In The News 42 –
02/16/2012 Leave a Comment
India To Lead New Charge For Solar Power
Lux Research predicts that India, South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK will become the leading consumers of solar technology in the next five years because there will no longer be as much demand in the existing solar markets. In 2010, Germany and Italy accounted for about two-thirds of purchases in the solar market, but government subsidies are expected to be scaled back, so Lux Research believes that solar growth will level off in those countries. Japan, China, and the United States are other markets where large capacities of solar panels were installed, but the question of subsidies and solar penetration leaves the future of those markets unsure. In India, Lux says solar technology will likely need to be integrated with storage in order for off-grid applications to gain ground.
New Privacy Rules Adopted In India
India has issued new rules that restrict how businesses handle personal information. With the spread of cloud computing adoption, IT organizations worldwide are seeking standardization of data protection laws to promote privacy so that cloud computing firms can move data internationally without fear of legal consequences. India’s new Privacy Rules will require organizations to notify individuals by letter, fax, or email, when their personal information is collected. Additional stipulations require organizations to make a privacy policy available, implement measures to secure personal information, and set up a process to resolve disputes relating to the collection and use of personal information.
FTC Settles With Companies
In what might be construed as a stern warning to Web site developers and providers who collect sensitive user information, the Federal Trade Commission says that payroll provider Ceridian and immigration services software provider Lookout Services have settled charges that they failed to enact security measures sufficient to protect sensitive data. The two companies failed to secure consumer information, the FTC says, exposing some 65,000 users’ personal information during recent security breaches. As part of the settlement, the companies have agreed to implement comprehensive security programs and to obtain independent security audits every other year for the next 20 years.
Google Facing DoJ Probe
After taking a hit on mobile privacy issues related to the collection of users’ location data by the company’s Android devices, Google is now being investigated by the Department of Justice in connection with practices related to its advertising program. In connection with that probe, the company has earmarked some $500 million toward a possible settlement, the terms – and even potential recipient – of which remain undisclosed. Google has therefore revised its first-quarter profit figures, dropping its expected profit from $2.3 billion to $1.8 billion for the quarter, which ended March 31. The company has declined to comment on the issue.
Microsoft Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion
Microsoft announced that it will buy video voice and communications company Skype for $8.5 billion. The acquisition, Microsoft’s largest ever, will give Microsoft access to Skype’s customer base of more than 660 million users, about 107 million of whom use Skype at least once a month. Analysts say that the acquisition gives Microsoft an advantage over Google in the Internet communications market. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company ill integrate Skype technology with many of its products, including Xbox, Outlook, and Windows Phone. Ballmer also said that Skype will still be available on competing mobile OS platforms from Google and Apple. Other potential buyers for Skype included Google and Facebook.
Federal Government To Close Data Centers
By the end of 2011, the US government will close 137 data centers, 39 of which have already been closed, according to a recent White House blog post by US CIO Vivek Kundra. The government wants to close at least 400 data centers by the end of 2015. The Department of Defense will close 52 data centers before the end of the year, which was the highest number of any government department. The Department of the Interior operates 18 of the closures, while NASA runs 14. Other agencies that will lose data centers this year include the Departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, Justice, and Energy.
Mind Boggling Server Data
Two teams of researchers from UC San Diego claim that as of 2008, the world’s 27 million business servers processed 9.57 zetabytes of data. The researchers claim that this is equal to 20 separate 5.6-billion-mile-high stacks of books piled high enough to reach Neptune. By 2024, the world’s business servers will annually process data that equates to a stack of books 4.37 light-years high that stretches to Alpha Centauri. To calculate the data, researchers pegged the worldwide work force at 3.18 billion, with each worker responsible for an average of 3 TB of information each year.
Study: Cloud Providers Debate Security Responsibility
According to a study released by the Poneman Institute, 69% of cloud service providers in the United States and Europe believe it’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure security. In fact, just 25% of those surveyed in the United States answered “yes” when asked if their organization views security as one of their primary responsibilities. About 80% devote just 10% or less of their resources to security, yet more than 60% are confident that they’ve met acceptable security requirements. The study also notes that private cloud providers tend to focus more on security than public cloud providers.
Microsoft Antitrust Deal Expires
Confident that Microsoft has sufficiently met its stipulations, the US Department of Justice has approved the May 12 expiration of its decade-long antitrust oversight of the company. As part of the antitrust deal, Microsoft was required to allow oversight of its internal affairs, to enable computer makers to replace the company’s software with alternatives from third parties, and to license parts of its portfolio of patents. In a trial early last month, attorneys for the states that originally brought the antitrust case against Microsoft told US District Court Judge Colleeen Kollar-Kotelly that they believed Microsoft had satisfactorily met the requirements set forth and that they would not object to letting the oversight expire. For its part, Microsoft says it is pleased with the decision and looks forward to continuing in its compliance.
Google Named Most Reputable Company
Google is considered the most reputable company in the United States, according to a recent Harris Interactive Poll. The poll gathered opinions from more than 30,000 respondents and asked them to identify 60 of the most visible companies in the United States and rate them on 20 attributes, including financial performance, emotional appearance, and social responsibility. Google topped the list with 84.05 out of 100 points on the reputation scale; 80 points and above is considered excellent. Other tech companies making the list include Apple at number 5, Intel at number 6, Amazon at number 8, Sony at number 14, and Microsoft at number 16.
Larger firms Reject Public Cloud Storage
Few enterprise-class corporations are utilizing or considering using the public cloud for storing data – even noncritical data. Of the 240 Fortune 1000 corporations surveyed by TheInfoPro, fewer than 10% indicate a willingness to consider the public cloud as a place for archiving data. Instead, large organizations are concentrating on the use of solid-state drive technology and server virtualization as tools for improving efficiency and providing storage options. Most companies, however, report no reluctance to adopt the private cloud as a storage medium, although about 20% indicate they have encountered reliability issues with their private clouds.
South Korea Raids Google Offices
Police raided Google’s Office in Seoul on the suspicion that its AdMob mobile advertising subsidiary had been illegally collecting smartphone users’ location data without their consent. Google says it is cooperating with the investigation. In January, the Seoul police said that Google’s Street View service had illegally gathered location information from about 600,000 South Korean wireless Internet users. Google along with Apple, has also recently come under fire in the United States because of how it handles location and other personal user data that it collects using smartphone applications.
Microsoft To Raise Certification Exam Fees
Microsoft announced that the fees for a number of its certification programs, including the Microsoft Certified IT Professional, Microsoft Certified Application Developer, and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator certifications will be raised in July. The rate hike is not universal, however, rates will go unchanged in countries with shaky economies, such as Ireland and Greece, but will increase about $25 in the United States and Canada. Microsoft plans to use the extra money garnered from the increased rates to improve its certification programs through updates to tests and exam security, and the company plans to offer discounts and other savings to its partners and to university students.



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