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January 29, 2013

News for software and services professionals

Today's Software Buzz

Office 2013, new Office 365 subscription plan arrive today
Microsoft today is releasing Office 2013 and a new subscription plan for Office 365, which is available as a cloud service. Office 2013 is available on installable media or through the cloud, and 60-day subscription previews are being offered for both software suites. Computerworld (1/29) , Electronista (1/29)

Cloud Computing

Hurd discusses Oracle's cloud strategy
Oracle President Mark Hurd offered his views on cloud services and pricing while discussing the company's cloud strategy. ZDNet/Between the Lines blog (1/28)

How negotiating could open doors for cloud players
Large businesses are starting to balk at one-size-fits-all cloud contracts that leave little wiggle room for negotiations. Some businesses may find that dealing with providers' "take it or leave it" approach could lead to a decision to postpone cloud migration altogether, writes David Linthicum. New players in the cloud sector may find that being willing to allow customers to negotiate could offer a competitive edge, he writes. InfoWorld/Cloud Computing blog (1/29)

Mobile & Wireless

Health-tracking apps and devices catch on slowly
Sixty-nine percent of American adults monitor at least one aspect of their health, and 21% of those who do use some form of technology, such as a smartphone application or an electronic device, a Pew Research Center survey found. "It turns out that half of trackers say they are keeping track of progress just in their heads," said Susannah Fox of the center's Internet and American Life Project. Some apps transmit data to users' doctors, enabling them to spot early warning signs and adjust treatment accordingly, and many patients who have used digital health technology said it prompted conversations with their doctors. MobiHealthNews.com (1/28) , The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/27)

Apple releases iOS 6.1, fixes leaks
Apple on Monday took iOS 6.1 out of beta and released the first significant update to the platform since its launch 16 months ago. The updated version patches 27 security holes and provides Long-Term Evolution support for an additional 36 iPhone carriers globally, Apple said. Other new features include the ability to buy movie tickets from Fandango through Siri as well as for iTunes Match users to download individual songs from iCloud. All Things D (1/28) , Computerworld (1/28)

Security & Privacy

Push seeks changes in privacy-protection law
Groups and companies including Google are pushing to alter the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act to allow e-mails and documents stored in the cloud to receive the same protections as paper documents. David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, says government requests for user data are up more than 70% in the past four years. Bloomberg (1/28) , Reuters (1/28)

Government IT

Pentagon hopes to increase Cyber Command's personnel
The Defense Department plans to expand the number of civilians and troops assigned to its Cyber Command to nearly 5,000, a quintupling of personnel. "The department ... is working with a sense of urgency to put the right policies and structures in place to enable us to carry out our role," an unidentified Pentagon official said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/27) , Computerworld (1/29)

Cloud computing is less taxing for some
Software vendors using cloud computing to provide services are finding the technology offers fiscal benefits as well. Cloud tools enable offshore delivery, which is saving some companies substantial amounts of money in taxes. VMware, for example, has seen its federal tax rate decrease to 4%, even as its revenue and pretax profit increased. The Wall Street Journal (1/28)

SIIA News

Webinar: 2013 Federal IT Cloud Predictions
2013 will bring a convergence of issues affecting government agencies, including budget uncertainty, IT mandates and acquisition policies, oversight and human capital issues. With all of those issues at hand, what will be the top federal IT predictions for 2013? Deltek's vice president of information solutions, Kevin Plexico, and Microsoft's federal chief technology officer, Susie Adams, will discuss the state of the federal IT market and what is in store for 2013. Register today for this complimentary webinar on Monday, Feb. 4.

Survey: Which events do you plan on attending in 2013?
Please take a few minutes to participate in SIIA's annual Industry Event Survey to tell us which conferences and events you plan to attend this year. We'll share the survey results so you can get a good idea where to find your best opportunities. The survey closes on Friday, Feb. 1, so please take a few minutes to complete it now.

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