PC Tech World: Firms

Showing posts with label Firms. Show all posts

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Verizon wraps up 700MHz spectrum sales to three rural telecom firms

Verizon Wireless Completes Spectrum Sales to Three Rural Companies

Verizon Wireless has completed three spectrum license sale transactions following agreements reached late last year as part of the open sale process for its 700 MHz A and B Block licenses. Nortex Communications and Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc. closed on their respective purchases this week. Colorado Valley Communications completed its purchase on January 16, 2013.

Nortex Communications, based in Muenster, Texas, acquired the Texas RSA 6-Jack 700 MHz lower B-block license, which covers a four-county area northwest of Dallas. Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc., based in Guymon, Okla., acquired the Texas RSA 2-Hansford 700 MHz lower B-block license, which covers 12 counties in the northwest part of Texas. Colorado Valley Communications purchased a partitioned A-Block license covering a five-county area in the Houston market.

Verizon Wireless offered its lower 700 MHz spectrum licenses for sale to rationalize its spectrum holdings and enable more spectrum to reach the marketplace where it can be used for the benefit of customers. As a result of the sale process, Verizon Wireless signed agreements with seven companies, including one national carrier, five rural or regional carriers and one minority-owned firm. To date, three purchases have been completed and four remain pending. Verizon Wireless is also getting 700 MHz C block spectrum into the hands of 20 rural operators through its LTE in Rural America leasing program.

Source

By: Unknown On 11:04 PM

Sunday, February 3, 2013

WSJ: Eric Schmidt calls China 'the most sophisticated and prolific' hacker of foreign firms

The Wall Street Journal snagged a preview of an upcoming book co-authored by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and the company's Jared Cohen, and it doesn't seem to paint the rosiest picture of China. Dubbed The New Digital Age, the tome reportedly claims China is "the world's most active and enthusiastic filterer of information" in addition to "the most sophisticated and prolific" hacker of foreign firms. Recent stats and events don't exactly help the nation's image.

In addition to the threat of hacking attempts originating from China, the work also touches upon the Chinese government's alleged involvement with network infrastructure providers such as Huawei. According to the book, such cooperation puts the US at an economic and political disadvantage since "the United States will not take the same path of digital corporate espionage, as its laws are much stricter (and better enforced) and because illicit competition violates the American sense of fair play." However, Schmidt and Cohen posit that even western firms "will coordinate their efforts with their governments on both diplomatic and technical levels" as the future unfolds.

In terms of what's to come, the work also considers that the country's "mix of active citizens armed with technological devices and tight government control is exceptionally volatile," and that it could cause "widespread instability," and even "some kind of revolution in the coming decades." If you're interested in more prognostication from Google's head honcho, the book is slated to hit shelves this April. For now, you can hit the neighboring source link for additional morsels.

[Image credit: TechCrunch, Flickr]

Via: The Verge

Source: Wall Street Journal

Friday, December 28, 2012

Firms neglect security threat of BYOD

'Bring you own device' is increasingly popular, but it raises new threats

A mere 8% of UK firms have a formal bring your own device (BYOD) policy in place, according to a survey conducted by Zenprise.

The mobile device management firm said that its survey of more than 500 IT decision makers revealed that while 39% of respondents said employees were allowed to use their own devices for work, far fewer put policies in place to govern how they are used.

It said this leaves companies dangerously exposed to the malicious or accidental leakage of sensitive corporate data.

Even when BYOD policies are in place, businesses are not always convinced these procedures offer adequate protection against breaches, with only 31% of respondents with a policy stating they had no concerns about security.

Of everyone surveyed, only 7% said their company was able to lock down app usage, while just 5% have the means to track devices by GPS.

Matt Peachey, vice president and general manager EMEA at Zenprise, said that businesses should make it a priority to address the issue in the new year.

"With so much to gain from effective BYOD initiatives – which, when done right, can deliver many measurable business benefits as well as supporting growth and innovation – organisations cannot afford to cuts any corners when it comes to security," he said.

"Comprehensive security processes should be absolutely top-of-the-agenda for any firm looking to enable BYOD, and businesses would be wise to take a holistic approach which focuses on securing data and applications in use, as well as on the mobile devices connecting to the network.

"With the best available tools in place, incidents such as the loss of an executive's tablet can be easily mitigated by instantly wiping it clean, reducing the headache for IT and preventing the potential fall-out from a breach of corporate data."

"With all this in mind, it really is vital that organisations urgently re-address the security of enterprise mobility. Indeed, with so much at stake, this must become a top priority for modern businesses as we move into 2013."