Two major computer processor security bugs, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, affect nearly every device made in the last 20 years. The ramifications of how much these bugs will impact computing is still playing out, but it could lead to compromised servers for cloud platforms and other farther-reaching effects.

The Meltdown and Spectre bugs affect a variety of CPUs, including Intel chips and ARM chips on mobile devices. The resulting attacks impact every major operating system in some way. Companies have rushed to patch the vulnerabilities, and it’s still unclear whether the patches will result in significant performance slowdowns. More broadly, security teams are likely to struggle with variants and other consequences of the bug for years to come.

Here’s what you need to know.

Apple confirmed on Thursday that all Mac and iOS devices are affected by the Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws that have roiled the computing industry for the past 24 hours, resulting in a race to patch operating systems and cloud computing infrastructure at the highest levels. The company says it plans to issue patches for Safari on macOS and iOS to better help devices defend against Spectre, which is more easily exploitable and affects devices using chips from Intel, AMD, and ARM. Apple Watch devices are not affected by Meltdown in any way, the company confirms.

Microsoft just released several updates aimed at helping protect Surface devices from the two security vulnerabilities exposed by CPU bugs. Installing the newest patch is one of the main ways users can protect themselves from Meltdown and Spectre.

The following Surface devices running Windows 10 can be updated with the new patch:

• Surface Pro 3
• Surface Pro 4
• Surface Book
• Surface Studio
• Surface Pro Model 1796
• Surface Laptop
• Surface Pro with LTE Advanced
• Surface Book 2

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the updates are currently rolling out now, and they can be downloaded by either checking with the device’s internal update system or by visiting the Microsoft Download Center. The company stresses, however, to wait for the appropriate firmware updates specifically related to Meltdown and Spectre, so as not to download older versions.

Protecting a Windows PC is complicated right now, and there’s still a lot of unknowns. Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla are all issuing patches for their browsers as a first line of defense. Firefox 57 (the latest) includes a fix, as do the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Edge for Windows 10. Google says it will roll out a fix with Chrome 64, which is due to be released on January 23rd. The best thing to do right now is ensure you have the latest Windows 10 updates and BIOS updates from Dell, HP, Lenovo, or one of the many other PC makers.

What is Cloud Networking?

Cloud Networking provides centralized management, visibility, and control without the cost and complexity of controller appliances or overlay management software.

Cisco Meraki products are built from the ground up for cloud management, and come out of the box with centralized management, layer 7 device and application visibility, real time web-based diagnostics, monitoring, reporting, and much, much more. Cisco Meraki deploys quickly and easily, without training or proprietary command line interfaces. Cisco Meraki now has a complete line of cloud networking products that power over 20,000 customer networks, including massive global deployments with tens of thousands of devices.

How it Works

Reliable, high-performance Cisco Meraki wireless APs, switches, and security appliances are deployed in your campus or remote branches. Cisco Meraki devices automatically connect to the Cisco Meraki cloud over SSL, register with your network, and download their configuration. You have complete visibility and control over your entire network over the web. Configure thousands of devices, run diagnostics, or view reports with a few clicks. Tasks such as RF optimization and VPN configuration are automated by the cloud, while firmware updates and application signatures are seamlessly deployed over the web.

eStorm Apple Authorised Service Centre at Springfield Xmas Closure

24th of December – 1st of January CLOSED.

All other days our usual hours and opening times apply.

Have a safe and fabulous Xmas

The Sydney Opera House is this week the venue for Samsung’s ‘Dance Discovery’ program, which helps students with special needs engage with the arts. Three linked workshops make use of the vendor’s technology, including its Gear VR system. “By integrating technology into the heart of the workshops we were able to enhance learning outcomes and produce an interactive workshop that students with special needs were able to fully engage in,” Samsung’s corporate social responsibility manager, Tess Ariotti, said in a statement. “All aspects of the activity were created through consultation with the teachers of these students, making sure the workshops were easily accessible for students of all levels,” Ariotti said.

(Techworld)   

I’m salivating over the new iMac Pro, due for release in December. Apple have gone far, far beyond, creating an iMac packed with the most staggeringly powerful collection of workstation-class graphics, processors, storage, memory and I/O of any Mac ever.

A lean, mean dream machine, an iMac with up to 18 cores is an entirely different creature than its predecessor wiht 8 cores. Add Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.5GHz, and iMac Pro has the power and flexibility to balance superb multicore processing with great single-thread performance. So whether you’re rendering files, editing 4K video, creating real-time audio effects or compiling your next five-star app, it all gets done at lightning-fast speeds.

The Radeon Pro Vega graphics card is more than three times faster than any previous iMac GPU, packing the power of a double-wide graphics card into a single chip. All of which translates to higher frame rates for VR, real-time 3D rendering, more lifelike special effects and gameplay at maximum settings.

As you’d expect from this machine, there are plenty of high-speed ports to create a high-performance workstation. You’ve got four Thunderbolt 3 ports, so you can connect two 5K monitors and transfer data at a blazing-fast 40 Gbps.

Its 27-inch screen is dazzling, 500 nits of brightness across its 14.7 million pixels. Along with a P3 colour and support for over a billion colours, iMac Pro delivers spectacular true-to-life images.

So far the general consensus is that people are loving the iPhone X. The iPhone X is entirely new and entirely different and it marks a complete departure from iPhones of previous years.

One of the coolest features of iOS11 is a new Automatic Setup option that allows you to quickly transfer key details from your old iPhone to your new one. Similar to the Apple TV setup process, you simply hold both iPhones close to each other and you’ll see a “Set up new iPhone” prompt on the older model followed by an Apple Watch-eqsue pairing process. From there, information such as Wi-Fi credentials, Apple ID logins, and more is transferred effortlessly to your new iPhone. Coupled with restoring from iCloud, this new feature really makes the setup of the iPhone X as seamless as possible.

One big change is the removal of the Home Button. Instead there’s a new gesture that allows you to swipe up from the bottom of the display and return to the Home screen. This also means you get a new multitasking experience that allows you to just swipe between apps, similar to the four-finger gesture on the iPad.

The iPhone X is taller than previous iPhones, and that’s where a lot of that extra screen real estate is packed. You also have the home indicator along the bottom and the notch along the top, both of which eat up some of that 5.8-inch screen.

The Face ID setup process is just as easy as the Touch ID setup process. One suggestion I have heard is to make sure you setup Face ID in a natural lighting environment. A blogger initially set his up in a car, which meant there was some weird sunlight beams and whatnot. He set it up again inside and noticed an immediate improvement in detection. Apple has done an excellent job of integrating Face ID throughout iOS for things such as app logins and Keychain for passwords in Safari.

All in all, the iPhone is an incredible phone.

When business and the way they operate shift from their established way of operation and management to the modern and technology oriented ways of operation, the transitions referred to as Digital Transformation.

Digital transformation is not just about embracing new technology, it is about a change in thought and organisation culture.  There is a need for organisations to address the change in business scenarios, dynamic business demands and innovate ways to quickly cater to these changing needs. Leaders and IT teams in any business should work hand in hand to meet the professions requirements, drive innovation and strive towards continuous improvement. This is what Digital transformation is all about — accelerate business activities, lower cost, improve time to market, bring about a positive change in processes, people, and competency models.

For a successful digital transformation in any business organization, digital coming of age and a current organization culture are of greatest importance.

Key reasons for digital transformation:

• Customer Demands:  Providing customers with an engaging experience in every aspect of delivery. Gain customer loyalty in a way that customers speak of your brand.

• Process Orientation: Process digitisation and employee engagement that promotes data-driven decision-making resulting in greater performance improvement and overall operational transparency.

• Innovation in Business: New digital products and/or digitising existing business models that goes beyond existing business needs and encourages new innovative products and services to cater to changing business needs.

Business Transformation is real change, its impact is felt not only in operations but also in industry structures and at all levels of organisations.

If you liked the Surface Book, but would prefer a device with more power and a discrete GPU, then the Surface Book 2 might fit the bill.

Features:
– The 15-inch will have the Nvidia GTX 1060, while most models of the 13-inch have an Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics cards for high end performance.
– The 13-inch version weighs just 1.53kg, while the 15-inch version weighs 1.9kg.
– USB-C port next to the charging port handles both power and data. Your Computer is running low and all you have is your buddy’s phone charger? You’re ok.
– USB-C to HDMI and VGA adapters connect to compatible displays, monitors, and other peripherals.

Configurations options:

i5/i7 Intel® Dual- or Quad-CoreTM processors
Up to16 GB of RAM
Up to17hours of battery life
Up to 1TB SSD

Whats the RRP? Talk to us about eStorm Pricing after the 16th of November.

13.5″ Surface Book 2 w/Intel i5-7300U CPU, HD 620 integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB HDD: $2199
13.5″ Surface Book 2 w/Intel i7-8650U CPU, 2GB GTX 1050 GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB HDD: $2999
13.5″ Surface Book 2 w/Intel i7-8650U CPU, 2GB GTX 1050 GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB HDD: $3799
13.5″ Surface Book 2 w/Intel i7-8650U CPU, 2GB GTX 1050 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD: $4499