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This isn't the last we've heard of Samsung buying BlackBerry
How does that old song go? Everything old is new again? I'm reminded of it every time Samsung and BlackBerry get wrapped up in some will-they-won't-they acquisition intrigue like they did on Wednesday. In case you somehow missed all the fun, Reuters reported that Samsung offered a cool $7.5 billion to BlackBerry as part of a potential buyout deal. In the hours that followed, BlackBerry balked, Samsung shot the notion down and investor hope -- seen in the form of surging BBRY stock prices -- all but evaporated.
Windows 10's app store will be workplace-friendly
If you use a Windows 8 PC, you've probably noticed that the Windows Store is built for home use; you'll find serious tools like Office, but it's not really meant for work. That's going to change in a big, big way with Windows 10. Microsoft has revealed that its future software will let your workplace offer a customized version of the Windows Store that includes both in-house apps and approved public apps. Your IT managers will have a much easier time behind the scenes, too -- they'll have a web-based tool that lets them easily assign apps and manage updates. No, you probably won't get to install games on your office PC, but this means that your company is less likely to cling to an ancient version of Windows just because it wants more control over the tools you use. If nothing else, it'll make the daily grind a little more bearable.
IBM's new email app learns your habits to help get things done
Email can be overwhelming, especially at work; it can take a while to get back to an important conversation or project. IBM clearly knows how bad that deluge can be, though, since its new Verse email client is built to eliminate as much clutter as possible. The app learns your habits and puts the highest-priority people and tasks at the top level. You'll know if a key team member emailed you during lunch, or that you have a meeting in 10 minutes. Verse also puts a much heavier emphasis on collaboration and search. It's easier to find a particular file, message or topic, and there will even be a future option to get answers from a Watson thinking supercomputer -- you may get insights without having to speak to a colleague across the hall.
Chartcube turns spreadsheets into stories and conversations
Spreadsheets are invaluable tools for sharing, explaining, and quantifying information, but they're a pain to present to other people. If you want to share data from an Excel document during a presentation, you usually have to cut and paste charts from Excel into Powerpoint, which limits exactly which data points you can show. Chartcube, a startup from former execs from Evernote and eBay, has a better way. Chartcube takes the data from your Excel worksheets, and creates an easily navigable "cube" on your iPad that shows different combinations of charts from the data with simple swipes of your finger. The end result is powerful and fun to use, making telling the story of your data a breeze. Swiping left or right allows you to flip through your various metrics. Swiping up or down flips through those metrics' grouping. The app also allows you to switch between how your data is summarized, including Sum, Count, and Average. Cubes can be shared with other users, who can add comments, questions, and notes. Information can be quickly imported via the Mail app or integration with Dropbox, and the app comes with AirPlay support for giving public presentations or simply viewing your data on a larger screen. Currently Chartcube is only available for iPad, but iPhone and Android versions are on their way within the next 12 months. Chartcube plans on using the same freemium model that has proven successful for businesses like Evernote, with enterprise options in the pipeline for the future. As for now, the company says they're simply focused on seeing how people respond to the app. Having used Chartcube for a few weeks now, the app's strengths are clear after a few minutes of use. Sorting data for presentations is easy, allowing you to answer any questions someone might have about your data with a clear visual representation without having to create a specific chart just for them. The cube already has that chart, you just have to learn how to find it. The learning curve isn't steep, but we recommend using the included Excel document as a tutorial a few times before you try Chartcube in a business meeting. If you regularly use spreadsheets during meetings, Chartcube may just become your next Evernote, an app you didn't know you needed until it was there. You can see a video of Chartcube in action below. It is currently available for free in the iTunes Store.
8TB hard drives have arrived
We're sorry to break the bad news, but that 5TB hard drive you bought last week? Yeah, it's already obsolete. Seagate has started shipping the first-ever 8TB desktop hard disk, doubling the 4TB capacities that seemed huge just a couple of years ago. If it's any consolation, though, this machinery isn't ready to go inside your hot gaming PC. Right now, all those terabytes are destined for data centers where capacity trumps every other concern; Seagate isn't mentioning prices, but enterprise-class storage is rarely cheap. You may want to set aside some money all the same. These extra-roomy drives have a tendency to filter down to the mainstream pretty quickly, so you may soon have more free disk space than you know what to do with... at least, for a little while.
Why the Mac was left out of Apple and IBM's landmark agreement
Fredrick Paul of Network World last week wrote that the conspicuous absence of the Mac from Apple and IBM's landmark partnership agreement represents a huge squandered opportunity for Apple. At the same time, leaving the Mac out of the IBM/Apple partnership removes the pressure on Microsoft's core Windows business. As long as Windows remains the desktop standard for corporate America, Microsoft will still be able to fund its war chest for assaults on the mobile market. A similar IBM/Apple alliance to push Macs into the enterprise would have been truly frightening for Microsoft. As it is, Redmond will have to fight a little harder to make itself relevant on mobile devices, but its home planet is not being threatened. While this line of reasoning carries some weight at first glance, Apple focusing solely on iOS makes perfect sense for a number of reasons. From a broad perspective, the real opportunities for growth lie in mobile, not desktop, computing. This is as apt for the consumer market as it is for the enterprise. And though pushing iOS deeper into the enterprise may not have a titanic impact on Apple's bottom line, a mobile oriented strategy has much more of an upside than one focused on Macs. But couldn't Apple focus on both mobile and Macs? Sure, but instead of fighting against an entrenched Microsoft position, a mobile-only strategy enables Apple to shift the battle to an area where they have the upper hand. With Tim Cook recently claiming that "laptops still outnumber tablet computers three-to-one in business environments", there are two approaches Apple could take to get further into the enterprise. It could try to convert those laptops to Macs (a tough sell), or it can try to convert those laptops into iPads (a much easier sell in an increasingly mobile world). As Paul mentions, Windows remains the desktop standard for corporate America. Fighting that battle would be an uphill and likely futile struggle to say the least. In the realm of tablets, however, Apple has the advantage, which is why playing up the transition from desktops to tablets is a shrewd strategic move. In other words, Apple is able to deftly switch the conversation from "Mac or PC" to "PC or mobile device". Also worth noting is that PC growth is contracting as mobile devices continue to grow in popularity. From that vantage point, Apple likely views a fight for desktop supremacy in the enterprise as a battle not worth fighting, and likely unwinnable to boot. Indeed, Tim Cook explained not too long ago that "the innovation [of the PC market] has moved to tablets and smartphones. Put simply, the recent IBM deal represents Apple playing to its strengths and focusing on where the money is. As the chart below indicates (taken from Apple's 2013 holiday quarter), the vast majority of Apple's revenue comes from iOS sales.
Apple and IBM team up to put more iOS devices in the workplace
If you had any lingering notions that Apple and IBM were still bitter arch-rivals, they just got swept away. The two companies have just launched a partnership that could give iPads and iPhones a much larger presence in the workaday world. IBM has agreed to develop over 100 enterprise-grade apps solely for iOS, along with iOS-focused cloud services; it will also sell Apple's mobile gear as part of its larger solutions, and it's even handling on-site support. Apple, meanwhile, is offering a special business-friendly support plan.
VMware releases survey on the "Apple Enterprise Invasion"
Today VMware announced the results of a company commissioned survey of 376 IT professionals to access the current state of enterprise desktops. The survey was conducted by Dimensional Research with the goal of capturing hard data on Apple device usage in the workplace, and to quantify the enterprise readiness of Macs. The results of the report, titled "The Apple Enterprise Invasion," shows that Windows is no longer the platform of choice in the enterprise, with users overwhelmingly preferring Macs. User preference is the top reason given by IT administrators as to why their organization supports Macs with 73 percent of IT administrators identifying it as the main driver. There is still progress to be made however when it comes to Mac's enterprise future. 64 percent of surveyed IT administrators said that only some or none of their enterprise applications were currently ready to run on Macs. One possible solution presented by the VMware survey is a virtual desktop which could bridge the gap between Linux PC, Mac, and Windows PCs. 91 percent of surveyed IT administrators stated such a set up would be valuable to their jobs. You can read all of VMware's survey over at their blog.
BlackBerry launches BBM Protected, bringing secure IM to the enterprise crowd
While BlackBerry has traditionally been a favorite among business users, Android and iOS have made significant inroads into the enterprise area in the past few years -- bad news for a company that's already been struggling this year. The BBM maker is still in the game, though, having just launched a product aimed at its base of government, insurance and banking customers: BBM Protected, the first piece of its eBBM suite. The "e," of course, stands for enterprise, and the BBM Protected app lets BlackBerry owners instant-message with several layers of encryption to protect sensitive data.
OnLive is giving enterprise cloud services one more try
Stop us if this sounds familiar: after successfully launching and new a video game service, a growing cloud computing firm looks to the business sector to expand its customer base. Oh, you've heard this one? That's because OnLive is retracing its steps, following up its CloudLift gaming service (announced back in March) with an enterprise-focused counterpart. Onlive's CloudLift Enterprise is built on the same promise as its older OnLive Desktop service: your work on any device at any time -- but now it's offering its customers a bit more than a virtualized desktop.
Apple is becoming an increasingly major player in enterprise
The sun has long since set on the days of enterprise users walking around with BlackBerry smartphones on their hips, but what is taking the place of those keyboard-clad handsets? According to a new report soon to be released by Apple-focused IT management app maker JAMF Software (publisher of Casper Suite), the number of businesses answering that question with "Apple" is larger than ever before. The small-sample study polled 309 IT professionals about Apple device usage within their walls. Their findings show that Apple is making huge gains in enterprise adoption, with over 90% of businesses polled supporting one or more Apple devices for employees. A full 98% expect the use of Apple devices in their businesses to grow even more over the next three years. The data points to a huge spike in Apple enterprise usage, with use of devices like the iPhone and iPad more than doubling in the past three years. The appeal of Apple's gadgets is a huge factor in this upswing, with 78% of respondents stating user preference was a factor in their company choosing to support Apple hardware. On the other side of the coin, the majority of IT professionals polled say that they're not very confident in the tools they have to manage Apple devices in their companies. This is of course great news for JAMF, as the company is in the business of helping organizations adopt Apple devices for business use, but it also shows that the desire for shiny new Apple gadgets is outpacing many companies' ability to adapt to the changing tide. Other players in the cross-platform IT management space like Absolute, IBM Tivoli, Cisco Meraki, VMware's AirWatch and HP OpenView are also supporting the increased demand for Apple in the enterprise -- and Apple's MDM hooks are improving to make the job easier. It's clear at this point that the iPhone and iPad aren't going anywhere, so Apple's growing role in enterprise doesn't seem to be at risk of being a flash in the pan. At the same time, companies looking to fit Apple devices into their systems run the risk of being unprepared for the venture, which isn't ideal for anyone involved. The real takeaway here -- aside from Apple continuing to gain important traction with businesses -- is that a great end-user experience is dependent on IT experts having a handle on Apple's devices and management tools before their company springs for thousands of company-owned iPhones. It seems like a no brainer, but the numbers show that it's a problem yet to be adequately addressed by many businesses. [Photo credit: Cristiano Betta]
Philips' new LED bulbs are powered over Ethernet, provide occupancy and climate info to office managers
Get ready for a whole new generation of connected lightbulbs. Philips latest concept replaces an office's traditional electrical wiring with Ethernet, used to power LED bulbs and pass info to and from each lamp. Each fixture outputs light, but also collects information from a variety of sensors. A motion sensor can track the number of employees in a given area, for example, while a thermometer can report back on the current temperature. Facility managers can track any section of the office in realtime, adjusting lighting and heating from a smartphone app to save on utilities whenever possible. Of course, as you'll need to replace traditional cabling with Ethernet, the installation itself is sure to cost a pretty penny. Philips quotes a 50-percent reduction in installation costs for PoE over traditional wiring with new installations, however, so if you're planning to refurbish an office this is definitely an interesting option to consider.
The next version of Android could be truly business-friendly
Android has a lot of market share, but it doesn't have a big footprint in the corporate world; outside of special efforts like Samsung's Knox, the OS isn't well-suited to business demands. All that may change in the near future, though, as The Information's sources claim that the next major Android release will place a much stronger emphasis on office-grade security. The new OS will reportedly allow apps that require their own authentication (including biometrics), as well as data storage on secure chips. It should also offer better remote management controls. If the rumor is accurate, we may not have long to wait to see these suit-and-tie features -- Google could unveil them at its I/O conference in late June.
Apple is getting serious about enterprise solutions for iOS
After years of meager services, iOS 7 marked Apple's return to providing serious mobile enterprise solutions for businesses. Utilizing a wide range of options and mobile device management (MDM) services, iOS 7 can help, whether your office provides company phones or employees use their own. The MDM service allows IT departments to control settings, app installations and policies for a device remotely. Workers who bring their own devices can self-enroll in the MDM program by accepting the MDM installation profile already on their phone. Under MDM, IT can enroll devices in enterprise services (include Microsoft's), update settings, monitor compliance with corporate policies, and remotely wipe or lock lost devices. One of the major issues that comes with employees utilizing their own iOS devices is the security and privacy of both parties. Businesses can protect communications via managed apps with specific VPNs. Confidential messages are sent utilizing these IT-approved apps and authenticated using a secured VPN client to securely connect to Cisco IPSec, L2TP, and PPTP VPN. Employees worried about their personal security can rest easy. Personal and corporate data are stored separately from one another, with IT departments only gaining access to specifically managed apps. This lets you keep your personal privacy on Facebook even while working within an enterprise setting. Apple is offering volume purchasing for businesses, allowing for the apps and books to be purchased and pushed to every device using the MDM service. IT departments can even develop their own custom apps specifically for their employee's needs. The company created a special page highlighting how various organizations from PespiCo to the Mayo Clinic have implemented MDM and iOS' new enterprise options into their own day to day operations. You can view these video profiles directly at Apple's site.
Samsung unveils Knox 2.0, lets users run Google Play apps even more securely
Exactly a year to the day after it first announced its Knox security solution, Samsung's returned to Mobile World Congress with news that it's making it even easier to secure and manage Galaxy devices. With the launch of Knox 2.0 today, Samsung's changed the way the platform handles Google Play apps, digitally securing their data without the need to run them in a dedicated Knox workspace. Before, personal- and work-related apps were separated, but Samsung says "most" Google Play apps can now live in Samsung's secure world. It's certainly serious about its new features, as CEO JK Shin popped up at the event to drive home Samsung's desire to nail the enterprise market. Samsung wants more secure apps across the board, so it's also launching Knox Marketplace, a dedicated cloud-based app store that lets tech managers grab apps and install them on all employee phones with a few clicks of a button. Box and GoToMeeting are already on board, and there are plenty of enterprise companies already working to make their apps available. Samsung tells us that the new features will begin rolling out in the second quarter, and it'll come pre-installed on the newly unveiled Galaxy S5. First-generation Knox users will get an upgrade to the new version as soon as their devices get an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat -- whenever that may be. Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Citrix announces DesktopPlayer for Mac, bringing Windows virtual desktops to MacBook users
One challenge for enterprise IT departments embracing "bring your own device" (BYOD) schemes is that they lose control of the highly controlled managed desktop environments that they've created over the years. This is especially true when employees decide that their device of choice is going to be a MacBook... Citrix today announced a solution that will make both employees and IT departments happy -- Citrix DesktopPlayer for Mac. For many enterprises, Citrix XenDesktop provides a way to create standard cloud-based desktop images complete with operating system, productivity apps like Microsoft Office, policy controls and proprietary applications, and then distribute those images to networked employees. Any changes that need to be made to the image go through a rigorous test, and then the revised image is pushed to employee PCs. What Citrix Desktop Player brings to MacBook users is a way to use the same Windows virtual desktop images on their devices, even when there's no network availability. While the base OS X load on the MacBook remains under the control of the employee, the enterprise gains control of the virtual desktop. According to Citrix, an IT department can "prevent access to, expire or even remotely wipe local virtual desktops in the event of device loss, theft or when an employee or contractor leaves the company." DesktopPlayer comes from Citrix at the right time -- the company cites information from Forrester Research showing by 2016, the number of employees using their own laptop or tablet will double. Citrix did its own survey and found that BYO MacBooks will grow from a present level of 5 percent of employee base in enterprises to 16 percent by 2016. DesktopPlayer is available as a XenDesktop FlexCast add-on at US$75 per user/per device. The company has a 90-day free trial available that can be used with Synchronizer to manage up to 10 MacBook Pro or MacBook Air laptops.
Fedora 20 targets enterprise and mobile with improved ARM and virtual machine support
On both desktops and servers, Fedora has seen popularity slip behind relative Linux new comers like Ubuntu and Mint. But Red Hat knows its strength lies in the enterprise, where its impressive security features have found love in the arms of sysadmins all over the globe. While we wouldn't say the release of version 20 (Heisenbug) is putting it ahead of the curve, it's certainly a valiant effort to future-proof the distribution. As the world preps for an explosion of ARM-powered servers, Fedora is finally adding support for the RISC-based processors to it's official channels. Until now support for ARM chips has been provided by unofficial community developers. Going forward, ARM will receive the same level of support that x86 chips from the likes of Intel and AMD have enjoyed for years. It also preps the distro for a market flooded mobile devices that emphasize form factor and battery life over raw processing power. In another nod to its business customers, the OS has greatly improved virtualization support through both a new visual interface and the addition of virtual images crafted specifically for cloud computing services like Amazon Web Services and OpenStack. There, of course, are updates to desktop environments like GNOME and KDE, too for those more likely to install it on a home PC. Whether you're setting up an ARM server or just appreciate Red Hat's nod to Breaking Bad, you'll find full details of the Heisenbug upgrade at the source links.
With BlackBerry floundering, iPad is there to pick up the enterprise pieces
Historically, Apple has never been, nor has it ever wanted to be, an enterprise driven company. Indeed, Steve Jobs never preoccupied himself with selling to the enterprise, and stories abound regarding his distaste for CIOs. Nonetheless, both Apple's iPhone and iPad have made tremendous inroads into the enterprise world over the past few years. Looking ahead, this trend is likely to become even more pronounced now that BlackBerry, despite all attempts to revive the once great company, appears to be circling the drain. As it stands now, nearly 94% of Fortune 500 companies are either using or testing iPads. AllThingsD reports: For a product so young, that's impressive enterprise penetration. And it should become more so in the year ahead. This according to Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair, who said he has seen big gains for the iPad in business over the last few months. The reasons? BlackBerry's collapse and Android's failure to gain meaningful traction in the enterprise space. Blair theorizes that BlackBerry's ill-starred attempt to sell itself inflamed concerns about the future viability of the company's platform, and gave corporations good reason to migrate their employees to other devices. That opened up a significant opportunity for Apple - particularly since Android continues to struggle for gains in enterprise. Blair explains that while Android may be more popular than iOS on a marketshare basis, IT managers are, by and large, still more likely to choose iOS. Blair also adds that he has seen "tremendous momentum for iPad in the enterprise over the last few months." On a related note, and in yet another example illustrating this changing of the enterprise guard, we recently reported that Pfizer's 90,000-strong workforce will soon be transitioning away from BlackBerry in favor of iOS and Android devices.
Sears to convert old Auto Centers into... Data Centers?
You can buy pretty much anything from Sears, but we doubt it's your first-choice destination for server capacity. That's likely to change if Ubiquity Critical Environments, the company's IT infrastructure arm, gets its way. The outfit is considering turning old Sears Auto Centers into server farms that'll offer services to mission-critical IT projects for enterprise customers. Guess it's high time we learned how to do our own oil changes.
First helium-filled 6TB hard drive launched, just not for you
At first glance, an enterprise-class hard drive with unparalleled areal density sounds like a pretty dull affair, right? While the new Ultrastar He6 drive from Western Digital's HGST subsidiary does fit that nap-inducing description, it's also got a couple of exclusive honors to boast about. You see, not only is this the first sealed, helium-filled HDD, but also the largest in a standard 3.5-inch footprint, packing 6TB over seven stacks. We learned during the drive's development that helium's lower density compared with air allows for this storage bump, as well as making it lighter and more energy efficient. It's destined for data centers and the like, with outfits like HP, Netflix, Huawei and CERN already registering their interest. You'd think these HDDs are pretty pricey currently, but let's hope HGST can dial its costs down and do the noble thing of bringing it to consumer rigs in the future.
