Technology Trends for 2014 by Cisco From a Panel of Distinguished Professionals

Cisco has gathered a group of distinguished professionals to share their predictions of technology trends in 2014. You will be pleased to know what is in the future for those who are in the technology sector.


Internet of Everything (IoE) and M2M communications: The Internet of Things, and specifically increased automation in industrial systems and processes, coupled with big data, will bring tremendous advances in predictive diagnostics, with important applications in environments as diverse as retail and automotive safety. By 2022, M2M connections will account for 45 percent of total connections while person-to-machine (P2M) and person-to-person (P2P) will account for the remaining 55 percent. M2M already represents a significant market which continues to grow. Some of the most common M2M applications are telemetry (e.g. utility meters), telematics (e.g. car navigation systems), sales and payment (e.g. vending machines), and fleet management (e.g. cargo tracking).

Multi-vendor Clouds: Public, private and hybrid cloud environments based on static configurations will give way to dynamic and multi-vendor cloud environments. New technologies will allow Cloud service providers across multiple environments to adopt common Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to provide reliable and economical services. Video in ultra-high definition: High definition video systems are becoming rapidly more affordable, presenting us with exciting opportunities for new video experiences on a previously unseen scale. Video technology in ultra-high definition (2160p and 4k - 8k- 4320p) will become imperative for smart phones, augmented reality glasses, tablets and other devices equipped with camera. With a resolution up to 16-times higher than current HD TV (1080p), their impact on the network requires the adoption of new technologies like P2P streaming, federated content distribution networks, HEVC (H.265) or HTTP adaptive streaming.

Context Aware Computing and Collaboration:The mash-up of big data and collaboration applications is going to drive the creation of a new wave of “context-aware” computing and collaboration experiences. Within 12-24 months, we will witness the rise of collaboration applications which automatically present to us information about the people and organizations contacting us. Furthermore, collaboration applications will leverage context-aware information and big data to gather useful historical information (documents, past interactions, recordings of meetings, even Facebook status) which are relevant to how teams work together, thereby preserving intellectual property and strengthening relationships and collaboration.

Real-time analytics: In the era of the data deluge, businesses demand fast access to information and immediate data insights in order to make quick and informed decisions, and to improve financial and operational performance. Real-time analytics have a broad area of application, spanning from financial markets to advertising, automation and security. Analyzing massive amounts of data almost on the fly implies high performance requirements on systems’ hardware and software.

Interactive collaboration through the web: The embedding of rich media collaboration within browsers – promises to transform the way businesses and organizations communicate and engage with customers. Within 12 months, we’re going to see retailers, financial services organizations, and other providers of high value services embedding Web Real Time Collaboration (WebRTC) into their web interfaces to transform the way they engage with customers.

New Internet architectures: With the number of connected devices set to rapidly expand from 10Bn today to 50Bn or more by 2020, current internet infrastructure needs to evolve to support this exponential growth of connected devices. We will see the rise of a new Internet architecture characterized by (a) ‘Fog Computing’ – the convergence of networking and compute at the edge of networks to create a more distributed intelligence that balances the need for centralized mega-scale data centers with more locally-useful computing and decision making capabilities, (b) a new type of networking architecture characterized by open APIs and by the embrace of developer communities who will create applications that optimize the integration of networks and management systems and business applications, (c) we will pass the peak of the SDN hype cycle and see real-world applications emerge in 2014, and (d) a new set of IT skill sets which accompany the convergence of computing, networking, storage and applications will emerge.

Security and Internet of Everything: As more and more devices – from wearable medical devices to devices that carry personal financial information – join the Web, privacy and security become more important than ever. In the coming 1-3 years, we will see a new form of multi-layered security emerge, replacing today’s model of “protecting the perimeter” with a combination of security technologies that includes localized clients embedded within devices or localized connections and centralized cloud-based intelligence which constantly scans to protect.

Self-Organizing Networks (SON): SON refers to a set of capabilities that increases the level of automation in network planning, operations and maintenance of LTE (Long Term Evolution) and next generation mobile networks. Today‘s mobile networks are largely human operated. SON is expected to decrease the capex and opex associated with them. These automated functions aim towards a self-configuring, self-optimizing and self-healing network, increasing network performance and quality by adapting to dynamic changes in network conditions.

http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/286896/cisco-identifies-multi-vendor-clouds-internet-transformational-trends-define-2014

Would You Like Some Great Tips in Building Secure mHealth Apps?

                                        presentermedia.com

Several  informative tips were shared by a Health IT developer on how to maintain the security of Medical apps. Developers can benefit from the information that was presented in the article.

1. At the very basic level, don’t trust the user. Nearly half feel PINs and passwords are too cumbersome, a third aren’t concerned with risks and 55 percent of adults use the same password for everything. A five-digit pin has 5,904,900,000 combinations, while a pattern combination only has 15,120 combinations, yet pattern locks are still a very common practice among consumers.

2. Do your research and stay current. Security firm viaForensics openly publishes its benchmark list ofmobile security best practices in addition to its research and How-Tos. Jonathan Zdziarski’s Hacking and Securing iOS Apps is another great comprehensive resource. Think of mobile app security in terms of the onion model, and layer security measures to help make exploitation cost prohibitive. This includes keeping your OS and environment up to date.

3. Leverage jailbreak detection. Jailbreaking is a means to provide root access to the mobile OS, allowing the user to download additional applications, extensions and themes that are not available through the official Apple App Store. This also allows a range of exploits both on the device itself and through applications that are downloaded through third party stores. According to a recent study from Axran, more than 50 percent of the 100 top apps in the Apple App Store have been cracked and republished for jailbroken phones on other app markets. In addition to revenue loss, IP theft, fraud and brand erosion for the original company, these apps put the user at risk of malware infection, data interception and identity theft. It’s important that mobile apps be able to defend themselves against static and dynamic analysis at runtime and be made resistant to tampering and reverse-engineering attacks.

4. Know what resources are available. There are a number of tools in the infosec community that can be openly leveraged to help mitigate risks. Despite being relatively new, the iMAS library provides iOS developers with a set of easy-to-use tools to accomplish various security tasks in their apps. On the webdev side, Fiddler is a popular tool for debugging and security tracking. For the beginner, OWASP’s iGoat tool is an intentionally flawed app allowing the developer to explore and implement fixes to common security problems in a safe learning environment.

5. Allow for strong user passwords and authentication. Never store passwords in plain text format, as it undercuts any other security measures. Instead, salt and hash passwords and force users to reset forgotten passwords instead of going through a retrieval process. Additionally, avoid limiting the password length or variety, and if an arbitrary length must be used, use something well beyond the norm. When it comes to loading login pages, load the forms over HTTPS and post to HTTPS as well. Loading over HTTPS and then posting with HTTPS still leaves the login form vulnerable and open to MITM attacks. Better yet? HTTPS everywhere.

6. Implement robust data encryption and transfer protocols. In terms of cryptography, avoid storing any data directly on the device if relying on iOS’ AES 256 encryption, as it can be retrieved rather easily. Instead, developers should leverage database encryption like SQLCipher and transfer information with HTTPS and SSL pinning to prevent MITM attacks. On the server side, use tools like Nessus for vulnerability tracing and the NIST vulnerability checklist database and standards when configuring servers and web frameworks.

7. Establish a bug bounty program, and open disclosure policies. What is particularly surprising from the last two weeks was the initial lack of interest in security practices within the health IT and mHealth communities and the lack of interest in peer review when it comes to public security audits. Security strategy doesn’t end with deployment. Keep lines of communication with users and developers open and honest. It’s interesting to note that Silicon Valley has cultivated a robust white-hat community, encouraging exploit bounties for discovery, while enterprise health IT and the mhealth community lag behind. Bugcrowd’s current list of available security bounty programs includes companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Oracle and IBM to smaller startups like Spotify and Gittip, but no pure healthcare platforms. Typical bounty programs focus on specific aspects of a program or on either security mitigation bypass or defense and may range in reward from $300 to $50,000 or more (as is the case for Microsoft’s program). For many, though, it’s not about the

For many, though, it’s not about the money, and more about the challenge, recognition and community.

8. Know the applicable regulations. Understand what regulatory standards your app may be held to, and thoroughly vet potential partner companies for adherence. This is particularly important in the changing healthcare landscape, where subtle differences in branding and marketing may dictate different levels of government compliance and run the potential for significant fines in the event of a data breach. Also note that security is only one tool for ensuring privacy, and in addition to a comprehensive security strategy, mhealth developers must address the concerns of privacy regulations such as COPPA and HIPAA.

9. Assign responsibility. Make one person in your team responsible for security, privacy and compliance at every stage of development. There’s a tendency to assume someone else is automatically handling security (be an OS, a device manufacturer or another team member, etc.), but holding a single person accountable helps bring the priority forward. This person will be instrumental in understanding the limitations of platform security measures, libraries, APIs and any third party code your app may employ.

10. Be an example. For users, particularly health IT and mhealth community members, be an example of good personal security practices and hold the companies you use to a higher standard. Critically evaluate the necessity of permissions you grant a program, and don’t install apps outside of official OS app stores. Watch out for claims that seem too good to be true or are built on closed, untested or in-house security protocols. Update passwords often, and use a password manager like LastPass and two-factor authentication when available. Enable remote wipe on your device and back up your information regularly. Also consider developing an alternative fake personal dataset since, thanks to Facebook, everyone knows your favorite pet, first car and mother’s maiden name. You’ll know you’re paying enough attention to mobile security when the thought of installing that hot new app makes you a little twitchy.

http://www.mhealthnews.com/news/10-tips-building-secure-mhealth-apps

Could Non-Technical Users Build Software Without Writing Any Code in the Future?

Do you think that the software integration market will embrace a future with solutions that allow users with little training build software without any code?

Deepak Singh Adeptia has written an article that deals with this possibility. We would like to share this article with you.

The enterprise technology market is constantly evolving; the most recent trend has been towards the “consumerization of IT”. With outside influences such as big data, SaaS, mobile and cloud technology converging, business is now changing faster than IT can respond. As a result, companies are seeing both a pressing need and an opportunity to provide more self-service capabilities to their business users.

The reality is that the software integration market has not changed much in the last 15 years. Vendors still view integration software as developer tools versus a critical business component. There has been a failure to think out-of-the-box and a lack of acknowledgement that business users are striving to become more self-sufficient. For the software integration market to appeal to the needs of their customers, a paradigm shift within the industry is critical.

Until now, the software integration market has focused on developing their solutions and technology as developer tools meant to provide architects with a way to build interfaces to customers, partners and applications whether they are internal or in the cloud. However, business managers want a faster way to connect with customers, launch new marketing campaigns and enter new markets. The challenge is that today’s IT teams are too constrained, their to-do lists are too large and their tools too inefficient to respond quickly.

The software integration market needs to take note of trends and offer solutions that allow users with a non-technical background to build these interfaces without writing any code, using a drag-and-drop interface that is accessible to more than just the IT department. Savvy business users and analysts will then be able to create connections, access data, configure triggers and map data formats using visual, web-based applications. This is integration for the Facebook generation. This is the codeless future that will upend the software integration market.

While IT departments may find a move to business user focused software potentially disruptive, increasing the accessibility of software integration tools brings huge benefits. IT should view their role not as entities that control access to data, but as enabling timely data access for business users so they can run their business and make decisions. By optimizing software for the direct user as opposed to an IT professional, businesses will experience a faster customer onboarding process, reduce the time to market and accelerate revenue. Much like how Salesforce revolutionized CRM software, the software integration solution needs to be more like a business application rather than developer tool.

Of course, integration interfaces still need to be created in a way that ensures data security and integrity. IT still has to retain control of the process but they can do so by publishing connectors that hide the complexity of security, data validations and complex mappings while allowing non-technical users to map data to simpler, flat formats. This will allow the IT staff to focus on more productive, high value tasks while off-loading the day-to-day operational work to business users.

Business users want an easy to use interface that enables workflow automation — not a platform that requires advanced knowledge of code and an IT request ticket. Salesforce.com is a great example of a business application that saw challenges within an industry and successfully met them head on. Prior to Salesforce, many CRM systems were often adopted with little consideration for the actual end user or for how sales reps would actually reap the benefits. The primary user of a CRM system is the sales rep — not IT — and Salesforce understood that.

The software integration market would do much better if it appealed to their primary business customer. That will lead to more business flexibility and more efficient IT teams. The question is not if, but when, the business user becomes the focal point of deploying business applications.

http://www.wired.com/insights/2013/12/the-codeless-future/ 

Watch a Video of Developing Chrome Apps on Desktop and Mobile Distribute and Profit

 This video is worth the view to see where Google is headed when it come to web and native apps on the desktop and mobiles.

http://gigaom.com/2013/12/09/chrome-apps-101-video-shows-googles-vision-of-future-web-apps-on-mobile-and-desktop/

Colorpeek --A Chrome Extension Which is A Simple Way to See and Share CSS Colors

Tyler Sticka created a tool called Colorpeek.  In the following article you will explain to you what the web app does and why and then explain how the Chrome extension works to extend that.

"Tyler states,
A while back I found myself engaged in a monotonous task most designers will relate to. Having carefully selected a color palette in whatever design application I favored that day, it was time to share those color values with my collaborators.

I could have dumped a bunch of hex triplets into an email and called it good. But until we all start cultivating an encyclopedic knowledge of the RGB color model, it's probably best to include some sort of image as well.

So I dutifully hauled out Photoshop and made something like this for what felt like the thousandth time:"

Colorpeek helps you quickly see and share colors in whatever CSS notation you're already using. It supports hex, RGB(a), HSL(a), named colors and even some non-standard brand colors. They all get displayed in a simple, responsive layout.


Some examples:
Hex: colorpeek.com/#a899f2
RGB with alpha: colorpeek.com/#rgba(221,78,133,0.5)
Color keyword: colorpeek.com/#lightcoral
Multiple colors (mixed formats): colorpeek.com/#hotpink,rgb(77,196,94),hsl(212,73,67)
Some brand colors: colorpeek.com/#facebook,twitter,youtube


If you're more of a visual thinker and your browser supports drag and drop and the file API, you can add colors by dragging images right into Colorpeek. It'll grab the most prominent colors thanks to Lokesh Dhakar's magical Color Thief script.

http://css-tricks.com/colorpeek-simple-way-see-share-css-colors/ 

Tech Boot Camps is Changing the Way Technology is Taught in the Classroom

Using a combination of "flipped classrooms" that rely on an extensive library of video tutorials, and "Telepresense," TechBootcamps.com thinks they can create Drupal Web Developers in 8 weeks.



The company stated that 53% of college graduates can’t find a job within 4 months of graduation. They also pointed out that the average cost for a private university is over $121,000 for a 4-year degree. The company thinks that’s a big debt to take on without a job.

Enter an entirely new solution, from TechBootcamps.com.

The company promises that their boot camps will take a person from a beginner to an employable Web Developer, as well as give them the hands-on experience and employer contacts that the students need to get a developer position when they graduate. Through their intense 8-week program, students will learn real world skills and produce a portfolio of websites that they can show to prospective employers.

Through TechBootcamps' “Career Days,” the students will be introduced to many employers, face to face. All of these employers will be looking to fill web developer positions. With starting salaries in the technologies taught averaging 50,000 to 60,000 dollars, the company claims their training program can easily pay for itself – and without having to take on a huge student debt.

The company also stated that if a student take a job with any of the employer-partners that participate in their “Career Days,” the company will reimburse the student all or most of his or her tuition. More information is shown on their "Tuition | Application" page.

The total cost of their 8-week program is $5,900 during their launch – and that includes a MacBook Pro. If the student already has a laptop, they can subtract $1,500 and their tuition will be $4,400.

The company says that they also offer $500 scholarships for many individuals, including veterans of the U.S. Military, and females. That would take tuition costs down to $3,900.

To find out more information, the company suggests going to their website at TechBootcamps.com, or via the telephone at 413-821-6993.
http://www.pr.com/press-release/530766

 

SimbaProvider SDK 4.5 Was Released Today by Simba Technologies

                                                         simba.com

 

Simba Technologies Inc., the industry's source for standards-based relational and multi-dimensional data connectivity solutions, announced today the release of SimbaProvider SDK 4.5 - the quickest way to build XMLA, ODBO, and MDX Query language capability for any data source. SimbaProvider SDK enables quick and easy development of high-performance OLE DB for OLAP (ODBO) and XML for Analysis (XMLA) data providers that connect popular Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics products like IBM Cognos, Microsoft Excel and SAP BusinessObjects to data sources.

The innovative technology inside the SimbaProvider SDK powers MDX queries on any data source, including Big Data sources such as Cloudera Impala. Simba first demonstrated MDX queries issued on a real-time OLAP cube in Cloudera Impala in February 2013. This release of SimbaProvider SDK enhances the underlying MDX query language engine and shows Simba's continued investment in OLAP in the Big Data age.

"My two favourite features in this release are the all-new sample provider and the enhanced query and subquery delegation," said Cathy Dumas, the Director of Program Management, Analytics at Simba Technologies," Developers can quickly get up and running with the new sample provider and incrementally extend MDX query language functionality as needed. As a developer's familiarity with MDX and the SimbaProvider SDK grows, he or she can greatly improve the performance by selectively delegating queries and subqueries to the underlying data source. This combination of the computational capabilities in Simba's MDX engine and the power of the developer's data source results in easy-to-use BI models in Microsoft Excel PivotTables or in almost any other BI client."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/simba-technologies-releases-new-mdx-query-language-toolkit-supporting-high-performance-64-bit-xmla-data-provider-development-for-olap-connectivity-in-conventional-and-web-services-environments-2013-12-02-917