The blog topics discussed on Blogging Idol during the last few weeks continue to generate high interest elsewhere on the web.
Big Data
In the world of finance, “big data” is recognized as giving investment firms an information advantage. Derwent Capital Markets mines social the chatter on Google, Facebook, and Twitter to gauge sentiment well before mainstream media or other firms pick up on the information. This helped the firm outperform the markets.
Cloud Security
By mid-week, eHarmony, Last.FM, and LinkedIn all reported that they were hit by a security breach, compromising the security of user accounts. The breach also served to remind us on the importance of a secure password. MSNBC said that “link” was often used as a LinkedIn password, and a password containing ‘1234’ came in as second-most popular.
Did you change your LinkedIn password yet? Will the security breach renew interest in the importance of security and mobile security management for the BYOD movement?
Cloud Computing
Despite the security breach, Red Hat proceeded with the launch of its hybrid cloud management software. The launch unifies public and private cloud resources in a single system.
Oracle finally announced that it will distribute over 100 business software applications over the Internet. This differs from the way it currently sells software: as a product that needs to be installed on an office computer. The move comes many years after Salesforce.com Marc Benioff, the creator of Salesforce.com, left Oracle to drive the adaption of cloud computing.
Something New: Old School Technology
Earlier this week, The Verge wrote about the death of webOS and Palm. The technology was a topic of past discussions on Blogging Idol, when Palm was still around. The story of Palm is a stark reminder on how quickly technology and trends may change, and what happens when a company, and its consumer, gives up on a product. Palm’s downward transition mirrors that of U.S. Robotics. Today, Research in Motion and Hewlett-Packard come to mind as companies facing the biggest challenges of their existence. RIM is discontinuing its 16GB Playbook model to focus on the 32GB and 64GB versions. This summer still promises to be a busy one for RIM. It is rolling out Blackberry 10 Jam worldwide. Since the events are sold-out, it suggests that RIM’s turnaround may bear fruit.
