Health care sector lags in cyberpreparedness, FBI says

Health care sector lags in cyberpreparedness, FBI says 
Health care companies lack the cybersecurity measures to protect patient data, according to an FBI report that says the sector is behind other industries. "The healthcare industry is not as resilient to cyber intrusions compared to the financial and retail sectors, therefore the possibility of increased cyber intrusions is likely," the FBI said in a notice to the industry.





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Tech sector seen as leader in eliminating gender pay gap

 Tech sector seen as leader in eliminating gender pay gap 
With the national conversation focused on gender inequalities in employee pay, the technology sector can take confidence in knowing that despite its reputation as a boys' club, compensation disparities in Silicon Valley are among the lowest of any sector of the economy. According to data from Harvard economist Claudia Goldin, female computer programmers and engineers enjoy near parity of pay with their male counterparts -- significantly better than other professions, like doctors and lawyers. Goldin attributes part of the tech sector's success to its flexible work policies.


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Forrester: Government stability, purchases boost tech spending

Forrester: Government stability, purchases boost tech spending 
Government and businesses will increase IT spending to $1.315 trillion this year and $1.4 trillion next year, Forrester Research predicts. "2014 looks like the first year since 2011 that threats of federal government shutdowns, potential failures to raise the federal debt ceiling, and austerity measures will not disrupt the prospects for US economic growth," Forrester's Andrew Bartels says in a report. Spending for software, including mobile applications, is forecast to rise to $284 billion in 2014 and $310 billion next year.


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Higher productivity, lower absenteeism among benefits of remote work

 Higher productivity, lower absenteeism among benefits of remote work 
The work-from-home movement, despite some high-profile reversals from Best Buy and Yahoo, continued to accelerate in 2013 as businesses discovered that the higher flexibility and lower stress associated with remote work could affect their bottom line. A report from Premiere Global Services International says the average business cuts costs by $11,000 each year by letting full-time employees work from home -- in part because employees take fewer sick days and have increased morale. CIO.com



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Emerging Programming Languages Developers Should Learn

Emerging Programming Languages Career Minded Developers Should Learn

If you're a developer looking to increase your employability, then learning a new language is always a good strategy. But the big question is this: Which language should you learn?

Take a look right now and you see plenty of vacancies for programmers with skills in programming languages such as Java, C, C++, C# and Objective C, scripting languages including Python, PHP, Ruby and JavaScript, and database programming in SQL.

If you want to stay ahead of the pack, though, and be able to take your pick of the plum jobs of the future, then it may be worth looking beyond Java, Python and these other languages.

For most organizations, Java, C++ and C# are just too entrenched to replace, "and there's very few enterprises that want to expand the languages they use too much."

But the signs say a few new languages are catching on. 

Dart: Replacement for JavaScript
Dart is an open source language developed by Google as a replacement for JavaScript. Like other JavaScript replacement languages such as CoffeeScript, it's not hard for JavaScript developers to learn. It's significant because it has been designed to make it easy to build large scale, multi-developer Web apps — something JavaScript itself isn't really suited to.

Right now, Dart applications can run in Chrome's built-in Dart VM or in other browsers through cross compilation to JavaScript.

Why learn Dart? Google's backing ensures that Dart has a good chance of succeeding.


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Google takes to the skies with acquisition of drone-maker Titan

Google takes to the skies with acquisition of drone-maker Titan 
Search engine giant Google continued its expansion into emerging sectors of the technology market with the announcement that it will purchase Titan Aerospace, a startup manufacturer of solar-powered drones that have the capacity for years of uninterrupted flight. The move -- which pits Google against Facebook in the quest for a stake in the drone economy -- is part of a pioneering effort to use unmanned aircraft to beam wireless Internet to underserved areas and is also expected to boost the mapping capabilities of Google's Maps division, Nick Statt writes




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U.K. agency says more students are enrolling in tech programs

U.K. agency says more students are enrolling in tech programs 
More U.K. students are enrolling in computer science, engineering and technology courses, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service says. "With engineering companies projected to have 2.74 million job openings between 2010 and 2020, there is an urgent need to encourage many more young people into engineering to meet demand," UCAS' Stephanie Fernandes says.



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New technologies prompt many organizations to re-examine approach to communications, CompTIA research finds

New technologies prompt many organizations to re-examine approach to communications, CompTIA research finds 
The rapid acceleration of modern technology -- with cloud computing and mobility at the forefront -- is prompting many organizations to re-examine their approach to communications, according to research from CompTIA. Data from the new CompTIA study, "Trends in Workflow Automation and Communications," shows that there is clear momentum toward considering cloud computing systems for real-time systems, such as voice and video.




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New business demands push tech workers out of IT

New business demands push tech workers out of IT 
The continuing digitization of the workforce is complicating the IT jobs outlook, surveys suggest, with polls showing that while companies expect to increase their tech hiring this year, workers will be scattered across a number of different business departments, including manufacturing, sales or marketing. The trend, which is reflected in conflicting IT employment forecasts, is part of a larger movement that will see the role of the technology worker continue to evolve in coming years. According to industry commentator Bill Snyder: "Many IT jobs within enterprises have moved out of the traditional IT ghetto and into various business-related departments."





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Why skill building is an IT career necessity

Why skill building is an IT career necessity 
The more skills an IT professional can put on a resume, the more opportunity there will be for higher pay, says Shravan Goli, president of Dice. However, Goli says, tech professionals need to determine which skills are necessary to move in a chosen career direction.


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Pay for IT pros at nonprofits is up 4.4% this year

Survey: Pay for IT pros at nonprofits is up 4.4% this year 
Salaries for IT professionals at nonprofits are up 4.4% this year, according to an annual survey by Computerworld. Chief information officers and vice presidents of IT in the legal and insurance field reported an average salary of $226,206, the survey found, while those in manufacturing averaged $197,781 and health care CIOs saw an average pay of $175,829.



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Business tech spending to hit $275.2B this year

Business tech spending to hit $275.2B this year 
IDC predicts business tech spending will hit $275.2 billion this year and $330.7 billion by 2017. Enterprise IT is forecast to hit $233.5 billion by 2017. Marketing will grow fastest, IDC says. "The connection between technology and business is accelerating at lightning pace as business users adopt what IDC refers to as the 'four pillars' — cloud, social, mobile and analytics," IDC's Eileen Smith says.



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How management IT expectations are taxing security pros

How management IT expectations are taxing security pros 
The drive to propel innovation by quickly adopting the latest IT solutions is pressuring enterprise security professionals to deploy software before it is properly secured, according to a poll of experts conducted by Trustwave. The survey of more than 800 top-level IT and cybersecurity specialists found that 80% of respondents had faced internal pressure, primarily from management, to roll out inadequately secured solutions, some of which were beyond the level of their immediate expertise.

U.S., U.K. spy agencies gather data from mobile apps

U.S., U.K. spy agencies gather data from mobile apps 
Mobile game applications such as Angry Birds and other insecure apps are being tapped by U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies to glean data on users, such as their locations, ages and gender, according to British intelligence documents. Meanwhile, amid rising concern over who has access to consumer data, Verizon said in a blog post that U.S. intelligence cannot compel the company to hand over data stored overseas.

CompTIA: Amazon listed most IT job ads in 2013

CompTIA: Amazon listed most IT job ads in 2013 
Amazon held the top spot in listing IT jobs in 2013 -- posting more than 16,000, according to CompTIA's annual IT Industry Outlook report, based on data from Burning Glass Technologies. Also in the top five were Accenture, Deloitte, Microsoft and Best Buy

Report: App flaws, security are key vulnerability issues

Report: App flaws, security are key vulnerability issues 
A Hewlett-Packard cybersecurity report says 80% of applications are not configured correctly and 46% of mobile applications are not securely encrypted. "That's a really shocking number because there is such attention being paid today on keeping mobile data safe," said Jacob West of Hewlett-Packard's Enterprise Security Products.

Senate report: Federal agencies lack necessary cybersecurity skills

Senate report: Federal agencies lack necessary cybersecurity skills 
The federal government is failing to implement basic protocols to improve cybersecurity, according to a congressional report that says agency personnel have delayed vital software updates and followed inadequate password policies. The report, released by Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, follows similar findings from the Government Accountability Office, and singles out the Department of Homeland Security for particular criticism

Experts: Implementing the cloud has ups and downs

Experts: Implementing the cloud has ups and downs 
Shifting operations to the cloud can solve some problems but also creates new ones, especially for smaller firms, experts say. Consultant Chad Paalman says a business must ensure it has the bandwidth to sustain a cloud strategy, and that moving data offsite means potential privacy and security issues, so service agreements must be scrutinized.

CompTIA targets veterans with IT-jobs program

CompTIA targets veterans with IT-jobs program 
CompTIA says it wants to help former military personnel move into the IT industry with its Armed for IT Careers program, which provides training and insight on opportunities. "Military professionals often have strong business, communication and technical skills and a good work ethic, which are all much in demand in the IT industry," said Graham Hunter, Western Europe director at CompTIA

Lock Down Your Business With CompTIA Security+

Lock Down Your Business With CompTIA Security+

Security+CompTIA Security+ certification designates knowledgeable professionals in the field of security, one of the fastest-growing fields in IT. CompTIA Security+ is an international, vendor-neutral certification that demonstrates competency in network security; compliance and operational security; threats and vulnerabilities; application, data and host security; access control and identity management; and cryptography. Click here to learn more about this certification, and consider the credential in hiring or managing IT professionals. 

Report: Average IT compensation was up about 3% in 2013

Report: Average IT compensation was up about 3% in 2013 
Average IT salaries were up about 3% last year, to $87,811, a Dice.com survey says. Big Data skills were involved in nearly all of the top 10 salaries. "Companies are betting big that harnessing data can play a major role in their competitive plans, and that is leading to high pay for critical skills," 

Report: Tablets, Chromebooks made headway among enterprises in 2013

Report: Tablets, Chromebooks made headway among enterprises in 2013
Tablets accounted for more than a fifth of all commercial computing devices sold through November, with Windows, Android and Apple devices all recording significant growth this year, according to a report from NPD, which also says Google's Chromebook made up a larger chunk of the enterprise notebook market. "New products like Chromebooks, and reimagined items like Windows tablets, are now supplementing the revitalization that iPads started in personal computing devices," said analyst Stephen Baker.

Research firm: U.S. losing status as global broadband leader

Research firm: U.S. losing status as global broadband leader
The U.S. is falling behind in the race to deploy high-speed Internet service, and ranks 35th out of 148 countries in Internet bandwidth, according to The World Economic Forum. Data show that major U.S. cities are being outpaced by emerging nations such as Latvia, which has Internet speeds about 2½ times faster than San Antonio. Officials say the lag could strain GDP growth.

Amazon exec: Cloud is replacing IT infrastructure globally

Amazon exec: Cloud is replacing IT infrastructure globally
The cloud is becoming the new IT infrastructure, especially in emerging markets, Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels says. "The cloud is eliminating the need for IT infrastructure and as a result we are starting to see cloud just catch up internationally, and how businesses are changing as a result," Vogels says. "... While cloud has brought a true revolution in the U.S. very early already, it is just catching on internationally and it is great to see how those businesses are changing."

Consumer privacy, wearables, 3D printing among predicted tech trends

Consumer privacy, wearables, 3D printing among predicted tech trends
This article highlights technology trends that are expected to continue to gain popularity this year. The list includes the Internet of Things, wearable products, 3-D printing, the continued adoption of smartphones, space tourism and the increased use of robots

Forrester predicts modest growth in IT spending this year

Forrester predicts modest growth in IT spending this year
Economic pressures will continue to weigh on IT in 2014, with growth rates expected to come in below averages from the past two decades, according to analysts, who expect stronger recovery in 2015. Forrester Research predicts global spending on IT to increase 6.2% this year, fueled largely by the U.S., with software and outsourcing seeing the strongest gains. "Beyond 2014, we are expecting a strengthening global economy in 2015 will propel global tech market growth higher across the board, but with software growing at double-digit growth rates for the first time in many years," Forrester's Andrew Bartels wrote in a blog post

Find More Programmers!

Advice to IT Managers: Find More Programmers

As the line between programming and other IT disciplines blur, IT managers must hire or train employees to get the right skill sets.

When I started in technology, there was a clear line between programmers and other IT roles, such as hardware engineers. They were distinct disciplines with their own requirements, and they had separate career paths. Today that’s changing; you can still be a hardware engineer, but more and more IT functions require some familiarity with programming.

 

Whether it’s writing scripts or batch files, IT professionals find it necessary to get familiar with Perl, Java and other software languages. Programming skills are essential as systems become more integrated and automated.

 

While the need for programming is a challenge to IT professionals, it’s also a challenge to management. IT leaders have to find employees with the right mix of skills—and the mindset to continue their education and develop new proficiencies.

 

If the right skill sets aren’t available on the job market (or come at too high a price), organizations can train their existing workforce. Of course, you may be reluctant to train up your staff for fear that these employees will go elsewhere. It’s a legitimate concern, but I always think of this quote whenever I hear such an objection: What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us? What happens if we don’t and they stay?

 

There are plenty of training options available, including online (Code.org is a good place to start) and classroom instruction. Tech conferences can also be valuable. I encourage my own staff to learn new skills by letting them take equipment home so they can build and explore. They seem to enjoy this aspect of training, because they come back to work asking questions and looking for answers on their own.

 

However, one drawback of staff training is that some individuals don’t really know what role they see for themselves in the future in the organization. Do they want to be an engineer? A manager? It’s hard to direct them to training if they don’t have clear path for themselves.

On the hiring side, the best places where I find individuals are job fairs at local colleges, community colleges or other technology organizations. I have hired several individuals from DeVry Institute and highly recommend them—they’ve turned out to be great investments.

In addition to finding (or training) the right staff, IT leaders and managers also have to create a collaborative environment for these employees to work within. Collaboration is a must to manage and maintain all the disparate systems that are required to run the business. We also see trends such as software-defined networking and hybrid clouds where scripting and the ability to integrate different platforms via software are essential.

 

We need more non-programmers to become more familiar with writing software. We also need programmers to get more involved with systems and network management. IT managers should start now to find and develop programming talent. Are you looking for employees with more programming skills? If so, are you hiring, training or both?

 

CompTIA PDI+ Certification Retirement

CompTIA PDI+: January 31, 2014
CompTIA PDI+ Certification Retirement

The CompTIA PDI+ certification (PD0-001) will be retiring  on January 31, 2014. CompTIA will not replace this exam. Anyone studying for the exam is encouraged to complete his/her studies and seek  certification. Any exam vouchers previously purchased for exams not yet  taken will be valid until January 31, 2014. CompTIA PDI+ certifications  will not expire.