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The InformationWeek June 2005 Archive « May 2005 | Main | July 2005 » |
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Cracking Down
The message this round: enough is quite enough. It's the tech version of arguably the most memorable line from the great cult-classic movie Network: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."
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AMD Lawsuit A Gamble It Will Need To Win
Tired of playing its cards close to the vest, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. this week laid all its cards on the table in a gamble that litigation is the best method of breaking free of the stranglehold that rival Intel has kept on the microprocessor market the past three decades. The years ahead will determine if the money and energy AMD will have to spend in an attempt to win in the courts, and win the hearts and minds of the public, is well spent.
Continue reading "AMD Lawsuit A Gamble It Will Need To Win..."
Is THIS The New iPod Phone?
The Apple sites are notorious for rampant rumors, speculation and -- famously -- "leaked" mockups actually created by Apple fans with Photoshop.
Sometimes, however, even the most unlikely rumors -- such as, for example, that Apple would use Intel chips -- turn out to be true.
This image, posted on the Apple Insider site, may or may not be from Motorola and may or may not be a mock-up of the highly anticipated iPod phone.
Continue reading "Is THIS The New iPod Phone?..."
Dear (DVD) Jon: Is This Really Fun?
To: Jon Lech Johansen (DVD Jon):
This time you've really gone and done it.
You're the hacker hero who cracked Google's closely watched video viewer in just one day in your latest high-profile exploit.
Continue reading "Dear (DVD) Jon: Is This Really Fun?..."
How The Other Half Lives
Occasionally, I run Microsoft-related news and reviews on Linux Pipeline. These generally fall into three categories: stories dealing with Internet Explorer; those concerning Microsoft's operating systems, especially Longhorn; and security-related issues.
I should admit, however, that Microsoft-related news sometimes makes the cut simply because I it strikes me as interesting, or appalling, or both.
This happened earlier in the summer, when I assumed Microsoft's announcement that it wouldn't release a Windows 2000 version of IE 7 was some kind of typo. After all, Microsoft knows perfectly well that fully half of its global user base still runs Win2K. Many of these users plan to make the most of the five years remaining in the Windows 2000 extended support schedule.
You may also notice there's a lot less attention being paid lately to Firefox's long-standing difficulties getting a tryout in most enterprise IT departments. The old problem for the IT guys was that rebuilding Web sites and otherwise retooling for a new browser is an expensive process. The new problem, given that IE 7 is never coming to Win2K and IE 6 will be a useless mess within six months, is that migrating to Windows XP seveal years ahead of schedule makes the cost of a browser migration project look like chump change.
Net Users Split Over Grokster Ruling
Though the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Grokster and other file-sharing programs, the community of Internet users is split over whether file sharing of copyrighted materials such as music and movies should be illegal.
Continue reading "Net Users Split Over Grokster Ruling..."
Living The Future
Through the miracles of modern technology I am posting this using a Wi-Fi connection on a bus rolling down the Massachusetts Turnpike, headed for New York and the C3 Expo. (It's the mobile connectivity that's the future. Going to a tradeshow seems seriously retro.)
8:24 a.m., Leaving Boston
I'm in seat 9B on the LimoLiner's 8 a.m. run from Boston's Back Bay Hilton to the New York Hilton on 6th Avenue. It's a bus fitted out like an airline shuttle -- leather seats, a restroom and galley, and Flavia, the onboard attendant who promises to serve us breakfast as soon as we get past Framingham.
Continue reading "Living The Future..."
Living The Future
Through the miracles of modern technology I am posting this using a Wi-Fi connection on a bus rolling down the Massachusetts Turnpike, headed for New York and the C3 Expo. (It's the mobile connectivity that's the future. Going to a tradeshow seems seriously retro.)
8:24 a.m., Leaving Boston
I'm in seat 9B on the LimoLiner's 8 a.m. run from Boston's Back Bay Hilton to the New York Hilton on 6th Avenue. It's a bus fitted out like an airline shuttle -- leather seats, a restroom and galley, and Flavia, the onboard attendant who promises to serve us breakfast as soon as we get past Framingham.
Continue reading "Living The Future..."
The Future Of File Sharing
In its ruling today against peer-to-peer file-sharing software makers Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court said companies may be liable for copyright infringement conducted by their customers.
"We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties," Justice David Souter wrote in the unanimous decision.
The decision suggests that honesty may not be the best policy for companies that make hardware and software capable of copying copyrighted content. The court specifically condemns Grokster and StreamCast for promoting their products as a means to share of copyrighted files.
Continue reading "The Future Of File Sharing..."
Stop Identity Theft; Send Your Data Offshore
Opponents of offshore outsourcing are quick to seize on events that show the practice in a risky light. Their most recent exhibit A: a British tabloid reporter arranged to illegally purchase sensitive customer data from an Indian business-process-outsourcing worker for about $5.00 per name. Yet here in the United States, we don't need to go to such lengths to obtain the raw material for identity theft--we can just wait for it to fall off the back of a truck.
Continue reading "Stop Identity Theft; Send Your Data Offshore..."
Customer Data: Stop The Bleeding
On Sunday came the news that the University of Connecticut is notifying 72,000 students, staff, and
faculty that a hacking program was found on a server containing their names, Social Security numbers, date of birth, and other personal information they wouldn't want identity thieves or others to know.
Continue reading "Customer Data: Stop The Bleeding..."
Welcome To SOA Pipeline
Welcome to SOA Pipeline! On Friday we officially renamed and relaunched the site in order to better serve you, our readers.
The main reason for the name change is that we feel we can make SOA Pipeline encompass a much broader strategic focus. Service-oriented architectures are where most enterprises are heading right now; Web services provide a way to get there (but not the only way). We feel that the pipeline would be able to focus on the overall strategic roadmap to an SOA, which can include a number of different types of technologies, including enterprise application integration, business process management, and other technologies that currently don't fit neatly into the jurisdiction of Web services.
Continue reading "Welcome To SOA Pipeline..."
Welcome To SOA Pipeline
Welcome to SOA Pipeline! On Friday we officially renamed and relaunched the site in order to better serve you, our readers.
The main reason for the name change is that we feel we can make SOA Pipeline encompass a much broader strategic focus. Service-oriented architectures are where most enterprises are heading right now; Web services provide a way to get there (but not the only way). We feel that the pipeline would be able to focus on the overall strategic roadmap to an SOA, which can include a number of different types of technologies, including enterprise application integration, business process management, and other technologies that currently don't fit neatly into the jurisdiction of Web services.
Continue reading "Welcome To SOA Pipeline..."
Sender ID -- It Could Get Ugly
It could get a little ugly out there in the anti-spam world and, as is so often the case, the uglifier of record is Microsoft which on Thursday announced that it would start "enforcing" the use of its Sender ID sender authentication protocol for senders of e-mail messages to Hotmail and MSN Mail systems. In a less avaricious world, that might be a good thing, but last year Microsoft made its desire to co-opt sender authentication by enforcing a patent it has on a part of the way DNS records have to be modified to comply with the protocol. The logical next step is for Microsoft to charge for its use.
Continue reading "Sender ID -- It Could Get Ugly..."
Sender ID -- It Could Get Ugly
It could get a little ugly out there in the anti-spam world and, as is so often the case, the uglifier of record is Microsoft which on Thursday announced that it would start "enforcing" the use of its Sender ID sender authentication protocol for senders of e-mail messages to Hotmail and MSN Mail systems. In a less avaricious world, that might be a good thing, but last year Microsoft made its desire to co-opt sender authentication by enforcing a patent it has on a part of the way DNS records have to be modified to comply with the protocol. The logical next step is for Microsoft to charge for its use.
Continue reading "Sender ID -- It Could Get Ugly..."
RSS Feeds Beef Up Longhorn
It's a great idea. RSS processing may actually be something that belongs in the operating system. (As opposed to Web browsers and media players, which I'm still mad at Microsoft about.) If you use an RSS reader to you know how handy it can be to effortlessly collect information from blogs and Web sites.
Microsoft says it's going to build an RSS reader into Longhorn, and add a special database and API to make RSS feeds available to desktop apps.
It is a really cool idea. By putting content in a known location in a known format, Microsoft is turning what you thought was only a blog-flogger into a sort of Everyman's Service-Oriented Architecture. Dave Winer, take a bow, because this one belongs to you -- although (*sigh*) I'm sure Bill Gates will get credit for it in the history books.
Continue reading "RSS Feeds Beef Up Longhorn..."
RSS Feeds Beef Up Longhorn
It's a great idea. RSS processing may actually be something that belongs in the operating system. (As opposed to Web browsers and media players, which I'm still mad at Microsoft about.) If you use an RSS reader to you know how handy it can be to effortlessly collect information from blogs and Web sites.
Microsoft says it's going to build an RSS reader into Longhorn, and add a special database and API to make RSS feeds available to desktop apps.
It is a really cool idea. By putting content in a known location in a known format, Microsoft is turning what you thought was only a blog-flogger into a sort of Everyman's Service-Oriented Architecture. Dave Winer, take a bow, because this one belongs to you -- although (*sigh*) I'm sure Bill Gates will get credit for it in the history books.
Continue reading "RSS Feeds Beef Up Longhorn..."
Google's Legacy: It's Not What You Think
Google's legacy won't be its innovative search engine optimization or even its online advertising model, but its ingenious approach to IT infrastructure.
Continue reading "Google's Legacy: It's Not What You Think..."
Weird News For The Wired
Maybe I'm just a klutz, but I cannot seem to master the art of placing a cell phone call while driving. Changing a CD while safely operating a vehicle is trouble enough. It's not that I can't handle either device--it's the need to keep my eyes on the road and wheel navigation under control while fumbling with the other devices and their tiny buttons that remains a challenge. So when I saw the "no-duh" study by Johns Hopkins University that the brain can't handle yakking on a cell phone while driving, even when using a hands-free device, I had to laugh.
Continue reading "Weird News For The Wired..."
Hooray! IBM Lotus Moves Notes Into The World Of Presence
Some months ago, about the time Microsoft announced Office Communicator, I had a conversation with IBM's Ed Brill in which I urged him to push IBM Lotus Notes forward into the new world of presence information and the use of presence technology. "We're working on it," he said, "trust me." I never believe in the promises of any software company, so I just sort of shoveled those words into the back of my mind, and didn't think more about it. But it's beginning to look as if Mr. Brill wasn't kidding.
Continue reading "Hooray! IBM Lotus Moves Notes Into The World Of Presence..."
Hooray! IBM Lotus Moves Notes Into The World Of Presence
Some months ago, about the time Microsoft announced Office Communicator, I had a conversation with IBM's Ed Brill in which I urged him to push IBM Lotus Notes forward into the new world of presence information and the use of presence technology. "We're working on it," he said, "trust me." I never believe in the promises of any software company, so I just sort of shoveled those words into the back of my mind, and didn't think more about it. But it's beginning to look as if Mr. Brill wasn't kidding.
Continue reading "Hooray! IBM Lotus Moves Notes Into The World Of Presence..."
Data Security: IT's Oxymoron
In case you haven't noticed, the last decade in banking has been all about mergers (each one bigger than the last), big-buck CEOs, increasing fees, and decreasing access to human beings. Sure, some consumer accounts got lost or crunched in the slamming together of newlywed bank systems, but who cared? Not the regulators and not the banks.
Continue reading "Data Security: IT's Oxymoron..."
Anti-Trust, Mis-Trust, And Rats
This week witnessed the massive crumbling or, at the least, further teetering of some of the very institutions charged to protect us. In multiple arenas, someone is doing something he ought not to be--or they're outright breaking the law.
Continue reading "Anti-Trust, Mis-Trust, And Rats..."
Technology Keeps Us On The Job, Even While Vacationing
Summer is here, and many of us are making a checklist of items to bring on our vacations. Don't forget that Blackberry. We just can't stay away from the office. Sad, isn't it?
Continue reading "Technology Keeps Us On The Job, Even While Vacationing..."
Inventors Of The Integrated Circuit Changed The World
The death on Tuesday of Jack Kilby, credited as the co-inventor of the integrated circuit, brought an end to an era in semiconductor technology, but his and others' early advancements continue to provide the platform of innovation seen throughout the IT and silicon industries today.
Continue reading "Inventors Of The Integrated Circuit Changed The World..."
MGM V. Grokster Ruling
To the frustration of much of the Internet community, the Supreme Court did not issue a ruling today in the closely watched MGM v. Grokster case. Thursday now looks like the next probable date for a decision.
At issue is whether companies--peer-to-peer file-sharing software makers Grokster and StreamCast Networks, in this case--can be held liable for copyright infringement that results from the misuse of their products.
While it might seem obvious that, say, Black & Decker should not be held liable because someone goes wild with a power drill, the issue is more complicated when the crime involves digital bits rather than drill bits.
Continue reading "MGM V. Grokster Ruling..."
Protect Your Data Like The Asset It Is
Who'd of thunk it? That happy-go-lucky fella you pass every evening on your way out the door -- and whom you believed was the janitor -- is actually a data thief. How does he go about his dark deeds? Armed with an innocent-looking iPod, he's able to download thousands of Microsoft Office files in minutes.
The crime is called "pod slurping," and it's striking a chord of fear in systems administrators and security gurus across the country. Just last week, a researcher has demonstrated just how easy it is to walk off with megabytes of sensitive material. If that happened to you, how many sensitive, proprietary documents would you lose? Would you know exactly what you had lost? And, just as importantly, could you recreate the files?
Continue reading "Protect Your Data Like The Asset It Is..."
Protect Your Data Like The Asset It Is
Who'd of thunk it? That happy-go-lucky fella you pass every evening on your way out the door -- and whom you believed was the janitor -- is actually a data thief. How does he go about his dark deeds? Armed with an innocent-looking iPod, he's able to download thousands of Microsoft Office files in minutes.
The crime is called "pod slurping," and it's striking a chord of fear in systems administrators and security gurus across the country. Just last week, a researcher has demonstrated just how easy it is to walk off with megabytes of sensitive material. If that happened to you, how many sensitive, proprietary documents would you lose? Would you know exactly what you had lost? And, just as importantly, could you recreate the files?
Continue reading "Protect Your Data Like The Asset It Is..."
Data Security Requires A Group Effort
Forty ... million ... credit cards. MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. That's enough accounts to represent roughly one card each for 19% of the U.S. population that is 18 and over.
Continue reading "Data Security Requires A Group Effort..."
Longhorn vs. OS X?
The results of the Longhorn poll don't give me the feeling that a lot of you are eagerly awaiting the release of Microsoft's next version of Windows. In fact, it sounds like at least some of you are looking for -- or have already found -- alternatives.
Staying with existing Windows versions was mentioned, along with Linux, and Apple's OS X:
- " I run XP Pro at work, on a 2003 Citrix box frequently, and a lean install of Fedora Core 3 at home. Guess which is easiest to keep clean and efficient?"
- "I've switched to Linux. I'm not paying for another MS product that is overpriced and needs other products (spam, virus, popups, etc.) to work."
- "Why buy Longhorn when Apple OS X Tiger already has the features at about the third the cost?"
- " I think it'll be great, but I'm going to stay with XP for awhile longer. I like XP."
- " WIN 2K PRO is looking better every day."
Continue reading "Longhorn vs. OS X?..."
Longhorn vs. OS X?
The results of the Longhorn poll don't give me the feeling that a lot of you are eagerly awaiting the release of Microsoft's next version of Windows. In fact, it sounds like at least some of you are looking for -- or have already found -- alternatives.
Staying with existing Windows versions was mentioned, along with Linux, and Apple's OS X:
- " I run XP Pro at work, on a 2003 Citrix box frequently, and a lean install of Fedora Core 3 at home. Guess which is easiest to keep clean and efficient?"
- "I've switched to Linux. I'm not paying for another MS product that is overpriced and needs other products (spam, virus, popups, etc.) to work."
- "Why buy Longhorn when Apple OS X Tiger already has the features at about the third the cost?"
- " I think it'll be great, but I'm going to stay with XP for awhile longer. I like XP."
- " WIN 2K PRO is looking better every day."
Continue reading "Longhorn vs. OS X?..."
Carlson CEO Sets Example for Execs Who Send IT Work Offshore
Eliminating jobs through outsourcing and offshoring can be a difficult decision for any business executive, so the temptation to downplay such moves is understandable. Who wants to end up on Lou Dobbs as an "Exporter of America?"
But the fact is, outsourcing is taking a bum rap in part because executives won't talk about it--not even its upsides.
Continue reading "Carlson CEO Sets Example for Execs Who Send IT Work Offshore..."
Abandoning IT
It proved to be one of the more challenging projects in their professional lives; Jim and Lisa McCoy--50 years in IT between them--had a new job: wedding planners. As the new proprietors of The Mercersburg Inn in rural, south-central Pennsylvania, the couple turned to the skills that made them successful IT managers to lead their staff in preparing and pulling off a wedding reception for 150 guests.
Continue reading "Abandoning IT..."
Help Wanted: IT Pros Looking For New-Job Advice
There was a front page story in The Wall Street Journal the other day about how Japan, because of its rapidly aging population, is facing an impending severe shortage of workers. According to the report, 20% of Japan's population will be at least 65 years old by 2006. The United States won't hit that milestone till 2036.
Continue reading "Help Wanted: IT Pros Looking For New-Job Advice..."
Privacy And Security--Are Both Possible?
It's heartening to see privacy advocates raising issues about the limitations of technology and our existing procedures--and, even better, to see government policy wonks starting to listen more closely. And once again we Americans have much to learn from European and other countries, this time about how to keep information flowing within secure boundaries.
Continue reading "Privacy And Security--Are Both Possible?..."
Peeking Behind The Screen
In the time that's passed since 9/11, it seems the government is still having difficulty articulating to the public what information it needs from its citizens and travelers to this country as well as how that information will be used. While the government takes its duty to protect the United States seriously, its unwillingness or inability to define its data gathering needs and data sharing criteria makes the government its own worse enemy when securing public support for its initiatives.
Continue reading "Peeking Behind The Screen..."
MSN's Gag Order
Fresh off its controversial flip-flopping on support for a gay-rights bill in Washington state comes a news report that Microsoft is cooperating with the Chinese government to censor users of the MSN Spaces section of its MSN China Web portal.
Continue reading "MSN's Gag Order..."
Why Ascential Is Essential for IBM
So why did IBM last month pay $1.1 billion to purchase Ascential Software--a niche data integration player with 2004 sales of $272 million and net income of just $15 million? Is Ascential really worth four times its revenue? A conversation I had this week with Frank Brooks, data resource manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and an Ascential customer, provides a clue to IBM's thinking.
Continue reading "Why Ascential Is Essential for IBM..."
How Clever Is Too Clever?
You begin to get a feeling for how complex Longhorn is going to be when it takes one Microsoft engineer to explain what another Microsoft engineer really meant when he tried to explain a new feature.
The feature wasn't even in Longhorn, but in the future version 7 of Internet Explorer. Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president of Microsoft's security group, at the MS Tech Ed conference last week in Orlando, revealed some details of a "low-rights" mode in IE 7 that will provide some defense against browser-based exploits, and he implied that IE 7 would ship with this mode enabled by default. What he forgot was that IE 7 for Windows XP SP2 is going to beta this summer, and XP doesn't have any support for the feature.
Continue reading "How Clever Is Too Clever?..."
How Clever Is Too Clever?
You begin to get a feeling for how complex Longhorn is going to be when it takes one Microsoft engineer to explain what another Microsoft engineer really meant when he tried to explain a new feature.
The feature wasn't even in Longhorn, but in the future version 7 of Internet Explorer. Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president of Microsoft's security group, at the MS Tech Ed conference last week in Orlando, revealed some details of a "low-rights" mode in IE 7 that will provide some defense against browser-based exploits, and he implied that IE 7 would ship with this mode enabled by default. What he forgot was that IE 7 for Windows XP SP2 is going to beta this summer, and XP doesn't have any support for the feature.
Continue reading "How Clever Is Too Clever?..."
Effective BPO Deals Require Partnering
Business process outsourcing is about more than just saving money. Sure, a good services agreement from a reputable provider should yield cost savings around billing, HR administration, accounting or whichever process your company has handed off to a third party. But most buyers of BPO services are getting much more than that, a new survey shows.
Continue reading "Effective BPO Deals Require Partnering..."
Longhorn Can Wait, Says You
It seems many of you are willing to bide your time and not rush into trying out Longhorn any time soon, according to results from a poll recently on Systems Management Pipeline. To refresh your memories, the question was: Is Longhorn a long way away for you? More than 60 percent of respondents said they weren't even ready to plan for planning for Longhorn. That's a pretty significant number, one that Redmond can be none too pleased with.
Continue reading "Longhorn Can Wait, Says You..."
Longhorn Can Wait, Says You
It seems many of you are willing to bide your time and not rush into trying out Longhorn any time soon, according to results from a poll recently on Systems Management Pipeline. To refresh your memories, the question was: Is Longhorn a long way away for you? More than 60 percent of respondents said they weren't even ready to plan for planning for Longhorn. That's a pretty significant number, one that Redmond can be none too pleased with.
Continue reading "Longhorn Can Wait, Says You..."
Web Gives Instant Access To Quake Information
It's been some time since we've felt a sizable earthquake on the Southern California coastline that made the neighbor's wind chimes ring loud and clear, and the 20-foot palm trees sway without wind.
Continue reading "Web Gives Instant Access To Quake Information..."
Surfing The Web In Mid-Air
Which one would you choose: using your cell phone on an airplane or getting a wireless connection to high-speed Internet? Yes, it's true. Wireless Internet access during a flight is not that far away. United Airlines has plans in the works to provide such a service to its passengers. This week, the carrier received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to install cabin equipment that will allow passengers to use Wi-Fi during flights.
Continue reading "Surfing The Web In Mid-Air..."
Online Listeners Grow Up
There seems to be increasing level of maturity in how people are approaching the notion of Web-based music.
Not only are more people listening to online music than ever, but increasing numbers of those people are paying for legal music-download services as opposed to trying to steal their favorite tunes from free file-sharing sites.
Continue reading "Online Listeners Grow Up..."
More Famous 'Ware
The Software Hall of Fame contest underscores something I think is very interesting: the tremendous change the World Wide Web has made in how we use software and what we think is good software.
The history of PC software isn't that long. It goes back only about 25 years, to 1980, give or take a couple of years. For the first 15 of those years, software was productivity-oriented and kinda geeky: the big hits were titles like WordStar, WordPro, Multimate, 1-2-3, Procomm, and new categories of software blossomed as businesses grew up around new uses for the PC.
But in the last decade -- the period covered by the contest -- that's changed. Productivity software has new versions, not new categories. Most of the really novel and really widely used applications are Web-based, and many of them have been propelled to prominence by young people.
You can see this in the 10 applications written up by Pipeline editors to introduce the contest. Only three of those 10 applications exist independently of the Web -- that is, they're installed on a stand-alone PC and work only with data on the machine. The others all depend on the communication and data resources of the Web: either they exist to manipulate data that is distributed via the Web by doing Web authoring, blogging, e-mail managing, instant messaging, RSS reading, peer-to-peer file sharing, or they are entirely Web-based. (I admit I'm cheating a little bit by including the "e-mail managing" app because it is not, strictly speaking, Web-related. E-mail is a client-server application that's not tied to any particular network.)
Continue reading "More Famous 'Ware..."
More Famous 'Ware
The Software Hall of Fame contest underscores something I think is very interesting: the tremendous change the World Wide Web has made in how we use software and what we think is good software.
The history of PC software isn't that long. It goes back only about 25 years, to 1980, give or take a couple of years. For the first 15 of those years, software was productivity-oriented and kinda geeky: the big hits were titles like WordStar, WordPro, Multimate, 1-2-3, Procomm, and new categories of software blossomed as businesses grew up around new uses for the PC.
But in the last decade -- the period covered by the contest -- that's changed. Productivity software has new versions, not new categories. Most of the really novel and really widely used applications are Web-based, and many of them have been propelled to prominence by young people.
You can see this in the 10 applications written up by Pipeline editors to introduce the contest. Only three of those 10 applications exist independently of the Web -- that is, they're installed on a stand-alone PC and work only with data on the machine. The others all depend on the communication and data resources of the Web: either they exist to manipulate data that is distributed via the Web by doing Web authoring, blogging, e-mail managing, instant messaging, RSS reading, peer-to-peer file sharing, or they are entirely Web-based. (I admit I'm cheating a little bit by including the "e-mail managing" app because it is not, strictly speaking, Web-related. E-mail is a client-server application that's not tied to any particular network.)
Continue reading "More Famous 'Ware..."
Outsourcing And The End Of Emerging Markets
If American IT workers are having a tough time competing against their Indian counterparts, what's going to happen when emerging, even-lower-wage countries like Vietnam get into the offshoring game? The answer, in fact, bodes well for U.S. technologists.
Continue reading "Outsourcing And The End Of Emerging Markets..."
FBI IT: Lessons To Live By
After more than three months chasing this week's cover story on the FBI's IT woes, I read with great interest a similar account in yesterday's Washington Post. The main difference between our stories is the Post's ability to get their hands on a confidential report to the House Appropriations Committee that blasted the FBI's decision to continue spending money on its Titanic-like Virtual Case File system, even after it was clearly destined to sink into the abyss. Both stories, however, reveal several uncomfortable truths about IT management.
Continue reading "FBI IT: Lessons To Live By..."
Open Source Processes Infiltrate VeriSign Business Model
The open-source mindset is taking firm hold within business environments, even when companies aren’t developing open-source software. A terrific example of this is the application development work VeriSign Inc. is doing using VA Software Corp.’s SourceForge Enterprise Edition to integrate a distributed group of software developers. In addition to helping a business unit within the company, which provides a variety of digital commerce and communication products and services, better organize its development efforts worldwide, the SourceForge Enterprise Edition software suite has become a way for VeriSign to more easily prove compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and Statement of Auditing Standards (SAS) number 70, Service Organizations, an auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Continue reading "Open Source Processes Infiltrate VeriSign Business Model..."
Intel Mobile Strategy A Winning Combination
Intel has used a combination of technology, marketing, and creative restructuring to create a highly successful mobile initiative in part out of what had become viewed by some as a black-hole of investment in its former communications sector.
Continue reading "Intel Mobile Strategy A Winning Combination..."
How Are You With the "R" Word?
Our current slate of lead feature stories all deal with the CIO's relationships and changing roles within the broader organization. We all know those relationships have been, how should we say, tested recently.
Continue reading "How Are You With the "R" Word?..."
How Are You With the "R" Word?
Our current slate of lead feature stories all deal with the CIO's relationships and changing roles within the broader organization. We all know those relationships have been, how should we say, tested recently.
Continue reading "How Are You With the "R" Word?..."
Supercomm News To Watch Out For Next Week
It's no secret that the world of communications is changing. What is a traditional phone company these days? Chances are there isn't one. Most phone companies today don't just offer phone services or DSL services. Seems that IP telephony and wireless has become part of every company's service and product portfolio. Even the Supercomm show has changed, which is taking place this year in Chicago from June 6 to June 9.
Continue reading "Supercomm News To Watch Out For Next Week..."
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