VASCO Data Security launches DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon

November 3, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

VASCO Data Security Inc. announced the launch of ‘DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon’. DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon offers companies of all size a cost effective way of protecting their Windows PCs which are connected to the corporate network, against unauthorised access.

With the availability of ‘DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon’ VASCO also announces the availability of IDENTIKEY Server Enterprise Edition. IDENTIKEY is VASCO’s comprehensive authentication server for network and application security offering OTP and e-signature capability.

IDENTIKEY Server Enterprise Edition

With IDENTIKEY Server Enterprise Edition, VASCO makes IDENTIKEY based strong authentication available to a vaster range of enterprises from large companies to smaller enterprises, starting at 5 users. VASCO’s IDENTIKEY offering consists of a number of standard packages:

Standard Edition: includes authentication through RADIUS on a single server
Gold Edition: comprises authentication through RADIUS and on IIS-based applications and can be installed on a Primary server with replication on a backup server
Enterprise Edition: includes authentication through RADIUS and on IIS-based applications, as well as internet hosted business applications and offers DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon.  This edition includes licenses for 7 servers.

The solution is made extremely convenient and simple, which makes it suitable for VASCO’s channel partners to implement and straightforward for the SME to use. Furthermore the solution is highly scalable: applications and users can easily be added as the company grows.

Traditionally companies start to secure their remote access with DIGIPASS strong user authentication. The use of static password, the weakest link when it comes down to security, is replaced with a dynamic One-Time Password (OTP) generated by DIGIPASS®.

As their understanding of strong authentication grows, they look to secure other applications with the same DIGIPASS, like portals, e-commerce, online applications.

Large enterprises increasingly look at authentication to secure their business critical applications including CRM, ERP, payroll systems, SaaS-applications,… These enterprises often have offices all over the world and largely depend on network infrastructure to communicate between offices. IDENTIKEY Enterprise Edition is ideally suited for distributed environments: it can be installed on up to 7 servers offering a high availability solution for authentication and supporting the distributed working environments of large enterprises.

IDENTIKEY is based on VASCO’s core VACMAN® technology and customers can choose from a wide range of DIGIPASS authenticators, both hardware and software based, which best fit the need of the end-user.

DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon

DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon offers companies of all size a cost effective way of protecting their Windows PCs which are connected to the corporate network, against unauthorised access. Even when laptops are not connected to the LAN, they remain protected, increasing the security of data stored on them in case they go missing or get stolen.

‘DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon’, a feature of IDENTIKEY Enterprise Edition, is installed as a small software module on the end user’s Windows environment. It can be installed on desktop PCs and laptops that are connected to the corporate network. As soon as ‘DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon’ is setup, it replaces the original login window by a version that will send the login credentials to IDENTIKEY Server for verification.

When laptops are used outside the corporate network, for instance on the road or at home, the log-on module will work in unconnected mode, allowing the same strong authentication functionality as in connected mode. If the computer works in unconnected mode, the login credentials are validated against a local database of one-time passwords. These OTPs are generated when the PC is working in connected mode, and they are securely encrypted and stored. With thousands of OTPs generated upfront, the user can work for several weeks in unconnected mode.

“The need for authentication is only growing. With IDENTIKEY and a single DIGIPASS, enterprises can secure the access to corporate networks, applications and business critical data. With the extension of the IDENTIKEY product-line with standard packaged solutions and adding DIGIPASS Authentication for Windows Logon, we are able to reach out to more enterprises, ranging from the 5-employee enterprise to the multi-national with several offices worldwide,” says Jan Valcke, President and COO at VASCO Data Security.

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Microsoft simplifies the PC with Windows 7

October 23, 2009 · Filed Under Software News, Utilities and Operating Systems · Comment 

New PC operating system available worldwide today.

Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide availability of its new Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes.

“With Windows 7, there’s never been a better time to be a PC,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together with our partners, we’re bringing more choice, flexibility and value to the market than ever before. With Windows 7, you’re sure to find a PC that fits your life.”

Building Windows 7 has been a collaborative process from the beginning, with Microsoft’s engineers and designers working with customers and partners to build an operating system that delivers on the vision of the PC, simplified. In a speech in New York, Ballmer thanked the millions of volunteers who helped improve the product by testing early versions.

“A project with the global customer reach of Windows can only be done as a team,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, speaking at a launch event in Tokyo. “We are grateful for the valuable contributions from customers, partners and developers around the world that helped make Windows 7 such a collaborative project.”

On Sale Worldwide Today

The global availability of Windows 7 is joined by an unprecedented array of new PCs and software programs. With more PC options available for customers today at a wide range of price points starting under $300, customers can choose the PC that fits their personality, style and needs, from netbooks, ultrathin notebooks and highly interactive multitouch laptops to all-in-one desktops and high-end, water-cooled gaming machines.

A newly launched section of Windows.com called PC Scout will guide users through selecting and purchasing the right PC. Customers can purchase PCs with Windows 7 or software upgrades online or in-store from technology retailers or at the new Microsoft Store, launching today in its first retail location in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expanded online. Retailers and technology partners are also featuring a series of limited-time offers for customers looking for great deals on Windows 7-based PCs, devices and software. Information on these offers can be found at http://www.windows.com/.

To show how Windows 7 simplifies the PC, today Microsoft is launching the next wave of its global “I’m a PC” campaign. The global enthusiasm of Windows users is also contributing to the way many people around the world will experience Windows 7 for the first time. Tens of thousands of customers have volunteered to host launch parties or meet-ups beginning today, showing off Windows 7 to friends and family members.

Simplifying the PC

Over the past 18 months, feedback from more than a billion opt-in customer sessions and 8 million beta testers validated Microsoft’s research on how to simplify everyday tasks. Here are a few of the many ways users will experience a more simplified PC with Windows 7:

Simplifies Everyday Tasks
Taskbar. The go-to spot for launching programs and switching windows, the taskbar has been completely redesigned to help users work smarter, cut clutter, and get more done, with features such as thumbnail previews of Web pages, documents — even running video.
HomeGroup. Users can easily share their files and printers with other PCs running Windows 7 in their home.
Windows 7 Device Stage. This shows the status of all connected devices such as cameras and mobile phones, and makes it easier to synchronize and manage them.
Photos and videos. Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker (available via download) offer customers great, free options to edit photos and videos and easily share them with loved ones.
Snap. Users can drag an open window to the screen’s border to automatically re-size it. Snap two different windows to the left and right borders for a perfect comparison.
Shake. Users can click on a window pane and shake the mouse to minimize all other open windows, then shake the pane again to restore the windows to their original sizes.
Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft’s fastest, easiest and safest browser ever offers smart new features such as Instant Search, Accelerators and Web Slices to help users get more out of the Web.

Works the Way Users Want
Faster on, faster off. Every Windows 7 user will benefit from the focus on underlying performance, faster startup, resuming and shut down time, and enhanced power management.
Mobile made easier. All of a user’s mobile computing settings are in one place with the Windows Mobility Center.
Protecting the PC. Safeguarding the data on a PC is easier with advanced backup capabilities and the free Microsoft Security Essentials download to help protect users against viruses, spyware and other malicious software.

Makes New Things Possible
Windows Touch. Users can interact with the PC with a touch-screen monitor, using their fingers and multitouch gestures.
PlayTo. Users can stream their digital music, videos and photos to other PCs or devices such as an Xbox 360 console connected to the TV.
Internet TV. New content providers and an improved interface make it even easier to watch TV on the PC.
Rich gaming and graphics. Windows 7 includes performance enhancements that take power gaming and entertainment to a new level, with 64-bit support and DirectX 11 graphics.
Location-aware printing. Documents are sent to the right printer whether it’s at home or at the office. And with Offline Files users can work offline and automatically synchronize between a PC and documents on their office network.

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IBM announces new software for managing data centers

October 20, 2009 · Filed Under Business Software, Productivity Software, Software News · Comment 

IBM  introduced ground-breaking new software for managing data centers. The new technology has the potential to dramatically cut the cost of operations while speeding the deployment of new applications from weeks to minutes.

The introduction of IBM’s new VMControl product for enterprises, combined with IBM Tivoli software, gives businesses for the first time a single point of control across multiple types of IT systems and virtualization technologies. It spans UNIX/Linux, mainframe, x86 and storage systems and networks.

VMControl helps companies that have turned to virtualization – the creation of multiple virtual servers or storage on a single physical system – to reduce infrastructure costs, but have encountered new struggles as they try to manage enterprises made up of disparate platforms, each with their own virtualization technology.

VMControl allows combinations of physical and virtual IBM servers to be managed as a single entity. This approach – known as system pooling – expands the benefits of virtualization by helping corporate data centers simplify complex management functions and better share and prioritize use of critical resources such as processing power, memory and storage.

Centralizing control of virtualized environments brings new intelligence to data center operations. Companies can manage their vast pools of information and processing resources and parcel them out to applications when and where they’re needed. This breakthrough capability not only increases the overall capacity utilization of the IT infrastructure to lower capital, operational and energy costs, and improves application availability, but gives IT managers the flexibility to adapt to new demands being prompted by the surge of data from internet-connected devices.

VMControl will also accelerate the deployment of new IT delivery models, like cloud computing, which allows information and processing resources to be tapped from afar.

“IBM has provided Winn-Dixie with many innovative solutions to help us increase productivity, maximize our resources and save money for more than 15 years,” said Charlie Weston, Group Vice President, Information Technology for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based grocer. “We are extremely confident that the launch of the VMControl product will be equally as successful for IBM’s customers.”

The new product, together with IBM Tivoli software, helps companies address and improve service and reduce cost and risk. IBM today announced a new version of Tivoli Provisioning Manager that provides enhanced automation of the manual tasks of provisioning and configuring servers, operating systems, middleware, software applications, storage and network devices.

Whether businesses are moving to the cloud or looking to deliver IT within the data center as cloud services, the sheer scale and velocity of data growth as well as the now-permanent reality of having to do more with less make VMControl essential for data centers. The combination of VMControl and Tivoli offers several benefits, such as:

Faster response to business needs: A reduction in the skills, tools and tasks required to deploy new workloads. With VMControl, companies can offer rapid deployments of new workloads (from weeks to minutes) while maintaining control over IT resources. Businesses can adapt to changing business needs and support new and diverse types of workloads in accordance with service-level agreements.

More efficient use of resources: To configure, operate and monitor physical and virtualized resources across multiple IBM hardware platforms would otherwise require as many as dozens of different management techniques. Buying, building and maintaining disparate management tools take up significant portions of IT budgets. VMControl reduces the management tools to one, cutting costs of operations.

Awareness, consistency and predictability of operations: Business can monitor, maintain and adjust the service levels required by each computing workload handled by the pool of IT resources. It also can help predict and react to system problems. By moving workloads away from failing systems, VMControl can ensure workloads maintain application availability and avoid unplanned down time.

Enabling Smarter Systems: VMControl’s ability to dynamically move workloads and make adjustments allow IBM systems to be more effectively utilized, use less power and cooling and provide a much more resilient infrastructure.

The new product — IBM® Systems Director VMControl(TM) Enterprise Edition — supports IBM’s PowerVM and z/VM as well as x86 virtualization technologies such as VMWare, Hyper-V and open x86 virtualization solutions. VMControl Enterprise Edition will be available on IBM Power Systems running AIX in December, 2009. Additional support for other platforms is planned for next year as part of a dynamic infrastructure.

For more information: http://www.ibm.com/dynamicinfrastructure

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Teradata Enterprise Analytics Cloud extends architectural flexibility and business agility

October 19, 2009 · Filed Under Business Software, Internet Software, Productivity Software, Software News · Comment 

First public and private Cloud Computing offer for rapid analytics

Teradata Corporation, the world’s largest company solely focused on data warehousing and enterprise analytics, announced that the Teradata Enterprise Analytics Cloud(TM) provides Teradata customers architectural flexibility, which enables them to meet their expanding analytic needs by leveraging cloud computing technologies. Initial offerings include the Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud, Teradata Express on Amazon EC2, and Teradata Express for VMware Player.

For the business user, public and private clouds provide flexible, self service for the rapid building of short term analytic data marts, allowing users to pay only for the computing power actually used. More importantly, these cloud solutions offer business users and developers another means of improving decision making with agility and speed.

Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud

The Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud, Teradata’s entry into private Cloud Computing, is a unique set of products, capabilities and services designed to enable agile analytics in a Teradata private cloud environment. This allows for rapid development and sandbox-style analytics. Business users can create data marts inside their Teradata system within minutes. This eliminates the need to build separate, costly physical data marts, because the production data can be accessed directly, without data movement or duplication. Built on the proven Teradata Database and platforms, the Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud combines advanced workload management, the new Teradata Elastic Mart Builder tool, and a services methodology to enable business users to rapidly exploit data marts inside their Teradata System. The Teradata Elastic Mart Builder is a Teradata Viewpoint self-service portlet that makes it easy to create data marts for application development. It is flexible and allows external data to be combined with existing data facilitating the discovery of new insights. The Teradata Elastic Mart Builder is being released as a free tool to be deployed through Teradata Developer Exchange. Teradata Active System Management, the company’s flagship workload management product, is a key enabler because it optimizes priorities between experimental analytics and production workloads.

The Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud allows the business user to rapidly analyze data and respond to market opportunities with speed and confidence. This solution helps chief information officers control data mart proliferation, reduce costs for software licenses and servers, and lower training and labor costs.

“Many IT organizations are under-resourced and under tremendous pressure to cut costs, driving some business users to create their own ’shadow IT’ organizations to meet their needs,” said Scott Gnau, chief developer officer, Teradata Corporation. “These shadow IT groups create conflict between the business users and IT groups. The Teradata Agile Analytics Cloud helps to eliminate the conflicts and brings business and IT together, saving money and enriching their analytical insights.”

Teradata Express Cloud Offerings

The two new Teradata Express cloud offerings are built on Teradata Express, which is a free, non-production version of Teradata Database software intended for developers and evaluation scenarios. The cloud versions of Teradata Express support up to one terabyte of data and are powered by Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.

Teradata Express on Amazon EC2

Teradata Express on Amazon EC2 is available on the flexible Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). This prepackaged edition is a free developer version of the Teradata Database for use in the scalable, robust Amazon EC2 environment. Customers can quickly launch Teradata Express on Amazon EC2 and begin their collaborative work from any location in the world. Customers benefit from the easy self-service, flexible configurations, and the cost effective Amazon Web Services infrastructure, resulting in faster time to value and the quicker completion of projects.

Teradata Express for VMware Player

Teradata Express for VMware Player delivers a fully configured Teradata Database bundled for private cloud analytics. Once VMware software is installed, the Teradata Database can be loaded in minutes, taking advantage of the many features of VMware. For the Teradata Database, VMware is an important stepping stone towards delivering internal private clouds for developers and information technology operations managers. The value for customers will be the easy creation of Teradata test and development environments with a significant reduction in capital costs from server consolidation.

According to Gnau, “Teradata is all about choice that no other vendor can offer. Teradata’s advocated architecture is an integrated data warehouse, but we offer the flexibility for customers to leverage the power of Teradata in any architecture they chose to meet their business need. Our entry into loud Cloud Computing is one alternative and an extension to our Platform Family, which positions ‘Teradata for all your analytical needs.’”

Teradata is the only vendor to offer a broad family of platforms with price and performance that spans the unique business and analytical data warehouse needs of companies, making Teradata suitable to be everywhere in the enterprise. The family is supported by the high performance and dependable Teradata 13 Database, the most significant and technically advanced database for analytics.

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WinZip 14 takes advantage of Windows 7 innovations

October 15, 2009 · Filed Under Productivity Software, Software News, Utilities and Operating Systems · Comment 

New WinZip 14 offers many usability enhancements, improved security, and a new Backup Edition

WinZip 14 takes full advantage of the new capabilities in Windows(R) 7, streamlining the zipping and unzipping processes and affirming WinZip’s position at the vanguard of file compression, encryption, packaging and data backup software. In addition to the Standard edition and the full-featured Pro edition, WinZip 14 is now also available in the new Backup edition.

WinZip 14 saves time and space, making it easy to zip and unzip files for quick, efficient, and secure file transfer, email transmission, and data storage. It is the data compression choice for millions of users, including thousands of organizations, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. More than 190 million users have downloaded copies of WinZip from CNET’s download.com alone.

WinZip 14 Incorporates Windows 7 Enhancements

Windows 7 includes many significant enhancements that simplify working with documents, folders, and programs. WinZip 14 takes advantage of these new features to make working with Zip files easier than ever:

Libraries: WinZip 14 provides support for Windows 7 libraries. Libraries group together folders with a common theme; for example, the Pictures library puts all of your folders that contain pictures in one convenient place. With WinZip 14 you can simply select the Pictures library and zip all of your pictures, no matter where they are. And with the advanced JPEG compression supported in the Zipx format you can compress these pictures 20-25% without any loss of quality or data integrity. Backing up your important data is a breeze using libraries via the WinZip Job Wizard.

Jump Lists: WinZip 14 also supports the new Jump Lists. Simply pin the WinZip icon to your taskbar for quick and easy access to frequently used zip features, as well as to recently used Zip files and WinZip jobs.

Windows Touch: If you have a touch screen computer you will love WinZip’s full support for gestures — simple finger movements — on your touch screen PC. Using gestures, you can easily scroll through the contents of your Zip files. You can even pan, zoom, and rotate your images in WinZip Pro’s built-in Image Viewer without touching your keyboard or mouse!

Other interface enhancements include improved Dialogs in the Windows 7 style and new filtering and organizational enhancements for finding files and archives.

Improved Security

A key reason why many users purchase WinZip is its strong, easy-to-use AES encryption. WinZip 14 introduces automatic wiping of temporary copies of encrypted files after viewing, using the U.S. Department of Defense standard (DoD 5220.22-M). In addition, WinZip 14 recognizes Intel-based computers with built-in AES encryption and uses the available hardware support to make encryption operations two to three times faster.

WinZip 14 Backup edition

For the first time WinZip 14 is also available in a Backup edition. With its powerful Job Wizard users can automatically backup important data files and upload data backups to an off-site server using the internal FTP client, or burn backups to CD or DVD. An automated email notification can be sent upon job completion.

Availability

WinZip 14 is available now. Pricing starts at $29.95 (USD) for WinZip 14 Standard edition, $39.95 (USD) for Backup edition and $49.95 (USD) for Pro edition. Attractive volume licensing discounts are available. Existing registered users can upgrade to WinZip 14 at 50% of the new license fee.

Download links and ordering information can be found on the WinZip web site at http://www.winzip.com.

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In Rogues We Trust: Webroot survey reveals internet users of all skill levels fall for cybercriminals tricky tactics

October 4, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Webroot Also Finds 2 Out of Every 10 Threats Detected in August Were Fake Security Alerts & Products

Computer-savvy consumers are more susceptible than novices to “fake alerts” and rogue security products – bogus malware infection warnings and malicious programs masquerading as legitimate security applications – according to a new survey from Webroot, a leading provider of Internet security for the consumer, enterprise and SMB markets.

Surveying nearly 1,200 individuals ranging in age and computer proficiency levels, Webroot explored the risks and consequences of infection by malware associated with fake alerts. Among the key findings:

– Advanced users clicked on suspicious messages at a greater rate than less experienced users
– 20 percent of respondents strongly trust the first page of search results – a common target for fraudulent links
– Nearly one fifth reported varying levels of financial or data loss following infection
– Over half experienced infections consistent with those of fake alert-related malware

“Cybercriminals prey on our curiosity,” said Mike Kronenberg, chief technology officer of Webroot’s Consumer Business Unit. “Links to seemingly real search results and videos — and now even ads on reputable news sites – trigger fake warnings claiming you’re infected or need ‘Home Antivirus 2010′ or another bogus product. And business must be booming for these thieves, judging from the rapid rate at which Webroot is seeing new programs and variants created in an attempt to bypass security technology. But with the right education, vigilance and technology, consumers can take steps to protect themselves.”

The Anatomy of a Fake Alert

Webroot has seen a rise in the incidence of fake alerts and rogue security products. According to the Webroot Threat Research team, two out of every 10 threats detected by Webroot’s products in the month of August were associated with fake alerts and rogue security products.

The appearance of fake alerts changes frequently. Ranging from phony Windows Security Center warnings to notifications for security scans and viewer or codec downloads, each is designed to appear legitimate and urgent. According to the Webroot Threat Research team, Internet users can encounter fake alerts through three main vectors:

– Fraudulent links appearing at or near the top of search results. For example, on Monday Webroot found that a search for news stories about the arrest of film director Roman Polanski yielded links that redirected to a fake security scan and to “Windows PC Defender,” a known rogue security product.
– Phony file links. Webroot recently reported on its Threat Blog that the Koobface worm is now sending phony video links, seemingly from a friend, to members of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networks. The links trigger viewer download messages that activate infection when clicked.
– Ads on legitimate Web sites. Webroot researchers recently investigated the origins of a bogus ad on NYTimes.com earlier this month which contained code leading to a fake alert and rogue product.

Key Findings

Results from the Webroot survey indicate a general lack of awareness of fake alerts and rogue security products, a higher rate of engagement among advanced and power users, and costly and inconvenient consequences of infection.

Lack of awareness leaves individuals vulnerable:
– 20 percent strongly agree the first page of search results includes trustworthy links
– 40 percent did not know the meaning of “fake alerts,” and 69 percent were unfamiliar with “rogue security products”
– 25 percent clicked on links to unfamiliar sites
– 13 percent clicked on pop-up messages requiring the download of a special viewer or codec

Experienced computer users are more susceptible:
– Over 50 percent of advanced users encountered a fake Windows Security enter alert, versus 33 percent of novice users
– 26 percent of advanced users encountered a fake security scan, compared to approximately 10 percent of less experienced users
– 23 percent of advanced users clicked on a fake alert and in some cases purchased rogue security products; conversely, 10 percent of novice users did the same

Clicking a fake alert can lead to consequences ranging from nuisance to costly:

– 43 percent of respondents experienced ongoing pop-up messages after clicking
– 26 percent had to have their computers repaired
– 11 percent lost files and documents following infection
– 8 percent had to purchase a new computer or experienced unauthorized credit card charges

Tips for Safer Surfing

Webroot recommends the following actions to protect against the risks and consequences of fake alerts:

Be vigilant – Do not click pop-up security alerts from unfamiliar companies, or poorly worded messages from known providers. Only purchase security products from reputable companies. Check for links to familiar sites among search engine results. On social networks, do not follow suspicious video links from “friends,” or emails, friend requests, site links and other items from unknown sources
Even with security programs in place, remain vigilant – Malware authors are continually writing new programs to avoid detection, so pay close attention to suspicious behavior
Always install updates – Equally if not more important, if you’re using antimalware software, be sure to install updates which include the latest malware definitions to protect you from new variants of known threats; do the same with updates to your operating system
If you’re not protected – Scan your machine for dormant viruses with a free scan; and protect your PC with an Internet security suite that includes antivirus, antispyware, and firewall technologies

Webroot offers several comprehensive Internet security solutions for consumers including Webroot® AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper®, and Webroot® Internet Security Essentials. For more information about these and other products, please visit http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer.html.

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Panda Security announces Windows 7 compatibility for all 2010 Consumer Solutions

September 18, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Users can download free beta version from http://www.pandasecurity.com/windows7

Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, announced that PandaLabs, the company’s laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, has launched a beta version of its Panda 2010 security solutions to be compatible with the Windows 7 beta. Users who have installed the beta version of the new Microsoft operating system will benefit from the best protection against malware. The general release version will be available as soon as the new operating system is launched on October 22.

Panda’s 2010 solutions use Collective Intelligence, the company’s exclusive cloud-computing technology, to leverage the knowledge gathered from the community of millions of Panda users around the world. Each new file received is classified automatically within six minutes. The Collective Intelligence servers automatically classify more than 50,000 new malware samples every day. These technologies correlate information on malware received from each computer to continuously improve the protection level for the worldwide community of users. In addition, Panda’s 2010 solutions have perpetual, real-time contact with this vast knowledge base, guaranteeing users the fastest response against new malware that appears every day.

The new Panda 2010 solutions, recently launched on the market, are designed specifically to offer maximum protection with minimum resource consumption. The new 2010 product line has achieved an 80 percent performance improvement compared to previous versions. Panda’s new retail solutions also deliver 60 percent improved browsing speed and 40 percent improved download speed over previous versions, consuming just 8 MB of PC memory.

Source

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Microsoft unveils Microsoft Project 2010

September 17, 2009 · Filed Under Business Software, Software News · Comment 

Part of the next wave of Office-related products, Microsoft Project 2010 helps customers reduce costs, improve efficiency, and simplify project and portfolio management.

Microsoft Corp. announced that the public beta of Microsoft Project 2010 will become available later this year, and revealed the product’s enhanced project and portfolio management features for the first time. Microsoft also disclosed packaging information that streamlines the number of Microsoft Project editions from four to three. Starting today, customers can pre-register for the Microsoft Project 2010 beta at http://www.microsoft.com/project/2010.

“Microsoft Project 2010 is the most significant release of Microsoft Project in over a decade,” said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft. “The fresh, simple and intuitive features of Microsoft Project 2010 will enable teams and organizations of all sizes to select and deliver the right projects on time and on budget.”

Microsoft Project 2010 builds on the Microsoft Office Project 2007 foundation with flexible work management solutions and the right collaboration tools for occasional and professional project managers, and includes a pathway to more advanced project and portfolio management capabilities as business needs evolve.

The release of Microsoft Project 2010 comes at a time when the industry is gaining steam. According to IDC, the project and portfolio management market will see growth as companies will rely on project and portfolio management tools to analyze their current and future project performance.*

Microsoft Project 2010 helps organizations reduce costs by enabling smarter and more informed decisions about budgeting and resource allocation. Through a dramatically enhanced user experience, Microsoft Project 2010 also drives team productivity with integration across familiar Microsoft technologies including Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft Exchange Server. This integration allows a powerful business collaboration platform and proven project and portfolio management to result in a familiar, connected environment for customers to manage the simplest or the most complex projects.

Microsoft will release three editions of Microsoft Project: Microsoft Project Standard 2010, Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010. Key enhancements designed to appeal to both IT administrators and end users include these:

– Unified project and portfolio management with a common user interface and experience across the project life cycle; improved workflow controls that can be customized; better demand management to capture all types of work requests across an organization; and powerful reporting and business intelligence capabilities
– Improved productivity with effective collaboration built on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010; enhanced collaboration and reporting; integration with Microsoft Outlook 2007 and 2010; and simplified time reporting
– Enhanced user experience and adoption with the familiar Microsoft Office Fluent user interface and new intuitive design; user-controlled scheduling for greater flexibility when creating simple or detailed project plans; the addition of a new timeline view for sequential overview of project schedules; and new Web-based project editing
– A scalable and connected platform with integration across related Microsoft technologies for connected and familiar work management on the PC, mobile phone and browser; better interoperability with third-party systems from updates to the Project Server Interface; 64-bit compatibility for performance improvement; and removal of ActiveX dependency for improved security and ease of deployment across an organization

Microsoft Project 2010 is part of the next wave of Microsoft Office-related products, which includes Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Exchange 2010 and Microsoft Visio 2010, and is designed to give people a consistent experience across devices, making it easier to create and edit documents and collaborate from any location.

Availability

All Microsoft Project Conference registered attendees will receive a free licensed copy of Microsoft Project Professional 2010 after launch; more information is available at http://www.keystoneondemand.com/tour/content/microsoft_project_2010_training. Microsoft Project 2010 will be available in the first half of 2010. More information about Microsoft Project 2010 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/project.

* Source: IDC: “Worldwide Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Applications 2009-2013 Forecast: PPM Remains a Profitability Engine in Recession,” Doc # 219381, August 2009

Source: Microsoft Corp.

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Panda Security ranks the most dangerous computer threats of the last 20 years

September 13, 2009 · Filed Under Internet Software, Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, announced that PandaLabs, the company’s laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, has issued a ranking of the most dangerous threats to home and business users of the last 20 years. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the company, experts from PandaLabs wanted to research the most insidious malware threats that have surfaced in the past two decades.

The following threats have been selected for the notoriety they achieved through widespread epidemic and the damage caused:

– Friday 13 or Jerusalem: Created in Israel in 1988 and first reported in Jerusalem, this supposedly commemorated the 40th anniversary of Israel. Whenever the date was Friday 13, it would delete all programs run on an infected computer.
– Barrotes: The first well-known Spanish virus appeared in 1993. Once on the computer, it would remain hidden until January 5, when it would activate displaying just a series of bars on the monitor.
– Cascade or Falling Letters: Created in Germany in 1997, this virus would make the letters on the screen fall in a cascade whenever it infected a computer.
– CIH or Chernobyl: This virus was produced in Taiwan in 1998, and took just one week to propagate and infect thousands of computers.
– Melissa: First appeared on March 26, 1999 in the USA. This ultra-smart malicious code used social engineering to spread, with a message that read “Here is that document you asked for. . . don’t show anyone else ;-) ”
– ILoveYou or Loveletter: So famous, it hardly needs introduction. This romantic virus emerged from the Philippines in 2000. With the subject ‘ILoveYou’ it infected millions of computers around the world and even hit organizations like the Pentagon.
– Klez: Created in 2001 in Germany, it only infected computers on the 13th of odd months.
– Nimda: The name is basically ‘admin’ spelled backwards, as it was able to create administrator privileges on infected computers. It originated in China on September 18, 2001.
– SQLSlammer: This was another major headache for companies. It first appeared on January 25, 2003, and affected more than half a million servers in just a few days.
– Blaster: This virus, created in the USA on August 11, 2003, contained a message in its code: “I just want to say love you, San!!” (We still don’t know who ‘San’ is), and “Billy gates, why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software”.
– Sobig: This German virus was famous in the summer of 2003. The F variant was the most damaging, it attacked on August 19 of the same year and generated more than 1 million copies of itself.
– Bagle: This emerged on January 18, 2004, and has been one of the most prolific viruses with respect to the number of variants.
– Netsky: This worm also came from Germany in 2004 and exploited vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. Its creator was also responsible for the notorious Sasser virus.
– Conficker: Last on the list and most recent, it appeared in November 2008. Oddly enough, if your keyboard is configured in Ukrainian, it won’t affect you. . .

Source: Panda Security

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Apple premieres iTunes 9

September 10, 2009 · Filed Under Downloads, Internet Software, Software News, iTunes and iPod Software · Comment 

Featuring iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes & Improved Syncing

Apple introduced iTunes 9, the latest version of the world’s most popular software application to purchase, manage and play media, packed with innovative features such as iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, as well as a redesigned store and improved syncing. iTunes 9 makes it easier than ever to discover, purchase and enjoy your music, movies, TV shows, and apps for iPhone(TM) and iPod touch from Apple’s revolutionary App Store. Plus, Home Sharing now lets you easily transfer songs, movies and TV shows to other computers in your home.

“iTunes 9 is a great iTunes release, with innovative features that make using iTunes better than ever and iTunes content richer than ever,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes LP, for example, lets artists share more of their creativity with fans and gives music lovers the feeling of being immersed in an entire album with art, lyrics, liner notes, photos and videos.”

iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more. iTunes LP debuts today with albums including Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” The Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” and Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: iTunes Pass.” The new iTunes Extras provides a similar experience for movies on iTunes with features including documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes Extras is now available for select movies including “Twilight,” “Batman Begins,” “WALL-E,” “Iron Man” and “The Da Vinci Code.” Customers can enjoy iTunes LP and iTunes Extras on a Mac or PC.

iTunes 9 also introduces Home Sharing, which lets you easily transfer music, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers in your home. Family members can now view up to five iTunes libraries on their home network, see only the portion of these libraries they don’t already have, import their favorite content directly to their own libraries, and automatically add new purchases from other computers into their library.

The incredibly popular Genius feature gets even better with Genius Mixes which are created using the results of over 27 million music libraries with over 54 billion songs that have been submitted and analyzed by Genius. The new Genius Mixes feature is like having a “Genius” DJ that automatically generates up to 12 endless mixes of songs from your iTunes library that go great together.

With improved syncing in iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1, you can now organize your iPhone apps right in iTunes and they will automatically appear on your iPhone with the same layout. Plus, syncing music, photos, movies and TV shows is easier than ever with the added ability to sync music by artist and genre and sync photos by Events and Faces. The iTunes Store on iPhone now features precut ringtone downloads with over 20,000 ringtones priced at just $1.29.

iTunes 9 is available immediately as a free download at www.itunes.com.

The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 7,500 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Source: Apple

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