How the cloud is leveling the global playing field Cloud computing is extending beyond developed countries such as the U.S. into developing nations that are enjoying a boost to their economies thanks to the technology, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego, who found that lower-cost hosted services are helping emerging nations expand their presence in global markets. Thanks to the cloud, nations that were once priced out of new technologies are able to benefit from the same next-generation storage, application and computing services as the world's leading economies, the researchers found. InfoWorld/Cloud Computing blog (11/20)

• Researchers tackle resiliency issues in exascale computing
  The built-in complexity that makes supercomputers so powerful also makes them more prone to complications, according to researchers, who say the hundreds of thousands of components in high-performance computing systems make them vulnerable to resiliency issues. A group led by David Fiala, a doctoral student at North Carolina State University, is pioneering advanced redundancy technology for exascale computing systems known as RedMPI, designed to address silent data corruption by simultaneously running multiple program "clones." CIO.com/IDG News Service (11/21)      

• U.S.: We didn't launch a cyberattack on France
  A French newspaper report says the U.S. conducted a cyberattack on the country's government computing systems right before France's presidential election, but Department of Homeland Security officials say the report is false. "We categorically deny the allegations by unnamed sources that the U.S. government participated in a cyber attack against the French government," DHS spokesman Matthew Chandler said. CSO (11/23), InformationWeek (11/21)      

• U.S. tech sector urges immigration reform for foreign entrepreneurs
  A coalition of U.S. business interests -- including representatives of the technology industry -- is pushing for changes to immigration law that would make it easier for foreigners who launch startups in the U.S. to stay in the country and run their businesses. The group is lobbying for passage of the Startup Act 2.0, which, among other things, would add a type of visa for foreign-born entrepreneurs who raise at least $100,000 in working capital and put a minimum of two Americans to work at their companies within the first 12 months of obtaining the visa. The Wall Street Journal (11/22)      

• KPMG: Time for upper management to take the reins on cybersecurity
  Senior executives at Britain's largest firms are failing to take the lead on cybersecurity strategy, according to Stephen Bonner, a partner in KPMG's information protection and business resilience division. He said many boardrooms are content to pass the buck to departments lower on the food chain. "It may be tempting to allow IT to dictate cyber strategy, but to do so is to delegate responsibility for the business's whole security, as well as that of every customer and supplier," said Bonner. HRMagazine.co.uk (U.K.) (11/26)      

• The value of IT investment becomes clearer for CFOs
  Chief financial officers are realizing that IT can be used for business and strategic advantage, according to a Gartner survey of U.S.-based CFOs. Top IT-investment priorities are information and financial analysis, followed by information management and knowledge sharing. The survey also found that an increasing number of CFOs are becoming involved with the IT department. CIO.com.au (Australia) (11/21)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on ExecTech readers in the past week.

• Cisco expands cloud suite with $1.2 billion Meraki buy (Seeking Alpha)

• GPS technology monitors world's biggest land crabs (Our Amazing Planet)

• Pioneers making gains in budding field of visual search (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Intel reportedly develops low-power Atom processor (XBitLabs.com)

• More coders look to hit it big in the app economy (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• Scientists disprove existence of Sandy Island near Australia
  Scientists researching tectonic evolution in the Coral Sea found something was missing off the coast of Australia -- a large island that is represented on Google Earth and whose existence has even been cited by the CIA. Team members from the Australian Marine National Facility say they became suspicious when they approached what should have been Sandy Island but their instruments recognized only deep water ahead. "We all had a good giggle at Google as we sailed through the island. Then we started compiling information about the seafloor, which we will send to the relevant authorities so that we can change the world map," said Steven Micklethwaite, one of the researchers. TG Daily (11/26)      

I believe that we are losing the battle for entrepreneurial talent in the United States, and we need policies in place that turn that around." --Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., co-sponsor of the Startup Act 2.0, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal