Can’t believe it is already Friday again! Check out The Network’s top stories of the week…

Government and Cloud Computing

This new feature by Steve Wildstrom focuses on how the federal government sees great opportunties in cloud computing. How aggressive has your company been in moving IT operations into the cloud?

Brazil’s Bright Future as a Connected Economy

With the world’s fifth-largest population, a galloping economy, and a thirst for technology, Brazil’s potential to be a networked powerhouse cannot be ignored. Which do you think will be the top global hotspots in 2020?

Cisco Study: IT Saying Yes to BYOD

On Wednesday, Cisco announced new survey findings that show many IT managers are not only saying yes to BYOD and mobility, but are embracing it. Cisco also highlighted ‘Smart Solutions’ for the enterprise and opportunities for service providers that can drive amazing and secure mobile experiences at work, home and virtually anywhere. Check out the news and watch a replay of the webcast below.

Used with the permission of The Network, Cisco’s technology news site

Cisco today announced findings from the Cisco IBSG Horizons Study of 600 U.S. IT and business leaders that shows IT is accepting, and in some cases embracing, “bring your own device” (BYOD) as a reality in the enterprise. The study shows some of the quantifiable benefits and complexities associated with allowing employees to use their own mobile devices on their employers’ networks. Coinciding with the publication of the study, Cisco also highlighted “Smart Solutions” for the enterprise and opportunities for service providers to help customers, and end users, make the most of mobility experiences in the office, at home, or on-the-go.

The study found most organizations are now enabling BYOD in the enterprise, with a staggering 95% of respondents saying their organizations permit employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace. This study also concluded that the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker is expected to reach 3.3 by 2014, up from an average of 2.8 in 2012. IT managers are balancing security and support concerns with the very real potential to reap significant cost and productivity benefits from the BYOD trend.

What’s more, the survey found that BYOD is just the gateway to greater business benefits. Over three-fourths (76%) of IT leaders surveyed categorized BYOD as somewhat or extremely positive for their companies, while seeing significant challenges for IT. These findings underscore that BYOD is here to stay, and managers are now acknowledging the need for a more holistic approach – one that is scalable and addresses mobility, security, virtualization and network policy management, in order to keep management costs in line while simultaneously providing optimal experiences where savings can be realized.

These research findings support Cisco’s assertion that mobility needs to extend well beyond BYOD to include the integration of service provider mobility, enterprise mobility, security, collaboration and desktop virtualization solutions.

Key Survey Findings

More IT and Business Leaders Saying Yes to BYOD

95% of organizations allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace.

• 84% of respondents not only allow employee-owned devices, but also provide some level of support.
• 36% of surveyed enterprises provide full support for employee-owned devices. In other words, they will provide support for any device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) the employee brings to the workplace.

Mobility and device use are on the rise: 78% of U.S. white-collar employees use a mobile device for work purposes, and 65% of white-collar workers require mobile connectivity to do their jobs. By 2014, the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker will reach 3.3, up from an average of 2.8 in 2012.

• On average, mobility initiatives will consume 20% of IT budgets in 2014, compared to 17% in 2012.

Most IT leaders (76%) consider consumerization “somewhat” or “extremely” positive for their companies.

• Among respondents, the top two perceived benefits of BYOD were improved employee productivity (more opportunities to collaborate) and greater job satisfaction.

Employees want to work their way: Employees are turning to BYOD because they want more control of their work experience:

• 40% of respondents cited “device choice” as employees’ top BYOD priority (the ability to use their favorite device anywhere).
• Employees’ second BYOD priority is the desire to perform personal activities at work, and work activities during personal time.
• Employees also want to bring their own applications to work: 69% of respondents said that unapproved applications — especially social networks, cloud-based email, and instant messaging — are somewhat to much more prevalent today than two years ago.
• Employees are willing to invest to improve their work experience. According to Cisco IBSG, Cisco employees pay an average of $600 out-of-pocket for devices that will give them more control over their work experience.

Benefits of BYOD add up: The benefits of BYOD vary based on an employee’s role and work requirements. Cisco IBSG estimates that the annual benefits from BYOD range from $300 to $1,300 per employee, depending on the employee’s job role.

BYOD Does Bring Complexity: Security and IT Support

Security and IT support are the top BYOD challenges: Respondents cited security/privacy and IT support for multiple mobile platforms as the top challenges of BYOD.

Device proliferation requires new policy, approach to control cost: According to Cisco IBSG analysis, only 14% of BYOD costs are hardware-related, highlighting the importance of choosing the right governance and support models to control these costs.

Desktop Virtualization on the Rise

Companies recognize the value in desktop virtualization: 98% of people surveyed were aware of desktop virtualization. 68% of respondents agreed that a majority of knowledge worker roles are suitable for desktop virtualization and 50% noted that their organization is in the process of implementing a desktop virtualization strategy.

Desktop virtualization benefits, three key areas: (1) business continuity so that workers can access applications through multiple locations and devices even if, for example, a server goes down, (2) employee productivity, and (3) IT costs.

Data protection is the number one concern: Ensuring that only the right people have access to sensitive company and customer data is a top priority.

Solving challenges and creating opportunities for optimal “your way” mobile experiences

Cisco offers a broad portfolio of mobility products and services to help service providers and enterprises develop a holistic, scalable approach to their mobility initiatives while keeping operational costs in line and optimizing the user experience.

Used with the permission of  http://thenetwork.cisco.com/.

I recently had a run in with Best Buy. After the x-mas 2011 debacle I have steered clear of shopping there, and spend my money at other stores. On May 1st I received an email saying my order for a $50 PlayStation Network Code had been placed. I was surprised as I had not ordered this. I had another email from a few hours later saying the order had been canceled as they were unable to verify my information.

As I was concerned about fraud I called Best Buy customer service to try and get some help figuring out how this order had been placed. After a long wait time I finally spoke to a cust serv rep. He had a hard time understanding what I was saying when I told him there was an order on my account that I had not placed. He then told me that it could not be fraud because I had placed the order. I told him again I had not placed it. He suggested my child(ren) might have placed it while playing a game. I assured him my child(ren) did not place an order as the PlayStation had not been turned on at all that day, and no one had the password to my account. I asked to speak to the fraud department, and was told they do not have a fraud dept phone number or contact person for customers. In frustration I searched the Best Buy website for help. I stumbled upon the discussion boards, read about people having similar issues, and posted my request for help there.

Source: Consumerist

IDG News Service – A ransomware application that locks computers and asks their owners to pay fines for allegedly violating several laws through their online activity is targeting U.S. and Canadian users, malware experts from security firm Trend Micro said on Wednesday.

The Trend Micro researchers refer to this particular ransomware — malware that disables system functionality and asks for money to restore it — as the “Police Trojan,” because it displays rogue messages claiming to originate from law enforcement agencies.

Related: GT Global Services’ Service Desk & Small Business IT Infrastructure Services

The “Police Trojan” appeared in 2011 and originally targeted users from several countries in Western Europe, including Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Belgium, Italy and the U.K.

The rogue message displayed after locking down a victim’s computer is localized in the victim’s language and claims to be from a national law enforcement agency from the victim’s country.

The owners of the locked-down computers are told that their IP addresses were involved in illegal activities and are asked to pay a fine using prepaid cards like Ukash or Paysafecard. The malware’s authors prefer these payment services because transactions made through them cannot be reversed and are hard to trace.

When investigating new command and control (C&C) servers recently used by this malware, Trend Micro researchers discovered message templates that were designed for U.S. and Canadian users. This suggests that the malware’s scope has been extended to these two countries.

Source: ComputerWorld

By Jason Deign – May 07 , 2012
If you have ever seen a video by OK Go, then you know you are in for a ride when you watch Needing/Getting on YouTube. The American alternative rock four-piece have bagged awards and racked up millions of hits online with their highly choreographed, low-budget promos.

Needing/Getting, from OK Go’s Of the Blue Colour of the Sky album, is no exception. It features the band driving along a desert track at just the right speed for their car to hit regularly spaced musical instruments in time with the beat. With this video, however, there is a twist.

Along with the musicians, a prominent star of the clip is a specially adapted Chevy Sonic. But what at first glance appears to be another artist sellout is actually something more akin to true collaboration, and one that is becoming increasingly commonplace.

In the case of Needing/Getting, OK Go singer Damian Kulash came up with the concept and pitched it to several carmakers. The band had previously worked with State Farm Insurance on This Too Shall Pass and Samsung on Last Leaf. And they are not alone in this type of tie-up.

Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am, for example, has collaborated with Salesforce.com in the creation of a cartoon series. Mötley Crüe has appeared in a Kia ad. And mainstream artists from Kylie Minogue to Lady Gaga now routinely include big-name brands in their videos.

One of the major factors driving this trend is the rise of online video. As more and more people share and recommend clips from their favorite artists, the potential market that a brand can reach by collaborating with the artist is growing exponentially.

At the same time, savvy marketers are getting more comfortable with ceding creative control to the artists in order to ensure that the viral potential of any collaboration is maximized. Needing/Getting, which premiered at the Super Bowl, is a case in point.

Chevrolet put up the money (and cars) needed for the video to be made, but benefited from OK Go’s massive online popularity to garner 10 million YouTube views within a week.

“I think both bands and internationally recognized brands see the opportunity to get into each other’s networks,” says Calin Yablonski, an online marketing agency chief and former drummer with Canadian indie rock band the Nix Dicksons who runs a music marketing advice website.

On one hand, he notes: “The music industry has changed substantially over even the last five years. Album sales are definitely down. It is all going digital. Something like licensing is a huge opportunity for bands to make money. At the end of the day, artists have to sell their art.”

On the other, brands are also facing upheaval. “Traditional advertising is on a steep decline and so brands are having to become more creative in how they are marketing themselves,” says Yablonski. “Social media has been a huge opportunity to connect with their key demographics.”

Given this situation, Yablonski believes the scene is set for increasing collaboration between artists and commercial interests. “I definitely think that video is going to continue, over 2012 and even into 2013, to be the most popular medium for bands and brands to connect,” he says.

But what of the potential pitfalls: brands meddling with artistic freedom or artists tarnishing a corporate image? The diversity arising from today’s networked world largely covers them off, says Yablonski.

“There is always going to be a struggle between maintaining the artist’s integrity and maintaining the brand’s integrity,” he says.

“But there are literally thousands of bands and hundreds of thousands of brands, so there is always an opportunity for a band or a brand to find another that is going to work well with their demographic.”

The contents or opinions in this feature are independent and do not necessarily represent the views of Cisco. They are offered in an effort to encourage continuing conversations on a broad range of innovative technology subjects. We welcome your comments and engagement.

Used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com/.

May 03 , 2012
It’s Friday again! What does everyone have planned for the weekend? Be sure to check out The Network next week as we will have a lot of new updates to share! Now, take a look at the top news stories of the week.

1.) The Cloud and the Changing Role of the Investor

As the growth of cloud computing creates more entrepreneurial and business opportunities, new investing trends are taking shape in tech arena. If startups don’t need as much capital in the beginning, what does that mean for VCs? Check out this feature by writer Melissa Jun Rowley!

2.) Network Trailblazers: A Conversation with Luis Von Ahn

Computer science innovator and entrepreneur, Luis Von Ahn, chats with Anne Field about his work harnessing human brainpower and computers to address problems neither can solve alone. Follow Luis Von Ahn on Twitter!

3.) Top Tech Tips: Five Lessons for Using Tech in Education

Advice and case studies on how teachers and districts are making technology coexist with old-school systems for an overall better learning experience.

4.) Demo: Fundamentals of 802.11ac

The 802.11ac standard sounds like a step backwards alphabetically…but it will soon be an incredible step forward forward for WiFi once it is ratified by the IEEE. Watch this latest demo to get comfortable with the truth.

Congratulations to GT Global Telecom Corp. for meeting all criteria to become a Cisco Select Certified Partner in Canada. Your company has demonstrated that it is qualified to sell, install and support Cisco solutions in Canada.

Via Ars Technica

There’s yet another Flashback variant making its way through unprotected Macs, though it still only takes advantage of the now-patched Java vulnerability that the previous few versions made use of.

Security firm Intego posted about the latest version of the malware, Flashback.S, which mimics the behaviors of previous variants of the malware. Flashback.S doesn’t require an admin password to install itself into the machine’s home folder, and it deletes all files located within ~/Library/Caches/Java/cache “in order to delete the applet from the infected Mac, and avoid detection or sample recovery.”

Those of us who have already updated our Macs with the latest version of Java won’t have to worry, as Flashback.S has yet to find a new vulnerability to exploit. But there are apparently still plenty of Mac users—-650,000, according to Russian antivirus firm Dr. Web last Friday—who are currently infected with some version of Flashback, meaning there are at least that many (and probably more) who have yet to update their machines.

Meanwhile, Sophos claims in a new report that one in five Macs is “harbouring some kind of malware,” though Sophos’ limited sample size (those who have downloaded Sophos’ antivirus software) indicates we should take the numbers with a grain of salt until more researchers can corroborate the claims.

2012 is already well under way, and the world of enterprise communications is changing at a speed that might have seemed impossible a few years ago with smartphones and tablets, laptops and even personal cloud services. I think there are five key trends that are going to change to face of enterprise communications in 2012.

First the social imperative. What do I mean by this? Well, for the first time, enterprises have three different generations working together across the enterprise: the Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y, each with different user behaviors. Enterprises will have to start to reconcile these different habits into a single unified multimedia enterprise communication platform for email, instant messages, video and social networking.

Second, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). In order to meet the expectations of our mixed generation workforce in 2012, enterprises need to be able to deliver the same user experience regardless of which device is chosen. The consumerisation of the enterprise is an inevitability and enterprise networks need to be able to deal with any device, from smartphones to tablets.

Third, creating mashup applications. Business, customer service and unified communications applications are still siloed and often run independently from one another. Enterprises need to be able to manage these multiple applications through a single unified interface, ensuring that they interact with one another and providing the user with a consistent experience over any device.

Fourth, Convergence. Given the inevitable development of the first three, enterprises will have to start moving to a more converged architecture for both network and application deployment, to deliver any application over any network, and do so through any of the user’s devices.

Fifth, Deployment, and the inevitable shift to cloud. The need to improve the overall user experience – based on any application on any network using any device – combined with the need for enterprises to shift to more cost effective costs models is moving enterprises towards the cloud-based Opex model as well as the Capex model for financing IT purchases. This will inevitably change the specification of their communications infrastructure. We as communication and network infrastructure providers have to be able to provide organisations with the technical and commercial support to deploy communication solutions in any model they want – on-site, hosted, outsourced, or any combination of these.