5 simple steps to controlling cloud access

How IT can bring order and accountability to public cloud usage without getting in the way of progress

Every technology success story is also a story of unintended consequences. Take virtualization, for instance. Virtualization gave us unprecedented utilization of hardware resources. It transformed a provisioning process that used to take months into one that now takes minutes. It gave us flexibility and speed that was once unimaginable and formed the core foundation of the public cloud and private cloud platforms so prevalent today.

However, with that speed and access to public clouds came the ability to circumvent established processes, also known as “shadow IT.” Today line-of-business teams simply swipe credit cards on public cloud providers to get the self-service, on-demand provisioning they can’t get from their internal IT departments. 

Cloud anarchy is shadow IT’s better-behaved cousin. You’ll find it in IT shops that centralize cloud accounts that get passed around among different line-of-business teams, so that at least the accounting funnels through one place in the IT bureaucracy. In truth, IT typically doesn’t have much control over who is deploying what or where. Instead of per-team or per-individual usage line items, IT only sees the final bill.

Among the strengths of a cloud management platform is that it can apply the governance IT needs without sacrificing the flexibility and speed the business demands. Line-of-business teams get that highly prized self-service, on-demand provisioning, and IT can anoint specific applications -- like those passing security audits -- and dictate who is allowed to access the applications and from where. Add metering and billing to keep track of who is spending what, and IT gets accountability without hampering line-of-business agility.

What does such governance look like? Here are five ways to implement governance of public cloud usage that successfully avoids cloud anarchy:

Simple succeeds: Visual Studio Code at 1.0

Microsoft's slim-and-trim development environment is now a full-blown 1.0 release with a large user base spanning languages and platforms

Visual Studio Code, Microsoft's open source, cross-platform development environment powered by Node.js and the Blink layout engine has been upgraded to a full 1.0 release after approximately a year of open beta testing.

According to a blog post on the Visual Studio site, Code became a 1.0-grade product because its API has been stabilized. Code was originally created for JavaScript and TypeScript development, but it now supports common languages like C++, Python, Go, and React Native. 

Use Facebook Messenger to send and receive money

It's a little-known fact that Facebook's chat app can also make like PayPal.
Here's how to set it up.
Remember when Facebook Messenger broke out of Facebook proper? A lot of users, including yours truly, were seriously irked. Why did we have to switch to entire different app just to chat with a Facebook friend?
Turns out Facebook had bigger plans for Messenger, including voice calls, chat bots, chess games and -- who knew? -- mobile payments.
It's true: You can use the Facebook Messenger app to send and receive money, PayPal-style.

Well, not quite -- Messenger payments require a debit card on both ends of the transaction. But there's no cost to use the service, which offers PIN-based protection and "industry-leading security," according to Facebook. Here's how to get started:

Add a debit card to Facebook Messenger so you can send and receive money.

Amazon threatens to banish anyone selling dodgy USB-C cables

The convenient new cables are the future -- if we don't have to worry that shoddily built ones will zap our laptops when it's time to charge our phone.

Amazon apparently doesn't want to stand in the way of a major improvement coming to computer cables.

USB cables for charging your phone and connecting your printer to your PC are getting easier to use and more powerful with the new USB Type-C variety. But defective cables that can damage your computer's USB ports are ten-a-penny, and Amazon is cracking down on businesses selling them on its site.

The online retailing giant on Wednesday tightened regulations for selling USB Type-C cables. It added faulty USB-C cables to a list of banned items that also includes pirated DVDs and portable lasers. Those selling them risk Amazon shutting down their account and destroying any of their products stocked in Amazon fulfillment centers.

It's vindication for Google engineer Benson Leung, a Type-C fan who's painstakingly tested dozens of Type-C cables bought through Amazon and posted the results to try to help buyers steer clear of faulty models. During that testing, a shoddy USB-C cable zapped his own Pixel laptop.

USB-C connections have begun replacing today's array of USB cables as the way to provide data and power connections. They're reversible, so you don't need to figure out which end is which, and they can carry a lot more power, meaning that they'll be useful charging not just phones and tablets but also laptops, external hard drives, monitors and just about any other gadget. But the promise of USB-C will never be achieved if everyone has to fret that some noncompliant cable could fry or shut down their computer.

Reacting to the news on Google+, Leung said: "Really great news, but we all have to continue to be vigilant and call out any bad products we find on Amazon and other stores (both online and brick and mortar) as we find them."

Source: Cnet 

3D-printed cartilage could restore ears, shoulders, knees and nose

A new technique for 3D printing cartilage could "revolutionise tissue engineering and regenerative medicine".

Cartilage is pretty important. It provides structure to parts of the body and softens the joints between bones. When cartilage is damaged, it can cause a lot of pain. And, unfortunately, cartilage does not regenerate well on its own, since it doesn't have a blood supply.

The field of bioprinting -- fabricating biological material with 3D printing -- is increasingly looking like an excellent option for restoring damaged cartilage. Last year, the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich developed a method of 3D printing cartilage from biopolymers and cartilage cells.

Now a team, led by Paul Gatenholm at the Wallenberg Wood Science Center in Sweden, has developed a similar method and demonstrated its viability as a medical treatment by testing it on mice. They presented their research this week at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"Three-dimensional bioprinting is a disruptive technology and is expected to revolutionise tissue engineering and regenerative medicine," Gatenholm said in a statement. 

"Our team's interest is in working with plastic surgeons to create cartilage to repair damage from injuries or cancer. We work with the ear and the nose, which are parts of the body that surgeons today have a hard time repairing. But hopefully, they'll one day be able to fix them with a 3D printer."

Current methods of regenerating cartilage involve implanting cartilage-building cells in a scaffold and growing them in conditions similar to those found in the human body. The 3D-printing technique would print cells and scaffold together in the one step.

The problem Gatenholm's team found was that this would often result in a blobby mess. Creating a scaffold recipe that would keep its structure was key. To do so, they turned to plants. Using polysaccharides from brown algae and cellulose fibrils from wood, the mixture still kept its shape.

To see how it responded in a living system rather than a laboratory setting, the team implanted their samples into living mice. Sure enough, the cells survived and began to produce cartilage. The team was then able to increase this cartilage production by introducing stem cells found in bone marrow.

The technique is not quite ready for testing in humans, but Gatenholm is working with a plastic surgeon to make sure that any clinical trials comply with all regulations.

Source: Cnet

'It's prehistoric!' Today's teens react to Windows 95

Teens give Windows 95 a spin and learn about a time when dial-up Internet and patience were required to run a desktop computer.

Way before we all had easy-to-use laptops and Wi-Fi, there were desktop computers that used Windows 95.

Those of use who still remember using Windows 95 might recall how long it would take computers to boot up and the sweet sounds of a modem connecting to the Internet.

In this latest "Teens React to Technology" video from new-media production duo Benny and Rafi Fine (also known as The Fine Brothers), we see today's teens try to figure out how to use a computer running Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system.

"Windows 95 had its 20th anniversary last year, so we got our hands on an old system and showed it to teenagers who were not even alive in 1995," Benny Fine told. "The results, were pretty great and also makes you feel quite old."

Teen actor Karan Brar, age 17, guest stars on the episode. Brar is best know for his roles in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" films and the Disney Channel TV series "Jessie" and "Bunk'd."

When Brar first turned on the old computer to get started he commented in the video, "Everything looks so dull and ancient."

Some highlights of the video include a teen thinking this was the first computer ever made, complaints of how long it takes to boot up, not understanding how to get to the Internet without Wi-Fi, and not knowing what a modem is. 

"It's scary to think that Wi-Fi is like so vital to us now," Morgan, age 19, said in the video. "If you go somewhere and they don't have Wi-Fi, that's the worst thing that can ever happen to you."

While it's easy to mock the teens in the video for not knowing how to use the kind of computers that many of us older folks were used to back in the day, that doesn't mean they don't appreciate the tech relic placed before them.

"Those who know technology should know something beyond the current, they need to know part of the past," Ethan, age 18, said in the video. 

Trying out Windows 95 sparked an interesting discussion about how technology has evolved.

"One teen reminded us all we may be upset with them for taking this old tech for granted, but it's not their technology," Fine added. "We may have felt the same way about things 20 years older than us when we were teens."

Source: Cnet

Get to know the Galaxy S7's Always-On Display

A feature we're sure to see more of this year is a display that never truly powers off. Let's take a closer look at Samsung's version.

According to Samsung, the average smartphone owner checks his or her device nearly 150 times a day: A quick press of the power button to view the time here, and double tap not the screen to view notifications there, apparently adds up fast.

Samsung's solution for this obsessive checking and waking our smartphones is through a feature it calls Always-On Display.

As the name implies, Samsung's latest Galaxy devices are equipped with the fancy new feature.

After locking your device, the screen will remain dimly lit. The default setting is to display the current time, with the information moving around on the screen every few seconds. Alerts for missed calls and text messages are also placed on the screen, with a few caveats (more on that in a minute).

Google Docs adds automatic outline feature

It's now easier to navigate lengthy documents with Google Docs on the Web and Android.

I use Google Docs for all of my writing, from CNET blog posts and other writing for work to quick lists and tried-and-true recipes. I opened up Google Docs this morning to start my daily labor to find an outline panel on the left side of my document. It had recognized the bold headers in my document and used them to create an outline that I could use to jump to different parts of my document without needing to scroll. It's a convenient time saver for browsing through lengthy documents.

If Google Docs doesn't offer this new feature upon your next visit, you can enable it by going to Tools > Document outline. The Outline panel sits to the left of your document and lets you jump to different spots with a single click.

How to add family members to your Windows 10 PC

Give each member of the household their own Windows 10 login.

Sharing a PC doesn't have to be a pain if you give each family member their own personal login. Personal logins allow for separate files, desktops, and browser favorites, and adult family members can monitor and restrict kids' activity by blocking websites, limiting screen time, and keeping tabs on what sites kids are visiting and what they're searching for.

To add a family member to your Windows 10 PC, you'll need to sign them up for a Microsoft account -- only the primary user can have a local login.

Here's how to get started:

This magical cable charges both iPhones and Android phones

For years, iPhones and Android phones have needed different cables to charge — Apple requires the Lightning cable and you’ll need a micro USB cable for an Android device. But now there’s a single cable that connects to both.

The LMcable, which is picking up significant traction on Kickstarter, works in Lightning and micro USB ports by having a reversible male end with two differently designed sides.

Microsoft preps HoloLens beta kits along with a mixed-reality video app

Some beta testers are already working with the augmented-reality headset and an app called Actiongram that lets them create mixed-reality videos, according to leaked documents.

Microsoft's HoloLens is already in the hands of a group of private beta participants. Those in the program are working on augmented-reality videos using a new Microsoft app called Actiongram that's due to be announced on February 29.

These tidbits are courtesy of documents discovered and posted to Twitter by infamous Microsoft sleuth WalkingCat. The Cat uncovered a bunch of public relations documents for the augmented-reality headset and beta assets for Actiongram, code-named Project Burbank, and made them available for download. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has since pulled them from public access.

Augmented reality is gaining attention thanks to the backing of heavy tech hitters such as Google and Microsoft. Unlike virtual reality, which completely immerses you in a computer-generated world, augmented reality blends the digital and physical worlds. Another difference is that people will be able to buy virtual-reality tech like the Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive this year, but Microsoft's HoloLens isn't intended for consumers just yet.

Microsoft officials previously said they'd begin shipping the $3,000 developer edition of the HoloLens in the first calendar quarter of 2016. One of my contacts said Microsoft told applicants the first wave of "accepted" developers would be notified at the end of February about the imminent arrival of the kits.

By getting HoloLens goggles and an early version of the Actiongram app into the hands of testers, Microsoft is hoping to get the app in shape for a February 29 reveal, according to a leaked internal schedule. Microsoft filed for the Actiongram trademark eight months ago.

The aim of the Actiongram videos that testers will create using the app "is not to review the product," according to Microsoft's guidelines, "but to showcase and document the unique process of creation."

I'm thinking the Actiongram-created videos might look like some of the promo videos Microsoft employees began highlighting via Twitter late last year. Maybe we'll see even more than just those kinds of videos from the closed beta participants.

Closed Beta 1 for Actiongram began in early February and will last through March 31, according to Microsoft's schedule. A second, larger closed beta will run from early April until late May, and an open beta for the app will run from June through the end of October.

In a video targeting Actiongram creators, Microsoft provides a glimpse of the HoloLens Start menu, dubbed the HoloShell, in action.

The leaked documents also mention a Bluetooth clicker, which should be a great asset for those who find air taps difficult to master and tiring to repeat. (Yay for mouselike devices prevailing in natural user environments!)

This story originally posted as "Microsoft gears up to roll out HoloLens beta kits, Actiongram mixed-reality videos" on ZDNet.

Source: Cnet

Startup touts four-factor authentication for VIP-level access

Trusona’s system involves an app, a dongle, the post office, and the subject of 'Catch Me If You Can'

Startup Trusona is launching what it claims to be a 100 percent accurate authentication scheme aimed at corporate executives, premiere banking customers and IT admins who have unfettered authorization to access the most valued corporate assets.

The system uses four-factor authentication to assure that the person logging in is the person they say they are. It requires a dongle that is tied to a set of specific devices (phones, tablets, laptops), certain cards with magnetic stripes that the user already owns, and a biometric ID based on how the card is swiped through the card reader on the dongle.

The TruToken dongle is the miniaturization of anti-ATM-card cloning technology made by MagTek that reads not the digital data recorded on cards' magnetic strips but rather the arrangement of the pattern of the barium ferrite particles that make the strips magnetic. The particles are so numerous and so randomly placed that no two strips have identical patterns, says Ori Eisen, Trusona's CEO. That also makes the strips unclonable, he says.

Why you don't need an RFID-blocking wallet

You don't need a tinfoil hat, either. Opportunists have exploited consumer fears to create an industry that doesn't need to exist

Because I’m a computer security guy, I have friends who like to show off their new RFID-blocking wallets and purses. "Look what I got for Christmas!" they say. My lack of response should be telling, but they don’t seem to pick up on it.

They've seen the TV ads about malicious hackers who can “stand on any street corner” and wirelessly steal their credit card and other identity information. I've seen similar demonstrations at Black Hat and other computer security conferences for nearly a decade now. They never fail to wow the audience.

An entire, multi-billion-dollar RFID-blocking industry has emerged. You can get RFID blocking for almost any object you own. Some of my friends have so much faith in RFID-blocking products that they buy expensive, customized purses and wallets. These are the same people who drive extra miles to save a few cents on gas.

It goes to show that humans don’t evaluate risk very well. 

IT salaries, job market hit a speed bump

Janco Associates survey finds a mere 1.39 percent increase in salaries and waning demand for IT professionals in the past year

Don't look now, but IT salaries are static and hiring is slowing, according to a survey of the job market.

Management consulting firm Janco Associates and eJobDescription.com's 2016 IT Salary Survey found that salaries for IT professionals in North America had increased only 1.39 percent in the past 12 months, with demand for IT professionals waning. The increase in the previous year had been close to 3 percent. 

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the U.S. job market for IT grew by 125,700 positions in 2015, compared to 129,400 in 2014; 74,900 in 2013; and 62,500 in 2012.

"What's happening is demand for new IT activity is decreasing because of uncertainty in the business community," said M. Victor Janulaitis, Janco CEO, in an interview. These uncertainties include the economy, situations in Europe and China, and the Presidential race.

Janco's research pours some cold water on what have been glowing job market assessments recently from Dice.com. Foote Partners, though, found a slowdown in IT job growth late last year.

Janulaitis sees tough going for IT job seekers. "If you don't have the exact skills an organization is looking for, it's going to be very difficult for you to find a position," he said. And people with jobs will find there won't be much of a salary increase because there is no pressure to do so.

The Janco research found that from January 2015 to January 2016, the total mean compensation for all IT professionals had increased from $81,583 to $82,483. In large enterprises, the median compensation rose 1.48 percent, from $83,872 to $85,110.

Janco surveyed 252 companies with revenues of at least $500 million and 722 companies with revenues less than $500 million as part of its research. Salary data for the survey drew from 78 U.S. cities and 23 Canadian cities. 

Source: InfoWorld

The cloud and the Internet of things are inseparable

The Internet of things requires the cloud to work, and the cloud will evolve to better serve IoT

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week featured plenty of cloud-related announcements from a wide variety of companies. Indeed, most new devices, from refrigerators to cars, have a massive cloud-based back end. The cloud components of these technologies are becoming more systemic. Indeed, the cloud is assumed.

More and more, people expect everything to be connected. No matter if it’s a washer and dryer, a refrigerator, or a car, they all communicate or will communicate with cloud servers. Why? Companies that make these devices understood early on that it does not make sense to keep all the smarts and storage in the device itself, and these devices must be instantly upgradable for them to have long-term value. Think about your TV service or smartphone updates. That's how cars and thermostats -- and eventually everything else that’s electronic in your home -- are beginning to work.

However, there are downsides to all this connectivity -- security, for one. Although I don’t mind my TV getting hacked, I am concerned about the connected car I’ll be driving. Worse, I’m not seeing a focus on security by manufacturers. It’s going to take a few close calls for the industry to wake up and understand that anything connected must come with well-defined and well-implemented security.

We’ll see a lot of growth in cloud-based services for devices in the next few years, much of it from Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft, plus some from purpose-built clouds that device developers may share or use exclusively. We’ll see growth in compute and storage services to support these devices, and we'll see upgrades in communications networks, including higher-speed cellular systems that will rival the pace of home networks.

Keep in mind that this is not some future development. It’s happening right now. Look at the number of devices that are connected to your Wi-Fi hub at home as evidence that we’re undergoing a major change in how we use technology. This change cannot happen without the use of cloud services. And the explosion in cloud-enabled devices is one more reason cloud-based systems usage will explode in the next several years.

Source: InfoWorld 

Avoid Windows Live Mail 2012 patch KB 3093594 -- it freezes Windows

Microsoft's latest distribution technique smells a lot like malware

Friday afternoon I started hearing about a mysterious message from Microsoft that warned Windows Live Mail users their systems wouldn't work "in a few weeks." They were exhorted to download and install a patch -- there's a link to KB 3093594 -- or upgrade to Windows 10 and use the new Universal Mail app (which is almost universally panned).

The sign-up message looks exactly like malware. The patch crashes many systems in many different ways, with the Calendar app taking particular credit. It's a mess, and you should avoid it.

No phone, no problem: NSA will target the cloud instead

Terrorism fears are ramping up government spying and creating more laws around cloud data access -- it'll cost us billions

As of last week, the National Security Agency can no longer cull through Americans' phone records, but it can continue to eavesdrop on our emails, video chats, and documents. The NSA can keep metadata already collected until Feb. 29, 2016, and your phone data will continue to be collected by telecom companies.

But the fact that phone records can no longer be easily searched is nearly meaningless to the world of cloud computing. If the data is still up for grabs -- and it is -- then we're likely to have the same concerns we did before the USA Freedom Act that curtailed some of the NSA's activities last week. 

In fact, we should be more concerned because there will likely be a shift of focus in the NSA from phone records to data.

3 hottest cloud job skills for 2016

Need a new gig or bigger paychecks? Burnish your skills and start your search here

I get this a lot: People approach me at conferences and ask about the hottest cloud skills. Why? Because they want to learn more, declare their expertise, and get a new and higher-paying gig. I can’t blame them.

In the past, it was enough to understand the differences among SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, but now companies are looking for very specific cloud skills. As their needs grow more specialized, qualified candidates are harder to find, so salaries go up and large signing bonuses are common.

What will be hot in 2016? Here are the three hottest cloud job skills I see: 

Google Cloud gains security for Docker containers

With Twistlock Container Security Suite, businesses can apply security controls and defenses to containers without involving developers

Container security startup Twistlock announced general availability of its Container Security Suite on Tuesday. It features integration with Google Cloud Platform that provides container image scanning, access control functions, and the ability to enforce runtime security policies.

Container Security Suite, in beta since last May, adds multiple layers of monitoring to containers, such as the ability to scan applications in containers to detect vulnerabilities, and to apply access control logic and policies to the containers. This lets businesses apply security controls and defenses without getting in the way of how developers work with containers, said Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer of Twistlock.

Red Hat is boring -- and more open source companies should emulate it

Brick by brick, Red Hat has built itself into a powerhouse without raising piles of VC money. Today's open source upstarts could learn from it

Most open source companies no longer aspire to be the “Red Hat of” this or that market. But guess what? Those same open source companies still have something to learn from Red Hat -- namely, how to be boring.

Not boring in the sense of “these products put me to sleep,” but boring in the sense of thoughtful, consistent growth. While Red Hat can’t boast the GDP-sized profits of an Apple or the still-eye-popping growth of a Facebook, Red Hat has a P/E multiple (75) that suggests investors believe it has high-growth potential, even as it delivers a seemingly pedestrian rate of 15 to 17 percent.