Popular IT News Week From Last Week's Issue
Each week I select 60-90 items from mainstream IT publications and publish them on the website for “IT News and Events. I track the most popular articles and use those articles as the basis of my “IT Newsletter As A Service.”
IT News - CxO
IT Leadership: 3 Lessons In Failure, (im)Patience, And Teamwork
Digital Transformation At Goodyear: 'Smart Tires' And The Internet Of Things
IT Talent: 5 Mentoring Best Practices For The Hybrid Work Era
IT News - Cloud
IT News - HR
Gartner: IT Skills Shortage Hobbles Cloud, Edge, Automation Growth
Unpacking The Interview Process - A Guide To Hiring The Best Candidate
IT News - Security
Cybersecurity Training: How To Build A Company Culture Of Cyber Awareness
IT Security Leaders: It's Time For A Bigger Seat At The Table
IT News - Storage
IT News - Linux
IT News - EdTech
Making The Cybersecurity Grade: How Schools Can Protect Data And IT Resources
What We Can Learn From Edtech Startups' Expansion Efforts In Europe
L-EAF.org: The future of learning: A deep dive into emerging Ed Tech (Oct 7th)
IT News - Email
IT News - CRM
IT News - Social Media
IT News - CxO
IT Leadership: 3 Lessons In Failure, (im)Patience, And Teamwork
Becoming a transformational leader takes commitment and plenty of practice. Consider these valuable lessons in effective leadership
Chet Kapoor writes in The Enterprisers Project, "Becoming a leader of a team or an organization isn't something you simply wake up and do. It's an evolution. It starts with 'leading' yourself and driving yourself to make an impact toward a mission - toward something bigger than yourself. It takes relentless focus and passion.
I've learned a lot of lessons over the years - sometimes by doing it right, sometimes by doing it wrong. Here are three that I keep coming back to..." [The Enterprisers Project, September 17th, 2021]
Digital Transformation At Goodyear: 'Smart Tires' And The Internet Of Things
'Smart tires' and connected cars are a new frontier for digital transformation strategy, customer experience, and the internet of things (IoT)
"In this exciting episode, learn about the future of tires as a sensor platform that enables safety, performance, and efficiency. Our guest is Chris Helsel is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
Introduction: About Goodyear
Tire technology and Innovation
The Science and Technology of Tires
Digital Transformation at Goodyear
Tires are Nodes on the Network
IoT Devices: The Connected Platform of Tires
Retraining Employees
Culture of Innovation
Introduction: About Goodyear
Michael Krigsman: Goodyear is an iconic American brand associated with tires. Chris Helsel is the chief technology officer of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Corporation. Chris, tell us about Goodyear and tell us about your role, please..." [CXOTalk, September 16th, 2021]
New CIOs: 5 Key Steps In Your First 100 Days
Getting the first 100 days right is critical to achieving momentum, credibility, and long-term success.
Etay Maor, writes in Cyber Defense Magazine, "Starting off as a new CIO in a tough, dynamic environment can be daunting. CIOs must juggle multiple issues like coping with hybrid workplaces, changing cybersecurity and compliance protocols, increasing ransomware attacks and high expectations from the board, to name but a few. New CIOs need to tackle biased perceptions, make a good first impression, assess the current state of processes and policies and determine a strategy to build a foundation that drives innovation.
Other CIO challenges may involve building a deep awareness of the IT organization, developing close relationships with key stakeholders and achieving wide acceptance for strategic goals while also gaining some quick wins that boosts confidence in your talents..." [Cyber Defense Magazine, September 17th, 2021]
How CISOs And CIOs Should Share Cybersecurity Ownership
CISOs and CIOs weigh in on how their cybersecurity responsibilities are evolving with changes in the business environment and threat landscape.
"In most organizations," writes Michael Hill in CSO Online, "it is common for both the CISO and CIO to have responsibilities around cybersecurity-an issue increasingly pivotal to the effective running of any modern business. Clear, defined cybersecurity ownership can prove integral to successful organizational security positioning.
A recent ISACA survey of almost 3,700 global cybersecurity professionals found that while almost half (48%) of cybersecurity teams report directly into a CISO, one in four reports to the CIO. Despite the variation in reporting relationships, the survey revealed no significant differences regarding security function ownership between the CISO or CIO relating to views on increased or decreased cyberattacks, the ability to detect and respond to cyberthreats, and cybercrime reporting..." [CSO Online, September 16th, 2021]
The CFO's Guide to Digital Investment
CFOs often struggle to fund digital investments, because their traditional funding models don't work well for digital initiatives that behave more like operating spend than capital expenditures.
The pandemic has sped up digital transformation as organizations fundamentally change their business models or product and service offerings and optimize existing activities. Pressure is on CFOs to prioritize and fund digital strategies, but many of the underlying initiatives are iterative and uncertain, and tend to be undervalued by traditional project-based funding models. Given this, you may need to take lessons learned from IT peers and shift instead to a product-based view. [Gartner , September 13th, 2021]
IT Talent: 5 Mentoring Best Practices For The Hybrid Work Era
Mentoring IT talent looks different in a hybrid work environment. Five award-winning CIOs share their strategies
"CIOs who embrace a coaching role say that it's one of the most rewarding aspects of their jobs. But mentoring IT talent looks different in a hybrid work environment", writes Carla Rudder in The Enterprisers Project.
"We asked CIOs who recently won the 2021 Capital CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards how they are creating opportunities for IT talent to stand out and rise to the next level - and how that has or hasn't changed during the pandemic. The awards were presented by the Capital CIO Leadership Association, a professional community that annually recognizes CIOs for their excellence in technology leadership..." [The Enterprisers Project, September 15th, 2021]
IT News - Cloud
Best Cloud Log Management Services
Monitor, process, analyze, and visualize log
Nate Drake , Brian Turner write in ITProPortal, "The best cloud log management services allows you to monitor, process, analyze, and visualize logs via the cloud in a simple and manageable way.
This is important, as managing log events can be a challenge with cloud computing services for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is the sheer volume of data points but also complicating matters are the number of applications involved, plus reverse engineering identified errors to their source for correction..." [ITProPortal, September 15th, 2021]
Best Cloud Management Software 2021
Cloud management platforms for hybrid clouds
"The best cloud management software platforms (CMP) make it easier to manage cloud services and reduce costs and overheads," writes Nate Drake in ITProPortal.
"This is especially as cloud software is fast become an essential component in any business IT environment, with the ability to manage and run applications through a SaaS model, or set up and manage your cloud architecture with a IaaS, or PaaS platform..." [ITProPortal, September 15th, 2021]
8 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Cloud Enterprise Technology For Your Organization
The appeal of enterprise cloud solutions cannot be understated. With cloud services, your organization will enjoy agility, innovation, and scalability. This article covers the top eight factors you should consider when choosing a cloud enterprise technology:
"Since 2006 when AWS launched,' writes Henry Bell in Jaxenter, "enterprise cloud technology has helped organizations outsource key IT functions at low costs, while their resources are focused on their core business. The appeal of enterprise cloud solutions cannot be understated. With cloud services, your organization will enjoy agility, innovation, and scalability. However, you have to make sure you choose the provider that works best for your needs. Here are the top eight factors you should consider when choosing a cloud enterprise technology:..." [Jaxenter, September 16th, 2021]
The Lack Of Cloud Skills Is Hindering Cloud Progress
The cloud skills shortage is killing enterprises that want to move to new technology quickly. Here are a few creative ways to deal with this issue
David Linthicum writes in InfoWorld, "It's not really news anymore. Gartner recently stated that the current lack of skilled IT workers is foiling the adoption of cloud, edge computing, and other technologies. Note, these are all cloud related in one way or another.
In its '2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap' based on surveys of 437 global firms, Gartner discovered that IT executives see the talent shortage as the largest barrier to deploying emerging technologies, mostly cloud-based technologies such as databases, machine learning, advanced storage, and analytics, all of which are easily weaponized for strategic purposes for the business..." [InfoWorld, September 17th, 2021]
8 Top Cloud Security Certifications
Cloud security skills are in high demand. These certs will help you demonstrate your cloud security know-how
"As companies move more and more of their infrastructure to the cloud," "writes Josh Fruhlinger in CSO Online", they're forced to shift their approach to security. The security controls you need to put in place for a cloud-based infrastructure are different from those for a traditional datacenter. There are also threats specific to a cloud environment. A mistake could put your data at risk..." [CSO Online, September 14th, 2021]
IT News - HR
Best Cloud HCM Software Of 2021
Human Capital Management on-demand
Nate Drake , Brian Turner write in ITProPortal, "The best cloud Human Capital Management (HCM) software makes it simple and easy for organizations to manage their human resources more efficiently.
Immediate considerations might be payroll and attendance, but additional ones could be training and development, recruitment and on-boarding, as well as overall employee performance.
All of this can be packaged into a single software platform to make human resources work better within an integrated HCM framework. Even better, analytics can then provide actionable insights to help increase efficiency and improve productivity, without harming your business..." [ITProPortal, September 14th, 2021]
Gartner: IT Skills Shortage Hobbles Cloud, Edge, Automation Growth
IT executives have plans to invest in emerging technologies despite the challenge of finding IT pros with the right training
Michael Cooney writes in Networkworld, "Gartner says the current paucity of skilled IT workers is foiling the adoption of cloud, edge computing, and automation technologies.
In its "2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap" based on surveying 437 global firms, Gartner found that IT executives see the talent shortage as the most significant barrier to deploying emerging technologies, including compute infrastructure and platform services, network security, digital workplace, IT automation, and storage..." [Networkworld, September 13th, 2021]
Your People Are Your Most Important Technology Asset
The robot overlords you've been promised haven't arrived yet. It's understandable that you might think they were coming soon since so much of the media coverage of technology in the workplace has focused on what we are told is an inevitable conflict between human jobs and robotic automation, between people and technology.
"This gloom-and-doom scenario isn't coming to pass, however, and won't," opines James L. McQuivey in Forrester. "That's because people are the most important technology asset that companies have.
Here's an example: Back in 2011, when McDonald's announced it would install 800 self-serve kiosks across France to take orders and payment, the company was criticized for scheming to cut out thousands of low-wage jobs that people sorely needed. Since then, McDonald's has increased self-serve kiosks across the country, the continent, and now the world. What happened to hiring? By 2017, McDonald's France was hiring 20% more people per year than before the kiosks were installed. So much for the prophesied conflict between people and technology..." [Forrester, September 16th, 2021]
Unpacking The Interview Process - A Guide To Hiring The Best Candidate
Whether you're looking for a friendly receptionist or an essential vice president, finding the best people for your business can be stressful.
"Hiring is an investment," writes Nancy Solari in Business 2 Community, "and you don't want to wait a month into that person's position only to realize that your new employee is not the right match. Luckily, there are methods you can use during the interview process to gain a more holistic view of your applicant before making that final decision. Here are a few ways to maximize the interview process and select the best candidate..." [Business 2 Community, September 16th, 2021]
IT News - Security
How Cyber Resilience Will Reshape Cybersecurity
Cyber resilience must come to every enterprise
Zeki Turedi writes in techradar.pro, "There is a wave coming to every enterprise, every technology vendor, every supplier of IT goods and services. This wave is called 'cyber resilience'. I'm claiming a measure of clairvoyance over this coming trend because the alternative to it is that industry and government don't change their current stance, and inevitably, the numbers of organizations crippled by ransomware and data breaches continues to escalate. Society, the economy, governments - we can't stand for inaction any longer..." [techradar.pro, September 17th, 2021]
4 Metrics That Prove Your Cybersecurity Program Works
Use the CARE framework to develop metrics that prove the credibility and defensibility of your cybersecurity program.
Susan Moore writes in Gartner , "In proposing record fines to Marriott International's and British Airways' parent company under Europe's data-privacy laws, U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham explained that the severity of fines was not related to who was impacted, but rather to the lack of appropriate action taken to protect people's data. In issuing the much-reduced final fine, the commissioner also reportedly took 'economic impact and affordability' into account.
When an organization suffers a data breach or other cybersecurity incident, it is not judged by whether it had a low number of vulnerabilities or if it spent enough on security tools. The question is whether it did the right thing based on its budget, size and needs..." [Gartner , September 15th, 2021]
Cybersecurity Training: How To Build A Company Culture Of Cyber Awareness
When I attended new employee orientation at a global technology company several decades ago, I remember very brief cybersecurity training. The gist was to contact someone in IT if we noticed any potential issues.
Jennifer Gregory writes in Security Intelligence, "While I was with the company, I only thought about cybersecurity when I passed the server room, and I could only peek into that locked, dark room full of machines when one of the tech guys opened the door. Back then, I always felt that it was someone else's job to keep our data safe. Time and experience have changed the way I look at things.
Over the past year, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to improve cybersecurity at businesses and agencies of all sizes. And research backs up my current assumption that companies are taking it seriously and passing on that message to employees..." [Security Intelligence, September 15th, 2021]
IT Security Leaders: It's Time For A Bigger Seat At The Table
IT teams must have a bigger seat, and budget, at the boardroom table, while embedding their cybersecurity efforts across business functions
The cyber threat continues to grow and evolve, with the number of attacks increasing year-on-year. As "cunning hackers take advantage of the ongoing pandemic by targeting remote workforces, businesses are forced to contend not only with this increased security risk, but also furloughed staff, social distancing restrictions and a turbulent economic market.
But while in survival mode, cybersecurity can often slip down businesses' priority lists. The last twelve months have arguably been the most challenging times for businesses of all sizes, but efforts invested to keep the business afloat will be useless if the back door to their network is left open for cyber criminals. To combat this, IT teams must have a bigger seat, and budget, at the boardroom table, while embedding their cybersecurity efforts across all departments of the business..." [CXOtoday.com, September 13th, 2021]
Don't Sleep On These 7 Cybersecurity Threats
As we covered in our recent PKI Survey results webcast, cybersecurity threats are causes for concern to most organizations around the world.
"This is because a company needs to have an online presence to be more productive. While hackers are known to be notoriously dynamic and are always churning out tactics to bypass the latest cybersecurity innovations, the good news is many organizations are becoming more well-informed and up to date with their countermeasures.
Since threats can come in different ways, there is no one solution to curbing your exposure. You need to have a comprehensive security strategy with many layers of protection and detection. For example, one way to protect your business is by partnering with an online company registration service that can register your company online and help you avoid cybersecurity threats by regularly monitoring it for you. Securing your email with S/MIME certificates can help you stay out of trouble too. You can read more about how secure emails help here.
Now, let us run through some of the major threats 2021 has brought to the surface..." [Security Boulevard, September 14th, 2021]
IT News - Storage
Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker
IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker greatly enhances clients' ability to quickly and effectively respond to today's dynamic storage market.
"Understanding which global markets and segments are growing and knowing the quarterly adoption curve for new products have become business-critical needs for enterprise storage vendors, supply chain partners, and the financial community. This product provides insight into customer trends by delivering geography-specific vendor and product-line detail across all storage segments. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker presents market data in an easy-to-use, interactive format allowing clients to easily view specific submarkets in customizable layouts..." [IDC, September 14th, 2021]
Best Hard Drive Benchmark Tools For Testing Performance & Speed
Hard drives have run pretty well over the years Drew Robb
Drew Robb writes in Enterprise Storage Forum, "When I think about the number of laptops and PCs I've owned and used over the past 25 years, I can only think of one failure. In that case, all of the data was easily recoverable. There was another incident - a very early small form factor external drive from Western Digital. I loved it and stored all my files on it. It was great for backup and when I moved from one device to another. Unfortunately, it was knocked off a desk and it wouldn't start. The good folks at Western Digital kindly agreed to let their forensic specialists try to recover my data but it was not to be..." [Enterprise Storage Forum, September 13th, 2021]
DCIG TOP 5 Rising Vendors For On-Premises NAS Consolidation
DCIG recently completed another phase of its independent research into software-defined storage solutions
"We evaluated these solutions for the on-premises NAS consolidation use case," writes Ken Clipperton in DCIG. "We identified five rising vendors that provide new capabilities, substantial deployment flexibility, and the multi-petabyte scalability that many organizations require.
The Challenge of Unstructured Data Growth
Many organizations struggle with rapidly expanding volumes of unstructured data. Storing, protecting, and providing secure access to this data creates challenges around cost, complexity, and scalability. New data sets-and even individual files-surpass the capacity limits of some legacy filers. Too many data centers are filled with too many storage systems..." [DCIG, September 16th, 2021]
IT News - Linux
Linux Turns 30: How A Hobby Project Conquered The World
On September 17, 1991, Linus Torvalds released Linux kernel (version 0.01) for the first time. Here's a brief look at how a small hobby project grew up and enveloped the world-and what has made Linux endure for so long.
Benj Edwards writes in How-To Geek, "Linux originated when University of Helsinki student Linus Torvalds began experimenting with MINIX, a low-cost, UNIX-like operating system developed for the IBM PC by Andrew S. Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum had optimized MINIX for the 16-bit original IBM PC, but Torvalds wanted to use features of his newer, 32-bit 386-based PC with a UNIX-like operating system. To do that, he had to write his own operating system kernel. A kernel is a small program at the core of an operating system that governs how all the other elements of the operating system work..." [How-To Geek, September 17th, 2021]
Why My Public Library Chooses Linux And Open Source
My library's IT Director shares her community's Linux journey
"The Crawford County Federated Library System has been using Linux and open source software in its IT operations since 1999," reports Don Watkins in opensouce.com.
"They realized early on the potential of open source and integrated it into their enterprise. They were a part of my own Linux journey as I built a content filtering system for our school district. Twenty years ago, there were few models for the use of open source in libraries and education..." [opensouce.com, September 18th, 2021]
IT News - EdTech
Anthology And Blackboard To Merge, Creating A Leading Global Provider Of Education Software And Solutions
Advancing knowledge and learning across the globe, Anthology and Blackboard power personalized experiences for learners and better outcomes for institutions
"Anthology, a leading provider of proven higher education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, and Blackboard, a leading global EdTech software and solutions company, announced today a definitive agreement to combine the two companies. The combination will create the most comprehensive and modern EdTech ecosystem available on a global scale. The merger is designed to accelerate transformation at education institutions to enhance the learner experience and drive student and institution success.
Blackboard is a leading provider of learning management software, communication tools and student success solutions to 150 million users in more than 80 countries. Its clients include higher education institutions, K-12 schools, governments and businesses..." [Blackboard News, September 13th, 2021]
Making The Cybersecurity Grade: How Schools Can Protect Data And IT Resources
K-12 IT leaders must continue to prioritize cybersecurity as students return to classrooms. Here are four ways they can improve their security posture
"Cyberattacks on our nation's K-12 schools are on the rise," warns Byndon Shopp in EdTech Magazine. "They're targeting a rich cache of data and IT resources. Since 2016, there have been 1,180 cyber-related incidents in K-12 public schools, and this number continues to grow. With the shift to online and hybrid learning, schools have found themselves more exposed than ever. In light of the new vulnerabilities, an FBI alert issued in the summer of 2020 warned K-12 institutions of new cyberattacks ahead of these schools resuming virtual learning.
Despite precautions, Virginia's Fairfax County Public Schools, the eleventh-largest school district in the nation, fell victim to a cyberattack a few days into the fall semester last year. Personal information - including Social Security numbers and health insurance details - was stolen from the school system during a ransomware attack..." [EdTech Magazine, September 16th, 2021]
What We Can Learn From Edtech Startups' Expansion Efforts In Europe
Going international later in the journey or when more funding is available, possibly due to a VC round, seems to make facets of expansion more feasible. Higher budgets also enable entry to several markets nearly simultaneously.
Rhys Spence writes in TechCrunch, "It's a story common to all sectors today: investors only want to see 'uppy-righty' charts in a pitch. However, edtech growth in the past 18 months has ramped up to such an extent that companies need to be presenting 3x+ growth in annual recurring revenue to even get noticed by their favored funds.
Some companies are able to blast this out of the park - like GoStudent, Ornikar and YouSchool - but others, arguably less suited to the conditions presented by the pandemic, have found it more difficult to present this kind of growth..." [TechCrunch, September 18th, 2021]
L-EAF.org: The future of learning: A deep dive into emerging Ed Tech (Oct 7th)
EdTech was changing rapidly before covid and has taken a quantum leap forward in adoption due to COVID, requiring teachers to find new ways of serving their students and making their work sustainable under the radically new environment.
L-EAF.org is pleased to host this exploration into new and emerging technology enabling lean educational systems, differentiated learning and agility in the classroom and beyond.
Oct. 7th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM EDT: The future of learning: A deep dive into emerging Ed Tech
Speakers:
Dimitri Ponomareff - CEO, Kanban Zone
Abubakar Sial - CEO, OctiLearn
Trey Rutledge - Dir. Bus. Development, DragonChain
Beau McCoy - CEO, SOLcademy
This year we have broken out 3 main themes that we will dedicate 1 day to, each, with 1 week in between sessions to as to not overload your calendar.
Hosted by L-EAF.org: [Thursday, October 7th, 2021: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM]
IT News - Email
Using Email Headers To Verify An Email's Authenticity And The Future Of DMARC
Authentication protocols establish the identity of an email
"When someone receives and opens an email, they see the parts of the message that most people care about," writes Peter Goldstein in techradar.pro.
"In addition to the message content (the body), the recipient will typically see a few header fields, such as From:, To:, Subject:, and Date: that convey basic information about the claimed origin and topic of the message.
Those headers represent just a small fraction of the headers that are part of the message.
The best email hosting providers
The 30 most-asked email questions answered!
Best email clients: Free and paid apps and software
The method for making hidden headers visible will differ depending on the mailbox provider. In Gmail, you can access the email header by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of a message and then 'Show Original'..." [techradar.pro, September 15th, 2021]
IT News - CRM
5 Things You Need To Win Your First Customer
A startup is a beautiful thing. It's the tangible outcome of an idea birthed in a garage or on the back of a napkin. But ask any founder what really proves their startup has taken off, and they will almost instantly say it's when they win their first customer.
Bryan Dsouza writes in TechCrunch, "That's easier said than done, though, because winning that first customer will take a lot more than an Ivy-educated founder and/or a celebrity investor pool.
To begin with, you'll have to craft a strong ideal customer profile to know your customer's pain points, while developing a competitive SWOT analysis to scope out alternatives your customers can go to.
You'll also need to create a shortlist of influencers who have your customer's trust, identify their decision-makers who make the call to buy (or not), and create a mapped list of goals that align your customer's goals to yours..." [TechCrunch, September 15th, 2021]
IT News - Social Media
8 Free Social Media Marketing Courses That Won't Put You To Sleep
More than half of the world's population uses social media today for just about every aspect of life
Kristen McCormick writes in Business 2 Community, "This makes it a staple in any digital marketing strategy, but with multiple rapidly evolving platforms, it's a bit of a beast to harness for business growth.
The other problem, as you'll soon learn, is that finding a free social media marketing course that is actually worth your time is harder than it should be.
Which is why I'm excited to share with you my list of eight courses that make for interesting and relevant online learning experiences. Each course covers a slightly different facet of social media marketing, including:..." [Business 2 Community, September 18th, 2021]