Mountain Duck 3.0 adds offline support with smart synchronization

Bern software developer iterate GmbH has released Mountain Duck 3.0 for Windows and Mac, a major new version of its paid-for tool offering users the ability to access server and cloud storage directly through File Explorer and Finder. Version 3.0’s headline new feature is "smart synchronization". This basically adds offline support, allowing users to access storage even when not connected. Any changes are then uploaded when the connection is re-established. The feature works in a similar way to that offered by cloud storage providers like Dropbox and OneDrive. It requires users to mark specific files and folders as being available… [Continue Reading]

15 percent of IT professionals have more data sources than they can count

Data is essential for modern business, but managing it effectively can be difficult. Big data can be just too big to handle. A new survey from unified operations specialist Ivanti looks at the challenges IT professionals face when it comes to silos, data and implementation. Among its findings are that 15 percent of IT professionals say they have too many data sources to count. In addition more than half (51 percent) report they have to work with their data for days, weeks or more, before it's actionable. Only 10 percent of respondents say the data they receive is actionable within… [Continue Reading]

Slow database deployment creates bottleneck for software delivery

Deploying database changes is complex and demanding and combined with growing pressure to deliver application updates faster is creating a problem for businesses. According to a survey by database automation company Datical 91 percent of respondents report they have to re-work database changes multiple times before they are ready for production deployment. This backs up another key finding among survey participants, that 80 percent agree it takes longer to deploy database code changes than other types of code changes. In addition 84 percent of application stakeholders have had serious production issues due to database change errors; 57 percent of all… [Continue Reading]

Plugable launches tiny USB-C Cube docking station for Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS

So, let's have a quick geometry lesson, OK? A cube is a six-sided 3D object where all sides are exactly the same size. Think of the Rubik's cube, for instance, or a common six-sided die. This should be common knowledge to most folks, and even without measuring, people can typically look at a box and recognize if it is a cube. That's why it is so puzzling that Plugable's latest USB-C docking station is called "Cube." The dimensions of the dock (model UD-Cube) are 6.4 x 5.8 x 3.5 cm. Not even close to having all sides be equal! Oh well. Misnomer… [Continue Reading]

Personal details of 80 million US households exposed on unsecured Microsoft cloud server

Security researchers have discovered an unprotected database stored on a Microsoft cloud server. The 24GB database includes personal information about 80 million households across the US. The researchers from vpnMentor were working on a web mapping project when they made the discovery. They say that as the database they found left out in the open relates to American households which include multiple residents, the data breach could potentially affect hundreds of millions of people. The discovery was made by "hacktivists" Noam Rotem and Ran Locar. The unprotected database they stumbled across could impact as many as 65 percent of US… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft, Dell and VMware become partners in the cloud

Microsoft has announced that it is extending its partnership with Dell in a move that will enable Microsoft Azure customers to take advantage of VMware virtualization in the cloud. The company is also bringing VMware into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem to extend the capabilities of its Windows Virtual Desktop too. It will also bring new management and security options to Microsoft Intune. See also: Microsoft drops password expiration policies from Windows 10 1903 security baseline Microsoft will block the Windows 10 May 2019 Update if you have a USB drive or SD card connected Microsoft decides to keep Paint in… [Continue Reading]

The rapid rise of the social media influencer

One of the key trends of the last few years has been the growth of influencer marketing via sponsored content on social media. New research from marketing platform Socialbakers into Instagram marketing shows that in North America, influencer-sponsored posts have grown by over 150 percent from 2018 to 2019. "Consumers are increasingly seeking out reviews and trusted voices when making purchasing decisions. This has created a huge opportunity for influencers and brands to team up to create authentic connections with audiences," says Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO of Socialbakers. "Our findings indicate that brands that collaborate with authentic and relevant influencers increase… [Continue Reading]

AMD celebrates 50th birthday with 'Gold Edition' versions of Ryzen 7 2700X CPU and Radeon VII graphics card

Believe it or not, on May 1 of this year, Advanced Micro Devices (also known as AMD), will celebrate its 50th birthday. Wow. It is very impressive for any company to survive so long, but it is particularly hard to do so in the technology industry. It is remarkable that the processor-maker is still relevant all these years later. To celebrate this monumental 50th birthday, AMD is launching some special "Gold Edition" variants of its products. There are two things, actually --  a Gold Edition Ryzen 7 2700X CPU and Radeon VII graphics card. Both of these products highlight AMD's… [Continue Reading]

IT's role continues to evolve -- here's what to expect at your startup

Now that technology is at the core of all business activities, IT finds itself evolving from having a supporting role to having a more central and crucial one. Even for startups, it's important to effectively define IT's place in the organization given the new realities created by the changing landscapes of technology and commerce. Consider how dramatically this role has changed. Just over a decade ago, IT leaders were concerned with improving connectivity within the workplace and bringing their organizations online. More recently, they’ve had to worry about things like mobile tunneling, GDPR compliance and optimizing real-time business intelligence dashboards.… [Continue Reading]

3 document management takeaways from Google Cloud Next 2019

In early April, more than 30,000 attendees gathered in San Francisco at Google Cloud Next to hear a variety of new announcements and innovations as told through product reveals, break-out sessions and keynote speakers. Included in the long list of what’s to come were several key features that will substantially impact document management on G Suite. I’ve narrowed down that information into the following three main takeaways regarding document management and business processes:  1) The Cloud is safer A go-to argument against the adoption of the cloud from on-premise system users is the superior control and safety their system has… [Continue Reading]

Dark Web-leaked banking credentials leap 129 percent

A new report into the financial services threat landscape shows that there has been a huge increase in the number of banking credential leaks, while instances of compromised credit cards increased by 212 percent year-on-year. The report from threat protection platform IntSights reveals many of the leaked credentials came from the Collection #1 database of over 773 million unique email addresses and 21 million unique passwords released onto the Dark Web in January this year. Financial services organizations were targeted in 25.7 percent of all malware attacks last year, more than any of the other 27 industries tracked. While financial… [Continue Reading]

Windows 10 users still avoiding the October 2018 Update like the plague

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update is currently undergoing testing in the Release Preview ring to ensure it should be relatively bug free when it finally rolls out to all (in theory at least). Microsoft has already identified an issue that prevents the OS update from installing on systems with a USB flash drive or SD card connected. The May 2019 Update’s predecessor, the October 2018 Update, is proving to be a lost cause in the meantime. According to the latest figures from AdDuplex, the vast majority of Windows 10 users still don’t have it installed. In April, the update… [Continue Reading]

More than half of companies have sensitive files open to all employees

The latest data risk report from security company Varonis reveals that 53 percent of companies have at least 1,000 sensitive files open to all employees, putting them at risk of data breaches. Keeping old sensitive data that risks fines under HIPAA, GDPR and the upcoming CCPA is a problem too. The report finds over half of data is stale and 87 percent of companies have over 1,000 stale sensitive files, with 71 percent having over 5,000 stale sensitive files. Problems with passwords are highlighted as well with 38 percent of users having passwords that never expire, up from 10 percent… [Continue Reading]

Automated governance platform helps businesses use data safely

Data privacy is a major concern for businesses, made more acute by the raft of new compliance and data protection rules appearing around the world. Immuta is launching a platform with no-code, automated governance features that enable business analysts and data scientists to securely share and collaborate with data, dashboards, and scripts without fear of violating data policy and industry regulations. Features include Automated Policy Inheritance which eliminates the need for human intervention to manage policies across mashed up data sources. Analysts can instantaneously and securely create integrated data sources, share derived data from them and collaborate across the organization… [Continue Reading]

Apple responds to parental control app removal controversy

Apple has been upsetting developers of parental control apps recently by asking them to restrict their offerings in various ways, or simply removing them from the App Store. Critics say that this is because the apps compete with iOS's Screen Time feature. Apple has now responded to the criticism, denying that this is the reason for its interference with and removal of apps. The company insists its actions had nothing to do with killing off the competition, but says that several parental control apps were delisted because "they put users' privacy and security at risk". See also: After launching Screen… [Continue Reading]

UK streaming site TVCatchup is down... and this could be the end

If you are having trouble accessing TVCatchup  via its mobile app or through its website, you are not alone. The UK TV streaming service has gone dark, and it could be a permanent closure. The service has been no stranger to controversy and managed to attract the attention -- and the wrath -- of numerous broadcasters, and became embroiled in a legal battle. Having managed to stay online for longer than many would have imagined, it seems you’ll now have to seek out an alternative to TVCatchup. See also: BitTorrent Inc announces BitTorrent Live, a social streaming platform that's not… [Continue Reading]

Free test checks website security and PCI DSS compliance

  Good website security is essential to give customers confidence in your business, but for smaller organizations testing can prove difficult. To address this issue, security testing and risk rating company ImmuniWeb is launching a free website security test that can be used by anyone. When run the test verifies PCI DSS requirements, fingerprints versions of over 100 most popular CMS, web frameworks and over 165,000 of their plugins, and runs a comprehensive vulnerability check for all known vulnerabilities in the fingerprinted software. In addition it checks over 20 HTTP headers related to security, encryption or privacy for strong configurations… [Continue Reading]