Articles by Jack M. Germain

Beware of the Log4j vulnerability! This nasty software bug has much of the IT world in a panic as it follows us into the New Year No doubt, many organizations and SMBs with no IT staff are clueless about its existence. But ignorance of Log4j only makes them more susceptible to an attack. They remain defenseless....

The Linux Foundation (LF) has little concern from within the open-source community over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), according to the first open-source DEI study in at least four years LF, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, on Dec. 14 announced the release of its latest LF Research study, "Diversity,...

As 2021 comes to a close, here's a roundup of some of the latest developments in the world of Linux and open-source software » Linux Foundation training courses, both free and low-cost, continue to open opportunities for IT tech jobs and corporate training for open-source licensing....

Firmware security firm Eclypsium and the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) last week issued reports about global hardware flaws and multiple API holes discovered in a call center software suite The separate reports come on the heels of news from F-Secure that 150 different HP multifunction printer (MFP) products are loaded with se...

HP's Chromebase 22-aa0012 is a unique form factor with a spinning 21.5-inch display, striking performance, and clean aesthetics that make it a game-changing alternative for desktop computers Launched in July, the HP Chromebase all-in-one desktop is the first and only Chrome OS-powered desktop to feature a fully rotating display. It could also serve...

New research from cloud security firm Ermetic shows that nearly all businesses have identities that, if compromised, would place at least 90 percent of the S3 buckets in their AWS account at risk Ermetic conducted the study to determine the circumstances that would allow ransomware to make its way to Amazon S3 buckets. The research revealed a very ...

Software industry revenue models are changing. Complex and hybrid monetization models will dominate the market to deliver flexibility for producers and end customers That assessment comes from technology firm Revenera's Monetization Monitor: Software Monetization Models and Strategies 2021 report. Part of an annual series, this report provides prod...

Here are some of the latest developments in the world of open-source software - A German state is using the Linux OS to push Microsoft out the window over the next four years. Other governmental agencies on numerous continents have toyed with replacing Microsoft Word with the OpenOffice suite. Some succeeded; others failed....

Weight loss and health products are often tied to unfounded hype Lumen, a high-tech solution to help manage your body's ability to control weight and nutritional awareness, puts the science backing its metabolism monitoring product up front and center....

Software company Freshworks on Nov. 11 debuted Freshstack, a customer relationship management suite of products built for the unique needs of startups. The new platform unifies customer support, sales, and marketing teams The Freshstack product suite offers a trifecta of support, combining Freshworks' products -- Freshdesk, Freshsales, and Freshmar...

Beware of your HP printers. They are hackable Finland-based security consultancy F-Secure on Tuesday announced the discovery of vulnerabilities affecting more than 150 different HP multifunction printer (MFP) products. HP has since issued patches for these vulnerabilities, essentially improving the security of a significant portion of its MFP units...

Consumers have a strong appetite for gift cards and gifting alcohol. But until now, they could not do both with a branded gift card. The market had none Beverage alcohol e-commerce platform company Thirstie on Tuesday announced the first-ever alcohol-branded gift cards with major liquor brands....

Cash flow concerns and fraud are going to be a menace to both retailers and consumers this holiday shopping season. One of the biggest shopping headaches this year will be a much earlier start to the chargeback cycles The chargeback period usually comes in January. This shopping season, it will likely arrive a lot earlier. Much sooner, in fact, tha...

Business leaders and employees disagree significantly on the future of work. The latest report on workplace trends nixes some previous accounts on the return to office concerns and assumptions about technology issues for remote workers A report by technology and business solutions firm NTT released Nov. 9 reveals a significant gap between what orga...

Online shoppers and e-commerce website operators face greater chances of becoming victims of cyber hacks as 2021 draws to a close. A list of technical and logistical problems stretching across multiple industries gives both shoppers and retailers reason to double efforts to avoid being hacked this year Two factors top the list: runaway inflation an...

Sometimes in the retail business, you do not know what you do not know. That knowledge gap can lead to sales projections that fall short and marketing strategies that fall flat Marketing and business communications company R.R. Donnelley & Sons (RRD) last month released a study that reveals that traditional marketing channels, including word of mou...

Open-source innovations and the Linux operating system continue to set complacency aside The Linux Foundation is ever-expanding its influence as it brings more developer projects under its banner, leaving no room for proprietary software to rule the computing world....

Business on Amazon is booming for accelerator and aggregator organizations that drive product and seller buyouts Doing business on Amazon is now very streamlined. Imagine building a business doing $10 million of revenue with no employees, physical store, or real estate. Some of the biggest success stories involve entrepreneurs with an idea for a pr...

Entrepreneurs might well be the latest heroes in cyberwarfare. Despite increasing odds of malicious attacks, SMB owners are forging ahead with a newfound sense of security Untangle's fourth annual SMB IT Security Report, released Oct. 7, shows that SMBs have adapted to a changing work environment, addressed an influx of cyberattacks, and defined th...

As a result of the current pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions and evolving consumer shopping habits, a growing number of retailers are considering shuttering storefronts and selling their selected inventory with internet-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) buying options. A better option is for retailers to rethink their current business models and consider how to future-proof their operations...