based on research by employee engagement company TINYpulse into remote working habits. Among the findings are that 91 percent of those surveyed say that they get more work done outside the office. 41 percent enjoy the freedom that remote working offers, and 28 percent say that they do it because it fits the needs of their family. Interestingly those that work… [Continue Reading]
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter join forces to fight terrorism

Publié: décembre 6, 2016, 2:50am CET par Brian Fagioli

Terrorism is a daily threat to our freedoms. It is unfortunate, as we used to be able to go throughout our days without the thought of violence. Now, it dominates the news. Heck, when I am in Penn Station in NYC, I see soldiers with machine guns. Sigh. Unfortunately, terrorists thrive on the internet too. Using social media and video platforms like YouTube, these evil-doers look to recruit new members while sharing propaganda. Today, Google announces that it is partnering with some major players -- Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter -- to fight online terrorism with a special database. The partners will… [Continue Reading]