Over the past few months, we have been working on relocating to our new office. Though there is a bit more work to do, we’re getting pretty comfortable at our new desks at 1500 Frush Valley Road, Laureldale, PA 19605.
This is just a taste of where the extraordinary happens. We’ll bring you more pictures, as we get them.
In offering his thoughts of the nation’s efforts to keep computer hackers from plundering corporate data networks, Shawn Henry said, “we’re not winning.” This is a grim appraisal from the FBI’s top cyber cop. Henry’s comments, though not directed at any certain legislation, come as Congress is considering two competing measures designed to buttress the networks for critical U.S. infrastructure, such as electrical-power plants and nuclear reactors.
Although dozens of hackers have been arrested, the attacks keep coming. Earlier this week a military dating website was hacked and posted personal information of nearly 171,000 accounts on Pastebin. Last month, the source code for Symantec’s PCAnywhere was offered up thanks to hackers. These types of attacks leave companies and the government on edge and feeling vulnerable.
“I don’t see how we ever come out of this without changes in technology or changes in behavior, because with the status quo, it’s an unsustainable model,” Henry told the Wall Street Journal. “Unsustainable in that you never get ahead, never become secure, never have a reasonable expectation of privacy or security.”
Mr. Henry’s comments seem to not be to discourage, but to bring the severity of this issue into light. Companies need to get their leadership to understand that this is a grave situation that needs their attention. ”If leadership doesn’t say, ‘This is important, let’s sit down and come up with a plan right now in our organization; let’s have a strategy,’ then it’s never going to happen, and that is a frustrating thing for me,” says Henry.
Google seems to be setting the standard in map worth. They have decided to limit the usage of their Maps API to 25,000 map loads per day per API, or 2,500 map loads per day that have been modified using the Styled Maps feature. And they’ve begun charging for usage beyond that. That charge could be $4, $8, or $10 per additional 1,000 loads. This extra revenue is sure to benefit Google, but will this new policy backfire?
It seems as though Google’s decision has unwittingly increased the popularity of OpenStreetMap (OSM), which approaches mapping similar to sites like Wikipedia where users contribute data. Both Apple and foursquare have decided there are better options for them. While Apple is using OpenStreetMap at least for data outside the US, foursquare is actually using a company called MapBox (which gets it’s data from OSM). With these big companies leaving Google Maps behind, one has to wonder what other companies will jump ship?
Charging for a service once done for free might seem like a good idea, until people find a way to do the same thing for free.
Google is working on some major updates to their search engine so that it will be more like “how humans understand the world.” They’re using semantic search technology, the same that was used to build Apple’s Siri, to try to get ahead in the search competition. With this new technology people’s searches will be better matched with people, places and things.
This next generation search engine is not expected to be completed for years, and Google doesn’t seem to have a timeline for it. However, some changes may roll out over the next few months.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that there is improvement to be made in this area. The word “google” became a verb because of the popularity of the search engine, and the popularity reflects the quality of the search results. Although, currently if you google “Google” you’ll be shown a list of Google websites. Perhaps in the future, a search like that will lead you to information about Google and what they what improvements they have in store.
Seeking to continue it’s expansion in the I.T. world, Dell is buying the tech-security company SonicWALL, Inc. The deal is said to be completed within the second fiscal quarter of 2012. Although the companies did not disclose the amount that Dell will pay, people familiar with the matter values it around $1.2 billion.
SonicWALL offers several security-related products and solutions, which will become Dell’s center of excellence for security appliance solutions. John Swainson, the leader of Dell’s software group states, “Dell is building a software portfolio focused on highly profitable and fast-growing segments. SonicWell … positions us well in a fast-growing segment of the security business, and the SonicWall team … is a great cultural fit with Dell.” Dell already has an extensive security portfolio, called Dell SecureWorks. Under that flag the company offers firewalls, security monitoring and threat intelligence services, among other things, to organizations of all sizes.
Dell not only is acquiring SonicWALL’s products, 130 registered and pending patents, but also their 300,000 customers in 50 countries, and all 950 of their employees.
While WiFi on domestic flights is becoming common, international connectivity is still pretty rare. However, some companies are trying to change that. After all, what else is there to do on long flights?
Qantas Airline, a carrier from Australia, has started testing in-flight WiFi in flights between Australia and the U.S. For 8 weeks, Qantas will be testing wireless internet on the 14-hour flights between Los Angeles on 6 of their Airbus A380 aircraft. Right now this service is free, but only for the first and business class customers.
GoGo has been keeping domestic travelers connected, and is now partnering with Inmarsat to bring Global Express Satellite service to its customers. Starting in 2013, 50Mb/s speeds will be at your fingertips in some regions. This service will be going worldwide in 2014.
Let us know how great our blog looks at 30,000 feet if you get a chance to try these new wifi services.
*This entry is based solely on rumors.*
Tomorrow Apple is supposedly announcing the new iPad during a press conference. This new device will be available March 16, or maybe another day. We don’t know for sure.
The rumors were that it would be called the iPad 3 but, as creative as that name is, that might be wrong. As rumors tend to do, they’ve changed and are now that it might be named iPad HD, or maybe iPad 2S.
What’s going to be different on the new iPad? Well, we really don’t know. But the rumors are that there’s a display that’s better than the 1024 x 768 version found in the iPad 2. It’s said to have more pixels that some high-definition televisions. The insides are to be “better, faster, stronger.” Wouldn’t that be appropriate to say about most next generation devices?
With the exception of the new iPad being 1mm thicker than its predecessor, it’s said to look almost exactly like the old version from the back. So if you’re walking down the sidewalk and see the back of an iPad laying in the street, you might want to flip it over before thinking, “Eh, it’s the old one. I shouldn’t even bother picking it up.” The 1mm difference does mean that old iPad cases may not fit on the new device. But if you’re spending the money for the new one, you might as well get a new case (and matching shoes and accessories).
Speaking of spending money, how much is this new one going to cost? Well, a lot more than the current one. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out that, and the truth behind the rumors tomorrow.
Eberly Systems is pleased to announce a new partnership with Datto Inc., creators of the Datto Backup business continuity products.
Our new Partnership with Datto Backup will enable our clients and customers to achieve Enterprise grade Backup and Disaster Recovery solutions at an affordable price.
Checkout their website today at www.dattobackup.com, and stay tuned to Eberly Systems for more details and pricing.
