Verizon closes deal with AOL, eyes mobile video technology

Verizon now has mail from the king of the vintage dial-up Internet service.

In a $4.4 billion deal first announced in May, Verizon Communications Inc., a modern-day tech giant, has completed the acquisition of AOL, a tech giant of the 1990s with the famous “You’ve Got Mail” slogan.

AOL’s wall street presence goes away in a puff of smoke and they are now a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon. AOL’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong will continue to steer the company in the right direction, with help from Bob Toohey, president of Verizon’s Digital Media Services, and Marni Walden, Verizon executive vice president and president of Product Innovation and New Business.

Although some might consider AOL something of a “has-been” from the dot-com era, Verizon is getting quite a few goodies, such as AOL’s websites, which includes the Huffington Post, a news content provider, and popular gadget sites TechCrunch and Engadget. This deal looks better once you throw in the numbers for AOL of around 200 million unique visitors each month and 2 million Internet subscribers.

But that’s not all Verizon has their eyes on in the AOL deal. Nowadays, AOL is big into online mobile video services and has an attractive advertising technology. Verizon will probably use their existing Digital Media Services and AOL’s mobile advertising capabilities to gain traction in the mobile video market and ensure a brighter digital future.

As Verizon moves forward with this deal under wraps, maybe the next mail from AOL will be about success for Verizon in the mobile video and advertising space.

Digital forensics courses in data analysis to combat cybercrime

As the world of cybercrime increases on an almost daily basis, the world of cybercrime education is expanding to stop the criminals.

Students attending Salve Regina, a a Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of Mercy 1947, will be able to pursue a concentration in digital forensics with a certificate of graduate studies this fall. These graduate students in the Administration of Justice and Homeland Security program will be trailblazers in the field of cyber criminology.

According to the program director, this new emphasis in cyber education will include skills in data analysis for civil and criminal cases and intelligence and counterterrorism matters. Students will expand their knowledge in analyzing data and utilizing networks, servers and analysis tools.

The courses will be offered online and in special programs designed for the workplace at Salve Regina’s Center for Adult Education in Warwick, Rhode Island.

If cybercrime continues to threaten society, maybe more education in analysis and prevention measures will help to eliminate future cases.

Read more here: Data breaches target electronic health records

Goodwill app now updated, ready for your donations

Since there is an app for just about everything, Goodwill Industries International has upgraded its free Goodwill Locator app for constant connectivity to the mission of giving.

Now users on iOS and Android mobile devices can stay up to date on donation centers, stores, and job training centers through stories and updates available in the app.

Launched two years ago, the Goodwill Locator app now has more than 5,000 stores and donation centers' locations and includes videos on how the lives of individuals have been changed through donations. A financial gift can also be made using the app.

The latest version of the Goodwill app is free via Google Play and coming soon in the Apple Store, pending approval. Or you can visit the Goodwill website for the latest update.

With the Goodwill app, you can use your mobile devices to make a difference in this world.