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The InformationWeek February 2006 Archive « January 2006 | Main | March 2006 » |
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Google Porn Search On Cell Phones
Google gave two computer scientists access to more than a million of its mobile search records in research aimed at understanding the unique needs of wireless Web surfers. Judging by the results, what users really need is a porn portal, as more searches were for smut than anything else.
Continue reading "Google Porn Search On Cell Phones..."
Apple, Security, And Disturbing Questions
Troubling questions are being raised by one of the few meaningful security issues to impact Apple. As InformationWeek's Larry Greenemeier points out in a blog entry, "Some say the security research community is more dangerous than the hackers they warn against" because Mac exploits are being placed directly on the Web soon after the vulnerabilities are discovered. He quotes a security expert as saying that advisories sometimes serve as more of a publicity machine for the issuers than as a service to IT organizations.
Continue reading "Apple, Security, And Disturbing Questions..."
Think Before You Send
Isn't it about time business organizations put some teeth behind their messaging policies? I mean e-mail has been a staple of business communication for a least a decade, and we still treat it with kid gloves. But the medium has become so ubiquitous and so darn easy that we don't stop to think before banging out a missive and tapping the send button.
For some reason, we can distance ourselves when communicating via electronic messaging. A thought pops into our heads, we send off a message. If we have to confront someone, e-mail keeps our exposure to a minimum. If we have a problem at work, we can easily go over someone's head, start rumors, or talk to the competition. If we have a simple question, why figure it out for ourselves when we can spam our co-workers and make them do the work? Why explain something when we can just include an attachment? And never mind that the attachment also includes sensitive information that may not be appropriate for everyone on the distribution.
A business-related phone conversation is still a more intimate interaction. It often requires more forethought to navigate the intermediaries, and more composure when speaking in real time. But e-mail has broken down all the boundaries, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has also apparently removed the need for forethought. You can Cc: the CEO on the most mundane questions, which creates a new and unnecessary stream of follow-ups. And e-mail makes it easy and compelling to over-delegate.
The problem is also manifesting itself in higher education. Professors routinely give out their e-mail addresses to students, and the result, according to a recent New York Times article, is that it has made them too approachable and hinders their productivity. In the article, To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It's All About Me, professors lament that e-mail has made them available around the clock and open to a barrage of questions, demands, complaints and critiques that border on inappropriate. If an issue is not important enough to meet with the professor during office hours, it can be communicated via e-mail. And students don't seem to understand that what they write in e-mails reflects on their judgment and can result in bad recommendations.
Continue reading "Think Before You Send..."
Think Before You Send
Isn't it about time business organizations put some teeth behind their messaging policies? I mean e-mail has been a staple of business communication for a least a decade, and we still treat it with kid gloves. But the medium has become so ubiquitous and so darn easy that we don't stop to think before banging out a missive and tapping the send button.
For some reason, we can distance ourselves when communicating via electronic messaging. A thought pops into our heads, we send off a message. If we have to confront someone, e-mail keeps our exposure to a minimum. If we have a problem at work, we can easily go over someone's head, start rumors, or talk to the competition. If we have a simple question, why figure it out for ourselves when we can spam our co-workers and make them do the work? Why explain something when we can just include an attachment? And never mind that the attachment also includes sensitive information that may not be appropriate for everyone on the distribution.
A business-related phone conversation is still a more intimate interaction. It often requires more forethought to navigate the intermediaries, and more composure when speaking in real time. But e-mail has broken down all the boundaries, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has also apparently removed the need for forethought. You can Cc: the CEO on the most mundane questions, which creates a new and unnecessary stream of follow-ups. And e-mail makes it easy and compelling to over-delegate.
The problem is also manifesting itself in higher education. Professors routinely give out their e-mail addresses to students, and the result, according to a recent New York Times article, is that it has made them too approachable and hinders their productivity. In the article, To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It's All About Me, professors lament that e-mail has made them available around the clock and open to a barrage of questions, demands, complaints and critiques that border on inappropriate. If an issue is not important enough to meet with the professor during office hours, it can be communicated via e-mail. And students don't seem to understand that what they write in e-mails reflects on their judgment and can result in bad recommendations.
Continue reading "Think Before You Send..."
Dealing With The Computer Viruses On Mouse And Keyboard
Both companies and individuals have become much more successful lately coping with computer viruses by buying, installing and using anti-virus software. But what about the REAL germs living on your mouse and keyboard?
Continue reading "Dealing With The Computer Viruses On Mouse And Keyboard..."
Daily News Podcast, Tuesday, Feb. 28
In today's daily news podcast, both our In Depth package and the Editor's Note look at the increasing influence of the rest of the world on the business of high technology. We also cover the latest updates on Microsoft's Vista, security vendors getting dinged for exploiting Apple flaws, a password-stealing Trojan, and an adware firm that admits its error and apologizes.
Background music: "Coast Of California," courtesy Digital Riffs Music under Creative Commons License.
Creativity Key Trait In High-Tech Employment
Silicon Valley firms can’t get enough of highly skilled, creative tech pros. But the chances of grabbing a job at the epicenter of high tech has diminished if your skills are of the humdrum variety.
Continue reading "Creativity Key Trait In High-Tech Employment..."
American IT Jobs Give Bush Valuable Bargaining Chip In Talks With India
George Bush's visit to India this week provides the perfect high-profile opportunity for the President to urge Congress to eliminate all numerical caps on H-1B foreign worker visas. Such a move would help the United States in a number of ways, while holding very little downside for the American economy.
Continue reading "American IT Jobs Give Bush Valuable Bargaining Chip In Talks With India..."
CA Takes An Indirect Route To Sales Success
Part of enterprise management vendor CA's revamped corporate strategy is to work more closely with channel partners to sell solutions and support customers. The company has never been known for having particularly warm relations with resellers but there have been recent indications of a thaw in that area. And now the real test begins with CA's announced plan to reduce the number of named accounts it handles directly, and rely instead on the channel to support those clients.
Continue reading "CA Takes An Indirect Route To Sales Success..."
CA Takes An Indirect Route To Sales Success
Part of enterprise management vendor CA's revamped corporate strategy is to work more closely with channel partners to sell solutions and support customers. The company has never been known for having particularly warm relations with resellers but there have been recent indications of a thaw in that area. And now the real test begins with CA's announced plan to reduce the number of named accounts it handles directly, and rely instead on the channel to support those clients.
Continue reading "CA Takes An Indirect Route To Sales Success..."
The New Shareholders In High-Tech Business
It used to be pretty much that what happened in high tech stayed in high tech. Companies did or did not develop products, enter markets, or craft strategies based on pretty straightforward, standard business criteria.
Was the technology doable? Did it work? Was there a viable market? And at what price point, and via what channel? Was there value for shareholders? Could reviewers be appeased? Would the press show up? Only geeks got whipped up over the details.
Continue reading "The New Shareholders In High-Tech Business..."
For Apple, There's No Business Like Show Business
Apple plans to announce something tomorrow, and the rumor mill is working overtime trying to guess what that announcement might be. Over the weekend, one possibility -- a big-screen video iPod -- was knocked out of contention after a hoaxter posted a step-by-step video about how he created the fake prototype photo everyone was buzzing about.
Continue reading "For Apple, There's No Business Like Show Business..."
Finding Humor In IT
Humor is in short supply in the business world. And that's a shame because there are some subjects that benefit from a liberal dose of levity.
Osterman Research's report, "Email Troubleshooting: The Cost and Impact to the Enterprise," represents just such a topic. Though no doubt a subject near and dear to the heart of Zenprise, the E-mail management software maker that sponsored the study, it's not the sort of reading matter that generates much interest outside of corporate E-mail administrators.
Thankfully, the good people over at Atomic PR, which represents Zenprise, had the sense to realize this and decided to include a few facts and figures put to survey respondents that didn't make the final report.
Theses questions from the cutting room floor manage to convey the cost and impact of E-mail troubleshooting far more effectively than the "serious" findings like "it takes an average of nearly three hours to troubleshoot and resolve an E-mail problem."
Continue reading "Finding Humor In IT..."
It's Not Wise To Neglect Certain SOX Requirements
If you're still harboring doubts about meeting your SOX deadlines, you might want to check out a webinar tomorrow (Feb. 28) that features Michael Horowitz, commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC).
The event, titled, "Upward Mobility: Leveraging Your Sarbanes-Oxley Investment for Broader Risk Management," will take place 1 p.m. EST. Co-hosted by compliance vendor Axentis and Business Finance Magazine, speakers will also include Scott Mitchell, CEO of Open Compliance & Ethics Group (OCEG) and Ted Frank, president of Axentis and chair of OCEG.
The discussion promises to focus on the current critical mandates of SOX and the ramifications of neglecting certain areas of compliance. And perhaps more interesting, attendees will also learn about compliance enforcement mechanisms. Special focus will be given to the Thompson Memo and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Other topics to be covered include an overview and evaluation of a broad approach to compliance solutions and an understanding of how to integrate compliance into a business model.
You can register for the hour-long webinar at Business Finance Magazine's Web site.
It's Not Wise To Neglect Certain SOX Requirements
If you're still harboring doubts about meeting your SOX deadlines, you might want to check out a webinar tomorrow (Feb. 28) that features Michael Horowitz, commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC).
The event, titled, "Upward Mobility: Leveraging Your Sarbanes-Oxley Investment for Broader Risk Management," will take place 1 p.m. EST. Co-hosted by compliance vendor Axentis and Business Finance Magazine, speakers will also include Scott Mitchell, CEO of Open Compliance & Ethics Group (OCEG) and Ted Frank, president of Axentis and chair of OCEG.
The discussion promises to focus on the current critical mandates of SOX and the ramifications of neglecting certain areas of compliance. And perhaps more interesting, attendees will also learn about compliance enforcement mechanisms. Special focus will be given to the Thompson Memo and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Other topics to be covered include an overview and evaluation of a broad approach to compliance solutions and an understanding of how to integrate compliance into a business model.
You can register for the hour-long webinar at Business Finance Magazine's Web site.
VIDEO: Teaching Computers To Read Minds
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research are working on technology to allow a computer or robot to respond to the mood of its human master. Watch the video for a humorous report on the research.
Daily News Podcast, Monday, Feb. 27
In today's daily news podcast, we look at the latest nonaction in the RIM/NTP patent battle, the most recent shots fired in the Microsoft-versus-antitrust-laws-everywhere saga, objections to AOL's Certified E-Mail Service, a concession to critics about Google's new Desktop Service, fears that the Dubai Port-security deal could threaten high-tech defenses, and two seemingly negative trends concerning our adoption and adaptation of technology.
Background music: "Luminous Rain" by Kevin MacLeod, courtesy IncompeTech under Creative Commons License.
A Club Apple Wants Out Of
Windows users most likely yawned at last week's warning that Apple's Safari Web browser contains a critical vulnerability that exposes Mac users to attacks using malicious Zip files with virus-laden payloads. Subsequent reports of an exploit that makes it possible to take advantage of this latest Mac OS X flaw surely elicited no sympathy from long-suffering Internet Explorer devotees.
Continue reading "A Club Apple Wants Out Of..."
Is There Life After Search Engines?
We should all be thinking the unthinkable about search engines: they may be put out of business by legal challenges. Search engines are under attack from several directions, and of course, it's all about the money.
Companies that own "intellectual property" (something that's always sounded to me like a contradiction in terms) are gunning for search engine's revenues, claiming that Google and Yahoo and the like are profiting unfairly from the use of their copyrighted content. Everybody from newspaper publishers in Europe to porn mags and movie studios in the United States are trying to . . . to what, to get delisted? So what is that likely to do for their site traffic, do you think?
Continue reading "Is There Life After Search Engines?..."
Is There Life After Search Engines?
We should all be thinking the unthinkable about search engines: they may be put out of business by legal challenges. Search engines are under attack from several directions, and of course, it's all about the money.
Companies that own "intellectual property" (something that's always sounded to me like a contradiction in terms) are gunning for search engine's revenues, claiming that Google and Yahoo and the like are profiting unfairly from the use of their copyrighted content. Everybody from newspaper publishers in Europe to porn mags and movie studios in the United States are trying to . . . to what, to get delisted? So what is that likely to do for their site traffic, do you think?
Continue reading "Is There Life After Search Engines?..."
Rightsizing IT Management
Small and medium businesses are no longer being left out in the cold my IT management vendors focused solely on the biggeste enterprises. IBM Tivoli is the latest vendor to get smart about delivering IT management solutions designed specifically to meet the cost and complexity requirements of small and medium sized businesses. With its Tivoli Express Portfolio, Big Blue is delivering a suite of products that provide levels of network monitoring, storage management, asset provisioning and user access aimed at smaller businesses that don't require the same escalation tools their larger counterparts need.
Continue reading "Rightsizing IT Management..."
Rightsizing IT Management
Small and medium businesses are no longer being left out in the cold my IT management vendors focused solely on the biggeste enterprises. IBM Tivoli is the latest vendor to get smart about delivering IT management solutions designed specifically to meet the cost and complexity requirements of small and medium sized businesses. With its Tivoli Express Portfolio, Big Blue is delivering a suite of products that provide levels of network monitoring, storage management, asset provisioning and user access aimed at smaller businesses that don't require the same escalation tools their larger counterparts need.
Continue reading "Rightsizing IT Management..."
E-mail Admins Play "Which Would You Rather"
To illustrate the challenges of managing e-mail, Osterman Research took a humorous route in its survey of more than 100 IT pros, sponsored by Zenprise, with a series of "which would you rather" questions.
I guess this group of administrators has it pretty tough. The survey focused on a single support ill; they were asked to rate the level of difficulty in determining the underlying cause of e-mail problems. The Survey revealed that:
- 80 percent of e-mail administrators found determining the underlying cause of e-mail problems is as painful or more painful than shopping with their significant other. (Now, come on, not all e-mail admins are male)
- More than 72 percent found sitting in traffic is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (Depends on where you're sitting. At least the LA freeways are interesting to watch)
- 70 percent thought waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (I just don't buy that. I'd gladly take a month on the help desk over an hour at the DMV. Those people are scary)
- Only 39 percent revealed that a colonoscopy is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (That proves it. These folks do lead tough lives and they've been doing it for awhile if 39 percent of them have had colonoscopies)
- More than 60 percent concurred that visiting the dentist is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (That's an old one, and only proves one thing: the dentist chair has become a lot less painful in recent years)
Continue reading "E-mail Admins Play "Which Would You Rather"..."
E-mail Admins Play "Which Would You Rather"
To illustrate the challenges of managing e-mail, Osterman Research took a humorous route in its survey of more than 100 IT pros, sponsored by Zenprise, with a series of "which would you rather" questions.
I guess this group of administrators has it pretty tough. The survey focused on a single support ill; they were asked to rate the level of difficulty in determining the underlying cause of e-mail problems. The Survey revealed that:
- 80 percent of e-mail administrators found determining the underlying cause of e-mail problems is as painful or more painful than shopping with their significant other. (Now, come on, not all e-mail admins are male)
- More than 72 percent found sitting in traffic is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (Depends on where you're sitting. At least the LA freeways are interesting to watch)
- 70 percent thought waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (I just don't buy that. I'd gladly take a month on the help desk over an hour at the DMV. Those people are scary)
- Only 39 percent revealed that a colonoscopy is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (That proves it. These folks do lead tough lives and they've been doing it for awhile if 39 percent of them have had colonoscopies)
- More than 60 percent concurred that visiting the dentist is as painful as or more painful than finding the underlying cause of e-mail issues. (That's an old one, and only proves one thing: the dentist chair has become a lot less painful in recent years)
Continue reading "E-mail Admins Play "Which Would You Rather"..."
A Settlement Would End RIM's Legal Battle; Even The Judge Agrees
In the latest chapter of the Research In Motion-NTP saga, U.S. District Judge James Spencer didn't issue an immediate injunction to shut down the BlackBerry service, as many have expected. He said he would make a final decision as soon as possible, although stating loud and clear that RIM had been found to violate NTP's patents. It looks like he's trying to buy more time and drive the two companies to settle outside of court.
Continue reading "A Settlement Would End RIM's Legal Battle; Even The Judge Agrees..."
Ten Sites I Check Daily
We journalists tend to read a bunch of news. I guess it comes with the job description. I've rounded up some of the top blogs I read to help gather and make sense of the news I'm seeing out there. Check these out, and add your favorites in the comments section.
Continue reading "Ten Sites I Check Daily..."
Hip And Cool Means Growth, And More Security Concerns
A little while back I blogged about how messaging technologies have become "cool" and are enjoying "hip" status among those that define "hip" standards for our society, the youth and young adult markets. Well, I'm thinking the vendor and service provider communities are finding this all pretty cool, as well. The Radicati Group Inc., in a series of recent reports, projects some pretty heady growth for messaging-related products and it's not all coming from messaging security.
For instance, the e-mail client installed base will increase, according to the market watcher, from about 1.9 billion seats in 2006 to nearly 3.6 billion seats in 2010, representing an average annual growth rate of 18 percent. Now, Radicati didn't say how many of those mail clients will be desktop clients and how many will be mobile, but based on the hip, trend-setting youth and young adult thumb-typing set, I would assume a growing percentage of that installed base becomes more mobile.
And how important is this group? Radicati reports that people under the age of 29 will account for 44 percent of worldwide e-mail users in 2006. And worldwide, the importance of the North America market begins to decrease as messaging technologies take hold in Asia/Pacific and the rest of the world. North America currently accounts for 22 percent of the global e-mail user population, according to Radicati, which projects that percentage to decrease to 18 percent by 2009.
Continue reading "Hip And Cool Means Growth, And More Security Concerns..."
Hip And Cool Means Growth, And More Security Concerns
A little while back I blogged about how messaging technologies have become "cool" and are enjoying "hip" status among those that define "hip" standards for our society, the youth and young adult markets. Well, I'm thinking the vendor and service provider communities are finding this all pretty cool, as well. The Radicati Group Inc., in a series of recent reports, projects some pretty heady growth for messaging-related products and it's not all coming from messaging security.
For instance, the e-mail client installed base will increase, according to the market watcher, from about 1.9 billion seats in 2006 to nearly 3.6 billion seats in 2010, representing an average annual growth rate of 18 percent. Now, Radicati didn't say how many of those mail clients will be desktop clients and how many will be mobile, but based on the hip, trend-setting youth and young adult thumb-typing set, I would assume a growing percentage of that installed base becomes more mobile.
And how important is this group? Radicati reports that people under the age of 29 will account for 44 percent of worldwide e-mail users in 2006. And worldwide, the importance of the North America market begins to decrease as messaging technologies take hold in Asia/Pacific and the rest of the world. North America currently accounts for 22 percent of the global e-mail user population, according to Radicati, which projects that percentage to decrease to 18 percent by 2009.
Continue reading "Hip And Cool Means Growth, And More Security Concerns..."
Daily News Podcast, Friday, Feb. 24
Listen to the current daily podcast: legal woes from Google to SCO to BlackBerry, a hacker site has posted code that can be used to take advantage of a flaw in Mac OS X, Microsoft has unveiled the next preview of its Vista operating system and is pushing enterprise-specific features, the argument over the definition of "spyware" continues, Sun rolls out the beta version of the next Java Enterprise Edition, and the United States is falling further behind many other developed nations in broadband use.
Our in-depth report consists of reviews.
Read today's Editor's Note or leave a comment: Utility Computing And The MEGO Factor.
This podcast is adapted from the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter.
Background music: "So Long Instrumental," courtesy The Cow Exchange under Creative Commons License.
Outsourcing To Vietnam: Is Your Job Going To Hanoi?
For many Americans, the mention of Vietnam still conjures memories of a war in which U.S. troops suffered more than 50,000 casualties. Images of bloodied soldiers being frantically medevaced into waiting Huey helicopters and napalm igniting the jungles across Southeast Asia have become part of the national consciousness.
Fast-forward 30 years, and what has Vietnam become to America?
Continue reading "Outsourcing To Vietnam: Is Your Job Going To Hanoi?..."
Are Your Kids Safe Online?
You know the old saying: Timing is everything. The best time to start a new diet, for example, is not the same week Girl Scout cookies are delivered. I learned that lesson last week, and I'm not turning back until the last Thin Mint has been consumed! So when is the right time to find ways to keep your kids safe online? In a word: Now. But ask 10 people about their strategies, and you'll get 10 different answers--filters, computers in a visible family area, talking to their kids about good and bad Web sites, etc. We all want to trust our kids to make the right choices, but let's face it: There's plenty of crap out there that they could inadvertently stumble upon. Or they could innocently give out personal information to the wrong people. In addition to your parenting techniques, what are your kids' schools doing to teach Internet safety?
Continue reading "Are Your Kids Safe Online?..."
Friday Is Judgment Day For RIM, But The Views Are Mixed About The Outcome
Research In Motion's patent battle with NTP is infamous for generating mixed views about the future of the BlackBerry service in the United States. While the majority of the analyst community believes that an injunction is unlikely, the legal community is almost convinced that the case will end with one.
Continue reading "Friday Is Judgment Day For RIM, But The Views Are Mixed About The Outcome..."
Utility Computing And The MEGO Factor
Optimize, one of InformationWeek's sister publications, recently ran a very good article by two consultants that I urge everyone in IT to read. It's about how to prepare for utility computing, and it contains some sage advice about steps to take. Their recommendations include starting in relatively small areas that already have homogenous environments (in other words, single-vendor applications or something close), implementing a SAN and chargeback system, and other things.
Even more interesting is that the article raises an intriguing question about why the vast majority of IT organizations are holding back from investing in this computing model, at least so far.
Continue reading "Utility Computing And The MEGO Factor..."
The Patent Mess: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
It's a hopeful sign that once again the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected one of five patents at the heart of the NTP-RIM suit. But don't get your hopes up. At the same instant we get more signs that the patent nightmare is far from over — the USPTO has granted a patent that its gleeful owner and his equally gleeful phalanx of lawyers declare covers every form of rich media on the Web. Come on, Washington, can't anybody here play this game?
Continue reading "The Patent Mess: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back..."
The Patent Mess: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
It's a hopeful sign that once again the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected one of five patents at the heart of the NTP-RIM suit. But don't get your hopes up. At the same instant we get more signs that the patent nightmare is far from over — the USPTO has granted a patent that its gleeful owner and his equally gleeful phalanx of lawyers declare covers every form of rich media on the Web. Come on, Washington, can't anybody here play this game?
Continue reading "The Patent Mess: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back..."
Bush's Pro-India Stance Shows He's Got The Facts Right About Outsourcing
Legislative efforts to restrict the outsourcing of IT and other services jobs to India would hurt America more than they would help it. Most business people and economists know this, and it appears President Bush knows it, too.
Continue reading "Bush's Pro-India Stance Shows He's Got The Facts Right About Outsourcing..."
IM Skyrockets, E-Mail Declines Among Young
A whopping 66 percent -- two thirds -- of "young online users" (13 to 21) send more instant messages than e-mail messages, according to a study by America Online. That's up from last year, when just 49 percent claimed to send more IMs than e-mails.
Continue reading "IM Skyrockets, E-Mail Declines Among Young..."
Daily News Podcast, Thursday, Feb. 23
Listen to the current InformationWeek Daily Podcast. In this report: Windows beats Unix for the first time, London is getting unwired, we have a tech report on Firefox essentials, new developments in the BlackBerry lawsuit, a court decision that could block some of the nude snapshots on Google, and more on antitrust action against Microsoft. My editorial comments are on New InformationWeek Tools For You To Play With.
Music "Had A Plan, Had to Change It" by Derek K. Miller, The Penmachine
Sessions, www.penmachine.com, under Creative Commons License.
Continue reading "Daily News Podcast, Thursday, Feb. 23..."
New InformationWeek Tools For You To Play With
We've been making some changes to the InformationWeek.com Web site designed to make it more useful. This isn't a big remodel like we did two months ago, where we gutted the whole house and redid everything. This is more like new windows and doors, new coats of paint, and replacing the loose floorboards.
What's new? A mobile edition, search tools, RSS feed upgrades, and favicons. Our Digital Edition isn't completely new, but how about we take a minute to tell you about it anyway, as long as we have your attention.
Continue reading "New InformationWeek Tools For You To Play With..."
Is The CIO 'Field Of Dreams' A Greenfield Data Center Deployment?
Do CIOs and IT managers dream of the opportunity to build a data center infrastructure from the ground up, with no regard for legacy requirements of existing equipment and software? Or is the bigger challenge in finding ways to improve existing infrastructures with incremental changes and additions?
Continue reading "Is The CIO 'Field Of Dreams' A Greenfield Data Center Deployment?..."
Google Gets Brilliant
In keeping with its efforts to hire top scientists, Google today revealed that it has appointed Dr. Larry Brilliant to serve as executive director of Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm.
Now there's a name to live up to. I can only imagine the torment it earned him as a child.
Continue reading "Google Gets Brilliant..."
A GNew Version of GNOME
I confess I'm writing this item just so I could use that headline. Well, no, I'm not either, because the new version of GNOME, the open-source Linux graphical desktop, is news all on its own. The second beta of what will be GNOME 2.14 slipped out last week, and release is scheduled for March 15.
Continue reading "A GNew Version of GNOME..."
A GNew Version of GNOME
I confess I'm writing this item just so I could use that headline. Well, no, I'm not either, because the new version of GNOME, the open-source Linux graphical desktop, is news all on its own. The second beta of what will be GNOME 2.14 slipped out last week, and release is scheduled for March 15.
Continue reading "A GNew Version of GNOME..."
Patent Reform: Who Needs It?
Patents Commissioner John Doll doesn't think Congress needs to act to reform the patent system.
Continue reading "Patent Reform: Who Needs It?..."
Site Offers $35 Unlimited PSP Games For Life
A company called PSPdownloadservices.com is offering unlimited game and movie downloads for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) for life. The Price? $34.95 -- basically a rounding error. Normally the fee is $74.95, but they're offering a promotional price until tomorrow (Thursday). Sounds great, but what's the catch?
Continue reading "Site Offers $35 Unlimited PSP Games For Life..."
Daily News Podcast, Feb. 22
In today's podcast, we cover security issues impacting Apple OS X and Microsoft's reaction to a bounty for discovering a Windows flaw. Also, we look at possible details on the Windows Vista packaging options, examine dual-core CPU price cuts, and pose the question of whether technology's role in our lives is growing too big.
Continue reading "Daily News Podcast, Feb. 22..."
Presence Meets Collaboration On The Conferencing Front
The integration of collaboration and presence technologies continues to fascinate me for two reasons. First, because it all makes so darn much sense. I mean you can work with a virtual room full of people from your PC in Timbuktu or down the hall. Presence capabilities take the remoteness out of remote collaboration.
And the other reason it's fascinating is because the enabling technology is all available, but it requires vendors and service providers to work together to integrate and provision it, so it's been slow to happen.
So when the key players start playing together, it starts to get very interesting. That's what happened this week when America Online Inc. and WebEx Communications Inc. teamed up to offer a version of the AIM client with the WebEx collaboration and conferencing tools built in.
The intent is to deliver the AIM Pro version of the instant messaging client for business users in a hosted fashion with the full WebEx collaboration suite available from the AIM interface, according to Brian Curry, AOL's vice president of Premium and Subscription Services.
That means business users can use their IM client to initiate online conferencing, calendar sharing, desktop sharing, audio and video conferencing, multimedia presentations, webinars, online training, remote support, etc., in a addition to the instant messaging features of AIM.
The other piece of good news is that AIM Pro users will have access to all the participating IM federation networks that AOL works with, including IBM/Lotus users, so your base of collaboration contacts is larger than the AIM universe.
Continue reading "Presence Meets Collaboration On The Conferencing Front..."
Presence Meets Collaboration On The Conferencing Front
The integration of collaboration and presence technologies continues to fascinate me for two reasons. First, because it all makes so darn much sense. I mean you can work with a virtual room full of people from your PC in Timbuktu or down the hall. Presence capabilities take the remoteness out of remote collaboration.
And the other reason it's fascinating is because the enabling technology is all available, but it requires vendors and service providers to work together to integrate and provision it, so it's been slow to happen.
So when the key players start playing together, it starts to get very interesting. That's what happened this week when America Online Inc. and WebEx Communications Inc. teamed up to offer a version of the AIM client with the WebEx collaboration and conferencing tools built in.
The intent is to deliver the AIM Pro version of the instant messaging client for business users in a hosted fashion with the full WebEx collaboration suite available from the AIM interface, according to Brian Curry, AOL's vice president of Premium and Subscription Services.
That means business users can use their IM client to initiate online conferencing, calendar sharing, desktop sharing, audio and video conferencing, multimedia presentations, webinars, online training, remote support, etc., in a addition to the instant messaging features of AIM.
The other piece of good news is that AIM Pro users will have access to all the participating IM federation networks that AOL works with, including IBM/Lotus users, so your base of collaboration contacts is larger than the AIM universe.
Continue reading "Presence Meets Collaboration On The Conferencing Front..."
When Tech Hurts
The ways in which technology has enhanced all of our lives are too numerous to count. But on Tuesday, I was struck by two stories that I interpret as signs that technology may be driving too deep and becoming too pervasive in our lives.
Continue reading "When Tech Hurts..."
The Year Of The Web Browser
Although the so-called "Browser Wars" ended around 1998, 2006 is shaping up to be an intriguing sequel. To get fully up to speed on all the many browser comings and goings, check out my Targeting Technology podcast on the changing face of Web browsers, as well as our recent "browser wars" blockbuster review Microsoft IE7, Firefox, And Other Browsers In Four-Way Shootout.
Continue reading "The Year Of The Web Browser..."
Offshoring: Cheaper Doesn't Mean Better
Technology has done much to diminish the barriers geography imposes on business. Wireless is proving to be a productivity-boosting tool for workers in sales and other highly mobile areas. Mature, secure wide area networking technologies give companies a mechanism to improve the effectiveness of employees in branch offices by connecting them to the same corporate resources staff members have in headquarters. Both hardware and software also gives enterprises the means to improve their own cost efficiencies by employing less expensive workers in remote areas, including offshore contractors.
Yet, as much hype as there is about the tremendous benefits offshoring provides business some vendors are finding out that you get what pay for, and, as a result, companies such as Dell are deciding to transfer previously offshored support functions to domestic contractors.
Continue reading "Offshoring: Cheaper Doesn't Mean Better..."
Offshoring: Cheaper Doesn't Mean Better
Technology has done much to diminish the barriers geography imposes on business. Wireless is proving to be a productivity-boosting tool for workers in sales and other highly mobile areas. Mature, secure wide area networking technologies give companies a mechanism to improve the effectiveness of employees in branch offices by connecting them to the same corporate resources staff members have in headquarters. Both hardware and software also gives enterprises the means to improve their own cost efficiencies by employing less expensive workers in remote areas, including offshore contractors.
Yet, as much hype as there is about the tremendous benefits offshoring provides business some vendors are finding out that you get what pay for, and, as a result, companies such as Dell are deciding to transfer previously offshored support functions to domestic contractors.
Continue reading "Offshoring: Cheaper Doesn't Mean Better..."
Daily News Podcast, Tuesday, Feb. 21
Listen to the current InformationWeek Daily Podcast. in this report: Google's new desktop search is a privacy minefield, while Firefox's version 2.0 will stress bookmarks, tabs, and extension changes, and Microsoft is fixing a bug in its software that could drain your notebook computer battery. Our in-depth report covers computers, crime and the law, with stories about the FBI probing alleged online Ponzi sites, and the RIM patent fight. And my editorial comments on the news of the day are on loving and fearing Google.
Background Music "Tame (Instrumental)" by Miles Low, Courtesy The Cow
Exchange, www.dillfrog.com/sponge/noise/the_cow_exchange under Creative
Commons License.
Small Companies Could Get Permanent SOX Breaks
So how many of you are surprised that the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking to possibly withdraw the Section 404 requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley for small businesses? It seems to be one of those controversies that won't go away.
We learned that an advisory panel is expected tomorrow to urge the SEC to eliminate Section 404 compliance for smaller companies. The agency has twice extended the SOX compliance deadline for small cap companies. The most recent extension granted a reprieve until July 2007.
Now, it appears the SEC will hear advice to make smaller companies permanently exempt, and hold yet another public discussion on the reporting and auditing requirements of SOX on May 10.
The business community at large appears to be split on whether small cap filers deserve such a break. In a recent Compliance Pipeline poll, 49 percent of the respondents felt the move to push back the deadline for smaller companies was the correct move. Another 40 percent didn't think the break was fair, and 11 percent were still unsure.
Continue reading "Small Companies Could Get Permanent SOX Breaks..."
Small Companies Could Get Permanent SOX Breaks
So how many of you are surprised that the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking to possibly withdraw the Section 404 requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley for small businesses? It seems to be one of those controversies that won't go away.
We learned that an advisory panel is expected tomorrow to urge the SEC to eliminate Section 404 compliance for smaller companies. The agency has twice extended the SOX compliance deadline for small cap companies. The most recent extension granted a reprieve until July 2007.
Now, it appears the SEC will hear advice to make smaller companies permanently exempt, and hold yet another public discussion on the reporting and auditing requirements of SOX on May 10.
The business community at large appears to be split on whether small cap filers deserve such a break. In a recent Compliance Pipeline poll, 49 percent of the respondents felt the move to push back the deadline for smaller companies was the correct move. Another 40 percent didn't think the break was fair, and 11 percent were still unsure.
Continue reading "Small Companies Could Get Permanent SOX Breaks..."
Google: Love It, Fear It
I love Google. I've been critical of Google many times in this space, as have my colleagues, but you should know that I also love Google.
How much do I love it? Well, recently, I was taking a quiz on the Internet that asked me to name four sites I visit every day. And I couldn't come up with four. I could only come up with one: Google.
Even InformationWeek isn't a site I visit every day; every once in a while I like to indulge in a charming, old-fashioned custom called a "weekend," or "holiday," or "vacation."
But, still, even on my days off, I use the Internet, and, when I'm online, I find I need to look stuff up on Google.
Even though I love Google, I'm also afraid of it. In particular, what I worry about is privacy.
Google already stores an enormous amount of data on user searches and its GMail E-mail service. Now, Google Desktop Search raises a whole new level of privacy worries.
Continue reading "Google: Love It, Fear It..."
Truthiness Confuses U.S. Patent System
Go beyond the headlines, and listen to what the parties say in patent infringement cases, and you might come to this conclusion: there's a whole lot of truthiness being bandied about.
Continue reading "Truthiness Confuses U.S. Patent System..."
Yes, Trusted Computing Is Used For DRM
Ever since the Trusted Computing Group went public about its plan to put a security chip inside every PC, its members have been denying accusations that the group is really a thinly disguised conspiracy to embed DRM everywhere. IBM and Microsoft have instead stressed genuinely useful applications, like signing programs to be certain they don’t contain a rootkit. But at this week’s RSA show, Lenovo showed off a system that does use the chips for DRM after all.
Continue reading "Yes, Trusted Computing Is Used For DRM..."
AT&T Buys Congress: Alert The Media
Thanks to Russell Shaw's blog we have the sound of the other shoe dropping. Recently I wrote about bully-boy Ed Whitacre Jr., the CEO of AT&T, and his plans to extort money from Google and Yahoo and other successful Internet services (see Google Is About To Become Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare). Shaw points out why Whitacre needs the money: to buy more Congressmen in his battle to defeat that menace to our American Way of Life, wireless broadband service.
Continue reading "AT&T Buys Congress: Alert The Media..."
AT&T Buys Congress: Alert The Media
Thanks to Russell Shaw's blog we have the sound of the other shoe dropping. Recently I wrote about bully-boy Ed Whitacre Jr., the CEO of AT&T, and his plans to extort money from Google and Yahoo and other successful Internet services (see Google Is About To Become Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare). Shaw points out why Whitacre needs the money: to buy more Congressmen in his battle to defeat that menace to our American Way of Life, wireless broadband service.
Continue reading "AT&T Buys Congress: Alert The Media..."
The Argument To End All Security Arguments, Or Is It?
By now you've read much of the excellent coverage we've provided of the ideas, products, and personalities present at this week's RSA Conference in San Jose. But I've saved the best for last. The notion floated at the show by heavyweights such as Gates, Chambers, and McNealy that security requires a collaborative effort among technology providers is empty without a true roadmap for how this will happen. In fact, it's not as popular a notion as you might think. I spoke with some of the smartest people I could find at the show to get their perspective on the future of security. Here's what they had to say.
Continue reading "The Argument To End All Security Arguments, Or Is It?..."
Why Everyone Needs A Remote-Controlled Shark Robot
I love the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. Though overpriced, the store tries really hard to find both cool and exclusive products, many of which are just awesome toys you couldn't even imagine when you were a child. One great example is a new remote-controlled robotic shark.
Continue reading "Why Everyone Needs A Remote-Controlled Shark Robot..."
Daily News Podcast, Feb. 17
In today's podcast, we detail security issues impacting the Firefox and IE browsers, spell out a new security concern regarding Mac OSX, and launch a feature analyzing the news surrounding Google.
Continue reading "Daily News Podcast, Feb. 17..."
This Week's Spin On Google
It's been a fairly typical week in techdom, with much of the news focusing on Google, including several strategic initiatives that, if successful, will expand the footprint of the company's search technology. Of course, Google and several competitors came under Congressional fire for their responses to Internet censorship by the government in China.
Among this week's key developments:
Continue reading "This Week's Spin On Google..."
Daily News Podcast, Feb. 16
In today's daily news podacst, we look at a wide range of debate and battle in the high-tech industry, including Round 734 in the Microsoft-European Union antitrust battle and the red-hot debate over China and censorship. In addition, Homeland Security offers Internet security warnings, an identity theft victim readies a new service to help others, and surprise, BlackBerry use is up! The editor's note looks at the potential for a widening Digital Divide.
Music "Waiting Takes Time Instrumental", Courtesy The Cow Exchange,
www.dillfrog.com under Creative Commons License.
Katrina's Communication Gaps
Much has been said already about the devastating impact the communications breakdown had on the Gulf Coast during and in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina. Finger pointing from local to federal to state officials and then back again dominated news coverage and, no doubt, frustrated area residents as it seemed like the powers that be were not making the effort to help the stricken. Of course, there were also substantial technical communications issues contributing to this, issues that are once again coming to light following DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff's testimony this week before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Continue reading "Katrina's Communication Gaps..."
Katrina's Communication Gaps
Much has been said already about the devastating impact the communications breakdown had on the Gulf Coast during and in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina. Finger pointing from local to federal to state officials and then back again dominated news coverage and, no doubt, frustrated area residents as it seemed like the powers that be were not making the effort to help the stricken. Of course, there were also substantial technical communications issues contributing to this, issues that are once again coming to light following DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff's testimony this week before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Continue reading "Katrina's Communication Gaps..."
Open Source Shakeup
I sat down with long-time Samba team member and noted open-source expert John Terpstra last Sunday at the Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLe 4x) in Los Angeles, and created a podcast from the interview.
Continue reading "Open Source Shakeup..."
Mind The (Internet) Gap
Looks like the digital divide is not only not going to get any smaller, it's likely to expand in scope.
Regardless of how it shakes it, I fear the latest great American Internet debate will result in a widening of the gap between the digital haves and have nots - those who can afford basic digital access and tools and those who can not. Depending on from which end we end up eating higher network costs, we could also be faced with an emerging subcatgory among the former, wherein those who have the most money get the best service and the best access.
Continue reading "Mind The (Internet) Gap..."
Carr: Is CIO Rocket Scientist Or Baggage Handler?
When author Nicholas Carr says open source will revolutionize IT software use, he doesn't mean it in the same sense that open-source advocates do. He's still standing by his thesis in Does IT Matter? And his answer to that question remains, no, not for strategic advantage.
Continue reading "Carr: Is CIO Rocket Scientist Or Baggage Handler?..."
Google Apps On Linux? Inevitable
Google is developing a version of its Picasa photo-management application for Linux, according to Linux-watcher Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols at DesktopLInux.com. It's sort of a test, he says, and if it goes well other Google apps will likely get similar treatment.
I'd say it's more than likely. It's inevitable.
Continue reading "Google Apps On Linux? Inevitable..."
Google Apps On Linux? Inevitable
Google is developing a version of its Picasa photo-management application for Linux, according to Linux-watcher Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols at DesktopLInux.com. It's sort of a test, he says, and if it goes well other Google apps will likely get similar treatment.
I'd say it's more than likely. It's inevitable.
Continue reading "Google Apps On Linux? Inevitable..."
Will Big Brother Snoop Through Your Medical Records?
Awhile ago, I received an anonymous E-mail from a reader arguing that the real reason the Bush administration is pushing so hard for a national E-health information highway is that it wants to quickly track down would-be bio and chemical terrorists who hopefully end up in an E.R. somewhere coughing up clots and bleeding out of their eyeballs before they're able to pull off an event of mass suffering and death.
Claiming to be "in the know," the E-mailer also asserted that the federal government wants a national health data highway to do a little more "special" bio-surveillance than monitoring for the first signs of bird flu, including keeping an electronic eye on anyone it deemed suspicious or dangerous. The E-mailer charged that could include anyone with a Middle Eastern-sounding name or demographics--to women who have abortions, and the doctors performing them. Sounds like a pretty broad definition of "terrorist," no?
Continue reading "Will Big Brother Snoop Through Your Medical Records?..."
Daily News Podcast, Wednesday, Feb. 15
Listen to the current daily podcast: security steps and missteps at Microsoft, Google taps BearingPoint to help enter the enterprise search market, Microsoft will make its promised Office Live betas available on Wednesday, Olympic blog-watching is becoming an event in Turin, AOL is testing a Chinese-language site here at home, and consumers and health-care providers differ when it comes to e-health records.
Our in-depth report is about mobile computing.
Read today's editor's note or leave a comment: You've Got A Lotta 'Splainin To Do.
This podcast is adapted from the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter.
Background music: "Plotting A Bank Job," Courtesy Digital Riffs Music, www.digitalriffs.ca, under Creative Commons License.
You've Got A Lotta 'Splainin To Do
With apologies to Ricky Ricardo, arguably the most famous line from one of the most popular TV shows of my youth was echoing in my head last night as my husband and I were dragging ourselves home from the gym.
The IT Guy was telling me about how he's heading out of town in a few weeks to present to the company president and 300 top executives. (I can't mention the name of the company, sorry.) It's an internal trade show type of deal, and IT Guy is going to be talking about what he does for most of the day, which involves server virtualization, and why it's such a beautiful thing because it requires fewer resources, saves the company money, and so on.
Then he started telling me some of what he hopes to use in his 'pitch,' and that's when I began thinking of Ricky Ricardo.
Continue reading "You've Got A Lotta 'Splainin To Do..."
Podcast: Interview With Eugene Kaspersky
Yesterday, on the eve of the 2006 RSA Conference, noted computer virus researcher Eugene Kaspersky stopped by InformationWeek's San Francisco office to chat about security issues. With him were Stephen Orenberg, president of Kaspersky Lab, Inc. in the U.S., and Olga Kobzareva, head of communications for the Kaspersky Lab in Moscow. He had some very interesting things to say.
I recorded the interview, intending to distribute it as a podcast. Unfortunately, the sound quality leaves something to be desired -- my Sony ICD-B7 digital audio recorder isn't exactly pro-leve gear.
Continue reading "Podcast: Interview With Eugene Kaspersky..."
Nokia Working On Next-Gen 770 Tablets
Nokia staff at the 3GSM show have revealed that Nokia is working on follow-on models to the Linux-based Nokia 770, which Personal Tech Pipeline reviewed recently. The 770 is a table form-factor device with an 800x480 screen optimized for Web surfing.
Continue reading "Nokia Working On Next-Gen 770 Tablets..."
Daily News Podcast, Tuesday, Feb. 14
Listen to the current InformationWeek Daily Podcast. In this report: How to avoid a St. Valentine's Day malware massacre, the FCC has started review of telephone security, and Intel plans to ship a quad-core server chip in 2007. Microsoft is fending off regulatory action in America aned Europe. And, in our editorial comment for today: Readers say we were asleep at the keyboard in our recent Unix coverage.
Music "Another Continent", Courtesy Digital Riffs Music, under Creative Commons License.
Finally: The Right Kind Of Cell Phone Innovation
My Treo 650 is a marvel of engineering. It's packed with amazing features and capabilities, including a digital camera, Bluetooth support, thousands of available downloadable software programs, QWERTY keyboard and much, much more. I just wish I could turn off that annoying blinking green light.
Continue reading "Finally: The Right Kind Of Cell Phone Innovation..."
Focus On Security
As the year's biggest security conference RSA , gets underway this week in San Jose, it seems like a good time to both project and reflect on the dynamics that are making enterprise security such a challenge for many organizations. The for-profit cyber crime trend is keeping system administrators hopping to keep up with the increasingly dangerous nature of things like spam and spyware which were once looked at as merely nuisances. Security experts seem almost universally concerned about the escalating nature of threats - and the over-reliance on patching vulnerabilities.
Continue reading "Focus On Security..."
Focus On Security
As the year's biggest security conference RSA , gets underway this week in San Jose, it seems like a good time to both project and reflect on the dynamics that are making enterprise security such a challenge for many organizations. The for-profit cyber crime trend is keeping system administrators hopping to keep up with the increasingly dangerous nature of things like spam and spyware which were once looked at as merely nuisances. Security experts seem almost universally concerned about the escalating nature of threats - and the over-reliance on patching vulnerabilities.
Continue reading "Focus On Security..."
Putting A Price On Love
Maybe it's cynical, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, to say it, but it's time for some of us to put a price on love. If you're a BlackBerry user you can deny that there's any alternative and cling to the idea that your BlackBerry is priceless. But with a possible shutdown of BlackBerry service looming it's time to take a hard-headed business approach and put a dollar value on what it would cost you — and all the other BlackBerry users in your company to switch. And I've got a bottom-line number for you: $845 apiece. That comes from researcher Jack Gold.
Continue reading "Putting A Price On Love..."
Putting A Price On Love
Maybe it's cynical, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, to say it, but it's time for some of us to put a price on love. If you're a BlackBerry user you can deny that there's any alternative and cling to the idea that your BlackBerry is priceless. But with a possible shutdown of BlackBerry service looming it's time to take a hard-headed business approach and put a dollar value on what it would cost you — and all the other BlackBerry users in your company to switch. And I've got a bottom-line number for you: $845 apiece. That comes from researcher Jack Gold.
Continue reading "Putting A Price On Love..."
Daily News Podcast, Feb. 13
In today's daily news podcast, we look at critical bug reports and patches from Lotus and IBM, while a panel of security experts looks down the road ahead. Also covered: corporate reaction to RIM's contingency plan for Blackberry users; global IT spending and U.S. hiring trends; the addition of Yahoo features to the FireFox toolbar; and Fred Langa's latest column. The editor's note looks at reaction to our recent examination of the credibility of analysts.
Background Music "The Fall" by Miles Low, Courtesy The Cow Exchange, www.dillfrog.com/sponge/noise/the_cow_exchange under Creative Commons License.
Letter Writers On Unix: 'Wake Up, Guys!'
A lot of feedback flowed into InformationWeek after our Jan. 23 cover story, "What's Left Of Unix?" Most of the responses offered full bore support for Unix, as in, "Not meaning to be harsh, but man... wake up guys!!"
Continue reading "Letter Writers On Unix: 'Wake Up, Guys!'..."
Pay-For-Play Plan To Reduce Spam Doesn't Ring True
Anything that ISPs can do to prevent spam from reaching my inbox is usually just fine by me, except when it bars the door on messages that I was supposed to get. But the recent news that AOL and Yahoo plan to charge bulk e-mail senders for "guaranteed delivery" sort of misses for me.
One gets the feeling that we'll be seeing just as much or more spam and the fact that someone is chipping in a little more to get it sent doesn't lessen the annoyance.
The service, The service, which would be provided through Goodmail Systems, is said to certify the e-mail as coming from the actual retailer or marketer it purports to come. And for its part, Goodmail says the recipients must agree that they wish to receive e-mail from the sender. So in that sense, it's not just opening the floodgates. But hey, you still have to get the e-mail to opt in or out.
Continue reading "Pay-For-Play Plan To Reduce Spam Doesn't Ring True..."
Pay-For-Play Plan To Reduce Spam Doesn't Ring True
Anything that ISPs can do to prevent spam from reaching my inbox is usually just fine by me, except when it bars the door on messages that I was supposed to get. But the recent news that AOL and Yahoo plan to charge bulk e-mail senders for "guaranteed delivery" sort of misses for me.
One gets the feeling that we'll be seeing just as much or more spam and the fact that someone is chipping in a little more to get it sent doesn't lessen the annoyance.
The service, The service, which would be provided through Goodmail Systems, is said to certify the e-mail as coming from the actual retailer or marketer it purports to come. And for its part, Goodmail says the recipients must agree that they wish to receive e-mail from the sender. So in that sense, it's not just opening the floodgates. But hey, you still have to get the e-mail to opt in or out.
Continue reading "Pay-For-Play Plan To Reduce Spam Doesn't Ring True..."
IT Analysts Turn The Table And Analyze Us
How dare we?! That was typical of the angry responses that came flying back after InformationWeek published our assessment of the sometimes murky relationships that exist between IT research firms and the technology companies they cover in the Feb. 6 cover story, "Credibility Of Analysts."
Continue reading "IT Analysts Turn The Table And Analyze Us..."
Target: Not Blind, Just Dumb
A blind UC Berkeley student is suing Target Corp. for civil rights violations: The retailer's Web site, according to the complaint, is almost completely inaccessible to sight-impaired users. From Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle article:
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, said the upscale discounter's on-line business, Target.com, denies blind Californians equal access to goods and services available to those who can see."Target thus excludes the blind from full and equal participation in the growing Internet economy that is increasingly a fundamental part of daily life," said the suit, which seeks to be certified as a class action and alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state statutes.
Continue reading "Target: Not Blind, Just Dumb..."
Daily News Podcast, Feb. 10
In today's daily news podcast, we detail the latest security analysis comparing Firefox and IE -- which finds that IE is less susceptible to spyware than IE. We also explore the potential ship dates for Windows Vista, the latest news from China regarding Internet censorship, and analyze the Google Desktop.
Continue reading "Daily News Podcast, Feb. 10..."
Oracle's 'All You Can Eat' Software
Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison used the Credit Suisse Global Software Conference to pick on the analyst community's "obsession" with licensing revenue as a measure of company health. "Everytime I read a quarterly report I [see] the all-important license revenue numbers as some sort of leading indicator," he said. "Oracle is a mature software company. The way to look at a mature company is different than an up-and-comer." What matters more is Oracle's subscription renewal business, he stressed. "More and more we are trying to turn our largest customers into all-you-can eat customers." Ellison's chat with software analyst Jason Maynard, which was webcast on the Credit Suisse web site, was part of a two-day discussion about disruptive software models -- on-demand and open source. (Any software vendor not playing in these sandboxes these days looks stale or maybe momentarily insane. Those aren't Larry's words, but I'm pretty sure he'd agree with me).
Continue reading "Oracle's 'All You Can Eat' Software..."
Google Desktop: Friend Or Foe?
In the small workgroup I've been a part of the last couple years, I've become somewhat notorious for the chronic loss -- or inability to retain -- E-mail messages and documents. I can almost hear the frustration running through the minds of others as I request -- on an almost daily basis -- yet another resend of a doc or message.
Continue reading "Google Desktop: Friend Or Foe?..."
Daily News Podcast, Thursday, Feb. 9
Listen to the current daily podcast: Our top story is about Google being present at the Demo technology showcase, even though the company wasn't there; breaking news headlines include the European Commission denying Microsoft's request for a deadline extension in its antitrust case; more Microsoft security problems; a security exploit in Mozilla's Firefox browser; and an upgrade for General Motors' OnStar after 10 years.
Today's in-depth report consists of stories about health-care IT.
Read today's editor's note or leave a comment: Microsoft: About To Be KO'd In Security?.
This podcast is adapted from the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter.
Background music "Species," courtesy The Cow Exchange, www.dillfrog.com/sponge/noise/the_cow_exchange, under Creative Commons License.
Microsoft: About To Be KO'd In Security?
It's been a while since the industry has seen a good David-and-Goliath fight, but you might want to line up for a ringside seat at this one. Microsoft is taking on Symantec and others in the security realm, but the interesting thing is it's not clear who the giant is in this fight--nor is it a necessarily a given which will win.
Continue reading "Microsoft: About To Be KO'd In Security?..."
Daily News Podcast For Wednesday, Feb. 8
Listen to the current daily podcast. In this report: Islamic messages are defacing hundreds of Danish Web sites, IT salaries are up for highly skilled IT workers, Apple is offering a 1-Gbyte iPod Nano for $149; legislators hear testimony about whether Internet service providers should be allowed to charge content providers such as Google for access. And my editorial comment is on a brilliant idea for making money by giving away Wi-Fi.
Background Music "Fluffy Park", Courtesy The Cow Exchange, under Creative Commons License.
On Campus: Combining Social Networking and Social Media
College students have long been amenable users of any technology that allows them to communicate about common interests and now they can combine the best of all the social networking sites and the available social media on one site.
The new Uspot service, from Los Angeles-based Uspot, allows college students to create, share and communicate in one location and through common interests such as entertainment, social events and hobbies.
Uspot claims to unite two of the hottest on-line segments today, social networking and social media. It is the first site to offer the unique blend of social networking and rich media sharing technologies. Unlike typical social networking sites that focus on meeting people nationwide, often strangers, The Uspot connects people with common interests and allows them to explore those interests together, according to company officials.
The difference, I guess, is that the focus is not so much on meeting or, in some cases, dating other people, but rather in finding out how deep those common interests go. The site doesn't feel like a dating service, and it isn't.
Continue reading "On Campus: Combining Social Networking and Social Media..."
On Campus: Combining Social Networking and Social Media
College students have long been amenable users of any technology that allows them to communicate about common interests and now they can combine the best of all the social networking sites and the available social media on one site.
The new Uspot service, from Los Angeles-based Uspot, allows college students to create, share and communicate in one location and through common interests such as entertainment, social events and hobbies.
Uspot claims to unite two of the hottest on-line segments today, social networking and social media. It is the first site to offer the unique blend of social networking and rich media sharing technologies. Unlike typical social networking sites that focus on meeting people nationwide, often strangers, The Uspot connects people with common interests and allows them to explore those interests together, according to company officials.
The difference, I guess, is that the focus is not so much on meeting or, in some cases, dating other people, but rather in finding out how deep those common interests go. The site doesn't feel like a dating service, and it isn't.
Continue reading "On Campus: Combining Social Networking and Social Media..."
Google Is About To Be Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare
Bully boy Ed Whitacre, Jr., the CEO of AT&T, got two messages from Google yesterday, and they both amounted to "up yours." One came in the form of an appearance by Vinton Cerf before the Senate Commerce Committee, and the other was an announcement that Google and Skype, the VoIP vendor, are among the investors putting $21.7 million into a Spanish startup called Fon that's building a global network of WiFi hotspots.
Continue reading "Google Is About To Be Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare..."
Google Is About To Be Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare
Bully boy Ed Whitacre, Jr., the CEO of AT&T, got two messages from Google yesterday, and they both amounted to "up yours." One came in the form of an appearance by Vinton Cerf before the Senate Commerce Committee, and the other was an announcement that Google and Skype, the VoIP vendor, are among the investors putting $21.7 million into a Spanish startup called Fon that's building a global network of WiFi hotspots.
Continue reading "Google Is About To Be Ed Whitacre's Worst Nightmare..."
A Brilliant Idea For Making Money By Giving Away Wi-Fi
You know one of the things that make it great to be me? I've been doing this business technology journalism thing for 17 years now, and still, every once in a while, I stumble across something that makes me want to exclaim, "Brilliant!"
For example: Fon is working to build a volunteer network of Wi-Fi hotspots. The idea is that anybody can download software, install it on their Wi-Fi access points, and run a public-access hotspot on the Fon network.
Continue reading "A Brilliant Idea For Making Money By Giving Away Wi-Fi..."
WSJ On Google's Battle For The Dell Desktop
The Wall Street Journal has an intriguing article examining Google's negotiations to pay Dell to get space on Dell PC desktops, citing anonymous sources and noting that the negotiations could yet fall apart. (Here's the article, subscription required.)
Continue reading "WSJ On Google's Battle For The Dell Desktop..."
Don't Kid Yourself, Automation Is Hard
Listen to technology vendors and automating compliance processes seems like a snap. Listen to the companies trying the reach the level where they can even think about automating their processes and you come away with a more realistic picture. No one is patting their CIOs on the head for waving the magic automation wand yet.
At first, I was a little alarmed to read the surveys that showed a majority of organizations felt they would be approaching 2006 with few, if any, more compliance processes automated. But there are truly dozens of reasons why this is the logical case.
First of all, getting any sort of reasonable budget to apply to the problem is next too impossible without first discovering the extent of what to means to automate those processes. It's like going into the wall to fix a leaky pipe in an older home. You know that once you open the wall, you might as well remodel because the initial problem will invariably point to several sets of interrelated problems.
As with that leaky pipe, adherence to regulatory requirements might call for data to be securely retained, which points to your storage architecture. Before you can think about automating data archiving, discovery and delivery processes, you have to make sure your storage systems are up to the task.
Continue reading "Don't Kid Yourself, Automation Is Hard..."
Don't Kid Yourself, Automation Is Hard
Listen to technology vendors and automating compliance processes seems like a snap. Listen to the companies trying the reach the level where they can even think about automating their processes and you come away with a more realistic picture. No one is patting their CIOs on the head for waving the magic automation wand yet.
At first, I was a little alarmed to read the surveys that showed a majority of organizations felt they would be approaching 2006 with few, if any, more compliance processes automated. But there are truly dozens of reasons why this is the logical case.
First of all, getting any sort of reasonable budget to apply to the problem is next too impossible without first discovering the extent of what to means to automate those processes. It's like going into the wall to fix a leaky pipe in an older home. You know that once you open the wall, you might as well remodel because the initial problem will invariably point to several sets of interrelated problems.
As with that leaky pipe, adherence to regulatory requirements might call for data to be securely retained, which points to your storage architecture. Before you can think about automating data archiving, discovery and delivery processes, you have to make sure your storage systems are up to the task.
Continue reading "Don't Kid Yourself, Automation Is Hard..."
Winter Malaise
IT professionals are battling the winter career blues, according to the results of a January Hudson IT staffing firm phone survey of more than 9,000 workers. The poll found that career confidence slid from the month before, with more IT professionals expressing less enthusiasm about personal finances, job satisfaction, and career prospects than in December.
Continue reading "Winter Malaise..."
Winter Malaise
IT professionals are battling the winter career blues, according to the results of a January Hudson IT staffing firm phone survey of more than 9,000 workers. The poll found that career confidence slid from the month before, with more IT professionals expressing less enthusiasm about personal finances, job satisfaction, and career prospects than in December.
Continue reading "Winter Malaise..."
Daily News Podcast, Tuesday, Feb. 7
In today's daily news podcast, we look at Google's purchase of a Wi-Fi start-up and crackdown on search results stuffing, life after Apple for the PowerPC chip, how wikis work at work, a new survey that says ISP filters are forcing a decline in Spam and how the Los Angeles police fight car chases with GPS devices. My editor's note updates the China censorship brouhaha.
Music "Stoic Morning" by Kevin MacLeod, Courtesy IncompeTech, www.incompetech.com under Creative Commons License.
GM's Outsourcing Risk: Vendor 'Dream Team' Can't Be Anything Less Than Gold Medalists
General Motors' hand off of up to $15 billion in technology contracts to a handful of service providers--including one offshore player--represents more than just a make-or-break IT strategy. It's a test case for the notion that bitter rivals can be forced to play nicely together on behalf of a single customer.
Continue reading "GM's Outsourcing Risk: Vendor 'Dream Team' Can't Be Anything Less Than Gold Medalists..."
Be Careful What You Wish For
Both my colleague Mitch Wagner, and I have been following the Chinese censorship issue that has caught Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Cisco like deer in the headlights, and triggered a firestorm of international criticism. If my email and responses to our blogs are anything to go by - our readers have been avidly following this issue as well, responding with a mix of cynicism, business practicality and a longing idealism.
Continue reading "Be Careful What You Wish For..."
Microsoft's Bad Day
You may recall that a couple of weeks ago, the Linux community had its patents in a wad after U.S. Patent Office examiners handed Microsoft the keys to FAT City -- literally. But the fun didn't last long: The same Rube Goldberg patent system that put Bill and Steve and the gang on top of the world a few days ago just doubled back and clubbed them all in the kneecaps.
Continue reading "Microsoft's Bad Day..."
Was Gartner The IDS Market's Terminator?
Nearly three years after contributing to a report that has been accused of sounding the death knell for the intrusion-detection system, or IDS, technology market, a former Gartner analyst stands by his convictions. While I was reporting this week's InformationWeek cover story, "Credibility of Analysts," I had asked a number of sources if they could remember a time when an analyst firm had created a stir by making a bold prediction that flew in the face of the vendor community as well as conventional thinking. Repeatedly, I was referred to Gartner's "IDS is dead" report. Gartner's stance on IDS escalated all the way to the Pentagon (literally) and begs the question: was IDS destined to fade as threats to networks proliferated and evolved, or was Gartner's report responsible for its decline?
Continue reading "Was Gartner The IDS Market's Terminator?..."
No Place Like Home
Last week Sprint Nextel pulled back in-house some work it had previously outsourced to IBM. Sprint Nextel is certainly not the first company to revisit an outsourcing decision, nor is it the last. As of Monday morning, 56 percent of Systems Management Pipeline readers responding to a poll on outsourcing decisions said their companies had recently decided to handle IT work they had previously decided to outsource themselves.
Continue reading "No Place Like Home..."
No Place Like Home
Last week Sprint Nextel pulled back in-house some work it had previously outsourced to IBM. Sprint Nextel is certainly not the first company to revisit an outsourcing decision, nor is it the last. As of Monday morning, 56 percent of Systems Management Pipeline readers responding to a poll on outsourcing decisions said their companies had recently decided to handle IT work they had previously decided to outsource themselves.
Continue reading "No Place Like Home..."
Marketing In Death Online
A paid link resulting from a Google search ties roadside memorials for victims of traffic fatalilties to an ad marketing travel services.
Continue reading "Marketing In Death Online..."
Daily News Podcast, Monday, Feb. 6
Listen to the current daily podcast: Our top story is about the Kama Sutra worm and how damage reports may still unfold through the early part of this week; Google and Volkswagen are developing an in-car navigation system; a survey says top IT talent is in short supply; and Amazon profits fall. Our in-depth package of stories is about open source.
Read today's editor's note or leave a comment: Lessons Learned About Bugs And Software Quality.
This podcast is adapted from the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter.
Background music "Tattoo" by Dilvie, courtesy www.dilvie.com, under Creative Commons License.
Would-Be Microsoft CEOs Rate Fun Over Windows Vista
What action would you take if you could be CEO of Microsoft for a day? I posed that question a few weeks ago after seeing a TV program that featured a 10-year-old boy who spent a day on Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus as an "extra CEO."
Continue reading "Would-Be Microsoft CEOs Rate Fun Over Windows Vista..."
IE 7 and Firefox: Who Wins Now?
I downloaded the Internet Explorer 7 public beta this week and installed it on a couple of my Windows XP machines. Here's the short review: IE7 is a superb piece of software. If Mozilla hadn't caught Microsoft sitting complacently on its corporate butt, Firefox would never have had a chance against this product.
Even so, Firefox still has one advantage, achieved with the help of its high profile and market momentum during the past 15 months, that will keep Internet Explorer stuck on the B-team. It's an advantage that probably will not drive same market-share gains against IE 7 that Firefox has enjoyed to date, yet it will ensure that Mozilla and Firefox remain significant players, with a meaningful market share and a loyal, tech-savvy, and demographically attractive user base.
Continue reading "IE 7 and Firefox: Who Wins Now?..."
Lessons Learned About Bugs And Software Quality
During the month I spent reporting a story about Linux vulnerabilities (as yet unexploited), I found myself surprised on occasion.
I thought others might find some value in what I discovered along the way. So here goes.
Continue reading "Lessons Learned About Bugs And Software Quality..."
Working In Unreal-Time
There's no getting around the fact that the current generation of knowledge workers is overworked. The messaging technologies that promised to make our lives easier have, instead, made us more efficient and elevated performance expectations. We are now able juggle more balls at once and require less support personnel to accomplish bigger projects in less time.
And we're working harder than ever.
David Ferris of Ferris Research recently wrote down his thoughts in the Ferris Journalist Insights newsletter on why this is the case. He observes that all of the stages in the work processes before messaging technologies took hold are now compressed or eliminated. Often times, there were breaks between the various stages, hand-offs that allowed natural breathers or downtime. Documents were dictated and prepared, sent somewhere and sent back again. It all took days and weeks.
Continue reading "Working In Unreal-Time..."
Working In Unreal-Time
There's no getting around the fact that the current generation of knowledge workers is overworked. The messaging technologies that promised to make our lives easier have, instead, made us more efficient and elevated performance expectations. We are now able juggle more balls at once and require less support personnel to accomplish bigger projects in less time.
And we're working harder than ever.
David Ferris of Ferris Research recently wrote down his thoughts in the Ferris Journalist Insights newsletter on why this is the case. He observes that all of the stages in the work processes before messaging technologies took hold are now compressed or eliminated. Often times, there were breaks between the various stages, hand-offs that allowed natural breathers or downtime. Documents were dictated and prepared, sent somewhere and sent back again. It all took days and weeks.
Continue reading "Working In Unreal-Time..."
Daily News Podcast, Friday, Feb. 3
Listen to the current daily podcast. In this report: Google rolls out a new search engine infrastructure, and Mozilla rolls out a Firefox update. Also: Outrage against Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are cheap and easy.
Background Music "Luminous Rain" by Kevin MacLeod, Courtesy IncompeTech, under Creative Commons License.
Continue reading "Daily News Podcast, Friday, Feb. 3..."
Condemning Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Is Cheap And Easy
Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have been acting like grownups recently in their decision to cooperate with the Chinese government in censoring Internet comment. You may not agree with their course of action -- you may even condemn what they're doing -- but you have to admit that they've taken responsibility for their actions and decisions, and not tried to claim that the whole thing is beyond their control.
I wish I could say the three companies' critics are also being grownups. It's easy to be outraged by companies that cooperate with oppressive regimes, easy to post angry blog entries and issue impassioned press releases. But it's harder to work for change.
Continue reading "Condemning Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Is Cheap And Easy..."
Palm Treo 800p Rumor In Circulation
I told you back in November about three new Treo smartphones from Palm expected to ship in 2006: 1) A Windows Mobile version; 2) an inexpensive device code-named "Lowrider"; and 3) a sleek, internal-antenna 3G device code-named "Hollywood." Since then, the Windows Mobile device has shipped, and we haven't heard a peep about the other two.
Continue reading "Palm Treo 800p Rumor In Circulation..."
Daily News Podcast, Thursday, Feb. 2
In today's daily news podcast, we offer tips on how to cover your Google tracks and an editor's note that looks at why that story is generating huge interest among readers; a new blog policy is outlined by Microsoft, which continues to fence with the European Union; competitors are starting to eye BlackBerry users; a new research center will study the impact of nanotechnology; and IT workers sing the winter blues.
Background music "Who What," courtesy The Cow Exchange,
www.dillfrog.com/sponge/noise/the_cow_exchange under Creative Commons
License.
Firefox Browser Gets Upgrade
Mozilla Corp. released an upgrade to the Firefox browser. It's just a dot release--1.5.0.1 to be precise--but given Firefox 1.5's overall bugginess, this release is good news for Firefox fans.
Continue reading "Firefox Browser Gets Upgrade..."
Separate Technology and Politics? How?
Yesterday in my e-mail newsletter I happened to mention the President and lying in the same sentence. (You can read the piece here.) I've received a few responses taking me to task for mixing technology and politics. Nick Purdin's note was typical.
Continue reading "Separate Technology and Politics? How?..."
Separate Technology and Politics? How?
Yesterday in my e-mail newsletter I happened to mention the President and lying in the same sentence. (You can read the piece here.) I've received a few responses taking me to task for mixing technology and politics. Nick Purdin's note was typical.
Continue reading "Separate Technology and Politics? How?..."
Who You Gonna Call?
Will IT managers throw up there hands trying to manage multiple messaging environments from multiple vendors while trying to prevent malware attacks and meet compliance requirements? And by throw up
their hands I mean hand the whole mess over to a service provider.That seems to be what Postini is hinting at in its annual Message Management & Threat Report, which was released earlier this week.
In the survey-based report the message management provider said 2005 was a "saturation point" for IT managers. I can
certainly believe it. Combating the constant e-mail and IM threats alone was reason to call in reinforcements. But throw in archiving, disaster recovery, backup, VoIP management and other responsibilities and messaging became a major time sink for IT last year.Continue reading "Who You Gonna Call?..."
Who You Gonna Call?
Will IT managers throw up there hands trying to manage multiple messaging environments from multiple vendors while trying to prevent malware attacks and meet compliance requirements? And by throw up
their hands I mean hand the whole mess over to a service provider.That seems to be what Postini is hinting at in its annual Message Management & Threat Report, which was released earlier this week.
In the survey-based report the message management provider said 2005 was a "saturation point" for IT managers. I can
certainly believe it. Combating the constant e-mail and IM threats alone was reason to call in reinforcements. But throw in archiving, disaster recovery, backup, VoIP management and other responsibilities and messaging became a major time sink for IT last year.Continue reading "Who You Gonna Call?..."
AMD Poised To Finally Capture Dell
The long-anticipated introduction of the first Dell computers using processors from Advanced Micro Devices is expected to come within weeks--or at the most within a few months--providing yet another impressive milestone for AMD and giving Intel another black eye to go along with the bloody nose it has been nursing the past two years.
Continue reading "AMD Poised To Finally Capture Dell..."
Don't Make Asset Management A Liability
Mergers and acquisitions can create a whole host of complications for IT, not the least of which is combining the physical assets of two formerly separate companies into a single enterprise. Any system administrator who has suffered through the pre- and post-acquisition period can tell stories of the migraine-making challenge of trying to get a complete picture of combined resources of the two merging businesses. Conceptually, asset management systems should ease this process but combining the data from separate asset management apps they can actually add an extra layer of complexity.
Continue reading "Don't Make Asset Management A Liability..."
Don't Make Asset Management A Liability
Mergers and acquisitions can create a whole host of complications for IT, not the least of which is combining the physical assets of two formerly separate companies into a single enterprise. Any system administrator who has suffered through the pre- and post-acquisition period can tell stories of the migraine-making challenge of trying to get a complete picture of combined resources of the two merging businesses. Conceptually, asset management systems should ease this process but combining the data from separate asset management apps they can actually add an extra layer of complexity.
Continue reading "Don't Make Asset Management A Liability..."
Daily News Podcast, Wednesday, Feb. 1
In today's podcast, we review the latest developments impacting the Kama Sutra worm, Microsoft's plans to wait until Feb. 14 to issue fixes, the latest market share and product news in the browser space, and also ask readers to weigh in on the credibility of the big IT market analysis firms.
Music "Fresh Snow in the Valley" by Derek K. Miller of The Penmachine Project, www.penmachine.com under Creative Commons License.
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