|
The Morning Download: Retailers Lean on Software to Combat Rising Costs; CIO vs. CISO |
|
|
| |
|
Good Morning, CIOs. The WSJ's Angus Loten has the story on how supermarkets and other retailers are putting software to work in efforts to lessen the impact of rising prices. Anuj Dhanda, executive vice president and chief information officer at grocer Albertsons Cos., said AI-powered systems that can rapidly crunch massive amounts of sales and customer data have enabled the company to be more agile in adapting to shifting markets during the pandemic. That includes keeping closer tabs on price and cost increases, as well as quickly scaling up the company’s e-commerce services amid surging online sales. “These processes continue to be more scalable, intelligent and precise,” Mr. Dhanda said. Read the story. |
|
|
|
|
| Samsung’s quarterly revenue rose 20%. A company event in Seoul in January. PHOTO: JUNG YEON-JE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES |
|
|
Samsung profit rises 73% as memory-chip demand surges. Pandemic shifts have kept demand high for personal computers, data servers and mobile devices, which all require memory chips, the WSJ's Jiyoung Sohn reports. The company is considered an industry bellwether because it is both a major electronics maker and components supplier to the world’s biggest tech firms. Qualcomm sees path out of chip shortage stretching into 2022. The company, which supplies key circuitry in almost a third of new 5G handsets, reported revenue of $8.1 billion, exceeding analyst projections. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon tells the WSJ's Asa Fitch that demand for Qualcomm’s products is outstripping its ability to supply them even as it enlists multiple vendors to boost its supply. Facebook’s ad business posts another strong quarter. Facebook Inc.’s profit doubled from a year earlier to $10.39 billion, soundly beating analysts’ expectations. Revenue rose 56% to $29.08 billion. (WSJ) |
|
|
|
Cyber pros look to step out of CIO's shadow. As companies face growing hacking risks, corporate cybersecurity chiefs are earning more money compared with last year, but in many cases are still reporting to IT leaders, the WSJ's Catherine Stupp reports. Overseeing security chiefs. Thirty-eight percent of CISOs report to their companies’ chief information officer, making it the most common reporting relationship, according to a recent Heidrick & Struggles survey. CIO vs. CISO? But many candidates for CISO positions aren’t interested in a job reporting to a CIO, said Michael Piacente, co-founder and managing partner at Hitch Partners. There can be tension between the two roles if cybersecurity requirements slow down or impede a technology project overseen by the CIO, he said. “The CISO needs to be able to say this is not the way to secure our enterprise. They can’t have the CIO be influential in any way,” he said. Read the story. |
|
|
| Mountain View, Calif.-based Google is among the largest private companies in the U.S. to introduce a vaccination requirement for its workforce. PHOTO: DAVID PAUL MORRIS/BLOOMBERG NEWS |
|
|
Google, Facebook to require vaccinations for on-campus workers. The Alphabet Inc.-owned search giant also said it is delaying its work force’s return to offices until mid-October, after previously planning to get most staff back on site at the end of September. Delta variant leads to new precautions. Netflix Inc. told its producers it would require everyone working in close contact with actors on U.S. productions to be vaccinated. Twitter Inc. said it would close offices "immediately" just two weeks after reopening in San Francisco and New York, TechCrunch reported. Apple Inc. said it plans to require employees and customers to wear masks in more than half its U.S. retail stores regardless of their vaccination status. |
|
Didi Global considers going private. The ride-hailing giant is considering going private in order to placate authorities in China and compensate investors for losses incurred since the company listed in the U.S. in late June, the WSJ's Jing Yang reports. Didi raised about $4.4 billion in its initial public offering in the biggest stock sale by a Chinese company since the 2014 blockbuster listing of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Shares briefly topped $18 in their first days of trading before the Cyberspace Administration of China launched a data-security probe into Didi and blocked its China business from adding new users. FTC’s Lina Khan blames digital platforms for surge in consumer fraud. "Fraud has continued to surge," Ms. Khan said Wednesday in her first appearance before Congress as the agency’s head. "One reason is that fraud today is supercharged by digital platforms where this conduct is tolerated and even promoted." Ms. Khan didn’t name any online platforms or specify actions the Federal Trade Commission might take. (WSJ) Biden directs agencies to develop cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure. Though voluntary, officials said the new step could be a prelude to a push for cybersecurity mandates, says the Journal's Dustin Volz. Shoring up the defense. Last week, the Transportation Security Administration handed down new cybersecurity requirements for U.S. pipeline operators intended to help guard against ransomware and other forms of disruptive hacking. In May, an executive order established baseline cybersecurity requirements for U.S. agencies and their software contractors. |
|
| Everything Else You Need to Know |
|
|
Production of movies and TV shows is getting disrupted again because of Covid-19 and uncertainty over vaccination protocols, a setback as networks and streaming services remain hungry for fresh content. (The Wall Street Journal) The U.S. economy likely exceeded its pre-pandemic peak in the second quarter as reopenings and government aid powered a growth surge that is expected to gradually slow in coming months, with Covid-19 variants and materials and labor disruptions clouding the outlook. (The Wall Street Journal) An 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska late Wednesday, triggering a brief tsunami warning for some of the state’s coastal regions, national authorities said. (The Wall Street Journal) |
|
|
|
|