Information Technology Blog

Free Trade Magazine Subscriptions & Technical Document Downloads

galidon — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:41:00 +0000

Browse through our extensive list of free Information Technology magazines, white papers, downloads and podcasts to find the titles that best match your skills; topics include technology, IT management, business technology and e-business. Simply complete the application form and submit it. All are absolutely free to professionals who qualify.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Cloud Security

galidon — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

7 Steps for Building Security in the Cloud from the Ground Up

Planning Early
Identify Vulnerabilities
Mitigate Security Vulnerabilities
Protect Data
Secure your platform
Extend trust across federated clouds
Choose the right service provider

The cloud seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. If you’ve been considering how to make the leap to cloud computing, you’ve also had to start thinking about how to extend security to this new technology environment. Despite potential savings in infrastructure costs and improved business flexibility, security is still the number one barrier to implementing cloud initiatives for many companies.

The cloud seems to be on everyone's mind these days. If you've been considering how to make the leap to cloud computing, you've also had to start thinking about how to extend security to this new technology environment. Despite potential savings in infrastructure costs and improved business flexibility, security is still the number one barrier to implementing cloud initiatives for many companies. Read how to address these concerns in this guide.

This comprehensive guide gives you a clear plan to:

Understand security challenges the cloud presents
Identify vulnerabilities for your service
Fully secure your platform

Get Intel's Complimentary Guide to Fully Address Your Cloud Security Concerns

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Transition from IPv4 to IPv6

galidon — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:59:00 +0000

The question is no longer will your company prepare your network for IPv6, but when and how will it prepare. IPv4 internet addresses have been exhausted and now the world is looking to IPv6, a new internet protocol that will revolutionize the internet as we know it and offer an unlimited amount of IP addresses. The benefits of IPv6 for businesses will be great; there's room for unimagined innovation on a new virtual playground - new devices, web-based applications, and more.

It's just a matter of whether or not you'll be ready to take advantage of the opportunities IPv6 presents. IT Management compiled a list of five important steps to prepare your network for IPv6. These steps will ensure that you evaluate your current network carefully, ask the right questions, and design a solid migration plan to move to IPv6 without a hitch.

Now is the best time to start preparing your network for IPv6. The world is outgrowing IPv4 and eventually all businesses will be running on IPv6. Cisco and HP have already started including IPv6 capabilities in some of their latest product releases. IPv6 has loads to offer businesses – unlimited IP addresses and room for innovation with web-based applications and new devices. Why delay the inevitable?

It makes sense to start laying down the groundwork for IPv6 today. However, you want to plan carefully – you must evaluate your current network and software before jumping into IPv6. In addition, you'll want to design a water-tight migration plan to ensure your migration is successful. Consult IT Management's FREE list of 5 steps to prepare your network for IPv6.

Read IT Management's 5 steps and prepare yourself for the future.

You'll learn:

How to assess your current network for IPv6 compatibility
How IPv6 will impact your business
Tips on how to best migrate to IPv6
What factors you should include in your migration plan
How to evaluate your current software
How IPv6 will impact your business
How to evaluate your existing network

Download FREE guide (If no longer available, contact us)

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

New Windows Logo looks like a...Flag?

galidon — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:25:00 +0000

"In some ways you can trace the evolution of the Windows logo in parallel with the advancements of the technology used to create logos. From the simple two color version in Windows 1.0 to the intricate and detailed renderings in Windows Vista and Windows 7, each change makes sense in the context in which it was created. As computing capabilities increased, so did the use of that horse power to render more colors, better fonts, and more detailed and life-like 3D visual effects like depth, shadows, and materiality. We have evolved from a world of rudimentary low resolution graphics to today’s rich high-resolution systems. And what started as a simple “window” to compliment the product name became a flying or waving flag.

But if you look back to the origins of the logo you see that it really was meant to be a window. "Windows" really is a beautiful metaphor for computing and with the new logo we wanted to celebrate the idea of a window, in perspective. Microsoft and Windows are all about putting technology in people's hands to empower them to find their own perspectives. And that is what the new logo was meant to be. We did less of a re-design and more to return it to its original meaning and bringing Windows back to its roots – reimagining the Windows logo as just that – a window."

Source: Redesigning the Windows Logo

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Is the Government reading your email? No need for a warrant to read your email older than 180 days

galidon — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:06:00 +0000

The lesson of this story? Delete/archive emails older than 180 days.

Today the ACLU filed a batch of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to learn more about the government's practice of reading people's email, text messages and other private electronic communications without a warrant.

It has been clear since the 1870s that the government needs a warrant to read snail mail, and there is no good reason for email to be treated differently. Unfortunately, the government continues to take advantage of an outdated law to read Americans' private electronic communications without a warrant. Under the law, the government does need a warrant to access the content of electronic communications that are 180 days old or less, but doesn't need one for older emails. In an era when everyone stores their email forever, this rule makes no sense and puts a great deal of personal information at risk.

Our request, filed with the FBI, Justice Department, IRS, and U.S. Attorneys Offices around the country, seeks to uncover more about the government's policies, procedures and practices for accessing the content of private electronic communications. These communications include email, texts & IMs.

Even though Americans have been online in large numbers for at least 15 years, the courts haven't made much law on whether the government violates the Fourth Amendment when it reads private electronic communications without a warrant. Fortunately, the one federal appeals court to consider the question decided that it does need a warrant at least in some circumstances. It recognized that email is deeply private:

People are now able to send sensitive and intimate information, instantaneously, to friends, family, and colleagues half a world away. Lovers exchange sweet nothings, and businessmen swap ambitious plans, all with the click of a mouse button. Commerce has also taken hold in email. Online purchases are often documented in email accounts, and email is frequently used to remind patients and clients of imminent appointments. In short, "account" is an apt word for the conglomeration of stored messages that comprises an email account, as it provides an account of its owner's life. By obtaining access to someone's email, government agents gain the ability to peer deeply into his activities.

The appeals court got it right, but its decision is only binding in a few states, and it's not clear that the government follows its guidance in much of the country. Once we hear back from the government, we will share what we learn.

Source: Is the Government Reading Our Email, Texts and IMs Without a Warrant? You Bet.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

How to Upload Your Video to Multiple Video Hosting Sites

galidon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Hosting your videos on a free, video sharing website such as YouTube, Blip.tv, Vimeo, Dailymotion or even on a social networking site such as Facebook has many advantages to reach higher visibility on search engine results (SEO). Best, of all, content delivery costs are paid for by the sharing site.

A great way of distributing videos is to use a hyper-syndication service, which batch uploads your video to various online hosting services. For those interested in the "hyper-syndication" model of distributing your video to multiple video sharing sites, there are a number of FREE and premium choices available:

TubeMogul (OneLoad video distribution recommended)
ContentBuzz
HeySpread
TrafficGeyser
VideoPostRobot
VideoUploadPro
VideoWildfire
VidMetrix

OneLoad is a free video distribution service for brand advertisers and content creators who want to easily seed their videos to the top video and social networking sites. Users can also leverage our Destinations feature to easily distribute to custom sites as well as encode and create RSS feeds to syndicate your video anywhere.

Videos distributed through OneLoad are automatically tracked by our powerful analytics suite. See views, viewed minutes and second-by-second engagement.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

MIT Begins Offering Free Online Courses With Certificate

galidon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:06:00 +0000

Massachusetts Institute of Technology will begin enrollment today for the first course in its enhanced online platform, where students around the world can take classes and get a certificate upon completion.

The first class -- 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics -- will be free, though subsequent courses will come with a small fee, MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif said in a phone interview. The three- month course will begin March 5.

For the past 10 years, MIT has provided documents and lecture notes online for more than 2,000 courses through its OpenCourseWare program to more than 100 million people. Through its new MITx initiative, non-MIT students will, for the first time, have their performance assessed and receive certificates if they show mastery in the subject, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school said in a statement.

Enroll for Free

View Related Curriculum

“Anybody anywhere that has the time, motivation, drive to learn this kind of material should be given the opportunity to do so,” Reif said. The new program will have more interactive features than MIT’s current OpenCourseWare offerings, he said.

Students will have video lectures, midterm and final exams, weekly deadlines to complete homework and labs and access to discussion forums. They can expect to spend about 10 hours a week on the course, MIT said.

While enrollment in the first course is unlimited, the college isn’t making predictions on how many students may sign on. The introductory course calls for an advanced mathematics and physics background.

“Our estimate could be off by orders of magnitude on the lower or higher end,” Anant Agarwal, the lead instructor of the class, said on a conference call. More courses will begin later this year.

The circuits and electronics class will focus on the inner- workings of smartphones and other “cool gadgets,” Agarwal said.

To learn more, click here

Source: MIT Begins Offering Free Online Course With Certificate

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

How BIG is the Universe?

galidon — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Ever wonder how big the Universe might be?
Enlarged View: http://images.4channel.org/f/src/589217_scale_of_universe_enhanced.swf

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.