Running The Numbers On Vista
With every month that ticks by before Windows Vista arrives, Microsoft needs to fill the white space with reassurances to companies that an upgrade will be worth their time and money. On Friday, Microsoft released new total-cost-of-ownership figures--the overall price tag of installing, running, and supporting its upcoming operating system--that show the best-managed IT shops could save as much as $340 per PC each year they run Vista, compared with today's Windows XP system. Any payback numbers
Businesses Seek Security In Windows Vista
With only two months (barring further delays) until Windows Vista is due for business availability, InformationWeek surveyed 672 business technology managers to gauge their plans for the operating system. Microsoft should be happy to know that 39% of the businesses we surveyed plan to upgrade to Vista within the first year of availability. The top reason? Security, what else?
An HP Blow-By-Blow
As soon as Patricia Dunn walked into Room 2123 of the Rayburn Building here on Capitol Hill, camera shutters went off like machine guns, all directed at the former Hewlett-Packard chairwoman, her curt dark hair, and her beige pantsuit.
But the throngs of paparazzi stalking dark- and beige-suited business types alike before (and during, especially at the short lunch break) today's congressional hearings on Hewlett-Packard's probes into boardroom leaks and so-called "
To Boldly Go Where No Mascara-Wearing Captain Has Gone Before
We'll forgive you if you want to start Cory Doctorow's latest column with the last paragraph on the second page. That's where Cory starts to talk about how Hollywood is unprepared to deliver video that takes advantage of the new high-definition TV screens. Most existing video looks terrible in high-def, and directors don't know how to use the new medium correctly.
I laughed out loud at Cory's
Consumer Tech In IT? Why Not?
This notion of consumer-meets-corporate isn't new, of course. An InformationWeek cover story from March talked about how companies can tap into the energy of consumer technologies from MP3 players to cell phones. Mostly this hasn't happened; security concerns and tightened IT budgets, not to mention good-old-fashioned fear of the unknown, have conspired against this. But the wall between the two is sta
Consumers Hanging Up On Indian Tech Support
Many U.S. businesses are improving productivity and profitability by outsourcing routine functions to low-cost countries like India and China. But AT&T's plan to bring home some 2,000 customer service positions shows that not all forms of offshoring are created equally.
IDF: Intel Finds Energy Efficiency Religion
It may not have been as dramatic as Saul's Road to Damascus conversion, but getting hit upside the head by rival Advanced Micro Devices the past two years must have helped Intel see the light, and now Intel has belatedly become a full convert to the religion of energy efficiency.
'Greatest Software' Story Triggers An Outpouring Of Recollections
When the story "What's The Greatest Software Ever Written?" appeared Aug. 14, it set off an explosion of memories from those involved in the early stages of computing. For example, one responder asked, "Do you recall the big board of the IBM 407 key punch processor into which the red, green, blue and yellow wires--each a different length--were inserted?" Hey, I may have learned to program with IBM punch cards, but I don't go back to wires-through-a-board.
HP Sponsors Privacy Award
The International Association of Privacy Professionals and HP are sponsoring the 2006 IAPP Innovation Awards to recognize "three organizations that demonstrate high levels of integration of privacy protection throughout their entire business process."
Yes, HP, the company that hired outside security firms to violate the privacy of its bo
Where Did HP Cross The Line?
It's been another week of revelations about Hewlett-Packard's investigation into media leaks. Another week of unflattering details about illicit spying tactics, phony personas to dupe the press, and even e-mail tampering.
With everything that HP reportedly did in its zealous probe to find a media leak, exactly where did company executives cross the line? How big is the gray area of what's legal and what's ethical? And what's just way over the line?
Quad Core Should Be In Intel Developer Forum Spotlight
Expect quad-core microprocessors to be heard from early and often at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) next week in San Francisco. Intel could even further accelerate the timeline for the industry's first quad-core x86 microprocessors with a formal introduction in front of press and friends. After getting strong reviews for its recently introduced Core architecture-based processors for both PCs and servers, Intel may see an opportunity to seize momentum from rival Advanced Micro Devices.
Broadband On A Budget
High-speed broadband has finally overtaken dial-up Internet access. According to a recent report by JD Power and Associates, 56% of residential ISP customers are now using broadband connections for applications such as Googling for the latest on Cameron Diaz, viewing online videos, and blogging about their pet dogs'
If E-Voting Is A Gamble, Could Web-Based Voting Be In The Cards?
This election season, you may be one of the approximately 60 million American voters who will be casting a vote using new computerized systems at your local polling place.
However, in the future, you might be casting your vote using your home PC and the Internet.
That's what some U.S. election officials predict.
Citizendium To Be Professional Wikipedia
Larry Sanger, one of the principal founders of the Wikipedia public encyclopedia project, has recently announced the establishment of a project called Citizendium. The latter is expected to be managed by authoritative experts within a field and will rely heavily on formal partnerships, which stands in sharp contrast against the Wikipedia model of being a free-for-all where content can be edited by any and all comers.
Cool Meets Clunky: Motorola's Deal For Bar-Code Reader Symbol
Motorola has been pushing for more sales from business, taking solid steps like helping developers include enterprise search functions on wireless handhelds. But for most businesses, Motorola is just a really big company with a supercool cell phone. Motorola's deal to buy Symbol for $3.9 billion in cash marks a leap ahead for its enterprise ambitions.
Outsourcing No Threat To Tech Jobs, Survey Says
Unemployed computer professionals are quick to blame their situation on the so-called offshoring of U.S. tech jobs to low-wage countries like India and China. But a new survey of corporate CIOs shows that spending on foreign tech labor by American businesses is miniscule.
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