Archive for February, 2020

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Japanese Government Urges Companies To Get Their Employees To Work From Home To Contain The Coronavirus

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 25, 2020 by itnerd

The Japanese government on Tuesday urged companies to recommend telecommuting and staggered shifts for workers in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus:

The plan, approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, also urged people with symptoms of cold or fever to stay at home and asked event organizers to carefully consider whether to proceed with their plans. Japan has 159 cases of infections from the flu-like coronavirus, apart from 691 on a cruise ship docked south of Tokyo. On Tuesday, broadcaster NHK reported a fourth death among passengers. Rather than trying to contain the disease outright, authorities are seeking to slow its expansion and minimize deaths. Telecommuting, or working online or from home, would reduce the infection risk from people gathered in one place.

This seems like a very good idea that perhaps other countries should look at seeing as from what I am reading, the coronavirus is potentially on the cusp of being a pandemic. Assuming that companies have the technology in place, and it is secure, this should be an option for workers who are concerned about this virus. After all, these are unique times that require a unique response.

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It Turns Out That Mysterious Message That Samsung Smartphone Owners Got Last Week Was A Sign That This Was A Data Breach

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 25, 2020 by itnerd

If you cast your mind back to last week when Samsung smartphone owners globally got a cryptic message on their phones via the Find My Phone app, it was thought to be an accident by Samsung. Today The Register has a story that explains that this was not an accident. It was instead a data breach:

Samsung has admitted that what it calls a “small number” of users could indeed read other people’s personal data following last week’s unexplained Find my Mobile notification.

Several Register readers wrote in to tell us that, after last Thursday’s mystery push notification, they found strangers’ personal data displayed to them.

Many readers, assuming Samsung had been hacked, logged into its website to change their passwords. Now the company has admitted that a data breach did occur.

A spokeswoman told The Register: “A technical error resulted in a small number of users being able to access the details of another user. As soon as we became of aware of the incident, we removed the ability to log in to the store on our website until the issue was fixed.”

She added: “We will be contacting those affected by the issue with further details.”

Well, at least Samsung admitted to it. Eventually. But you have to think that the trust level of Samsung has taken a hit because of this. After all Samsung sells a pile of phones every year. Thus anything that the screw up on is going to get a lot of eyeballs looking at it. In this case, I expect that the EU and the US will be asking questions about this incident. And Samsung will have a “interesting” time answering them.

 

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Gartner Says Over 40% of Privacy Compliance Technology Will Rely On AI In The Next Three Years

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 25, 2020 by itnerd

Over 40% of privacy compliance technology will rely on artificial intelligence (AI) by 2023, up from 5% today, according to Gartner, Inc.

Privacy leaders are under pressure to ensure that all personal data processed is brought in scope and under control, which is difficult and expensive to manage without technology aid. This is where the use of AI-powered applications that reduce administrative burdens and manual workloads come in.

AI-Powered Privacy Technology Lessens Compliance Headaches

At the forefront of a positive privacy user experience (UX) is the ability of an organization to promptly handle subject rights requests (SRRs). SRRs cover a defined set of rights, where individuals have the power to make requests regarding their data and organizations must respond to them in a defined time frame.

According to the 2019 Gartner Security and Risk Survey, many organizations are not capable of delivering swift and precise answers to the SRRs they receive. Two-thirds of respondents indicated it takes them two or more weeks to respond to a single SRR. Often done manually as well, the average costs of these workflows are roughly $1,400 USD, which pile up over time.

Global Privacy Spending on Compliance Tooling Will Rise to $8 Billion Through 2022

Through 2022, privacy-driven spending on compliance tooling will rise to $8 billion worldwide. Gartner expects privacy spending to impact connected stakeholders’ purchasing strategies, including those of CIOs, CDOs and CMOs.

The 2019 Gartner Security and Risk Survey was conducted from March 2019 through April 2019 to better understand how risk management planning, operations, budgeting and buying are performed. The research was conducted online among 698 respondents in Brazil, Germany, India, the U.S. and the UK. Qualifying organizations have at least 100 employees and $50 million (USD equivalent) in total annual revenue for fiscal year 2018.

Gartner clients can read more in the reports “5 Areas Where AI Will Turbocharge Privacy Readiness” and “Predicts 2020: Embrace Privacy and Overcome Ambiguity to Drive Digital Transformation.” Learn more about Gartner’s 2020 Predictions in the Special Report “Predicts 2020: Barriers Fall as Technology Adoption Grows.”

Additional analysis on driving business performance will be presented during Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2020, the world’s most important gathering of CIOs and other IT executives. IT executives rely on these events to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to overcome business challenges and improve operational efficiency. Follow news and updates from the conferences on Twitter using #GartnerSYM.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo include:

March 2-4, 2020: Dubai

May 11-14, 2020: Toronto

September 14-17, Sao Paulo

October 5-7. Cape Town

October 18-22, Orlando

October 26-29, Gold Coast, Australia

November 3-6, Kochi, India

November 8-12, Barcelona

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Keyfactor Announces wolfSSL Partnership At The RSA Conference

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 25, 2020 by itnerd

Keyfactor today announced at the RSA Conference its partnership and technology integration with SSL/TLS crypto-library provider wolfSSL. The integration provides greater security control to IoT (Internet of Things) device manufacturers at design and through a product’s lifetime.

Recent research analyzed IoT device vulnerabilities, emphasizing inherent design constraints and limited entropy as critical factors contributing to IoT device security risks. Solid yet flexible cryptographic libraries are critical in ensuring embedded and connected IoT devices can scale with evolving security requirements and best practices.

The integration combines wolfSSL crypto libraries with Keyfactor PKI-as-a-Service and certificate lifecycle management to secure next gen connected IoT devices. Keyfactor Control enables device designers and manufacturers to leverage technology and PKI to continuously replace, manage and update cryptography on IoT devices, while wolfSSL SSL/TLS libraries support resource constrained IoT systems across industrial control systems, medical devices and connected vehicles.

WolfSSL and Keyfactor will introduce the partnership and integration at 4:00pm on February 25th and 26th in the South Hall at Booth #3211 at RSAC in San Francisco.

 

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Review: 2020 Hyundai Tucson Preferred – Part 2

Posted in Products with tags on February 25, 2020 by itnerd

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This is the 2.0L four cylinder engine that comes as part of the Hyundai Tucson Preferred. It puts out 161 HP and 150 pound feet of torque. These numbers don’t exactly set the world on fire. But I will say that this is more than enough to power this compact SUV and do the things that you expect of it. Such as merge onto the highway, pass slower vehicles and the like. Though I will admit that you may have to occasionally push the engine more than you perhaps would want to to get the most out of it. It’s paired to a six-speed automatic and gets the power to the ground using Hyundai’s HTRAC AWD system. It snowed a couple of times during my review and it along with the winter tires really helped to keep the Tucson shiny side up.

Handling is pretty good as I was able to park it easily and make sharp turns in parking lots and the like. While more uplevel Tucsons feel more sporty than this, the target audience of this vehicle will not care. But what the target audience will care about is fuel economy. I am currently getting 9.4L/100KM’s in mixed city and highway driving. I am expecting that to go down as the week goes on.

Tomorrow I will discuss the interior which can be described as “functional” for the most part. Tune in tomorrow to find out what I mean by that.

 

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Review: 2020 Hyundai Tucson Preferred – Part 1

Posted in Products with tags on February 24, 2020 by itnerd

I review a fair amount of cars on this blog. And the one comment that I occasionally get is that I don’t review enough models that people would actually buy. After all, only a handful of people buy the fully loaded models that I tend to review. Which is why this week’s review is for those who want to see a review on a model that most people will buy. Thus with that out of the way, meet the Hyundai Tucson Preferred.

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From the outside it is the same design as the 2019 Tucson Ultimate that I reviewed last year. But instead of 19″ alloy wheels, it comes with 17″ alloy wheels. But other than that, it has the look and the design language that Hyundai has been using in the Tucson for a while now. Which makes it easy to spot in a sea of SUVs.

My review of the 2020 Hyundai Tucson Preferred is made up of five parts:

  • Exterior
  • Engine, transmission, handling, fuel economy, and driving comfort
  • Interior
  • Technology in the vehicle
  • Wrap up

The next part of this review will cover the engine, transmission and driving comfort. Even though this is the base model with the base model engine, it is a surprisingly good drive. Find out why I say that tomorrow.

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FlexJobs Details Intriguing Set of Remote Work Statistics for 2020

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 24, 2020 by itnerd

To demonstrate the broad growth and impact of remote work, FlexJobs, the leader in remote and flexible jobs, has compiled key statistics detailing the current state of remote work in today’s workplace. Working outside of their company’s main location and having a choice of work environment is now a key factor for many job seekers when evaluating new career opportunities. In fact, 74% believe that flexible working has become the “new normal.” Below FlexJobs has compiled a set of intriguing remote work data points that indicate the far-reaching benefits of remote work across the board, ranging from real estate to environmental to bottom-line benchmarks.

Remote Work Is Increasing

  • A special analysis done by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics found that there has been a major upward trend in the amount of people working remotely in the U.S. In the span of one year, from 2016 to 2017, remote work grew 7.9%. Over the last five years, it grew 44% and over the previous 10 years, it grew 91%.
  • Between 2005 to 2017, there was a 159% increase in remote work. In 2015, 3.9 million U.S. workers were working remotely. Today that number is 4.7 million, or 3.4% of the population.

Remote Work is Impacting Real Estate

  • In a recent report from Zillow, more than half of homebuyers who work remotely say remote work influenced a major home change, whether that’s moving to a different house (28%) or to a different location (24%).
  • Additionally, 30% of homebuyers indicated that a commute between 15 and 29 minutes was their max. And only 12% of homebuyers said they were willing to commute an hour or more.
  • Furthermore, 62% of Gen Z and millennial homebuyers work remotely at least one day per week. Remote work gives the two youngest generations in the workforce more options with where they live and reduces the necessity to live near large metropolitan city centers.

Remote Work Is Environmentally Friendly

  • Flexible work, especially working from home, reduces traffic congestion, air pollution, and road wear and tear with either a reduced or eliminated commute into an office.
  • According to the “2017 State of Telecommuting in the U.S. Employee Workforce” report: “Existing telecommuters reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking over 600,000 cars off the road for a year. If the work-at-home workforce expanded to include those who could and wanted to telecommute half of the time, the GHG savings would equate to taking 10 million cars off the road.”

Remote Work Is More Prevalent in Certain Areas

  • In an article by Pragli, a virtual office product for remote teams, remote work was found to be more common in cities with high income levels. Why? “Remote work positions tend to be knowledge work that pays higher salaries, such as software engineering and accounting.”
  • Pragli also found that locations with small remote populations generally have industries “with physical work constraints, such as agriculture and manufacturing.” Many blue-collar jobs like this simply cannot be done from a home office.

Remote Workers Make More Money

  • According to a report done collaboratively with FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics, the average annual income for most telecommuters is $4,000 higher than that of non-telecommuters.
  • Add to that the ability to save more money—FlexJobs estimates $4,000 a year—and remote workers come out on top.
  • In the State of Remote Work 2019 survey, that trend continued: “The salary breakdown of remote workers surveyed was 74% earning less than $100k per year, and 26% earning more than $100k per year. In comparison, the on-site worker’s salary breakdown was 92% earning less than $100,000 per year, 8% earn over $100k per year.”

Remote Work Attracts and Retains Talent

Remote Work Is Good for Business

  • Among performance-based remote work statistics, 85% of businesses confirm that productivity has increased in their company because of greater flexibility.
  • Additionally, 90% of employees say allowing for more flexible work arrangements and schedules would increase employee morale, while 77% say allowing employees to work remotely may lead to lower operating costs.

Remote Work Increases Job Satisfaction

  • Amerisleep’s study of 1,001 remote workers found that they are 57% more likely than the average American to be satisfied with their job.
  • Plus, nearly 80% of respondents described their typical stress level during the workweek as either “not stressed” or only “moderately stressed.”

Remote Workers Are More Productive

  • FlexJobs’ annual survey found that 65% of respondents are more productive in their home office than in a traditional workplace. Fewer distractions and interruptions, less stress from no commute, minimal office politics, and a personalized, quiet environment are all contributors to a more productive remote worker.
  • In another survey, 47% said they strongly agree that flexible work arrangements “would or do allow me to be more productive” and 31% said they somewhat agree.

Remote Workers Can Be Healthier

  • Remote workers tend to take less sick days, likely due to less exposure to germs in a typical office. According to Indeed’s Remote Work Survey, 50% of remote employees said working from home reduced their sick days and 56% said it reduced their absences.
  • In FlexJobs’ Work-Life-Relationship survey, 86% of respondents think a flexible job would reduce their stress, and 89% said they think they would be able to take better care of themselves.
  • Flexible work options can also help workers manage mental illness and keep them in the workforce during difficult life events.

Remote Workers Stick with It

  • Remote workers have longevity. According to the Remote Work Report, “42% of people who are 100% remote said they have been working remotely for more than 5 years.
  • 28% said they have been working remotely for 3 to 5 years. 19% said they have been working remotely for 1 to 2 years. And 11% said they had been working remotely for less than a year.”

Remote Work Is Here to Stay

To learn more, visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/

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Barclays Employees Were Spied Upon Via Company Installed Spyware On Employees’ Computers…. WTF?

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 21, 2020 by itnerd

Barclays has been criticised by HR experts and privacy campaigners after the bank installed “Big Brother” employee monitoring software in its London headquarters. In other words, the company used spyware to spy on their employees:

Introduced as a pilot last week, the technology monitors Barclays workers’ activity on their computers, and in some instances admonishes staff in daily updates to them if they are not deemed to have been active enough — which is described as being in “the zone.” The system tells staff to “avoid breaks” as it monitors their productivity in real-time, and records activities such as toilet visits as “unaccounted activity.” A whistleblower at the banking giant told City A.M. that “the stress this is causing is beyond belief” and that it “shows an utter disregard for employee wellbeing.” “Employees are worried to step away from their desks, have full lunch breaks, take bathroom breaks or even get up for water as we are not aware of the repercussions this might have on our statistics,” they added. Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group, described the technology as “creepy.” The software, provided by Sapience, has been rolled out throughout the product control department within the investment bank division at the firm’s Canary Wharf headquarters.

Once this was made public, Barclays terminated the program. But I suspect that Barclays isn’t the only company doing something like this because employers want to maximize the productivity of their employees. And some will use methods like this to do it. The problem is that once this is out in the public domain, employees who have a problem with this will simply leave. Which of course hurts the company as the talent leaves which is expensive, and then you have to try and recruit new talent which is also expensive. Plus train them and the like, which is you guessed it, expensive. While you should have no expectation of privacy in the workplace, schemes like this go way too far. Thus if you’re an employer who things that this is a good idea, you might want to think again.

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Canadians Feel Anxious About The Future Of The Country & Crave Competent & Ethical Institutions

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 20, 2020 by itnerd

The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that trust in government, business, media and NGOs is down over the previous year. At a time when more than three quarters of Canadian employees fear they will lose their job due to a variety of factors like technological change, a looming recession and jobs being moved oversees– Canadians don’t have confidence in their leaders to address the challenge.

Canadians did not one find one institution to be both competent and ethical – a combination of attributes they see as necessary to earn the trust of the public, as 62 per cent of Canadians feel the pace of change in technology is moving too fast.  Despite high employment rates, Canadians are deeply concerned about their economic future. Only 1 in 3 Canadians believe they and their families will be better off in five years’ time.

The trust gap between the informed public and the mass population dropped from a high of 20 points in 2019 to 16 points in 2020, signaling continued polarization in the system. The closing gap is attributed to a notable decrease in trust of the informed public, aged 25-64 and defined as those who are college-educated, in the top quarter for household income in their age group, and who regularly consume or engage with news. This decline is notable against the backdrop of continued uncertainty in Canada around the economy and trade with both the United States and China.

The country’s current leaders – CEOs and government – may not be the solution, as nearly two in three Canadians do not have confidence that these leaders will successfully address the country’s challenges. There is also uncertainty about where to turn to for quality information, with half of Canadians believing that the media they use is contaminated with untrustworthy information and a staggering seventy-one per cent worrying about fake news being used as a weapon.

Overall, Canadians are yearning for leadership. In two years, the percent of Canadians saying company CEOs should take the lead on change has increased from 68 per cent in 2018 to 80 per cent in 2020.

For full results visit https://www.edelman.ca/trust-barometer/trust-barometer-2020.

 

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Microsoft Partners Terranova Security To Provide Global Training To Microsoft Employees

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 20, 2020 by itnerd

Terranova Security, a global leader in cyber security awareness, announced a partnership with Microsoft that allows Microsoft to leverage the Terranova Security deep catalog of security awareness training content in its Office Advanced Threat Protection product.

After a thorough analysis of security awareness training companies, Microsoft chose Terranova Security because of its core focus on human-centric training that puts people front-and-center.

Terranova Security brings a science-backed human-centric approach to its cyber security awareness course catalog, free online resources, phishing simulations, and security awareness communication tools.

Terranova Security Delivers Human-Centric, Accessible, Inclusive, and Quality Security Awareness Training Content

After a multi-month search for a security awareness training content provider and partner, Microsoft chose Terranova Security for its:

  • Quality and Rigor: Terranova Security is widely recognized for creating and delivering science-backed content that is purposeful, high quality, and engaging. Terranova Security CEO, Lise Lapointe is highly regarded for her academic philosophy and approach to security awareness training.
  • Culture Fit: Microsoft and Terranova Security are tightly aligned with their strong commitments to diversity and inclusion. Terranova Security puts people first – from an inclusive boardroom to relatable and accessible security awareness content catalog. Terranova Security is proud to announce that its content meets Microsoft’s Web Accessibility Standards.
  • Quantity and Breadth: No two companies or people have the same security awareness challenges and needs. With the Terranova Security comprehensive content catalog, Microsoft is able to support its wide range of customers who have varying levels of security awareness knowledge and training needs.
  • Better Together: Terranova Security’s goal is to eliminate the human risk factor to effectively counter all cyber attacks. The company does this with its deep training catalog that puts people first with relatable and engaging content. This partnership with Microsoft further extends its reach – making it possible for more people and companies to create cyber secure and aware cultures.

Terranova Security is a global leader and partner of choice in security awareness training with successful security awareness and phishing simulation programs spanning over 7 million users. Recognized for providing amongst the highest-quality content, most multilingual security awareness platform, training and communications portfolio and intuitive phishing simulator, organizations continue to leverage the Terranova Security awareness 5-step framework which provides an evidence-based, step-by-step approach to a successful security awareness program. Terranova Security is working with organizations and security awareness teams worldwide to design programs that drastically reduce the human risk factor to effectively counter all cyber attacks. Learn more at terranovasecurity.com.

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