Generation Gmail poses major risk to firms’ security

Some 85pc of workers under 25 admit that they send work-related emails or documents to or from personal email accounts like Gmail or Hotmail. ‘Generation Gmail’ finds corporate mailbox sizes too constrained and work around this hurdle.

Results from an international research project commissioned by Mimecast have revealed that offices are being compromised by an emerging ‘Generation Gmail’ of corporate email users.
A new cohort of social media savvy employees, Generation Gmail, displays a particular frustration with corporate email restrictions, complaining that mailbox sizes are too constrained and that they will readily “work around” using personal email to be as productive and flexible as possible.
The findings have revealed that corporate email users under the age of 25 are putting businesses at risk with a slapdash attitude to company intellectual property (IP) flowing outside the organisation and being stored on public servers. Use of personal email for work purposes is pervasive, with 85pc of under 25s admitting that they send work related emails or documents to or from personal email accounts, the highest of all age groups.
Mimecast commissioned Loudhouse, an independent marketing research consultancy, to conduct a survey to investigate how attitudes to work email use are evolving and how progressive employers are managing this core communication channel. The research comprised a total of more than 2,400 online interviews with corporate email users in the UK (1,080 interviews), the US (805), Canada (272) and South Africa (300).

Personal email is bleeding into the workplace

“With social networks and personal email a ubiquitous part of their life, the way email is used by this demographic is bleeding into the workplace,” Nathaniel Borenstein, chief scientist at Mimecast explained.
“So it is not surprising that expectations for workplace technology are shifting accordingly,” commented. “The results find workers frustrated with corporate restrictions and working around these using personal email accounts in order not to affect their productivity or flexibility,” Borenstein said.
In tandem with Generation Gmail’s appetite for technology – and instinctive desire to share and collaborate - comes a frustration with traditional workplace tools and behaviours.
Over half (51pc) of under 25s say if they had an unlimited work mailbox they would be less likely to send work emails to personal accounts – 11pc higher than other age groups.
The Generation Gmail report also found that:
·         More than a third (36pc) of incoming email to work inboxes is NOT work related
·         Over 300 work-related emails are sent per person via personal accounts each year
·         Typically around half of these emails contain attachments, meaning that the average employee under 25 will send approximately three emails a week containing corporate IP and potentially sensitive information outside of their corporate environment
·         Generation Gmail is particularly predisposed to personal email; 52pc rated it as better than work email in terms of mailbox size, compared to just 29pc of over 55s
Borenstein, one of the creators of the MIME standard, which makes modern email delivery possible, continued: “Email is a vital channel, indeed the preferred choice, of communications within companies today. Although more fanciful headlines would have us believe that email is on the verge of extinction – the reality is that email is embedded within company culture and will remain a core communication channel for some time to come.
“However, unprecedented change is afoot as a new generation of people who have had lifelong exposure to technology enter the workforce, bringing with them unique challenges in the provision and management of email and other technologies for companies.
“The proliferation of social networks and mobile devices has transformed the communications landscape within companies; employees increasingly mix and match technologies, using devices and platforms interchangeably to find workarounds that maximise their flexibility and productivity. Employers need to work out what they are going to do in the face of this cultural shift,” concluded Borenstein.

Attorney General’s advice sought on 'illegal downloads' powers for judges

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation has confirmed that the gap in Irish copyright laws governing illegal downloads and the role of internet service providers (ISPs) is "being considered carefully" and that the advice of the Attorney General has been sought.

In October, UPC was successful in a court case over the implementation of ‘three strikes’ rules against illegal downloaders which were sought by the music industry’s big four labels, EMI, Universal, Warner and Sony. The judge presiding the case, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, held that laws seeking to identify and disconnect copyright infringers was not enforceable in Ireland regardless of the record companies’ complaints.
Yesterday, Siliconrepublic.com reported that a statutory instrument was believed to have been rushed through the legislative process and was due to be signed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Mary Hanafin TD. The statutory instrument – understood to be in the hands of the parliamentary draftsman – would have amended the existing Copyright Act and given judges the power to grant injunctions against ISPs.
Siliconrepublic.com asked the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation if a statutory instrument granting judges the power to grant injunctions in copyright cases arising from the three strikes case was being hurried through without political debate.
In reply, the department that neither confirmed or denied a statutory instrument was being pushed through said: “The situation is that in the wake of the High Court judgment in EMI Records (Ireland) Ltd and others v UPC Communications Ireland Ltd, the very serious question as to whether Ireland is fully in compliance with its obligations under European law is being considered carefully by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.”

Advice of Attorney General sought

“The advice of the Attorney General was sought and on foot of this, consultations are in train with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
“It may be necessary for the avoidance of doubt, to introduce measures clarifying Ireland’s position under the Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC) in relation to injunctions.
“In relation to the general question of intermediary liability, the consultation on the EU Commission Report on the enforcement of intellectual property rights (Enforcement Directive – 2004/48/EC) may be of interest.
“Likely interested parties have been informed of this consultation,” the department said.

HP disappoints as forecasts are cut

US computer giant Hewlett-Packard saw its share price tumble in the US last night after it cut its forecasts for the rest of the year. This triggered fears that the economic downturn would continue to affect the firm.
HP said its net profit climbed to $2.6 billion in the first three months to January 31 as businesses upgraded IT systems, but it also said computer sales to consumers lagged behind.

Contracts for services, such as hosting and maintaining business computer networks online in the internet 'cloud', also yielded less revenue than the company had hoped, though HP predicted its commitment to the sector would pay off handsomely.

Its net revenue climbed to $32.3 billion in the first quarter, compared to $31.2 billion in the same period a year earlier. Revenue was up 4% compared with a year earlier, while net profit rose 16% with the help of 'financial discipline' according to chief financial officer Cathie Lesjak. The earnings figures fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
HP estimated that its revenue in the current quarter would range from $31.4 billion to $31.6 billion and that net earnings per share would be from 99 cents to $1.01.

HP predicted that its fortunes would improve in the second half of the year as revenues begin kicking in from cloud services and a TouchPad tablet computer and two smartphones powered by Palm's webOS software.

Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli - parents should steal their kids’ Facebook passwords

Some parents are friends with their children on Facebook so they can keep an eye on things. Those that aren’t, however, should hack, steal, or do whatever it takes to get their kids’ Facebook passwords, and they should not feel guilty about it, according to a New Jersey cop.
Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli recently declared that all parents should use keystroke-logging tools to keep tabs on every site their children visit, and every status update or photo they post to Facebook. Batelli, who has his own teenage daughter to worry about, seems particularly concerned about sexual predators and drugs that the social network could be encouraging.
“Trust sounds good. It’s a good cliché,” Batelli told NBC New York. “[But] to stick your head in the sand and think that, in 9th, 10th, 8th grade, your child is not going to be exposed to alcohol, is not going to be exposed to drugs is kind of a naïve way to go about it. If you sugar-coat it, parents just don’t get it. Read the paper any day of the week and you’ll see an abduction [or] a sexual assault that’s the result of an Internet interaction or a Facebook comment. When it comes down to safety and welfare of your child, I don’t think any parent would sacrifice anything to make sure nothing happens to their children. If it means buying an $80 package of software and putting it on and seeing some inappropriate words you don’t want your child to say. Then that’s part of society.”
Batelli is not the only one on the force that offers his extreme Internet-monitoring advice to parents. The Mahwah Police department has free seminars where detectives show parents how to install keystroke-recording software on home computers.
While I’m sure that all parents would at least consider using software to block certain sites from their children, spying on your loved ones is never the solution. At one point or another, the child will find out, and at that point it will be evident that the parent chose to lie and be secretive to their offspring. The Facebook “problem” can be solved without encouraging such practices.
In fact, Facebook has its own tool for parents who are worried about what is going on with their kids: the Safety Center. The webpage has general safety resources, as well as tips specifically for parents, teens, educators, and law enforcement. Palo Alto considers anyone over 13 an “authorized account holder,” so the company is forbidden to give access to others, including parents. Instead, Facebook encourages open communication in the family, and gives suggestions on good practices on the social network.

How Apple will crush its competition with iTunes Online

What do these four music subscription services have in common? Each company survives on monthly subscription revenues. Each one has an iPhone/iPad app that is prominently featured on its home page. Each one offers a free trial that they hope you’ll love and that you’ll convert to a paid subscription when the trial runs out.
And under Apple’s new subscription rules, each one will soon be forced to start paying 30% of its revenue for each of those easy, one-click subscriptions it gets through an app on an Apple device.
In short, each of those four services has just been torpedoed by Apple. Each one is taking on water. The question now is deciding in what order they go under.
Where do people listen to music? On the go. Even if you initially sign up for a free trial on the web, you’re likely to use the subscription on your phone. As a Rhapsody spokesperson told me last December, “Mobile is everything, and people are increasingly using their mobile devices like Swiss army knives—buying an expensive new (closed) device limits the addressable market.  In fact, it was being tied to certain devices that posed challenges to Rhapsody in the past.”
This is a completely new challenge. Yes, Apple says it won’t take a cut if you place your order elsewhere. But they’ve made it inevitable that most of those subscriptions will come from the app.
If you decide to convert a trial to a paid subscription, where are you going to do the transaction? Will you use the easy one-click button on your iPhone? Or will you open your web browser, navigate to the sign-up page, and pay the exact same price after you enter a page full of details including your credit card number, CVV code, and billing information, and then go back to your iPhone to complete the process?

Google snaps up Dublin's landmark Montevetro development

Google has bought Dublin's tallest commercial office building for almost €100m in cash.

The global internet search engine firm snapped up the landmark 15-storey Montevetro development, which had been on the books of the State's bad bank.
The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) would not disclose the profit it made on the deal, but confirmed it recovered in excess of the combined amount of the money paid to acquire the loan and additional funding spent to complete the building, at Grand Canal Dock.

Chairman Frank Daly said the successful completion and sale of Montevetro reflected the positive potential of Nama to support the commercial property market in Ireland.

He said: "Nama played an intrinsic part in brokering the deal between purchaser and seller and in putting this deal together.
"I believe the sale of a building of the size of 210,000 sq ft will be seen as a very positive sign for the future of the Irish commercial property market."
Construction work on the landmark building started in March 2008 but the finance for the project has been overseen by Nama since last April.
It was developed by Real Estate Opportunities (REO), the property investment and development group, and reaches 67 metres high.

The €99.9m sale of Montevetro to Google was agreed after year-long discussions between the multinational and REO's investment adviser, Treasury Holdings.

Completion of the transaction is expected soon.
John Herlihy, head of Google in Ireland, said the firm now has the space and flexibility to support future operations at its EMEA headquarters.

"The majority of the team in Dublin help businesses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to take advantage of the internet," he said.

"It's already a big part of the way Europe does business but there's still a long way to go."
REO chairman Ray Horney said the transaction is one of the largest sales of commercial property in Ireland in several years.
He said: "The company believes it has achieved a very good price in the current market environment.
"Google is an iconic name globally and its decision to buy Montevetro is good news for Ireland and we wish them every success in their new home."
REO also announced the international oil and gas exploration company, Tullow Oil plc, plans to lease 48,000 sq ft in the Central Park development in Leopardstown, Dublin.

Council Implementing Decision of 7 December 2010 on granting Union financial assistance to Ireland

2011/77/EU: Council Implementing Decision of 7 December 2010 on granting Union financial assistance to Ireland

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:030:0034:0039:EN:PDF