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The executive body of the European Union (EU) plans to globalise how the World Wide Web is governed in order to lessen the influence of the US government, which has implemented a massive spying program known as PRISM.

On February 12, the European Commission will file a policy paper that proposes the adoption of “concrete and actionable steps” to globalise key web functions, including the allocation of top-level domain names like .com and .org.

The US Commerce Department has indirect control over certain internet architecture elements, which it contractually grants to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

To ensure that internet traffic is routed properly, the executive branch of the EU will also suggest a timeline to completely internationalise the US-based ICANN, which manages important aspects of the internet’s backbone.

“Large-scale surveillance and intelligence activities have…led to a loss of confidence in the Internet and its present governance arrangements,” stated the draft policy paper previewed by the The Wall Street Journal.

The US Commerce Department previously said that it is open to discussions regarding how the internet is governed. However, the agency declined to reveal whether it would give up its control of certain internet architecture elements.

“The US government appreciates the thoughtful leadership of the internet technical community on this important issue,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce Lawrence E. Strickling in January.

“We want to work collectively to make multi-stakeholder governance more inclusive while maintaining the stability of the open and innovative internet,” he added.

In order to beef up cyber security and anticipate new security threats in 2014, GFI labs has recently released a list of the most vulnerable software, applications and operating systems for last year.

Analysing figures from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), researchers at GFI labs discovered that many widely used apps and operating systems contain a lot of critical vulnerabilities.

In total, 4,794 security flaws were reported in 2013, which represents an average of 13 vulnerabilities per day – its highest level in the past five years. Notably, about 33 per cent of the security flaws were classified as very severe, meaning they can create significant amounts of damage.

On the basis of vendors, Oracle saw the highest number with 514 security flaws. Its Java software alone contributed 193 vulnerabilities and more than 100 were considered critical. Cisco came in second with 373 susceptibilities, while Microsoft posted 344 security flaws with 248 classified as critical.

In terms of web browsers, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the most susceptible to malicious attacks, while Google Chrome ranked third.

When it comes to operating systems, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 led the pack with 58 critical vulnerabilities in 2013, up from just 35 in 2012. Coming in second, Microsoft Windows 7 saw 55 severe vulnerabilities, up from 33 previously, while Windows Vista registered 53 high-risk susceptibilities, up from 34 in 2012.

Microsoft Windows 8 saw the largest gain with 43 critical vulnerabilities in 2013 compared to just five in 2012.

In an effort to enhance broadband networks in learning institutions, the US government plans to invest an additional US$2 billion, according to a report by Reuters.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take advantage of E-Rate. Financed by the monthly phone bills of Americans, the scheme enables libraries and schools to get discounts on their internet subscription.

Founded in 1996, the subsidy program has been channelling about US$2.4 billion annually. However, demand has eclipsed that figure and only 50 per cent of that amount has truly been invested in lightning-fast internet connection.

The agency has decided to focus the spending on high-capacity broadband connections and enhance the management and efficiency of E-Rate, said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Initially, the extra funds will come from unspent E-Rate money, but later they will likely be sourced from savings resulting from program reforms, such as axing outdated technologies like dial-up internet.

The additional investment will link the World Wide Web with 20 million students at 15,000 schools, noted the FCC. They added that the White House is teaming up with tech giants such as Microsoft and Apple to boost internet connections in American schools.

FCC’s plan to double its investment in fast internet connections is in line with President Obama’s vision of wireless internet and high-speed broadband becoming the norm for 99 per cent of all learning institutions in the US in the next five years.

Asia is rapidly cementing its position as the centre for top-speed internet access, revealed the latest study by Akamai Technologies.

The study, which looked at internet traffic flowing via Akamai’s global network from July to September, showed that the top four spots were all in Asia.

In the ranking based on average peak connection speeds, Hong Kong was the fastest with 65.4 Mbps, followed by South Korea with 63.6 Mbps, Japan with 52 Mbps and Singapore with 50.1 Mbps. With Taiwan grabbing the eighth spot, Asian locations accounted for 50 per cent of the top ten.

Almost all of the key Asia-Pacific markets monitored by Akamai showed improved peak connection speeds of at least 12 per cent from the previous year. Indonesia was the only Asian country to post a decline; a 30 per cent year-on-year drop to 9.7 megabits per second effectively placed it in 115^th position. India is Asia’s sole major market to land behind Indonesia as it recorded an average speed of 9 Mbps.

Rapidly growing tech start-up hub Israel jumped into the fifth spot as it clocked an average peak speed of 47.7 Mbps, while smaller European countries accounted for the rest of the top ten.

In 2012, Japan, South Korea and Singapore were also listed among the top five countries that posted the highest mobile-broadband penetration, according to a report by UN agency International Telecommunication Union.

Each of those Asian countries saw more than 100 mobile-data connections for every 100 inhabitants, which implies that people there are using more than one connected device.

Search giant Google recently paid £242 million to purchase DeepMind Technologies, a London-based firm that specializes in artificial intelligence, according to MailOnline.

The artificial intelligence software company was founded two years ago by Mustafa Suleyman, Shane Legg and Demis Hassabis, a 37-year-old computer genius and neuroscientist. It was also supported by Founders Fund, a venture firm created by Facebook investor Peter Thiel.

While DeepMind has not yet manufactured anything commercially, Google still forked up a hefty amount for its skills and knowledge on artificial intelligence. In fact, it represented the company’s largest single acquisition in the UK and Europe as a whole.

According to Hassabis, his company is very excited to join the tech giant as the move should speed up the development of self-thinking machines and software.

“This partnership will allow us to turbo-charge our mission to harness the power of machine learning tools to tackle some of society’s toughest problems and help make our everyday lives more productive and enjoyable,” he explained.

DeepMind’s website reveals that the firm utilises the best available techniques from neuroscience and machine learning to create multi-purpose learning algorithms.

Market watchers speculated that Facebook might have also set its sights on acquiring the AI firm, which presently employs 75 personnel.

Google’s acquisition of DeepMind Technologies also follows recent purchases of seven companies that are involved in robotics. These include humanoid-robot maker Meka and Industrial Perception, which designs machines that specialise in loading trucks and packaging goods.

Innovation in the world of technology has changed the way in which companies are run and the way people work within those companies. It has also increased the rate of productivity and efficiency immensely. Throughout the business world, from service workers and mailroom clerks up to the CEOs and owners at the top, technology is used to advantage every single day.

Business owners and operators are constantly in search of new and improved ways to streamline their business practices and make the entire enterprise more efficient and productive. A range of different technologies has emerged that facilitate this.

Innovative technologies that increase efficiency

One of the most influential technologies to emerge in recent years is remote access software and hardware. Remote access technology allows employees to work from anywhere, be it at home or on the other side of the world. This technology has freed many businesses from the need to maintain large office space, a cost-saving advantage, since employees are capable of accessing all office tools and information long-distance. The decrease or elimination of commuting times also helps to improve productivity.

The cost of storing data long-term has also fallen steeply in recent years, allowing companies to utilize online storage and cloud services for extended periods. This reduces the need for man-hours of work spent trying to locate information when it is needed, increasing the efficiency of the workplace environment, thereby, increasing productivity.

Workflow automation software

The key to business efficiency is streamlining operations as much as possible. Businesses both small and large must utilize the skills of a variety of different people in different departments in order to perform tasks and create products. Until recently, this could lead to miscommunication, mishandling of documents and a host of other problems. Today, it is possible for documents and information to be scanned and consolidated into a centralized database that only requires one or two people to run it, as opposed to the dozens of employees needed previously. Various software solutions are available to simplify this task, including the popular iSynergy Document management software.

One example of an operational streamlining software system is workflow automation software. Workflow automation software corrects the many symptoms of a malfunctioning process system, such as inadequate information flow between departments; missing deadlines; lost information and documents and spending valuable funds unnecessarily.

A workflow automation program connects employees together in a unique way, unifying information and processes into a single source accessible by all. The unique skills and knowledge of the individual business’ workforce are literally built in to the customized program, creating automated processes that allow every employee to access the information and materials they need to complete their job in the most efficient way possible. Decisions can be made more confidently because all the information is provided and issues can be resolved more quickly. Operating in the cloud, workflow automation software effectively drives the activities of a business from one day to the next.

In addition, workflow automation software can also help increase a business’ ability to maintain best practices within the company particularly as regards data storage processes. Storage needs can be completely customized to the needs of the business and altered as desired. Workflow automation software also integrates with IT systems within the company.