Microsoft ships LinkedIn app for Windows 10, first SQL Server 2017 release candidate: Microsoft is starting out the week with a pair of key software releases. First up is a new LinkedIn desktop app for Windows 10 PCs. The company promises a richer LinkedIn experience with the app compared to viewing the site through a web browser. It's launching through Windows Store in 22 languages, with global availability expected by month's end.
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated SQL Server 2017 has its first public release candidate, following seven community technology previews. In Microsoft parlance, a release candidate is considered essentially code-complete, although further testing and stabilization will occur before general availability. SQL Server 2017 is set to be a popular item among enterprises, of course, since it delivers both Windows and Linux support. There's an early adopter program available for companies who want to go into production with it now.
POV: The new LinkedIn app is another logical step in the process of integrating LinkedIn with Microsoft's platform. The question is whether Microsoft can achieve integration without blurring an important boundary, says Constellation VP and principal analyst Alan Lepofsky: "Overall, my fear about Microsoft and LinkedIn is that LinkedIn data is personal, not corporate. It's what I choose to write. It's who I choose to connect with. Microsoft needs to ensure the boundary is still there."
Meanwhile, although it came as a shock to many when Microsoft announced it would port SQL Server 2017 to Linux, the reality is that it had little choice. As Constellation VP and principal analyst Doug Henschen noted at the time, Linux is the dominant OS for the cloud, and provides ample cost savings compared to Windows. For its part, Microsoft says customers were demanding Linux support in the name of running mixed workloads.
IBM's new fully-encrypted mainframe: Big Blue is betting that full encryption, among other features, can spark a major refresh cycle by its mainframe customers. The new Z14 encrypts mainframe applications, cloud services and databases 100 percent of the time, with no performance hit, according to IBM:
The standard practice today is to encrypt small chunks of data at a time, and invest significant labor to select and manage individual fields. This bulk encryption at cloud scale is made possible by a massive 7x increase in cryptographic performance over the previous generation z13 – driven by a 4x increase in silicon dedicated to cryptographic algorithms.
It succeeds the Z13, which was released in early 2015. IBM is positioning the Z14 as ideal for machine learning and blockchain applications, two areas it has placed much emphasis on as of late. It also included a number of tidbits outlining the Z14's raw power, such as the ability to run 12 billion encrypted transactions per day on a single system.
POV: IBM's news release goes into great detail on the encryption features, as well as new software pricing models that it says makes the Z14 competitive with public clouds and x86 server environments. While it's not likely that the Z14 will pull in large numbers of new customers for IBM's mainframe business, it seems poised to draw significant interest from the installed base.
Court ruling upholds secret FBI data requests: IBM's new mainframe comes as government officials and tech debate over law enforcement's access to encrypted user data in the course of solving or preventing crimes. On a related front, a U.S. appeals court upheld a ruling that allowed the FBI to issue national security letters—essentially subpoenas demanding user data—under gag orders that in some cases are permanent. That means the company receiving the letter as well as the affected customer aren't allowed to discuss them.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has fought against NSLs for years, calls them "one of the most frightening and invasive" examples of expanded government surveillance under the PATRIOT Act.
Fortune's Brainstorm Tech: One of the more interesting and eclectic technology "big ideas" conferences, Fortune's Brainstorm Tech, kicks off today in Aspen. As usual, the three-day event will feature a wide range of speakers from the Fortune 500, hot startups, media, Hollywood and more.
Bookmark the livestream of the event right here. Michael Dell, Target CEO Brian Cornell, Nest Labs CTO Yoky Matsuoka and former CIA director John Brennan are some of the dozens that will be featured on the livestream.
Legacy watch: Aggrieved UK postmasters have their day in court over IT system: About 500 UK postmasters have joined a class action lawsuit that claims problems with a post office IT system resulted in them receiving heavy fines over missing funds, and in some cases even jail time. Post office officials have denied the system was at fault, but this week they will deliver an outline of their defense to the class and its lawyers.
ComputerWeekly has the scoop on the latest move in the case, which has more twists and turns than Zig Zag Hill in Wiltshire.
