Cisco has unveiled a number of new software-delivered solutions aimed at simplifying IT operations across on-premise data centers and multicloud environments.
As applications have become more distributed, workforces more mobile and the demands on organizations' systems are greater than ever, IT teams require greater insights and automation in order to deliver true technology agility. With its new agile IT platforms, Cisco will help IT teams and businesses better respond to these market transitions.
SVP and GM of Cisco Enterprise Networking and Cloud, Todd Nightingale explained how its new solutions can help IT become more agile in a press release, saying:
"Complexity can paralyze our teams. Our systems can no longer be powerful, but brittle. For IT to be as agile as their businesses require, they need solutions obsessed with simplicity. This year, technology groups around the globe were tested by unprecedented change. This fundamental shift in how businesses, schools and governments operate requires IT teams to transform how they function. Today, Cisco is announcing IT platforms for multicloud operations that provide advanced insights and automation to help organizations transform faster."
New platforms and services
Cisco's first new solution is Cisco Intersight which aims to become the world's simplest hybrid cloud platform to connect private data centers to private clouds. With the company's new Intersight Kubernetes Service, infrastructure teams can automate the lifecycle management of Kubernetes and containerized applications across any environment. At the same time, Intersight Workload Optimizer simplifies application resource management to provide organizations with real-time, full stack visibility and insights.
Cisco Nexus Dashboard is a single insights and automation platform that organizations can use to operate multicloud data center networks spanning on-premise, virtual edge and cloud sites. The platform brings together the company's orchestration, insights and assurance services along with critical third party services.
Finally, the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) allows employees to work from home by simplifying secure network access across all domains by extending the zero-trust workplace to any device at any time. Customers will be able to use the company's ISE to identify a variety of IoT endpoints to enforce consistent policies from the cloud.
Cisco ISE is available now while Cisco Intersight innovations and the Cisco Nexus Dashboard will be available by the end of the year. The company's Intersight Kubernetes Service will be made available during the first half of next year.
Gaming on Linux systems could be about to get a lot more inclusive thanks to the work of one open-source company.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Collabora specializes in open source consultancy and development. The company has been working to improve the Linux kernel to better support gaming on the behest of Valve, who has been sponsoring the work.
While gaming on Linux has made major positive strides in the last few years, a vast majority of games still continue to be developed exclusively for Windows. Valve’s approach to bring this Windows-only gaming ecosystem to Linux is through emulation.
To that end it has developed an open source tool called Proton (forked from the open source Wine compatibility layer), which allows Windows-only games to run atop Linux, without any noticeable performance penalties.
Major milestone
Speaking at the recent Open Source Summit, Europe 2020, being held virtually for the first time, Gabriel Krisman Bertazi from Collabora talked about the "State of Linux Gaming".
During his presentation Gabriel talked about all the work Collabora has been doing to fulfill Valve's requirements to further improve support for Windows games on Linux with Steam Play (via Proton).
One of the big missing pieces of the puzzle is support for anti-cheat mechanisms, which causes quite a lot of Windows games to fail to load on Linux. Gabriel discussed the various strategies Collabora employed to remove this hurdle and how he expects their work in this regard to make its way into Linux Kernel 5.11.
While Gabriel’s talk was aimed at developers it shows Valve’s positive intentions when it comes to improving gaming on Linux. In addition to Collabora, the popular game developer and distributor is also working with CodeWeavers and other developers to improve the Linux graphics stack.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has received a limited period price cut in India. The smartphone was launched just a few weeks back in India. During this festive season sale, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will be available for Rs 5,000 less than the usual selling price.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE’s price in India at the launch was Rs 49,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and Rs 53,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant. Now, they are being sold for Rs 44,999 and Rs 48,999 respectively. On top of the Rs 5,000 flat discount, you can also avail Rs 4,000 additional cashback with HDFC debit card and credit card transaction. However, this is valid only on Samsung's e-commerce store.
The device is now listed for Rs 44,999 on both Amazon and Flipkart. The offer will be valid until November 17. On Flipkart, you can also avail Rs 3,000 instant discount with Axis Bank credit card from October 29 to November 3 during the Big Diwali sale which will bring down the price to Rs 41,999. For those who shop with HDFC card on Samsung.com, the price will go down to Rs 40,999 for the base variant.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is available in multiple colour options which include Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavendar, Cloud Mint, Cloud Red and Cloud White.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE specs
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Samsung S20 FE offers a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Infinity-O display’s resolution is 2,400 x 1,080. There’s an optical in-display fingerprint scanner too. IP68 water-resistance makes the cut too.
The Indian variant of the S20 FE is powered by the Exynos 990 chipset along with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and comes with up to 256GB of internal storage. For context, the global variant is powered by the Snapdragon 865 and is also 5G capable. The storage can be expanded by up to 1TB via a micro SD card.
It follows the matte finish design that was popularized by the Note 20 series and is available in a bevvy of fresh colours. The back is made of polycarbonate “glasstic”, with the cameras residing in a large housing towards the corner. There’s a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera with OIS followed by a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 123-degree field-of-view and an 8MP telephoto lens with OIS. The selfie camera has a resolution of 32MP.
The battery on the S20 FE is rated at 4,500mAh and supports 25W fast charging. However, only a 15W charger is included in the box. Other standards such as Fast wireless charging 2.0 and USB PD 3.0 (PPS) are also supported. It runs on Samsung's OneUI skin based on Android 10.
Boat, a homegrown brand who makes affordable accessories such as earphones, speakers, and cables has now announced its first smartwatch. The Boat Storm smartwatch is the company’s second wearable after the fitness tracker.
The Boat Strom smartwatch comes in Black and Blue colour option and will go on sale starting October 29 in India. The Boat Strom will be available on Flipkart for the price of Rs 1,999.
First up the display, the Boat Strom offers you 1.3-inch touch screen colour display with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. It has a 2.5D curved glass design built on a metal body casing. For navigating, apart from the touch screen, you also get a button on the left on the watch. The Boat Strom smartwatch is said to offer over 100 watch faces which will be available via OTA later.
The Boat Strom watch offers 9 tracking modes including Running, Hiking, Riding, Treadmill, Climbing, Spinning, Yoga, Workout, and Walking. Apart from this, the watch shows you how much steps you have taken and calories burnt in a day and will also give you the week’s overview. As for the sensors, there is a Heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor to measure the blood oxygen level, and there is also a menstrual cycle tracking feature onboard.
On a single charge, the Boat Strom can is said to last for about 8 days and up to 30 days in standby mode. Since it is an entry-level affordable smartwatch, there are only a few smart feature-packed in. The Boat Strom can vibrate when you get a call, text, social media notifications, sedentary alerts, and alarms. You can also control music via this watch. It is also 5ATM water-resistant meaning it can survive in water up to 50 meters.
For connectivity, it comes with Bluetooth 4.2 and is compatible with Android devices with 4.4 or higher and iPhones running on iOS 8.0 and up. Apart from the Boat Strom also coms with guided breathing, Accelerometer, and, G-sensor.
Sterling conducts background checks so that businesses can verify the identity of prospective employees and uncover problematic incidents in their past, the likes of which may jeopardize company culture going forward.
In this Sterling review, we’ll assess if it provides one of the best background check services available today. We’ll analyze every aspect of Sterling’s service, including price, functionality, and features. Finally, we’ll compare Sterling against its competitors, so you can decide if it’s the right service for your organization.
Sterling's pricing tiers increase with the extensiveness of the background check(Image credit: Sterling)
Plans and pricing
Businesses who intend to conduct over 100 background checks a year must contact a Sterling representative, who’ll provide a tailored quote suitable for their organization’s demands.
Small business users who intend to conduct less than 100 background checks a year can choose a pricing tier based on the extensiveness of the background check required. The cheapest one is a driver’s check, which costs $9.95 per check. Education and employment verification are also affordable, costing only $19.95 per check.
Check packages begin with the Basic Check pricing tier. It costs $29.95 per check, discloses criminal records, and traces social security numbers (SSN). The Preferred Check is $59.95 per check, improving upon the capabilities of the Basic Check by revealing federal criminal files by location and disclosing terror suspect status. The most expensive check is the Pro Check, at $79.95 per check, which discloses all information in the prior two checks, plus multi-state booking records and all federal criminal information.
Sterling uses legal means to find hidden information(Image credit: Sterling)
How it works
Sterling conducts all checks legally by consulting publicly available records. They aim to help business leaders determine if potential employees are trustworthy by revealing financial information (such as bankruptcies), workplace compensation demands, and criminal record data. Be aware that all credit and criminal background checks are only legal when the potential candidate agrees to them.
Using an SSN trace, Sterling searches criminal records archives not only by name but also by social security number, revealing undisclosed addresses and aliases on the way. Arrest records or convictions are then verified for accuracy before they’re presented to business leaders for review.
Sterling’s background checks are thorough and profession appropriate(Image credit: Sterling)
Features and services
Sterling has a wide range of services, so hiring managers can simply wait for their candidate’s background check to arrive on their desk. These include the below:
Sterling checks criminal records of county courthouses in areas the prospective candidate has lived (for up to 10 years). Most employers want this background check as standard, which is why it’s inclusive to Sterling’s Basic Check and all other tiers.
All check packages include searches for your candidate’s names on the National Registry of Sex Offenders, so you can ensure the safety of individuals within your organization and protect any children who may be on your business premises.
Preferred and Pro Checks consult the database of the Office of Foreign Assets to identify if your candidate is present on any lists as a domestic or international terror suspect.
SSN tracing is included with every check package. Because SSN trace identifies public records connected to a social security number instead of a name, information normally concealed from public records concerning address history and potential aliases is revealed. SSN trace demonstrates whether or not your candidate is being truthful about their previous employment and location history.
Sterling’s Preferred and Pro Checks assess whether your candidate’s name occurs on any federal crime databases so you can ensure your assets are safe in their hands. Furthermore, a federal criminal search confirms whether your candidate’s been honest about their location in the past 7–10 years.
Customer support that’s great for clients but not for candidates(Image credit: Sterling)
Support and customer care
Sterling has extensive customer support available. Help can be solicited via phone, 24 hours a day, across all American, European, and Asian business timezones, including Pacific Time and Eastern Time for clients in the United States.
Customer support teams are trained in specific industries. For example, there are specific support teams for hiring departments in healthcare, retail, and government. When you first speak with a Sterling customer support representative, they’re already well acquainted with the specific background check demands of your industry.
However, candidates don’t enjoy the same positive experience of customer service as business clients do, as they can only solicit help via an onsite form. Candidates regularly critique Sterling on review aggregators for delays processing documents, poor communication, and impossible deadlines imposed at the last minute.
The competition
In contrast with competitor GoodHire, Sterling’s method of conducting background checks seems outdated. Sterling delivers the results of the background check at the close of the process. GoodHire integrates checks into your team’s workflow via your Applicant Tracking System platform, so you can see exactly what stage of the process is ongoing and receive notifications with each update.
Certn is one of Sterling’s leading competitors. Rather than conducting background searches and presenting them to your hiring manager, Certn enables hiring departments to conduct independent background checks using its software. Despite the convenience of inhouse software, outsourcing background checks can be beneficial from a legal standpoint, as it diminishes responsibility in case of civil suits.
Final verdict
Sterling is undoubtedly a market-leading background check service to evaluate the character of potential hires based on their legal and employment history. All the checks Sterling offers indicate whether your candidate is trustworthy, with more extensive checks required for professions that handle sensitive data, deal with vulnerable people, or hold valuable assets. As an outsourced background check service, Sterling will help distance your organization from culpability in case any civil suits arise as a consequence of the process. We’d recommend Sterling for small businesses that must verify their employee’s integrity to protect assets.
LG Wing will be launched in India at a virtual event at 11.30am. The smartphone sports two displays — one of them is a swivel screen that rotates clockwise in 90 degrees. The handset features a triple rear camera that comes with Gimbal Motion Camera feature.
Laptops have evolved rapidly in recent years. Thanks in large part to the growing demand for gaming devices, portable PCs have been getting increasingly powerful – and often, they’ve been able to do so without sacrificing their sleek, go-anywhere designs.
This hardware trend hasn’t just benefited gamers, however – it’s also paid off for professionals, who’ve been able to adopt these new devices for business, design and development tasks.
Laptop makers have generally responded to this demand in a couple of ways, such as offering powerful laptops in more sober and office-friendly designs, and producing cooling systems to make them run quieter to avoid distracting colleagues.
However, many of this new breed of “work” laptops are still fundamentally just consumer notebooks in corporate clothing, with little to distinguish them from their mainstream counterparts. A gap in the market has developed where desirable, professional-spec laptops are few and far between. This is where HP’s new G7 ZBooks come in: a range of laptops for professionals that have all the style, power, design, portability and features to get even the toughest jobs done.
HP's ZBook Firefly mobile workstations mix together pro-grade specs with a sleek, go-anywhere chassis.(Image credit: HP)
Laptops for designers, creators and pros
HP’s G7 ZBooks offer a wide variety of sizes, designs and capabilities, with a portable workstation to suit every type of power user. At the most accessible end of the range are the ZBook Firefly G7 laptops, which come in both 14-inch and 15-inch flavours.
They don’t just look good with their aluminium chassis and suave styling – they also offer military-grade robustness and HP’s top, corporate security features, including a smartcard reader. At 1.69kg (15-inch) and 1.34kg (14-inch) and with sub-20mm thickness when closed, they’re light enough to go anywhere, while the 17-hour battery life ensures that you can work remotely all day long. There’s even a built-in 4G modem to ensure that a fast connection to the internet (and your office) is available when out and about.
All models utilise top-shelf 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, support up to 32GB RAM and can provide up to 2TB of super-fast NVMe storage. However, boosting them into true, workstation territory is the Nvidia Quadro P520 graphics processor, which is perfect for CAD users, designers, developers, data scientists and coders alike.
The ZBook Firefly line may be sleek, you can still easily plug in external peripherals or a monitor thanks to its full-sized USB 3.1 and HDMI 1.4b ports.(Image credit: HP)
The premium, work-focused features you need
Such professionals will also warm to the Firefly’s 4K UHD screens which offer a new, all-round, super-thin bezel, up to 550-nit brightness and VESA DisplayHDR 400 contrast certification. They also employ HP Sure View Reflect technology to fend off wandering eyes from nosey neighbours, narrowing viewing angles to just 45o to ensure what’s on your screen stays private.
The new keyboard is quieter and more comfortable to type on, the webcam has a privacy slider and a new standby feature allows for instant-on power resume. Intriguing audio features include a third, ‘world facing’ microphone which can either be used to better-capture colleagues’ conversations in a meeting room or provide superior ambient noise reduction. There are also Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers, which offer HP noise cancellation technology and, despite the svelte chassis, are able to deliver a punchy 74dB of audio volume with an impressive 450Hz bass roll-off.
Connectivity upgrades over previous generations see Thunderbolt-3 compatible USB-C ports added to the mix along with blistering, Wi-Fi 6 wireless speeds.
Other optimisations involve creative workflows with a variety of certified applications like Adobe Creative Cloud, SOLIDWORKS and AutoCAD plus remote access to high-end, rendering and 3D visualization workflows using ZCentral Remote Boost. Ultimately, the Firefly ZBooks are perfect for technical and creative managers, power users and STEAM students.
The ZBook Studio G7 offers a DCI-P3 factory-calibrated display with Pantone validation, so it's ready to handle demanding design-oriented tasks out of the box.(Image credit: HP)
Step up a notch
Dialling things up a notch is the 15-inch ZBook Studio G7. This offers the core features of the Firefly models but with added performance in key areas for professionals who can’t compromise. For the first time on a laptop, HP’s one-billion-colour Pantone-validated DreamColor technology is made available, which can display 100% of the complex DCI-P3 colour space. Other display options include a Full HD, low-power (1W) variant, Sure View privacy filtering, and there’s a Gorilla Glass 6-fabricated touchscreen model. Audio technology enables an even deeper 150Hz bass roll-off.
If you’re considering coming over from a Mac, there’s also an optional Z Command keyboard layout, which makes using function key modifier shortcuts simpler for switchers.
Bespoke cooling technology uses custom, composite fans, vapor chambers and Z Predictive fan algorithms to keep the Studio’s operation whisper-quiet, even when under load. With just a 17.5mm thickness, 1.7kg weight and 17.5-hour battery life, this powerful, professional machine remains incredibly portable.
Design pros may also want to note that the ZBook Studio G7 has a sibling called the ZBook Create G7. The latter sports an HDMI 1.4 socket as opposed to a Mini DisplayPort, but otherwise the key difference is that Nvidia’s consumer-oriented RTX graphics processor is used in preference to the Studio’s Quadro P520 GPU.
Ready for the jobs of today – and tomorrow
With built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers, the ZBook Firefly and Studio can output powerful sound.(Image credit: HP)
All of HP’s ZBooks are VR-ready to enable 3D designers and engineers to use headsets to create within a virtual space, test schematics and layouts and offer a deeper level of engagement to stakeholders – allowing them to better understand projects.
HP has created the ZBooks with an eye on sustainability too. Ocean-bound plastics are reused where possible and the devices are EPEAT Gold certified by the Green Electronics Council.
Whether you want a professional laptop for 3D design, CAD, graphics rendering, compiling code, streaming media, professional photography, videography or to design and play games, HP’s latest ZBook G7 range has you covered. The sleek, go-anywhere tools can tackle any creative or professional task, and don’t sacrifice portability or looks to get there.
Of course, not everybody wants to take their work with them – and some users need a machine with the kind of unbridled power that can’t easily be moved around. For designers, creators and other professionals who require ultimate computing performance, there’s the HP Z4 G4 Workstation range.
Supporting Intel® Xeon® processor with up to 18 cores, multiple operating systems, ECC memory and over 40 PCIe lanes, this range of powerhouse PCs is highly configurable and can use multiple Nvidia and AMD workstation graphics cards, plus multiple superfast network ports.
The new industrial chassis design befits the coolest office, while rigorous testing and certification processes ensure ultimate reliability and longevity. Discover the Z4 desktop workstation here.
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