Statistics and facts about Big Data

Big data has been a buzz word for a while now, although many are still uncertain as to exactly what kind of impact big data can and will have in the future. This is certainly an area that many businesses and even governments are exploring though and it is predicted that the industry will see rapid growth in the next few years. Market value forecasts from various experts also estimate that this industry will grow to a multi-billion dollar industry in the near future. A number of companies, including IBM, HP, Dell and SAP have already been generating generous revenue figures from their big data related products and services.

While many market forecasts are predicting highly lucrative potential for the big data market, a range of market research amongst IT and business professionals has identified a number of concerns and shortfalls with regards to implementing big data projects. Lack of budget and lack of time to invest, are among the leading concerns of IT professionals. Another concern is the lack of expertise in the field with a significant gap forecast between demand and supply of qualified professionals.

Read More: http://www.statista.com/topics/1464/big-data/

Hardware Encryption Market Expected to Reach $296.4bn by 2020

A new report by Allied Market Research forecasts that the world hardware encryption market is to show a CAGR of 54.6% from 2010- 2020 and be worth just over $296 billion.

The World Hardware Encryption—Market Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014–2020 report proposes that hardware encryption is considered as the most effective form of data protection against unauthorized access, aligning with the actions of various governments across the globe who are coming out with stringent regulations pertaining to data protection. This is seen as a key development that further supplements the demand of hardware encryption as a key data security technology.

The hard disk drives (HDD) segment was found to be the highest revenue generating segment, constituting 57% of the total market revenue in 2014 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the analysis period. The segment of encrypted USB flash drives is forecast to grow significantly and register highest CAGR of 58.8% during the forecast period. The increasing demands of robust memory storage devices that are highly compact, offer maximum storage and render better security of data are key factors, which would drive the growth of this segment.

Looking at regions and vertical industries, Asia-Pacific was revealed to be the largest revenue generating region for hardware encryption, followed by North America and Europe, as is set to be the highest revenue generating region, constituting nearly 33.5% of the total market revenue. The region is also likely to registering a CAGR of 56.9% during the forecast period, supplemented by factors such as strong economic growth, development in enterprise IT infrastructure and the large scale outsourcing of BPO operations to China, India and Malaysia.

Read More: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/hardware-encryption-2020/

Companies must embrace BYOD strategically

Research shows that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is not only here to stay, but will, in fact, grow in significance in next few years. Human Capital Management and HR experts at CRS Technologies believe that businesses ought to conduct a thorough cost and needs analysis before applying a strategy.

The company refers to Gartner studies on this evolving trend, specifically the prediction that almost four in ten (40%) organisations will rely exclusively on BYOD by 2016.

“Meaning they will no longer provide devices to employees. Additionally, eighty five percent of businesses will have some kind of BYOD program in place by 2020,” says James McKerrell, CEO of CRS Technologies.

Against this background of fast growing significance and relevance to the market, it is to be expected that companies will be eager to formulate and apply a BYOD strategy as a matter of urgency.

But it is more advisable for business decision makers to take a step back, consider a number of factors and measure these against core business requirements – irrespective of how attractive the proposition to reduce company investment in devices and lower costs is to financial directors, says McKerrell.

Be wary
Key considerations include data privacy and security, compatibility, and tech leasing. As McKerrell explains if employees are allowed to use their own mobile devices at work there is a need to implement a robust BYOD security policy.

“This policy should clearly state the company’s position and governance policy to ensure network security is not breached. Privacy can be compromised on both sides. Just one stolen phone can send an entire organisation into crisis. Things like remote deletion of data and access points come to the fore,” he says.

BYOD new to IT service desk

The IT service desk has officially opened in a new location on the first floor of the CCT building, now providing students with a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) space. There is currently a contest underway to name the new space.

Replacing the computer lab previously located in the CCT atrium, the IT service team envisioned extra support for BYOD spaces, which allow and encourage individuals to bring their own mobile devices for educational or work purposes.

According to information and instructional technology director Susan Senese, an increasing number of students are bringing their own devices to school. As part of the IT team’s vision, their strategy was to enrich the student experience by providing students with more study spaces that support their own devices, rather than providing them with additional computers.

In addition to the BYOD space located in front of the new IT desk—which will also be used as a space for instructional activities by IT staff—the back of the new centre is equipped with six stations for full-time employees working on special projects and hosting training sessions.

Also new to the IT service desk are different operating hours.

“We’re going from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the hopes of helping staff, faculty, and students throughout the day,” said Michael Young, manager of IT customer service, on Wednesday morning during the grand opening of the service desk. Previous operating hours were 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Read More: http://themedium.ca/news/byod-new-to-it-service-desk

AT&T 4G LTE expands to Newberry

NEWBERRY -- A rural Greene County town will now be covered by AT&T's 4G LTE service.

AT&T is now giving local customers in the Newberry area faster mobile Internet speeds on the network with the nation's strongest LTE signal. The expansion will also cover Elnora in Daviess County.

AT&T has launched 4G LTE in Newberry and Elnora near I-69 as part of an ongoing rollout across the area.

AT&T has made several additional area network enhancements over the past year for residents, businesses and travelers. These include expansion of 4G LTE coverage to Worthington and Switz City, along with a mobile Internet cell site near State Road 45 and County Road 200 East. Here's how 4G LTE benefits the customer:

* Faster speeds. LTE can deliver speeds faster than many other mobile Internet technologies.4 You can stream, download, upload and play games faster than ever before.

* Reliability. Easily stay connected to the people, information and entertainment you care about as you move around town.

* Options. Be the envy of your tech-savvy friends by taking advantage of all the latest 4G LTE smartphones and tablets AT&T offers.

"This investment in technology by AT&T is welcome in Daviess and Greene counties. Citizens and businesses will be able to communicate and conduct business faster than ever before with these mobile Internet improvements. I appreciate AT&T's hard work to expand 4G LTE to these communities," said State Sen. Eric Bassler.

AT&T has invested nearly $2 billion in its wireless and wired networks in Indiana between 2012 through 2014, driving a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and performance for residents and business customers.

Read More: http://www.gcdailyworld.com/story/2267654.html

Is 2016 the end of the road for ERP software?

In the past, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has always been about tasks and transactions. It has provided businesses with the control they need to manage production lines and supply chains as they repeat precise patterns, season by season.

However, the business landscape is changing. Manufacturing, for example, is no longer a simple matter of basing decisions on past order experience, making plans based on historic patterns and duplicating processes with little deviation.

As we move into 2016, businesses need to respond quicker, change tactics dynamically according to market demand, analyse and act upon internal and external data, and deliver their products to customers faster than ever before. In effect, rigid, function-led ERP software as we know it will become obsolete. In this article, I will explain why 2016 signals the death-knell for legacy ERP systems.

The latest technologies are changing the ERP industry for good

From adaptive manufacturing to prototyping, the latest technologies are shaking up how we produce, consume and deliver products. The burgeoning development of 3D printing, or additive layer manufacturing (ALM) for example, has the potential to change the face of the production line.

Read More: http://www.itproportal.com/2016/01/14/is-2016-the-end-of-the-road-for-erp-software/

Expert: Mobile security to be focus in 2016

As mobile use continues to expand, security in the mobile space is becoming more important. Here is how one expert believes mobile and security will change in 2016.

iOS security will take center stage
"[Expect] more iOS kernel exploits and jailbreaks for iOS 9.2 and 9.3. We believe a vulnerability similar to Stagefright will emerge on iOS, proving no OS is safe from motivated attackers. We'll also see another Airdrop-esque attack, which will allow hackers to send and install malware on any device within range," said Zuk Avraham, Founder, Chairman & CTO, Zimperium.

Android devices will continue to have late updates

"Despite all of the criticism and pressure Android received this year following our discovery of the Stagefright vulnerability, many Android devices still aren't likely to receive timely updates in 2016. Hackers will continue to target Android and we expect more exploits to take advantage of the shared address space ASLR weakness to gain system privileges. Given the further adoption of SELinux, kernel exploits will also become more important for rooting," said Avraham.

More security breech headlines

"This is due to participation in bug bounty programs, which provide compensation and recognition to hackers who discover and report vulnerabilities in a company's security infrastructure. As companies realize the value of these programs and build the internal acumen to digest the results, more organizations will formalize these programs. Legislative changes will also push researchers toward public disclosure," said Avraham.

Read More: http://www.bizreport.com/2015/12/expert-mobile-security-to-be-focus-in-2016.html