Monday, July 04, 2016

A timely summary as I start another Computer Security class this week.  Perhaps we could add the video to our information big screens. 
The 7 biggest computer hacks


Maybe the other 9% don’t use navigation computers? 
91% airlines preparing to invest in cyber security
A whopping 91 percent of the airlines globally are planning to invest in cyber security programmes over the next three years, a survey conducted by airline solutions and technology provider SITA has said.
The SITA Airline IT Trends 2016 Survey on the world's top 200 airlines has inferred "that the cyber security in airlines is progressing".
Three years ago, 47 percent of the airlines had said that they were making advanced preparations to manage cyber risks.
   The focus on cyber security also reflects the move to the 'Internet of Things'(IoT), in which a vast number of physical objects will become connected to the internet, thus enabling tracking, data collection, analysis and control, which necessitates more security, the survey said.
"The initiatives to realise the IoT include smart bag tagging to enable continuous tracking, which is planned by 61 percent of the airlines by 2019," Pickford said.
Nearly half the airlines are also planning IT programmes for single token travel for passenger identification, he added.
Another trend is more software development in-house and the shift to outsource IT operations.  In the future, a growing proportion of airlines' IT budgets is likely to be spent on innovation rather than service continuity, with innovation rising to 36 percent of IT and telecommunications spend in 2016, the survey said.
"Providing passenger services via smartphones continues to be a key area of investment for airlines.  Seventy nine percent of them are planning major investments over the nextthree years while a further 17 percent are planning a pilot programme or R&D in this area," it added.


An interesting strategic move.  Find a technology innovator (preferably one with a monopoly in the industry), buy it, deny everyone else access to the technology.  (I bet they control a bunch of patents too)
How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
An Amazon warehouse is a flurry of activity.  Workers jog around a manmade cavern plopping items into yellow and black crates.  Towering hydraulic arms lift heavy boxes toward the rafters.  And an army of stubby orange robots slide along the floor like giant, sentient hockey pucks, piled high with towers of consumer gratification ranging from bestsellers to kitchenware.
Those are Kiva robots, once the marvel of warehouses everywhere.  Amazon whipped out its wallet and threw down $775 million to purchase these robot legions in 2012.  The acquisition effectively gave Jeff Bezos, its 52-year-old chief executive, command of an entire industry.  He decided to use the robots for Amazon and Amazon alone, ending the sale of Kiva's products to warehouse operators and retailers that had come to rely on them.  As contracts expired, they had to find other options to keep up with an ever-increasing consumer need for speed.  The only problem was that there were no other options.  Kiva was pretty much it. 


For my students.
ComputerWorld – Best Places to Work in IT 2016
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Jul 3, 2016
“Find the top employer that best suits your needs. Sort the Best Places to Work by key criteria, such as training days, and add filters by region and/or organization size.  Note that the more filters you add, the fewer organizations will be listed.”  This list also includes related articles on the respective top large firm, mid size firm, and small firm that was ranked best in class.

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