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Parallels has launched version 14 of its Desktop application that the company says adds 50 new features, including storage savings of up to 20GB, enhanced integration with Microsoft Office on Mac and better Touch Bar support for Apple’s newest range of MacBook Pros. Virtual machines notoriously take up a lot of space on a computer, but the introduction of Parallels 14 can save up to 15% of the storage – saving around 20GB of extra space that can instead be used for native Mac applications and files, for example. Parallels Desktop 14 also support Microsoft Ink, meaning users will be able to edit Microsoft Office for Windows documents on a Mac, with pressure sensitive support for some apps including PowerPoint, Microsoft Edge, CorelDRAW, Fresh Paint, Leonardo, openCanvas and Photoshop for Windows. Touch Bar MacBook Pros are better supported with Parallels Desktop 14, through the use of Touch Bar sets including Microsoft Visio and OneNote, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Revit,...

If recent data breaches have taught us anything, it’s that you can never be too cautious when it comes to adopting the right cybersecurity strategies for your business. For example, high profile Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Verizon exposed the personal information of millions of customers by accidentally misconfiguring their Amazon S3 cloud repositories. Despite providers like AWS providing ample information about the best practices for cloud security, the volume of AWS-related data leaks continues to grow. The unfortunate truth is that data breaches are here to stay and could come from any point across a distributed organisation. Adding to the complexity is the growth of cloud technology and ensuring that the appropriate cloud security is in place without compromising user experience. With cloud IP traffic set to rise threefold in the next five years , it is vital that businesses have the provisioning in place to protect the...

Six Degrees has acquired CNS Group, in a deal that will help the former expand its security and compliance portfolio. Under the deal, MSP Six Degrees will sell CNS Group’s Cyber Security Maturity Benchmarking model, Aegis, to its existing clients and prospects, significantly growing its potential revenue streams.  CNS Group’s dedicated Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) will also join Six Degrees’ portfolio, allowing Six Degrees to provide government accredited managed security services to businesses. The acquisition will onboard many of CNS Group’s public and private sector clients, including those operating in highly-regulated industries, FTSE 100 companies and public sector organisations. “The increasingly complex cyber security threat landscape is a major challenge for businesses, who struggle to align IT resources against the risks they face,” said David Howson, CEO, Six Degrees. “Existing clients want to place more of their IT estate with us, and security is a vit...

Whilst Bitcoin has taken the spotlight when it comes to the application of blockchain technology, we are starting to see a surge of innovation as its potential impact on businesses becomes increasingly understood. Blockchain technology is now being tapped into by many businesses and governments around the world. One such industry with huge potential is recruitment.  Having worked in recruitment for nearly a decade, I saw increasing frustration and a steadily decreasing lack of trust in the processes involved to collect references. Outdated processes meant that references could easily be abused and misused. Over eight years, the number of references collected by recruiters decreased by a staggering two thirds. References used to be the gold standard of an employee’s skills and experience, yet according to a survey by CareerBuilder, 75 per cent of hiring managers have caught a lie in a resume. Instead, employers and recruiters make judgments based on workers’ CVs and ‘perso...

The latest version of the container orchestration system Kubernetes , 1.11, adds a new load-balancing method and provides custom resource definitions.  Where to download Kubernetes You can download the Kubernetes source from the releases page of its official GitHub repository. Kubernetes is also available by way of the upgrade process provided by the various vendors that supply Kubernetes distributions. Current version: New features in Kubernetes 1.11 Released in early July 2018, Kubernetes 1.11 adds  IPVS , or IP Virtual Server, to provides high-performance cluster load balancing using an in-kernel technology that’s less complex than the iptables system normally used for such things. Eventually, Kubernetes will use IPVS as the default load balancer, but for now it’s opt-in. Custom resource definitions, billed as a way to make custom configuration changes to Kubernetes without breaking its standardizations, may now be versioned to allow for graceful transitions from o...

There is no denying that IT systems are becoming more complex, especially when one considers the impact of hybrid cloud solutions, cross-domain connectivity and the rise of service-oriented architectures. The new reality is distributed systems, where determining how data is stored and applications accessed is no longer a simple matter of pointing at a server. The distributed nature of today’s IT has made chores such as backup, disaster recovery planning, business continuity, and application maintenance so complex that it now takes teams of professionals to plan and execute on any changes. However, with complexity comes the possibility that critical systems are overlooked and important data and services may fall through the cracks–a realization that has made the chore of backup all too important. After all, without good, reliable backups, how could any business recover from a failed upgrade, improperly executed change or any other data disruption that has its roots in the complex nat...

High street retail giant Marks & Spencer has deployed Twilio’s chatbot to replace its human customer service staff to deal with calls on behalf of its 640 stores and contact centres. The system is used to redirect any calls to the retail chain to the most relevant department, store or call centre worker. Before using Twilio, Mark & Spencer was using a legacy switchboard platform, using human interaction to route the caller to the right place. Twilio’s platform instead identifies what a customer’s calling about and then redirects it to the most relevant department, significantly speeding up and improving the accuracy of the service. “Twilio’s flexible cloud communications platform has enabled Marks & Spencer to experiment like a startup, while executing like an enterprise,” said Chris McGrath, IT programme manager at Marks & Spencer. “We were able to prototype a solution in just four weeks and put it to the test during our busiest retail days of the year. McGrath a...

The Home Office is looking for a partner to help migrate the Police and Public Protection systems from a traditional data centre to Amazon Web Service (AWS). The system currently used by police and law enforcement agencies are unsatisfactory, according to the Home Office and it is looking for a vendor to support its current programme team with migrating to AWS. “The Police Open Systems currently reside in a traditional data centre and provides an extended capability to police forces on top of the services provided by the Police National Computer (PNC),” it said. “The software and infrastructure on which these systems reside are not of a satisfactory status or versioning, and as such, there is a desire to migrate these systems to Amazon Web Services.” The Home office have  advertised for a highly skilled team that is able to design AWS architecture to support existing police systems that are inclusive of storage, network and compute elements and also support the accreditation ...

Google has launched its better-value Google One plans in the US – the first storage plans to launch since the company announced it was planning to re-brand its cloud services earlier this year. Its Google One plans offer more flexibility to customers, with pricing options starting at $1.99 a month for 100GB of additional storage, with a $2.99 a month plan offering 200GB storage and its $9.99 tier customers getting a storage boost up to 2TB from of the previous 1TB. Google One subscriptions are also available for those with higher demands, including a 10 TB account for $100/month, 20 TB for $200/month, and 30 TB for $300/month The company’s free Google Drive tier will remain though, offering those without high storage demands 15GB of free space to store their documents in Google Drive and other content. Google One isn’t just about storage though – it will also tag on a whole load of other services that will optimise customers’ experiences, including 24/7 live support for ...