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etworks are subject to reliability issues – just like any computing resource. If they fail without any alternative resources in place work can grind to a stop resulting in significant losses. A Gartner report from several years ago attributed a 19% drop in net income for a single quarter to an outage at Hershey Foods. More options are available today for companies intent on avoiding these kinds or results.

Remote offices are a regular part of the enterprise world, and they all rely on connectivity to their corporate mother-ship in some way. Branch offices with local computing resources like application and storage servers may be protected from some outages but rely on relatively more expensive equipment and support needs. And branches that rely entirely on WAN connections to the centralized datacenter can be completely out of business when that connection fails.

Branches that rely entirely on WAN connections to the centralized datacenter can be completely out of business when that connection fails.

Hybrid systems that combine the advantages of local computing with centrally managed storage, support, and applications are an option that, while they can’t completely eliminate the threat of disconnection, are relatively immune to complete failure. This kind of deployment allows users in the branch to continue operation for most functions. Similarly, a branch that is completely destroyed by a disaster can be operated from a different location until it has been rebuilt because the branch data resides in the central datacenter.

Enterprises engaged in acquisition strategies that include onboarding branch offices are in position to leverage this hybrid approach to computing and may find it can simplify their integration efforts.

oogle on Monday unveiled its new kid-friendly YouTube app, the company’s first product built exclusively in-house with children in mind. As CNET first reported last week, the YouTube Kids app for Android devices is now available for free in the Google Play marketplace. At the same time, Google launched the app for iOS devices in Apple’s App Store. The app sheds adult-oriented content from YouTube and includes only videos geared towards kids.

“Videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids,” the company wrote in a blog post on Monday. “You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Or search for videos of particular interest to your family, like how to build a model volcano, math tutorials, the amazing (and endless) world of trains–and everything in between.” By offering a kids-only app, YouTube is following the lead of other video providers, including Netflix, which has its own kids section.

“Videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids,” the company wrote in a blog post on Monday. “You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Or search for videos of particular interest to your family, like how to build a model volcano, math tutorials, the amazing (and endless) world of trains–and everything in between.”

Like YouTube’s offering, Netflix’s Kids app includes support for parental controls so only age-appropriate content allowed by the parents can be viewed at a given time. Amazon offers a similar service called FreeTime that gives parents control over the type of content kids can view and for how long on its products. Google said over the last year, several teams within the search company have been eyeing ways to provide products solely for kids and this is the first step in the process.

Earlier this month, Google announced that it had acquired child-focused Launchpad Toys, maker of the popular storytelling app Toontastic. The move was part of Google’s increasing desire to double down on children-focused products.

With YouTube Kids, parents will find a wide range of children-focused content available in the app, including programming from DreamWorks, Jim Henson, and others. The app includes large icons to make it easier for kids to choose their desired programming, as well as parental controls that let parents limit screen time, searchable content, and sound. Google will make the app available to the Kurio and Nabi kids’ tablets “soon.”

In an interview with USA Today last week, Shimrit Ben-Yair, the kids app’s group product manager, said parents were consistently asking the company to “make YouTube a better place for our kids.” Ben-Yair says the app is the first step in making that happen.

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source : cnet.com

the internet of things, the Federal Trade Commission sees the possibility of flourishing new markets. But it also sees a prologue to Black Mirror: in a new report that probes the privacy implications of connected devices, the commission surveys a landscape of possible dystopian futures. Get ready for invasive marketing, unending consumer surveillance, invisible nudging, and new potential for government spying and novel forms of hacking. The report seeks to identify the dangers to consumers presented by the internet of things. How might information gleaned from a car GPS, fitness tracker or smart refrigerator lead to negative effects on your creditworthiness, employability, or insurance premiums? As a prelude to the development of best practices, and perhaps new legislation, the FTC aims to establish industry standards for data gathering and use.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure.

“The evolution of the Internet of Things and the increasing connected nature of all devices stands poised to reshape the security industry, according to new research from Memoori. The game changer in the physical security industry is still IP driven, not just across video but now into access control and intruder alarms. The industry is fast moving to an all IP business, which has vastly improved and extended the value propositions for end users.

Security companies that have grasped this opportunity and can demonstrate how improved ROI can be achieved through making businesses and institutions operate more efficiently are growing fast and profitably. IoT is now at the top of the hype curve and it will take at least five years before it reaches the slope of enlightenment, according to Gartner. When it does, analog systems will suffer a rapid decline.”