Posts Tagged ‘Orlando’
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
 Gartner Inc. analysts warned IT managers that they see a second recession on the horizon and that IT managers face a period of “unprecedented uncertainty,” according to a Computerworld report.
Speaking at the annual Gartner Symposium/IT expo in Orlando, FL, the Gartner analysts told IT managers they may need to “reimagine” their departments for a post-modern world of information, collaboration, and mobility, all of which will lead to users seeking higher levels of interaction with companies.
Peter Sondergaard, the firm’s head of research, said, “The second recession is about to hit.”
The Gartner analysts suggested that IT managers consider “creative destruction,” by knocking down organizational walls so companies can innovate together. Analyst Tina Nunno urged, “Embrace calculated risk.”
Tags: FL, Gartner, Orlando, Peter Sondergaard, Symposium/IT expo, Tina Nunno
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
 Be proactive and take measures to protect your mobile devices With app security breaches in the news, this new report by Orlando-based Panda security on the current and future state of smartphone malware is very timely. Panda also offers seven tips on how to keep your mobile devices secure.
Panda Security , the Cloud Security Company, has released the report in participation with other members of Spain’s National Cyber-Security Advisory Council(CNCCS) on the history, current state and future of mobile malware.
Now available for the first time in the United States, the “Smartphone Malware Report” aims to raise awareness of the threats affecting mobile devices as well provides tips individuals can follow to avoid falling victim to mobile threats.
“One of the major challenges security vendors face is user mobility,” said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. “Enhancing the security of cell phones — through anti-malware, data protection, management and security audit functions — is a major challenge for any security department, and we must tackle this threat as soon as possible in order to help protect users’ information and businesses.
“Even though cell phone malware is not a priority for cyber-crooks yet, we are starting to see the first major attacks on these platforms. We predict that the next few months will see significant growth in cell phone attacks, especially on Google’s Android operating system.”
“Security vendors have long warned about the fact that cell phones would overtake PCs as the primary cyber attack target, and 2010 has showed the first signs of that. We believe 2011 will really mark a turning point in this field,” explained David Barroso, director of e-crime at Council member S21sec.
Smartphone Malware Report Overview:
Key topics covered in the report include:
- The history of mobile devices, and the evolution of the smartphone market from its onset to the present day
- Mobile device security issues and threat vectors
- The history of threats targeted the platform, including Cabir, WinCE.Brador.A , Skulls, Pbstealer, CxOver, Ikee.A and Ikee.B, Droid09 and modern Man-in-the-Mobile attacks
- Predictions for the future, including schemes that target mobile banking applications and capture sensitive information, programs that track users’ locations through GPS, advanced social engineering attacks, and mobile worms that scan all devices connected to WiFi networks and exploit vulnerabilities to transmit malicious code to other system.
How Can You Protect Your Mobile Device?
Lack of security awareness among cell phone users and carelessness are two of the most important risk factors for smartphones. It is extremely important to understand that a smartphone is far more than just a phone and should be treated more like a computer due to the valuable information it stores.
To protect your mobile device, the CNCCS offers a series of best practices. These include:
- Enable access protection measures such as a PIN or password
- Configure the smartphone to automatically lock after a minute or so being idle
- Disable features not in use such Bluetooth, infrared or WiFi
- Before installing or using new smartphone apps or services, check their reputation and only install applications from trusted sources
- Keep your operating system and software applications up to date
- Be wary of any files, links or numbers received from unsolicited email or SMS messages
- Avoid using untrusted WiFi networks
Tags: current and future state of smartphone malware, FL, Orlando, Panda Security, seven steps to protect your smartphone, smartphone malware report
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Security, smartphones, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, May 6th, 2011
 ORLANDO – Row Sham Bow Inc., an electronic game developer startup, has raised $1.5 million of an equity financing aimed at $3 million, according to a regulatory filing.
Row Sham Bow – a name derived from the Japanese term for the game Rock–paper-scissors, says its mission is to “create fun games anyone can play.”
Former Electronic Arts Tiburon VP Philip Holt, CEO and president, founded the company in March.
The company has asked Orlando for $114,000 and the state for $570,000 in economic development incentives. It says it will create 60 high-paying jobs.
The company disclosed the financing in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Electronic Arts, electronic games startup, financing, FL, Orlando, Philip Holt, Row Sham Bow, Tiburon
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Money | Comments Off
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
 ORLANDO, FL – How are cyber criminals snaring their victims? A new study from cloud anti-malware firm Panda Security says they’re using videos, installers, “cracks” and social media most often.
According to the research, 25 percent of sites used video and multimedia content as bait; 21.63 percent referred to installers or program updates; 16.53 percent claimed to contain cracks and keygens and 16 percent were social media URLs.
A crack is a small software application that serializes a piece of commercial software and enables users to operate any software application. It also enables hackers to illegally modify software, such as remove protectors like the trial/demo version, serial number, CD checks and any other software protection method.
“Users continue to fall victim to malicious links offering to take them to an exciting video or the new episode of their favorite TV show. This technique has become a weapon of choice for hackers as it requires minimum investment and attracts a large number of victims,” said Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs. “Most of these sites download Trojans onto users’ computers without their knowledge. Therefore, a good security solution capable of blocking them proactively is extremely helpful for users who, in most cases, can’t distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘malicious’ websites.”
eBooks are in fifth place on the list comprising 5.25 percent of occurrences, followed by Peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads and adult content. The ranking rounds out with sites offering software programs, operating systems, browsers, videogames and antivirus software (all of them used in less than three percent of cases). For detailed graphical analysis of these ranking, please visit: press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/URLTable.jpg and press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/URLGraph.jpg
Most Blocked URLs in Q1
The three most blocked sites by Panda Security in Q1 2011 were three Brazilian web pages. The first was a video released by the Japanese consulate showing the rescue of a group of tsunami survivors; the second, a video supposedly showing a short circuit causing the death of 15 people; and the third supposedly contains footage of a police officer being fired because of his Internet activities.
“Attackers exploit hot topics and users’ morbid curiosity,” explained Corrons. “Who isn’t interested in watching the latest footage of such a devastating natural disaster as Japan’s recent earthquake?”
Popularity Ranking
The study shows user preferences in relation to the malware lures used. When taking a look at P2P applications, Panda found that the most popular program is Ares, followed by Torrent and eMule. As for social networks, Facebook tops the list ahead of Messenger, Tuenti and MySpace.
The most searched for operating system is Windows, followed by Mac and Linux. Finally, Explorer still dominates the web browser market, with Firefox and Chrome trailing behind.
“There are no hidden secrets when it comes to finding out if a website is legitimate or not, but it is becoming increasingly complicated for users to differentiate them. Unfortunately, many users don’t know if their security system is good enough to protect their systems, which is where a lot of these problems originate,” said Corrons.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: cracks, FL, hackers, Orlando, Panda Security, social media, video
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Security, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
 By Allan Maurer
ORLANDO, FL – FindVenture.com, an Orlando-based Internet company has just launched its site, which connects entrepreneurs and startups with investors, but already has five deals in term sheets and expects to see its first deal close by the end of the first quarter.
Founded in 2010 by David Bayer, CEO of DataBanq and of ChamberofCommerce.com and a founder of Chamberperks (2002), a web-based group buying program in Flordia, and Seth Ellis, managing partner of the $450 million Florida Mezzanine Fund, the site is free to both investors and entrepreneurs. DataBanq and the FMF funded the project.
Investors can pay a membership fee for increased deal flow and more sophisticated deal matching/searching features.
“Entrepreneurs and CFOs are turning to the web to find investment and lending resources,” said Bayer, managing partner of FindVenture.
“What they are finding is that most investors are still operating offline and seeking deal flow by utilizing traditional methods. FindVenture.com brings both the investor, or fund, and the business owner or entrepreneur into a more efficient marketplace exchange.”
Using a sophisticated matching algorithm, FindVenture connects investors with individuals and organizations. “Eliminating the need to filter through investment opportunities that don’t fit the core criteria of a fund saves both the investor and the business a tremendous amount of time,” said Bayer. FindVenture.com provides detailed profiles of both funds and prospective investment companies, in addition to a platform and subscription model similar to Monster.com, where like employers; investors have access to view prospective investment opportunities.
Bayer tells us, “Our focus is on creating enough deal flow that we can attract a senior management team and raise money to deploy to the deal flow as a venture fund. Similar to what Lending Tree has done by starting off in mortgage lead generation and then eventually becoming a mortgage underwriter themselves.”
The five-employee firm has more than 50 funds/investors registered on the platform in just its first 30 days.
We asked Bayer what differentiates the company from others in the space.
“We are in a unique position,” he said, “in that we have no immediate need to make money off of our customers. Our model – instead of needing to make money off of investors, entrepreneurs or the connecting of the two – our focus is simply deal flow.”
He added, “In partnership with Acxiom and ChamberofCommerce.com, we have a direct communication channel to more than 14MM businesses. Using a sophisticated algorithm we are able to identify those businesses which are likely to need and qualify for funding and approach them directly to participate in our platform. The net result, higher volume and quality of deals in the system and a fraction of the cost of most other companies in the space.”
. When a business posts a funding request on FindVenture.com, they put their idea and business plan in front of thousands of investors and funds. Additionally, FindVenture provides small businesses and entrepreneurs with the resources and education to find the fund that’s the right fit.
FindVenture’s resources section provides insight into the fundraising process with articles written by industry leaders such as Karen Klein – an expert in small businesses and entrepreneurship who has appeared in Bloomberg Business Week and the Los Angeles Times for more than a decade.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: ChamberofCommerce.com, Chamberperks, DataBanq, David Bayer, FindVenture.com, FL, Florida Mezzaanine Fund, Orlando, Seth Ellis
Posted in Company Profile, Florida, Internet/New Media, Money | Comments Off
Friday, March 11th, 2011
 Atlanta is 2nd on the list of most socially networked cities. RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC – Washington, DC took the top spot as most socially networked, followed by Atlanta in the number two position in a ranking by Men’s Health magazine, it calls “Twittertowns.” Raleigh ranked 12th, Orlando, 7th, Tampa, 31st, and Baltimore 58th.
The magazine ranked US cities by adding up the number of Facebook and LinkedIn users per capita and overall Twitter use as monitored by NetProspex.It also measured traffic generated in each city by social networks and factored in the percentage of households checking out chat rooms and blogs.
You can meet some of the most wired people in Atlanta at TechMedia’s Digital Summit May 16-17 at the Cobb Galleria.
Here’s the top ten, according to the magazine:
Most socially networked
1 Washington, DC
2 Atlanta, GA
3 Denver, CO
4 Minneapolis, MN
5 Seattle, WA
6 San Francisco, CA
7 Orlando, FL
8 Austin, TX
9 Boston, MA
10 Salt Lake City, UT
Here’s the Full List.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Atlanta, Baltimore, DC, Digital Summit, facebook, LinkedIn, Men's Health TwitterTowns ranking, most socially networked cities, Orlando, Raleigh, social media, Tampa, twitter
Posted in Business Briefs, Carolinas, Facebook, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Potomac, social media, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Friday, March 4th, 2011
 ORLANDO, FL – You don’t often hear good news about online security, but here’s some. Malware infections fell 11 percent last month, according to Orlando-based Panda Security.
Panda Security, a Cloud Security Co., says that during the month of February, data gathered by Panda ActiveScan, the company’s free online scanner, found that only 39 percent of computers scanned in February were infected with malware, compared to 50 percent last month.
Trojans were found to be the most prolific malware threat, responsible for 61 percent of all cases, followed by traditional viruses and worms which caused 11.59 percent and nine percent of cases worldwide, respectively.
Personally, I’ve noticed that Trojans targeting java have been prevalent.
These figures have hardly changed compared to similar data collected in January. A graphical representation is available at: press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/FEB-Malware-ENG.jpg. The most prevalent malware specimens detected this February also remained consistent with last month’s findings. The CI.A, Downloader.MDW or Lineage.KDB Trojans continued to spread and infect systems in approximately the same numbers.
China, Ukraine, Thailand and Taiwan held the top four highest rates of infection (more than 50 percent of cases). Other countries such as Italy, the U.S. or France recorded rates below 40 percent, but ranked higher than last month.
Tags: Feb. 2011, FL, malware report, Orlando, Panda Security, Security
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Security | Comments Off
Friday, February 25th, 2011
Panda Security , The Cloud Security company, is providing guidance to small-to-medium sized businesses on ways to safely and securely integrate social media strategies into their businesses.
After conducting its 1st Annual Social Media Risk Index for SMBs last September, Panda Security discovered that 78 percent use social networking sites to support research and competitive intelligence, improve customer service, drive public relations and marketing initiatives and directly generate revenue.
However, corporate social media strategies and security policies usually overlook crisis management plans to face the challenges posed by social media, and authenticity, security and privacy continue to be of utmost concern.
Authenticity
Protecting brand or digital identity should be a priority for all businesses, but in reality, neither the top social media platforms nor companies themselves seem to pay much attention to it.
The fact that anybody can create a fake online profile in the name of a real business means that people can speak on behalf of a company without having anything to do with it. This could lead to the creation of communities of users tricked into believing that a corporate account is authentic. It could also lead to publication of information that could damage the brand and result in public relations disasters.
Only a few social media sites like Twitter allow users to show their account is authentic through a Verified Badge, but most of them do not include that option. It is therefore recommended to proactively register all company trade names on the main social media sites, clearly identifying a business official communication channel if there is no other verification mechanism available.
Security
Companies are affected by the same problems as individual users are who connect to social media sites. The main security concerns businesses should monitor for include:
- Identity theft: Administrators could become infected and have their profile login data and passwords compromised. This could result in anybody taking control of the corporate account to perform actions including scheduling events (on Facebook, for example) with malware links. Similarly, a malicious user that takes over an account could post information from a company’s official profile with disastrous effects.
- Infection risks: Attackers could take advantage of instant messaging applications or the timeline feature in microblogging platforms to send users information with hidden links to malware sites. In the case of large corporations, this could result in targeted attacks designed to infect users’ computers in order to penetrate networks and access confidential information. Similarly, malicious links can be posted on profile walls contributing to the spread of computer malware. Any of these actions could clearly compromise brand integrity.
- Platform vulnerabilities: 2010 saw a number of security exploits in popular social networks like Facebook or Twitter, putting millions of users at risk. As more users join these sites, there will be more researchers looking for security flaws, so users must be aware that the platforms will become more vulnerable as time wears on.
Following good password management practices like changing them regularly and strengthening them through the combination of alphanumeric characters can help protect corporate integrity. Security awareness and education as well as keeping oneself up to date on the latest security threats will help corporate profile administrators to stay alert and detect any irregular activities.
Privacy
The study showed that 77 percent of SMB employees use social networking during working hours and could share confidential information there. This information can potentially be used by malicious users to post information about corporate finances, practices or internal work processes, which becomes a major risk.
Adequate training programs and social media policies will greatly minimize the risk of confidential information leaks. According to Luis Corrons, Technical Director at PandaLabs, “In the past, most social media sites were for personal use, but now we are witnessing a boom of social media strategies in the corporate sector. Web 2.0. has proven to be an extremely efficient way to implement marketing, communication and customer service activities, but companies must understand the risks involved in these channels.”
“Corporate security plans, whether for large or small businesses, must include contingency action plans in the event of public crises caused by any of these online platforms and resulting in reputation damage and financial losses. It is clear that cybercriminals will start shifting their attention to companies using social media as corporations return much more benefits than individual users.”
To access the Social Media Risk for SMBs in its entirety, please click the following link: prensa.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/1st-Annual-Social-Media-Risk-Index-Slidedeck.pdf.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: FL, guide to social media security for SMBs, identity theft, Orlando, Panda Security, platform vulnerbilities, privacy, social media risk index
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Security, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, February 18th, 2011
By Allan Maurer
 ORLANDO, FL – Getting airline profits off the ground is tougher than one might expect, considering how essential air travel is to our business and personal lives in the modern world. But airlines large and small have gone belly up because they couldn’t land enough paying passengers. Radixx, a software firm in Orlando, puts some jet fuel in airline profits.
Ron Peri, founder and CEO of Radixx, tells us that building an advanced airline passenger service system is a complex endeavor that defeated several major players who spent hundreds of millions and years trying. “There have been a lot of attempts to build this type of software that failed,” says Peri.
Radixx itself only succeeded by doing it incrementally over many years, he says at a cost of about $50 million.
A myriad of problems have to be solved: chief among them, getting the airlines specifications and working with legacy software systems, but the whole thing is complex, Peri says. The air industry business model is in a rapid state of change. You must find a way to compete profitably in an environment where low cost structures and non-traditional business models are now the rule not the exception.
Presenting at SEVC
Radixx, spun out of a previous airline focused company in 1998, is among the 50 innovative firms presenting at the fifth annual Southeast Venture Conference in Atlanta March 2-3. And what a story Radixx has to tell.
“We have a variety of airline clients who will state emphatically that implementing Radixx Air made them profitable, more profitable, or kept them in business,” says Peri. Great Lakes Aviation, for instance, stated in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that Radixx was the reason for the company’s first profitable quarter.
Air Iceland made its first profit in 40 years of operations after installing Radixx software.
Another airline saw a 250 percent increase in bookings using the software. Go Air, which had never had more than 100,000 passengers in a month leaped to 147,000 the month it first used the product and moved to 250,000 a month.
“It’s had a tremendous impact,” Peri says. “It’s just a more effective and better way of selling.”
The Internet changed everything
The Internet changed everything for airline ticket sales just like it disrupted publishing and music sales and many other aspects of modern business. In the old days, Peri says, a travel agent would book you with the airline that gave them the best commission and you took what you got. Now, on the Internet, “Airline fares are obvious to everyone,” Peri notes.
To deal with that new transparency, which lets people find the cheapest fares quickly, airlines sell everything they can sell as services, from baggage fees to meals or better placement in line. That requires a software system that can handle constant adaptations.
Radixx has about 30 airline clients now and no two do things the same way, Peri says. “But we are at a point now where we have a product,” which he notes was far from easy to create. Now the company is looking for venture backing to help it build out its brand and sales channels.
Radixx Air charges on a transaction basis. It allows selling through any distribution channel, e-ticket or ticketless, legacy or modern.
“There have been many attempts to build this type of software that failed,” says Peri. “We’re kind of the little engine that shouldn’t have been able to but did, little by little.”
He says that if the company lands funding, the lessons it has learned creating its product give it some insight into what’s coming out of the clouds. “We could do some things along the lines of breakthroughs,” he says.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Air Iceland, airline passenger service systems, FL, Go Air, Great Lakes Aviation, Orlando, Radixx, Ron Peri, SEC, SEVC, Southeast Venture Conference
Posted in Company Profile, Events, Florida, IT | Comments Off
Monday, January 31st, 2011
 ORLANDO, FL – Our vigilant friends at Panda Security have discovered two new security exploits taking advantage of popular social media sites Facebook and Twitter. In the last several days, two new malware strains have been wreaking havoc on Facebook users.
The first, Asprox.N, is a Trojan delivered via email informing users their Facebook account is being used to distribute spam and that, for security reasons, the login credentials have been changed. The email includes a fake Word document attachment, supposedly containing the new password, with an unusual icon and the filename Facebook_details.exe.
Deceiving victims by opening a .doc file upon opening the attachment, this file is really a Trojan that downloads another file designed to open all available ports, connecting to mail service providers in an attempt to spam as many users as possible.
The second new malware strain, Lolbot.Q, is distributed across instant messaging applications such as AIM or Yahoo!, with a message displaying a malicious link. Clicking the link downloads a worm designed to hijack Facebook accounts, blocking users’ access while informing that the account has been suspended.
To “reactivate” their account, users are asked to complete a questionnaire, promising prizes such as laptops and iPads. After several questions, users are asked to subscribe and enter their cell phone number, which is in turn charged a fee of $11.60 per week. Victims can restore access to their Facebook account only once they subscribe to the service and receive a new password.
“Once again cybercriminals are using social engineering to trick victims and infect them with malware,” said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. “Given the increasing popularity of social media, it is no surprise that it is being exploited to lure victims.”
To avoid security threats such as these, PandaLabs recommends users be wary of any unexpected messages with unusually eye-catching subjects and avoid clicking on external links, running executable files or entering personal data into unknown applications or web forms.
Tags: Asprox.N, facebook, FL, Lolbot.Q, Orlando, Panda Labs, Panda Security, security exploits, twitter
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
|
|
|
