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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Oracle VirtualBox Remote Display Server DoS Vulnerability Disclosed by FortiGuard Labs | Fortinet Blog

Oracle VirtualBox is a powerful, freely available Type 2 hypervisor that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris operating systems. It is used in both enterprise and prosumer settings. Although it doesn’t enjoy the enterprise market share of VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, its free availability and flexibility make it a popular choice for test and development environments.
 
Researchers at FortiGuard Labs have discovered a remote denial of service (DoS) vulnerability (CVE-2015-4896) in the VirtualBox Remote Display Server, caused by insufficient validation of a malformed message. This can lead to an unexpected error in the VirtualBox Remote Display Server which can lead to the DoS.


Oracle VirtualBox Remote Display Server DoS Vulnerability Disclosed by FortiGuard Labs | Fortinet Blog

FortiGuard Labs Discloses XSS Vulnerability in MantisBT | Fortinet Blog

MantisBT is an open source issue tracker with nearly 110,000 downloads so far this year from its SourceForge repository. It is known for its ease of use and rapid collaboration capabilities.
 
Researchers with FortiGuard Labs have discovered a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in MantisBT caused by incorrect handling of a specially-crafted request which contains injected script code. This vulnerability could allow remote attackers to launch XSS attack.


FortiGuard Labs Discloses XSS Vulnerability in MantisBT | Fortinet Blog

Friday, October 30, 2015

European Parliament offers support to Edward Snowden

The European Parliament has voted in favour of a resolution that calls on all EU member states to “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties”.
Mr. Snowden, who was described by the parliament as an “international human rights defender”, described the announcement as a “game-changer” on Twitter. He added that this “is not a blow against the US government, but an open hand extended by friends”.


European Parliament offers support to Edward Snowden

Ransomware: To pay or not to pay?

The recommendation by the FBI that victims of ransomware pay up to have their files decrypted created a buzz within IT folks of all kind. It’s time to ask: Should paying the ransom really be considered an option?
Joseph Bonavolonta, an assistant special agent with FBI, speaking at the Cyber Security Summit 2015 in Boston, surprised the audience: “To be honest, we often advise people just to pay the ransom, because the ransomware is that good”, he explained in his presentation.


Ransomware: To pay or not to pay?

Trick or treat? Beware so a ransomware won’t end up between your Halloween sweets

There are many spooky things in this world of ours and Halloween helps to bring them all under the spotlight. Does your biggest fear involve spiders, zombies, ghosts, and horror movies or is it rather something from cyberspace? Many online users would probably opt for the latter – especially if they have had an experience with ransomware.
Why so? Well, it’s down to the particular methods that this type of malware uses when attacking its victims. Honestly, who wouldn’t get spooked by a computer screen suddenly flashing a notice from your local police that your computer contains illegal data, subjecting you to hundreds of dollars in fine? Ok, this could be a bit too obvious …


Trick or treat? Beware so a ransomware won’t end up between your Halloween sweets

Using DroidJack to spy on an Android? Expect a visit from the police

Law enforcement agencies across Europe have searched homes this week, as part of an international crackdown against users of a notorious piece of Android malware known as DroidJack.
Droidjack is a remote access trojan (RAT). If you’re a jealous partner, or thinking of stalking someone’s activity and movements, then DroidJack could be just the ticket – as it allows you to take remote control of someone else’s Android device without them noticing, recording private conversations, reading emails, browser history and text messages, as well as tracking their physical location.


Using DroidJack to spy on an Android? Expect a visit from the police

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Press Release: Michael S. Dell, MSD Partners and Silver Lake Lead Transaction to Combine Dell and EMC, Creating Premier End-to-End Technology Company

Press Release: Michael S. Dell, MSD Partners and Silver Lake Lead Transaction to Combine Dell and EMC, Creating Premier End-to-End Technology Company

Collaborating on Threat Research: What We Learned from the Cyber Threat Alliance CryptoWall v3 Research Project | Fortinet Blog

There is a greater mission on the part of every security vendor to make the world safer and more secure for people to interact, do business, and communicate ideas. 
 
Today is a big day for us. Today the Cyber Threat Alliance, founded May 30, 2014, published its first collaborative research project -- an analysis of the CryptoWall version 3 campaign (learn more about this project here). The CryptoWall research report represents the successful culmination of a big project, a 90-day proof of concept effort among the founding members of the CTA to see what they could achieve if they collaborated on one adversary campaign playbook. 


Collaborating on Threat Research: What We Learned from the Cyber Threat Alliance CryptoWall v3 Research Project | Fortinet Blog

Why the Cyber Threat Alliance And Their CryptoWall V3 Report Matter To You | Fortinet Blog

Not long ago, ransomware was a problem for consumers. Early versions hit unsuspecting users as early as 2005 but, while alarming, weren’t especially difficult to defeat. Even 10 years ago, the enterprise was a very different place than it is today, with BYOD in its infancy and far greater separation between work and personal environments. Ransomware authors also had not really begun to leverage the social engineering tactics that made infection much more likely, even for relatively savvy users.



Why the Cyber Threat Alliance And Their CryptoWall V3 Report Matter To You | Fortinet Blog

Facebook Search FYI Delivers Real Time Public Post Results

According to Facebook, as of June 2015, it had an average of 968 million daily active users. It also recorded more than 1.5 billion searches daily, which has led the company to create a search platform that makes the more than 2 trillion posts it has indexed, more available.
Facebook’s VP of Search, Tom Stocky, recently announced Facebook Search FYI, “Today, we’re updating Facebook Search so that in addition to friends and family, you can find out what the world is saying about topics that matter to you.”


Facebook Search FYI Delivers Real Time Public Post Results

5 Ways to Monetize Your Website When Ad Blockers are Present

If you’re a publisher, then you’re most likely aware that ad blockers are doing some damage to your income. In fact, according to PageFair and Adobe, ad blocking is estimated to cost publishers approximately $22 billion in 2015!
Some publishers are actually paying ad blockers like Adblock Plus to unblock ads. Unfortunately, you probably don’t have the budget like Google, Amazon, or Microsoft to go this route. You may even consider just asking your loyal audience members to allow ads after you bring to their attention how ad blockers can harm your business.


5 Ways to Monetize Your Website When Ad Blockers are Present

Sprint Beats All National Carriers with Unlimited Data for $20/Month; Family Share Plan Customers Now Get to Choose the Best Way to Control Data Costs | Sprint Newsroom

Sprint Beats All National Carriers with Unlimited Data for $20/Month; Family Share Plan Customers Now Get to Choose the Best Way to Control Data Costs | Sprint Newsroom

11-year-old sets up cryptographically secure password business

Even today, so far into the future that the entire Back to the Future franchise is now set in the past, we’re still struggling to come up with kind of unique and uncrackable passwords that this technological and interconnected age demands.
Instead, as a study earlier this year revealed, we’re ever-reliant on the ‘classics’ – popular, predictable passwords that are extremely easy to remember. While certainly convenient, they’re not advisable because as a result of their simplicity, they offer very little by way of security.


11-year-old sets up cryptographically secure password business

The Internet of Things: Groundbreaking tech with security risks

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the latest buzzword taking hold of the technology industry, but what does it mean exactly and how does it impact citizens and businesses? We look into a technology that not only has huge potential but also security pitfalls.



The Internet of Things: Groundbreaking tech with security risks

High Tech Companies Turn to NetSuite to Fuel Business Growth

Workfront, KIXEYE and INXPO Leave Intacct for NetSuite to Gain Agility, Flexibility and Scalability



High Tech Companies Turn to NetSuite to Fuel Business Growth

What the Google Yahoo Deal Means to You - If Anything

Yahoo may be looking for ways to bring in more search revenue as a result of its recent deal with Google, but what does this mean for advertisers? The answer to that question may be mixed.  
Under the Google Yahoo agreement, Google is to provide search result services in addition to search advertisements for Yahoo. Yahoo will get a percentage of the gross revenues generated from Google ads on Yahoo sites. On the other hand, Yahoo will pay a fee to Google whenever it uses Google Web and Image search services.


What the Google Yahoo Deal Means to You - If Anything

Threat Intelligence Sharing At Work: Cyber Threat Alliance Tracks CryptoWall Version 3 | Fortinet Blog

CryptoWall and its variants are among the best-known types of ransomware, malware that encrypts files on end user hard drives and then prompts for payment of a ransom to decrypt the files. In many cases, if users don’t have recent backups, their only option to recover these files is to pay the ransom. 
 
CryptoWall Version 3 (CW3) is the most recent major variant that uses sophisticated backend technical and financial infrastructure to extort payments from users, all while employing a variety of measures to slow detection and prevent tracking of attackers. The security community first discovered CryptoWall in June 2014. Since then, a number of variations of CryptoWall have surfaced. The third variant (version 3) began infecting machines in January 2015. 


Threat Intelligence Sharing At Work: Cyber Threat Alliance Tracks CryptoWall Version 3 | Fortinet Blog

AVT-PR-Avnet, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2016 Results

AVT-PR-Avnet, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2016 Results

The great car hacking debate

When WIRED reported on the live hacking of a Jeep a few months ago, the publication was criticized by some people for sensationalizing the risk of car hacking. That criticism resurfaced recently in a column in Scientific American penned by technology writer David Pogue. As someone who has enjoyed Mr. Pogue’s coverage of technology in the past, I was shocked by, and take issue with, his piece titled “Why Car Hacking Is Nearly Impossible“. I’m also confused as to why Scientific American would publish, without any citations or evidence, the assertion that “remotely hackable cars are still only a hypothetical threat.”



The great car hacking debate

Buffer Social Media Traffic Drops by Half, What Does it Mean?

Buffer, a company considered one of the leaders in social media with a massive presence (think top 1 percent, unicorn status) made a shocking announcement recently.
In an update on the their blog, Buffer author Kevan Lee plainly states, “We as a Buffer marketing team — working on a product that helps people succeed on social media — have yet to figure out how to get things working on Facebook (especially), Twitter, Pinterest, and more.”


Buffer Social Media Traffic Drops by Half, What Does it Mean?

DevCool Joins the Dell Boomi Partner Network | Dell

Dell Software today announced that DevCool, an IT advisor and systems integrator to major healthcare payers and providers, has joined the Dell Boomi Partner Network as a Certified Referral Partner. The partnership enables DevCool customers to leverage the Dell Boomi AtomSphere® integration platform as a service (iPaaS) to accelerate interoperability between cloud and on-premises healthcare applications while controlling costs and managing risk.
The Dell Boomi Partner Program supports a global network of partners who offer Dell Boomi AtomSphere to their customers and then provide deployment and management of the solution.


DevCool Joins the Dell Boomi Partner Network | Dell

Intel® Edison Module Offers Brillo Support at Launch

Intel® Edison Module Offers Brillo Support at Launch

Intel Drives OpenStack Adoption with New Innovation Center and Partner Collaborations

Intel Drives OpenStack Adoption with New Innovation Center and Partner Collaborations

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Mellanox Technologies Executive Officers Adopt 10b5-1 Stock Trading Plans (NASDAQ:MLNX)

SUNNYVALE, Calif. & YOKNEAM, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mellanox® Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX), a leading supplier of high-performance, end-to-end connectivity solutions for data center servers and storage systems, today announced that Eyal Waldman, president and CEO, and Jacob Shulman, chief financial officer, have each adopted a stock trading plan to sell a portion of their ordinary shares of the company in an orderly manner. Each plan adopted is in accordance with the guidelines specified by Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.



Mellanox Technologies Executive Officers Adopt 10b5-1 Stock Trading Plans (NASDAQ:MLNX)

BMC TrueSight Capacity Optimization Certified for Hadoop Big Data Environments

Enables digital enterprises using Cloudera or Hortonworks to optimize Hadoop IT infrastructure resources and investment for Big Data applications



RSS Content - BMC Software

Facebook is ditching its folder for creepy messages - Oct. 28, 2015

Facebook is finally ditching its "other" message folder.



Not sure what that is? You are not alone. Few users were aware of the feature, and even fewer used it. The folder was a kind of black hole for messages typically sent by strangers.



Facebook is ditching its folder for creepy messages - Oct. 28, 2015

Brocade Joins Intel(R) Security Innovation Alliance (NASDAQ:BRCD)

COMPANIES TO INTEGRATE PRODUCTS FOR HIGHLY SECURE, NEW IP NETWORK SOLUTIONS DESIGNED TO COMBAT THREATS FACED BY TODAY'S ENTERPRISES



Brocade Joins Intel(R) Security Innovation Alliance (NASDAQ:BRCD)

Garmin Reports Third Quarter 2015 Results and Affirms Updated Guidance » Garmin News Releases

Schaffhausen, Switzerland / October 28, 2015/ Business Wire -- Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq:  GRMN – News) today announced results for the quarter ended September 26, 2015. 



Garmin Reports Third Quarter 2015 Results and Affirms Updated Guidance » Garmin News Releases

Create a Server in Minutes

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Dell launches Statistica Free Academic Program and unveils results of new security survey conducted | Dell

Today at EDUCAUSE 2015Dell announced the Dell Statistica Free Academic Program, a free version of its award-winning Statistica advanced analytics software now available to all U.S. college students and professors, to help boost interest in and preparedness for data analytics careers. Also at EDUCAUSE, Dell unveiled new security survey results showing that cybersecurity ranks as the number one concern among higher education IT professionals. To help the education community learn about cybersecurity issues and how best to protect against them, Dell will highlight the new survey findings at an EDUCAUSE session led by Dell customer Pepperdine University CISO.



Dell launches Statistica Free Academic Program and unveils results of new security survey conducted | Dell

Yale-NUS College Taps Red Hat and Dell for Software-defined Datacenter | Dell

Yale-NUS College deploys enterprise-grade OpenStack solutions, co-engineered by Red Hat and Dell, to create hybrid cloud infrastructure, reduces application deployment time by 80 percentRed Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, and Dell today announced that Yale-NUS College, Singapore's first liberal arts college, has created a hybrid cloud – one of the region's first – based on Red Hat and Dell solutions. With Red Hat Cloud Infrastructure, a comprehensive solution that supports organizations on their journey from traditional datacenter virtualization to OpenStack-powered clouds – running on a certified platform of Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell Networking, Yale-NUS College has created a hybrid cloud platform to gives its researchers, students and administrators access to automated, self-service processes for server requests and enable faster deployment.



Yale-NUS College Taps Red Hat and Dell for Software-defined Datacenter | Dell

Microsoft Adds New Warranty and Trade-In Program for Surface

Microsoft’s new Surface devices seem to be hitting it off with business customers.
The company claims it has seen unprecedented interest with this generation than any before it, including many early adopters. So, to further this momentum, Microsoft is adding a new Surface warranty and trade-in program.


Microsoft Adds New Warranty and Trade-In Program for Surface

Wipro Taps IBM Bluemix to Speed Development of Mobile, Analytics Apps

From IBM:

Wipro Taps IBM Bluemix to Speed Development of Mobile, Analytics Apps

15,000 Wipro developers in 58 countries will leverage IBM Bluemix to enable customers with accelerated application deployment
ARMONK, NY and BANGALORE, India - 23 Oct 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT), a global information technology, consulting and business process services company today announced a collaboration in which Wipro will use the IBM Bluemix cloud development platform for the agile creation and deployment of mobile, analytics and machine learning solutions for clients around the world. As part of the effort, Wipro has committed to train and engage 15,000 of its developers on the platform through a massive online open course across 58 countries. This team of developers will leverage Bluemix as a development platform, resulting in the introduction of new value-added services for the customers of Wipro through Wipro Analyticssolutions. 
Bluemix leverages open technologies to give developers greater scalability and flexibility to build, deploy and manage cloud applications quickly and easily.
Wipro is already investing in solutions onboarding on the Bluemix platform. These include the Data Discovery Platform, an integrated solution capturing and managing data to generate actionable insights through advanced analytics; Big Data Ready Enterprise which optimizes and integrates various big data solutions; and Wipro Apollo, an anomaly detection platform for fraud, risk and compliance.
Wipro will leverage more than 100 services through IBM’s public Bluemix catalog as well asBluemix Dedicated – a private-cloud version that developers can use to build apps involving sensitive data. With a growing list of demands for scalability, security and capacity, IBM will tap into Wipro’s global talent pool to accelerate the release of new Bluemix features.
“Today’s  developers  need to quickly collect, analyze and make sense of massive data sets in ways that haven’t been possible before in advanced analytics development practices,” said Robert LeBlanc, Senior Vice President, IBM Cloud. “The synergies that are created as a result of this collaboration will create competitive advantages for our customers by helping them leverage the IBM Cloud to speed data analysis, speed application deployment and speed time to market for their products and services.”  
Wipro and IBM will also host Wipro’s developers and customers at IBM’s Bluemix Garages in London, San Francisco or Toronto, where they will have an opportunity to learn agile development practices in a startup atmosphere. These garages serve as central locations for developers, product managers and designers from startups to enterprises to collaborate and learn from each other as they build cloud applications alongside Wipro developers using Bluemix.
“Wipro’s objective is to be a premium partner to its customers and an industry technology leader through our expertise in Analytics Transformation,” said Jeff Heenan-Jalil, Senior Vice President - Analytics, Wipro Ltd. “This agreement with IBM provides a platform where Wipro can provide greater value to our clients.”
IBM launched Bluemix with a $1 billion investment in 2014, maturing quickly to become the largest Cloud Foundry deployment in the world. The developer-friendly platform provides access to over 120 tools as well as the services of the most prominent open-source technologies combined with IBM and third-party services, allowing developers to focus all of their energy on the creation of enterprise class cloud applications at consumer scale.
About Wipro Ltd.
Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT) is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Business Process Services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of “Business through Technology” - helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner’s approach to delivering innovation, and an organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro has a workforce of over 150,000, serving clients in 175+ cities across 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.wipro.com.
About IBM Cloud
For more information on IBM Cloud visit: www.ibm.com/cloud-computing.
###
Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements
Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

IBM Launches Data Exchange to Empower Marketers to Engage Customers in the Moment

From IBM:


IBM Launches Data Exchange to Empower Marketers to Engage Customers in the Moment

Easily act on data across MediaMath, Spredfast, MutualMind, SugarCRM, Exchange Solutions and Others
Armonk, NY - 22 Oct 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it is empowering marketers to easily deliver personalized experiences based on customers' behaviors and preferences. IBMUniversal Behavior Exchange, a key component of IBM Marketing Cloud, allows marketers to easily connect data across their solutions to help them better understand and engage with their customers in the moment. 
As customer expectations have increased so has the complexity of the marketing environment – more channels, more devices, more solutions and more data. In some companies, marketers are working with more than 30 different systems. The ability to easily connect the data stored in these solutions is key to delivering exceptional experiences across the buyer journey. IBM Universal Behavior Exchange, a cloud based service, allows marketers to easily connect data across their solutions helping them create more personalized and relevant interactions. Insights generated from the exchange will help marketers drive more effective campaigns on Facebook and across the Web.
"On a daily basis, our marketing systems process countless customer data points, including visitor preferences on exhibits and special events," said Rosie Judd, Director of Digital Media for Georgia Aquarium. "With this launch, we see how IBM is addressing the industry pain point of collecting and analyzing this customer data, and ultimately helping small marketing teams such as Georgia Aquarium's, be more efficient and stay focused on customer-centric campaigns that deliver memorable experiences."
UBX is supported by an open ecosystem of certified partners that include social, mobile, CRM and paid advertising solutions. At launch, this ecosystem includes leaders such as MediaMath, Spredfast, MutualMind, SugarCRM and Exchange Solutions.
"IBM is making it simpler for brands to better understand how their customers prefer to engage," Mike Lamb, President, Commercial, MediaMath.  "We see the opportunity in connecting advertiser data to other channels to create more timely and relevant interactions. It's this level of collaboration with IBM that demonstrates a major step towards true customer-centric marketing."

The Universal Behavior Exchange increases marketing agility with the following benefits:
  • Click-to-connect integration that makes it easier for marketers to access and leverage customer data across all of their solutions
  • A pre-integrated partner network which enables quick and seamless integration with a wide range customer behavior, event and audience data across paid, owned and earned channels
  • The ability to transform customer behaviors into highly personalized interactions, delivering a consistent experience across all channels
"The challenge marketers face today is the ability to deliver at scale customer experiences that are timely and relevant,” said Deepak Advani, general manager, IBM Commerce. "Today’s launch is addressing this by removing a key pain point for marketers around data integration to free them up to deliver the more innovative and meaningful experiences that consumers demand.”

For more information about IBM Universal Behavior Exchange, please click here.
About IBM Commerce
IBM Commerce helps marketers, merchandisers and e-commerce professionals understand customer behavior and use insights to help deliver highly personalized and relevant experiences at every touch point. For more information on IBM Commerce, please click here

Swiss Re to work with IBM Watson to harness the power of Big Data for Reinsurance

From IBM:


Swiss Re to work with IBM Watson to harness the power of Big Data for Reinsurance

NEW YORK CITY and ZURICH - 22 Oct 2015: Swiss Re and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that they are developing a range of underwriting solutions that rely on IBM Watson'scognitive computing technologies. One of the first applications will be in Swiss Re's Life & Health Reinsurance business unit.
To compete successfully and profitably, insurers must identify and act on emerging trends. In addition, insurers need the ability to spot operational issues or opportunities in real time and respond proactively. Cognitive technologies, coupled with human experience and insights, can enhance and help inform timely decision making. By applying Watson’s capabilities, the new platform could allow Swiss Re professionals to make better informed decisions and more accurately price risk.
Thomas Wellauer, Swiss Re's Group Chief Operating Officer, says: "Systems like cognitive computing can continuously read the ever growing amount of information while helping us connect the dots and making it easier to interpret that information in the right context. Swiss Re and IBM are collaborating to establish a vision for cognitive computing at Swiss Re and the wider insurance industry."
The project is yet another new industry domain for IBM’s Watson, a technology that represents a new era in computing in which systems are able to analyze and process vast amounts of unstructured data, quickly surface insights and continuously learn from their interactions with humans and data. Delivered via the cloud, Watson’s key underlying technologies are deep learning and natural language processing, the latter of which allows for humans to ask questions and interact with the system as they would a colleague.
Mike Rhodin, IBM Watson's Senior Vice President, says: "We are continuously looking for clients who can help us train Watson on new industries. Swiss Re's strong heritage of leadership in reinsurance, their global reach and breadth of data across several areas of the industry, combined with Watson's ability to learn and provide insights into vast amounts of data, make this a particularly exciting venture."
As part of the initiative Swiss Re has also set up a Center of Competence where a group of data scientists will work with IBM's cognitive computing technology to explore and deliver a wide range of use cases. Other examples of such cognitive underwriting could follow as Swiss Re and IBM work to develop a range of solutions across various sectors of the reinsurance industry that could benefit from cognitive computing.
IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing
Watson is the first open cognitive computing technology platform and represents a new era in computing where systems understand the world in the way that humans do: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time, from previous interactions. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges.
To advance Watson, IBM has two dedicated business units: Watson, established for the development of cloud-delivered cognitive computing technologies that represent the commercialization of "artificial intelligence" or "AI" across a variety of industries, and Watson Health, dedicated to improving the ability of doctors, researchers and insurers and other related health organizations to surface new insights from data to and deliver personalized healthcare.
For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson and ibm.com/press/watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson.
Swiss Re
The Swiss Re Group is a leading wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer. Dealing direct and working through brokers, its global client base consists of insurance companies, mid-to-large-sized corporations and public sector clients. From standard products to tailor-made coverage across all lines of business, Swiss Re deploys its capital strength, expertise and innovation power to enable the risk-taking upon which enterprise and progress in society depend. Founded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1863, Swiss Re serves clients through a network of about 70 offices globally and is rated "AA-" by Standard & Poor's, "Aa3" by Moody's and "A+" by A.M. Best. Registered shares in the Swiss Re Group holding company, Swiss Re Ltd, are listed in accordance with the International Reporting Standard on the SIX Swiss Exchange and trade under the symbol SREN. For more information about Swiss Re Group, please visit: www.swissre.com or follow us on Twitter @SwissRe.
Cautionary note on forward-looking statements
Certain statements and illustrations contained herein are forward-looking. These statements (including as to plans, objectives, targets, and trends) and illustrations provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to a historical fact or current fact.
Forward-looking statements typically are identified by words or phrases such as “anticipate”, “assume”, “believe”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “foresee”, “intend”, “may increase”, “may fluctuate” and similar expressions, or by future or conditional verbs such as “will”, “should”, “would” and “could”. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the Group’s actual results of operations, financial condition, solvency ratios, capital or liquidity positions or prospects to be materially different from any future results of operations, financial condition, solvency ratios, capital or liquidity positions or prospects expressed or implied by such statements or cause Swiss Re to not achieve its published targets. Such factors include, among others:
  • instability affecting the global financial system and developments related thereto;
  • deterioration in global economic conditions;
  • the Group’s ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and access to capital markets, including sufficient liquidity to cover potential recapture of reinsurance agreements, early calls of debt or debt-like arrangements and collateral calls due to actual or perceived deterioration of the Group’s financial strength or otherwise;
  • the effect of market conditions, including the global equity and credit markets, and the level and volatility of equity prices, interest rates, credit spreads, currency values and other market indices, on the Group’s investment assets;
  • changes in the Group’s investment result as a result of changes in its investment policy or the changed composition of its investment assets, and the impact of the timing of any such changes relative to changes in market conditions;
  • uncertainties in valuing credit default swaps and other credit-related instruments;
  • possible inability to realise amounts on sales of securities on the Group’s balance sheet equivalent to their mark-to-market values recorded for accounting purposes;
  • the outcome of tax audits, the ability to realise tax loss carryforwards and the ability to realise deferred tax assets (including by reason of the mix of earnings in a jurisdiction or deemed change of control), which could negatively impact future earnings;
  • the possibility that the Group’s hedging arrangements may not be effective;
  • the lowering or loss of one of the financial strength or other ratings of one or more Swiss Re companies, and developments adversely affecting the Group’s ability to achieve improved ratings;
  • the cyclicality of the reinsurance industry;
  • uncertainties in estimating reserves;
  • uncertainties in estimating future claims for purposes of financial reporting, particularly with respect to large natural catastrophes, as significant uncertainties may be involved in estimating losses from such events and preliminary estimates may be subject to change as new information becomes available;
  • the frequency, severity and development of insured claim events;
  • acts of terrorism and acts of war;
  • mortality, morbidity and longevity experience;
  • policy renewal and lapse rates;
  • extraordinary events affecting the Group’s clients and other counterparties, such as bankruptcies, liquidations and other credit-related events;
  • current, pending and future legislation and regulation affecting the Group or its ceding companies and the interpretation of legislation or regulations;
  • legal actions or regulatory investigations or actions, including those in respect of industry requirements or business conduct rules of general applicability;
  • changes in accounting standards;
  • significant investments, acquisitions or dispositions, and any delays, unexpected costs or other issues experienced in connection with any such transactions;
  • changing levels of competition; and
  • operational factors, including the efficacy of risk management and other internal procedures in managing the foregoing risks.
These factors are not exhaustive. The Group operates in a continually changing environment and new risks emerge continually. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Swiss Re undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This communication is not intended to be a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and does not constitute an offer for the sale of, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in any jurisdiction, including the United States. Any such offer will only be made by means of a prospectus or offering memorandum, and in compliance with applicable securities laws.

IBM News room - 2015-10-22 IBM, UK STFC Hartree Centre, NVIDIA and Mellanox Launch High Performance Computing POWER Acceleration and Design Center for Business - United States

Daresbury, UK - 22 Oct 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM), in collaboration with NVIDIA and Mellanox, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Hartree Centre today announced plans for the UK's first POWER Acceleration and Design Center (PADC) designed to help UK businesses exploit high performance computing on OpenPOWER systems for Modelling & Simulation and Big Data Analytics.



IBM News room - 2015-10-22 IBM, UK STFC Hartree Centre, NVIDIA and Mellanox Launch High Performance Computing POWER Acceleration and Design Center for Business - United States

New Zealand App Developer Overhauls Emergency Alert System on IBM Cloud

From IBM:


New Zealand App Developer Overhauls Emergency Alert System on IBM Cloud

CLOUD M migrates innovative public safety alert system to IBM Cloud for greater performance and reliability, to keep Aucklanders better informed, safe and connected
ARMONK, NY - 21 Oct 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that New Zealand-based application developer and emergency network provider, CLOUD M, has migrated its emergency alert tools and system to IBM Cloud for greater reliability and performance.
Auckland-based, CLOUD M, founded in 2011, develops and manages the cloud-based Alerter emergency communications system. Through an easy to use mobile app, a simple web interface and backend database and distribution system, Alerter enables government agencies, communities and families to broadcast emergency updates in real-time, to help people coordinate responses to avoid harm, and establish recovery plans. Audio and visual alerts can be sent to emails, text addresses, smartphones or social networks.
After encountering increasing reliability and performance issues with its cloud network provider, CLOUD M turned to IBM for assistance through the company’s Global Entrepreneur Program. Through that partnership, CLOUD M learned of and adopted SoftLayer as its Infrastructure as a Service. Since then the company has seen a 50% increase in performance for Alerter, from hours to minutes.
Auckland’s Civil Defense & Emergency Management (CDEM) deployed Alerter in 2012. Up till then, the department had used an outdated process that called for sending emergency information in press releases and emails to local civil defense groups and the media for disseminating. Those groups would alert citizens through sirens or TV and radio bulletins.
With Alerter’s increased performance on IBM Cloud, CDEM can now broadcast alerts and safety information to subscribers’ smartphones with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
“When you’re in the emergency alert business, seconds matter,” said Richard Gill, CLOUD M CEO and founder. “What we have now with the IBM Cloud infrastructure is a stable, always-on system that lets our software do its job for people in trouble.”
About CLOUD M
CLOUD M is a leader in cloud-based mobile safety apps. Its Blerter system is a social-network style system used by organizations in high-risk industries to keep their workforce safe and engage their sub-contractor supply chain. Its Alerter product is used by government emergency management agencies for enhancing public safety communications.
About IBM Cloud
For more information on IBM Cloud visit: www.ibm.com/cloud-computing.