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Security fears hampering SME’s cloud lift-off
European SMEs could scoop up additional profits of €1.2 billion if they set aside their persistant security fears over cloud computing and adopt the new technology, claimed participants at a round table yesterday (October 4).
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Microsoft warns of growing ICT skills gap
Millions of Europeans face being locked out of the jobs market in five years time due to their lack of ICT knowledge, according to a new report which claims 90% of jobs will require computer skills.
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Microsoft: Cloud computing heralds ‘technology revolution’
Europe's biggest competitive challenges for the future are "the two Ds" – debt levels in many countries and demographics or ageing populations, according to Jan Muehlfeit, Microsoft's chairman for Europe, who believes part of the solution lies in cloud computing.
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Schaake MEP: Draft US online piracy bills a ‘slippery slope’
Two controversial draft bills on internet piracy and intellectual property protection, which are currently being examined in the US Congress, are raising concerns among policymakers in the European Parliament. Marietje Schaake, a Dutch MEP, has taken up the issue and voiced her concerns to EURACTIV in an interview.
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Kroes: Cloud can deliver digital growth
European institutions and governments should throw their weight behind joint procurement of computing services to encourage the use of cloud computing, says Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
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Huawei boss: Europe is falling behind on broadband
Chinese and European businesses need to find new ways of strategic co-operation, says Huawei’s regional boss in an interview with EURACTIV. Kevin Tao is confident that his company can take on incumbents in key ICT markets, but identifies network security as a common challenge affecting all players.
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Internet guru warns users to play safe
Cyber security, intellectual property piracy and regulatory reach from the telecommunications industry are all putting the free online space under threat, Vinton Cerf, one of the inventors in the epoch-changing technology, told EURACTIV, underscoring that there is a danger of killing off the innovation that underpins it.
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Boston Group head: Bridge gap in internet economy with policy for growth
New data shows that Europe's most crisis-riven countries are suffering from a deficit of internet connectedness. There is no simple solution, but governments need to encourage better infrastructure and engagement, says David Dean, because without the web, growth will not come easily.
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Unity or division in Europe’s cloud computing market?
The advent of cloud computing technology gives the opportunity to further strengthen the EU single market, but to capture its potential countries' laws must be sufficiently harmonised to let data flow easily across borders, writes Robert Holleyman, president and chief executive of the Business Software Alliance.
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Online gambling: EU Institutions must de-couple funding and integrity
A European Parliament committee may be at odds with the European Commission over online gambling, but it is possible to forge a compromise to the benefit of consumers, argues Khalid Ali from European Sports Security Association.
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Using the Internet to cut energy needs
The IT sector is under sustained pressure to meet the increasing demand whilst at the same time asked to reduce its carbon footprint, says John Vassallo of Microsoft. How is this conundrum playing out in the EU? And do cloud-based networks and services hold the key to wider EU environmental goals?
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Cybersecurity: Protecting the digital economy
Online security cannot be taken for granted as hackers and cyber attackers continue to outdo software engineers. Although there are means of beefing up security, including hardware and server backups, remote security controls, filtering and encryption, the scale and risk of attacks is becoming more pronounced and political.
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What lawmaking can learn from Wikipedia
The European Parliament is readying the publication of its software source code, a move that would open up the details of its lawmaking processes. Meanwhile a number of political activists are undertaking their own initiatives to make not only lawmaking processes, but also content more transparent.
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Digital cloud providers face EU privacy audits
The European Commission believes it is only "logical" that companies providing cloud services over the Internet face audits on whether they are keeping their promises on personal data security.
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Telecoms accused of ambushing internet through rule change
Telecommunications regulations, set for an overhaul later this year, could be expanded to give the mobile sector sweeping new powers over the internet, international leading players representing the web have claimed.
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Cash-strapped regions hesitate to jump on cloud bandwagon
The promise of a leaner, more efficient administration and innovative online services to citizens is making cloud computing an attractive solution for local governments. However, some are still reluctant to jump on the new IT bandwagon, fearing data protection issues and high investment costs.
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Music industry looks to cloud for new business
Cloud computing is paving the way to access music online legally, boosting new revenues for major and independent labels alike. But in Europe, national licencing systems may pose a hurdle to the development of cloud music, experts say.
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Web giants in silent battle for ‘social search’ supremacy
Microsoft and Google are developing web platforms combining the roles of social media and search engines – ‘social search’ – in moves that reveal a raging battle to harness cloud computing and combine the web’s most popular functions.
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Kroes: Unleash public-sector buying power on cloud
European institutions and governments should throw their weight behind joint procurement of computing services to encourage the use of cloud computing, says Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
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E-commerce proposal causes liability jitters
Proposals to double the volume of e-commerce in Europe by 2015 – laid out in a communication published yesterday (11 January) – are set to cause a tussle over the liability of online traders.
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Smart Metering implementation in Europe – are we on track?
Smart metering implementation in Europe: are we on track? – ESMIG and EDSO for Smart Grids hosted conference during EU Sustainable Energy Week
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EU eyes energy-efficient design of computer servers
Computer servers, the high-performance machines used to run programmes and software services, are facing a design revamp that will make them more energy efficient, following recent assessments by the European Commission.