FierceCIO News

Chrome makes itself felt across the Internet

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:02:47 -0400

It has only been days since Google's Chrome browser was released. Reactions are mixed across the Internet and blogosphere. While everyone likes its isolated tab model--a crash on a tab will not affect the other tabs--it has been called a memory "pig" and not suitable for lower-end machines with slower processors and less memory. ZDNet listed five reasons why Chrome will crash and burn, while CNET News came up with an objective list of 10 things that they would like to see added into Chrome. Whatever the case, some sites like TechCrunch, whose readers are more likely to be early-adopters, is already seeing more than 6 percent of its readership logged by Google Analytics as using Chrome.

To find out more:
- check out this article

Data security now accounts for 10 percent of IT operating budgets

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:22:46 -0400

Companies are increasing their security budgets in response to growing concerns over the number and severity of data breaches, according to analyst Khalid Kark from Forrester Research. As a result, data security now averages 10 percent of overall IT operating budgets for 2008. Indeed, this figure represents an increase of 8 percent from last year. Furthermore, a survey of more than 1,200 security decision makers in the United States shows that 21 percent expect to increase their security-related budget in 2009; another 6 percent believes that their security spending will decrease. Kark notes that these figures are impressive numbers bearing the current economic climate in mind It certainly appears that CEOs and CIOs are starting to understand the importance of giving greater attention to security needs.

For more on this:
- check out this Network World article

Study claims Internet capacity growing faster than usage

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:18:17 -0400

For those concerned that the Internet is running headlong into a monstrous traffic crunch, Internet monitor TeleGeography Research has released a report that should give some reassurance on this front. TeleGeography notes that while Internet traffic grew 53 percent between mid-2007 and mid-2008, Internet capacity grew faster, resulting in lower utilization on many Internet backbones.

However, utilization on the international links in the United States, Canada and Latin America rose as demand for the outpaced deployment of additional Internet bandwidth. Despite this fact, the findings could halt an effort in the U.S. that has put pressure on Internet Service Providers (ISP) to stop any form of bandwidth throttling. Then again, it could be argued that the only factor preventing even faster growth in Internet usage is the use of throttling.

For more on the growth of Internet traffic:
- check out this InformationWeek article

Dell looking at selling its factories

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:14:07 -0400

Dell is attempting to sell its computer factories located around the world as part of an overhaul of its production strategy. Reports are coming in that Dell is in negotiation with "major contract manufacturers" to sell of most of its facilities. This could happen as early as within the next 18 months, according to reports. Other factories would just close.

The swift transition away from built-to-order PCs--or corporate customers ordering large numbers of desktop PCs--to laptops has left Dell, once the industry leader, lagging behind rivals. By outsourcing the manufacturing, Dell hopes to bring down manufacturing costs. Indeed, investors were left disappointed by quarterly profits that were reported as down 18 percent.

For more on how Dell is doing:
- check out this Wall Street Journal article

Sun releases second version of xVM VirtualBox

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:10:17 -0400

The second version of xVM's VirtualBox desktop virtualization software has been released. VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware that is targeted for server, desktop and embedded use. This open-sourced software supports Solaris OS, OpenSolaris, Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux. Sun claims that it is finding traction, especially among Apple Macintosh users. According to the Steve Wilson, VP of xVM at Sun, "VirtualBox has deep integration with the Mac operating system's approach to networking." Round the clock support for VirtualBox is available for enterprise customers. Alternatively, you can download the code here, or visit its website for more information.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this InformationWeek article

Multiplayer online games pose threat

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:22 -0400

If you are trying to protect your passwords, prevent identity theft and avoid aggravation and possible loss of money, stay away from multiplayer online games like "World of Warcraft," "Everquest'' and "Lineage." McAfee's Avert antivirus labs found 24,600 versions of one type of malicious code aimed at stealing passwords from a variety of "massive multiplayer" online games during the first half of 2008.

This compared with 26,000 aimed at stealing banking passwords. McAfee researcher Igor Muttik said the goal is to gain possession of virtual in-game property and currency and resell it on auction sites like Hong Kong-based IGE.com. He said many individual gamers have built up accounts of in-game funds worth more than $10,000. "It's very visible that online games are the bad guys' focus," Muttik said.

Gary McGraw, a security consultant with Dulles, VA-based Cigital, said games often aren't as well protected. "As in the real world, a few people try to rob banks, but knocking over a 7-11 takes a lot less gunpowder and less planning," he said.

For more on cyber threats:
- see this Forbes.com article

Developing a wise technology strategy

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:55:55 -0400

A technology strategy is just not about determining what servers or networks should be deployed. It requires a framework to deploy a set of business applications. CIOupdate.com advises that there are three things CIOs need to know when developing a technology strategy: An in-depth understanding of the business strategies the company is pursuing; a vision of how technology will add value to business processes; and technology use principles.

Business strategy is key, with the publication noting that "building a technology strategy without understanding the business strategy is like building a dam in a dry gully and hoping it will rain. You might get a lake, but more likely you'll get a muddy pond.''

It is important to choose technology that is efficient, meets the needs of the user and provides a competitive advantage. And the technology principles chosen must be understood by technical and non-technical users, and focused on reliability, consistency, and maintainability.

For more advice:
- see this CIOupdate.com article

How to be an IT survivor

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:28:17 -0400

IT has been changing right before our eyes, with outsourcing and offshoring, advances in communications and security, and the growing role of technology in business strategy. So what do all these changes mean for the typical IT employee? And what skills should an IT staffer be nurturing to enhance his or her career?

InfoWorld.com says several technologies stand out as enticing career opportunities: virtualization, unified communications, wireless, and modern application development.

Experts also say it helps to have multiple skills to be marketable. While training and certification programs exist for virtualization management, experts say the best way to enhance your virtualization career is to get real-world training on the job, especially through a large virtualization project. As for unified communications--the merging of voice and data networks through technologies such as VoIP--the best bet may be knowing how to set up the right controls, policies, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms.

Demand has exploded for wireless networking and related security issues, and getting smart in these areas can only be a plus. Experts also suggest there is a high demand for those with know-how in web application development, with Java skills, Oracle or SAP's development app, and C# and ASP.Net skills a must.

For more on job skills:
- see this InfoWorld.com article

Post 9/11 IT database project has big flaws

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:01:31 -0400

Sophisticated computerized databases were cited by the Bush Administration as a key element in keeping track of potential terrorist plotters and keeping them out of the country. But now, a congressional subcommittee says a $500 million IT project intended to "connect the dots" on terrorists and help prevent another 9/11 is a failure, and cannot even handle basic Boolean search terms.

"The end result is a current system used to identify terrorist threats that has been crippled by technical flaws and a new system that, if actually deployed, will leave our country more vulnerable than the existing, yet flawed system in operation today," wrote Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), chairman of the House Science and Technology subcommittee on investigations and oversight.

The subcommittee looked at the data integration project called Railhead that was supposed to combine and upgrade existing databases. The project, said Miller, is suffering from delays, cost overruns and big technical glitches. Software tested by the Hewlett-Packard Quality Center found that it "passed 148 tasks, but did not complete 26 others and failed 42. The National Counterterrorism Center said Miller's assertions are "inconsistent with the facts."

For more: on these database flaws:
- see this CSOonline.com article

IT certification practice exams pose risks

Judi Hasson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:41:54 -0400

If you are taking an IT certification exam, beware of "study materials" from TestKing, Pass4Sure and many other similar test-preparation online sites. These sites advertise high-quality practice questions and answers that prepare you to take the real test. However, CIO.com reports that such practice materials are often being provided for sale illegally, and contain the actual questions and answers for tests offered by Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, HP, CompTIA and dozens of other certifying agencies.

"In other words, they are stolen goods,'' according to the publication.

If you are caught, you could be accused of cheating, and it could harm your career. Vendors and third-party agencies that offer IT certifications are cracking down on cheaters to preserve the value of the certifications. The bottom line: Prepare for certification exams legitimately, use the study materials recommended by the owner of the exam, and never buy or use sample questions and answers from unauthorized sources.

For more on the risks:
- check out this CIO.com article

Site owners complain about new search engine Cuil

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:10:51 -0400

Barely more than a month after the launch of "Google Killer" Cuil, site owners are saying that its Twiceler indexing bot is causing mayhem on their sites with its overzealous indexing. One user even complained that the Twiceler robot visited "nearly 70,000 times" and in the process leeched off "nearly 2GB" of traffic prior to it being blocked. Others note that Cuil appears to repeatedly hit a site with pseudo-random URLs in attempts to find pages that are not linked directly to it. Cuil's Operational Engineer noted in defense of the search engine that Twiceler is an experimental crawler and it is important that robots.txt is obeyed. On a more sinister note, he also claimed that a number of crawlers appear to be masquerading as Twiceler. To be sure, site owners can consult the company's IP address page to verify that it really is Cuil.

To find out more about the Cuil search engine:
- check out this TechCrunch article

Intel adds low-cost quad-core processor to its lineup

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:04:30 -0400

Intel has updated its processor lineup with low-cost quad-core and Core 2 Duo desktop processors. The quad-core Q8200 is listed at $224, and is the lowest-priced quad-core chip currently offered by Intel. The 45-nanometer processor comes with a clock speed of 2.33 GHz, 4MB of cache memory and runs off a speedy front-side bus of 1333 MHz. The new Core 2 Duo processor, the E5200, will be priced at $84 and come with a clock speed of 2.2 GHz, 512K of cache, as well as 800 MHz front-side bus. The new 2.2 GHz Celeron D processor is listed at $53.

For more on this:
- check out this CNET article

One-sided EULAs dealt a blow

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:02:09 -0400

In a unanimous ruling, the Washington Supreme Court has affirmed that AT&T's service terms are "unconscionable." What that means is that the terms are such that no reasonable person would agree to them should they be aware of their full scope. The case came about when a customer who signed up for AT&T's long distance service was billed a monthly utility tax specific to the city of Wenatchee, even though the man himself lives outside the above-mentioned city. The man took AT&T to task by alleging violations of Washington's consumer-protection laws, triggering a string of events that resulted in the court ruling that the contract to be invalid in its entirety. Though the issues in this case apply only to the Washington State, and also rely on Washington's Consumer Protection Act, perhaps this could mark the beginning of the end of restrictive, one-sided service agreements.

For more on this legal case:
- check out this Ars Technica article

Microsoft patents 'page up' and 'page down'

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:57:48 -0400

Microsoft was granted a patent on the ‘page up' and ‘page down' keystroke just a couple of weeks ago. As noted by ZDNet, US patent number 7,415,666 describes "a method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed." The patent was applied for by Microsoft in 2005, though I seem to remember seeing it on my first IBM-PC almost 15 years ago. Personally, I doubt Microsoft will be able to leverage this patent to milk any royalties. In all likelihood, the company is simply building up a war chest that it can use to mitigate patent litigation by other tech companies.

For more on this story:
- check out this ZDNet article

Xen likely to evolve faster in wake of acquisition of XenSource by Citrix System

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:51:15 -0400

In the wake of the acquisition of XenSource by Citrix Systems, control of the Xen project was ceded to a multi-vendor advisory board. As a result, Xen is expected to evolve faster than it would have as an open source effort. Article

Steve Jobs' death greatly exaggerated

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:09:55 -0400

It's certainly a news organization's worst nightmare, and it also must have been somewhat unsettling for Apple CEO Steve Jobs as well. The Bloomberg financial news service last week posted an obituary of Jobs by accident on its wire service, and then quickly retracted it.

It is common for news organizations to write and update obituaries of notable people while they're still alive so that they are ready when needed. But it's not everyday that you get to read your own obituary. The obituary outlined Jobs' career, including his 1976 founding of Apple, the introduction of the Mac in 1984, his ouster from the company the following year and his return to Apple in 1997. It also mentioned his gaunt appearance in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which fueled speculation that the CEO's cancer had returned. Bloomberg's obituary noted that Apple has never named a successor to Jobs for the company's top spot.

For more on "what a mistake:"
- check out this Computerworld.com article

Breaking up is hard to do

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:45:08 -0400

Outsourcing can help the bottom line and get the job done. But outsourcing also can be a big headache if the provider is experiencing high employee turnover, not showing creativity in problem solving, and not making needed adjustments. What's the next option? Well, you can always dump the outsourcer and start over, but CIO Update warns that "breaking up just may bring even more and bigger problems your way."

For one thing, many major outsourcing destinations are showing stress, with India experiencing turnover issues and rising prices, while Chinese and Russian firms are also having issues. Secondly, the transition can raise thorny issues. These include what the contract says about a transition, what access to data is written into the contract, what work product is actually owned, and whether employees whose positions are being eliminated will be cooperative. And most of all, a company must know whether it can get the work done without the outsourcing firm.

"When companies outsource, they often lose the know-how associated with the outsourced work," said Jagdish Dalal, managing director of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals.

For more on this balancing act:
- check out this CIO Update article

Finding money from IT gear

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:27:14 -0400

The struggling banking sector that had been hit hard by the mortgage crisis has found a small and unusual way to help the balance sheet and free up dollars--selling their IT computer equipment to IBM, and then leasing it back on a monthly basis. IBM calls it Sale Leaseback, and reports this business has grown 300 percent from 2007. IBM officials said the company bought $200,000 worth of gear from a top-five bank earlier this year, and is now leasing it back to the institution. IBM also said it is currently negotiating a Sale Leaseback with another top bank for $400,000 worth of hardware.

"Their equipment doesn't change on the [data center] floor, but we come in and pay cash for the equipment, the equipment comes off their balance sheets, and now we own it and we write a lease," says Dan Ransdell, general manager for client financing with IBM Global Financing. "It generates cash for the bank, and it gets their existing assets on a technology refresh cycle."

For more on a new way to save money:
- check out this NetworkWorld.com article

Firing IT workers can cost you

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:23:29 -0400

CIO's need to be on the alert when dismissing employees, never a pleasant task. But the unpleasantness can be extended well beyond the firing if an employee seeks to compromise company computer security and walk off with sensitive information. A survey by Cyber-Ark Software, a provider of identity management products, found that theft of information by disgruntled former insiders is quite common.

"Survey results revealed that 88 percent of exiting employees will use their IT-know-how to take your company data with them, including privileged password lists that give them access to hundreds, even thousands of sensitive data files," said Adam Bosnian, vice president of products, strategy and sales at Cyber-Ark. The target information includes the CEO's passwords, the customer database, R&D plans, financial reports, and privileged passwords.

For more on the difficulties of dismissing workers:
- check out this NetworkWorld.com article

Internet traffic bypasses the U.S.

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:17:40 -0400

American dominance over the Internet is on the wane. While most Internet traffic has traditionally moved through the United States, a shift is taking place and data is increasingly flowing around us. The New York Times reports that this change, not only has an economic impact on the U.S. and the IT industry, it may have intelligence and military consequences as well. Industry executives and government officials said Internet traffic passing through the switching equipment of U.S.-based companies has provided a distinct advantage for American intelligence agencies.

But the passage of the Patriot Act, and a desire by countries to control their own communications channels, has helped speed the shift in Canadian and European traffic away from the U.S. Andrew M. Odlyzko, a professor at the University of Minnesota who tracks the growth of the global Internet, told the newspaper, "We discovered the Internet, but we couldn't keep it a secret." While the United States carried 70 percent of the world's Internet traffic a decade ago, he estimated that now the portion has fallen to about 25 percent.

For more on the Internet:
- see the New York Times article

Grim outlook for IT spending

Judi Hasson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:07:34 -0400

ChangeWave Research has found in a new survey that there is a retreat on corporate IT spending as the economy continues to slump. Thirty percent of those surveyed reported that third-quarter IT spending was lower than previously planned. In addition, 29 percent said spending will drop or even cease in the fourth quarter.

"Thus, the brief period of stabilizing we picked up in May has given way to another major leg downward," said ChangeWave director of research Paul Carton. "In fact, you have to go way back to the middle of the last recession (August 2001) to find a ChangeWave survey projecting this big of an IT spending downturn." The survey also found that a quick turnaround is not expected.

For more on reading the economic tea leaves:
- see this CIO.com article

Mistake by engineer brings down an entire cloud

Paul Mah — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:49:06 -0400

UK-based outfit XCalibre saw its FlexiScale cloud go down on Tuesday, and stay down almost two days later. What happened was that an XCalibre engineer accidentally deleted one of the main storage volumes used by the FlexiScale cloud while "tidying things up" on the disk architecture prior. The scheduled maintenance was done before upgrading the cloud to address capacity issues on the back of 30 percent monthly growth in usage.

The platform should return to normal once engineers are able to restore the lost data from backups to a new disk structure. Unfortunately, the sheer size means that there is insufficient capacity to create a complete duplicate, resulting in the delays. XCalibre CEO Tony Lucas was forthright that something like this shouldn't have occurred, and promised to put safeguards in place once the cloud is brought back up.

For more on this:
- check out this The Register article

Free Firefox add-on helps boost security

Paul Mah — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:43:23 -0400

Perspective, a free add-on for Mozilla Firefox 3.0 has been released. Developed at the Carnegie-Mellon University's School of Computer Science and College of Engineering, it works by transparently referencing a site with intermediate nodes called "notaries" around the Net. The current site's digital certificate is then compared against what has been previously spotted by the notary.

Its purpose is to defend against spoofed sites, as well as possibly protecting against recently disclosed flaws in the DNS. This is particularly useful, since many sites install cheaper self-signed certificates that bypasses certificate authorities. If no match is found, the browser will display a warning to the web surfer that the site is suspicious. Michael Kassner at TechRepublic has done an excellent write-up explaining the inner workings of Perspective; check it out here.

For more on the notary system:
- check out this Ars Technica article

Wireless LAN facing scaling challenges

Paul Mah — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:40:03 -0400

Network engineers are beginning to face the gargantuan challenge of scaling wireless networks as they gain mainstream acceptance, a task hastened by the ubiquitous availability of wireless capability on all new laptops. Indeed, higher education is proving to be a sort of "ground zero" for many wireless-related issues, as college students start downloading and streaming video wirelessly from their dorm rooms and around campuses. The current situation faced is far removed from the challenges of earlier years, where network engineers focused on increasing the number of access points and improving coverage. As high-density WLANs are rolled-out, the challenge now is scaling back-end systems and networks to service a generation of users who might never have otherwise used a wired LAN point.

For more on the challenges faced by wireless networks:
- check out this NetworkWorld article

Microsoft makes additional move to address pirated copies of Windows XP

Paul Mah — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:36:29 -0400

Microsoft is updating its Windows Genuine Advantage tool this week with "significant updates" designed to make things even more uncomfortable for owners of non-genuine Windows. The changes are targeted specifically at Windows XP, apparently because Windows XP Pro is the operating system that Microsoft says "has the highest likelihood of having a non-genuine copy." Failing a validation check will now result in the desktop being changed to a plain black background. The user can modify this to their personal preference, except that the black background will repeatedly reset every hour. So that there would be no ambiguity, a watermark urging users to "ask for genuine Microsoft software" will appear in a persistent position above the system try. The notification is non-interactive and transparent, so that users can continue to interact with the desktop underneath.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this Custom PC article

Comcast to set monthly bandwidth limits

Paul Mah — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:33:11 -0400

Beginning October 1, Comcast, the largest provider of cable broadband in the U.S., will impose a monthly limit of 250 gigabytes of bandwidth on residential users. Customers who exceed the 250 G-byte limit will be warned to curtail their use. A one year service suspension will result should the limit be exceeded again in the next six months. This is a departure from the current situation where Comcast will contact high-bandwidth users should they cross an internal threshold. The current cap comes on the heels of the FCC ruling that Comcast violated net neutrality principles with their attempts to throttle BitTorrent traffic.

To find out more about this new move by Comcast:
- check out this PC World article

A closer look at Internet Explorer 8 beta 2

Paul Mah — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:49:33 -0400

The Register takes a more in-depth look at the just-released Internet Explorer beta 2, complete with screen shots of key new features. Article

Questions CIOs and consultants should ask each other

Judi Hasson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:55:30 -0400

TechRepublic.com has some basic advice for CIOs and consultants who are seeking a business relationship. For the IT executive vetting a potential consultant, stimulate a discussion to see how the consultant really thinks, and describe a specific problem that you need solved to get a sense of how the potential the individual thinks. Also, try to determine if the consultant can integrate knowledge from a broad range of subjects in order to provide the best solutions.

From the consultant's end, it is key to interview the potential employer, including probing factors that will be needed for mutual success. This could include inquiring about how the company's team works, what kinds of testing and documentation procedures are in place, how changes in software are tracked, what kind of dialog exists with end users, and how the business actually works.

For more on this give and take:
- see this TechRepublic.com article

Protect your IM security

Judi Hasson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:48:50 -0400

Instant messaging has become a common workplace tool, but companies that fail to install security software are doing so at their own peril. InfoWorld.com reports that many business have had difficulty limiting the usage strictly to internal use, making the need for security capabilities that support instant messaging and other real-time communication applications more pressing than ever. The publication offers IT executives some good advice on choosing appropriate IM security products.

The tips include determining the types of IM-related risks and threats that are relevant to your organization; assessing whether traffic logging and content archiving are important to you because of compliance and legal needs; figuring out what IM usage policy is relevant to your organization, including whether some communications should be blocked for certain groups but permitted for others; and determining if any fine-grained controls for IM filtering on user identity, IP addresses, file attachment type and embedded URLs are needed.

For more on IM security:
- check out this InfoWorld.com article

Data breaches on the rise

Judi Hasson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:24:06 -0400

The Identity Theft Resource Center of San Diego has found that data breaches are on the rise. So far this year, 449 U.S. businesses, government agencies and universities have reported a loss or theft of consumer data, compared with 446 breaches for all of last year, a new report shows. At least 22 million consumer records have been the target of data breaches, although resource center founder Linda Foley cautioned that the true number of records affected is likely to be far higher.

Malicious attacks were the leading cause of data breaches, with nearly 13 percent attributed to hacking. Customer data theft by company employees accounted for 15.6 percent. Lost laptops and other digital media containing consumer data comprised 21 percent of data breaches, while 14 percent involved the accidental publishing or dissemination of sensitive consumer data. Breaches attributed to subcontractors made up 11 percent.

To read more about the growth of data breaches:
- see this Washington Post article

Computers snarl U.S. air traffic

Judi Hasson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:19:16 -0400

In a software nightmare this week, a breakdown in the Federal Aviation Administration's system for processing flight plans caused massive airline delays. The FAA said a software problem caused the system to go down at about 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. A backup system in Salt Lake City took over flight-plan processing, but a backlog in the handover caused the flight delays.

Central to the problem was the FAA's computer system known as the National Data Interchange Network, which processes the flight plans that airlines file every day. "This was a failure mode we've not seen before," said Hank Krakowski, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. "It looks like an internal software processing error. We think we know what it is, but we have to do forensics on it to figure it out."

For more on the FAA:
- see this cnet.com article

Encyclopedia lists internal security threats

Judi Hasson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:15:16 -0400

A new and free online encyclopedia of internal network security issues has been released by provider Promisec, and includes some popular web-based applications among possible data-loss threats. These threats, the encyclopedia says, can come from usage of USB memory sticks, programs like Skype, unwanted file types, and any services or applications that are not permissible, or are not covered by registered software licenses.

The company hopes that the encyclopedia, which lists and dates dozens of potential threats and ranks them on a five-part scale, will help promote its marketing and sales efforts. Promisec says some recent applications that may pose as security threats include EnterMyPC, Kismet and Wireshark. It ranks the top five threats as MySpace, Skype, Tencent QQ, PacketTrap and Google Talk. PacketTrap Networks, however, has challenged Promisec over its inclusion on the list.

For more on security risks:
- see this CSOonline.com article

Self-help software could one day replace psychiatrists

Paul Mah — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:13:26 -0400

It appears that researchers are developing self-help software for astronauts to one day carry along with them on space missions. The current situation calls for astronauts who are stressed to contact Earth, where they can chat with a NASA psychiatrist. However, this becomes impractical for missions to Mars and beyond, where transmission times alone could take upwards of 20 minutes. This would be where the multimedia self-help tool designed by James Carter of Harvard Medical School comes in. An interactive video component helps user negotiate and resolve conflicts, while a "problem solving therapy" module aids in listing concrete problems, as well as brainstorming for practical solutions. Now, if only similar solutions were adapted to solving IT problems; I know of more than one person who would benefit from them.

For more on this:
- check out this Network World article

Contractor loses details on tens of thousands of criminals

Paul Mah — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:09:52 -0400

In yet another major data-loss fiasco, details of all prisoners in England and Wales, including tens of thousands of offenders, were lost in a memory stick that held the data in an unencrypted format. A staff member for the contractor PA Consulting who is thought to be responsible has been suspended. PA Consulting has been appointed by the Home Office to "provide application support for tracking prolific and other priority offenders through the criminal justice system." The UK public sector has had a number of data breaches over the course of the last year. In the meantime, further data transfers to PA Consulting have been suspending pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

For more on this article:
- check out this ZDNet blog

Study claims adoption rate for 802.11n unprecedented

Paul Mah — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:06:33 -0400

A web-based study completed by IT professionals from some 226 companies has nearly one-third of enterprises indicating that they will be migrating to WLAN networks based on 802.11n within the next 12 months. The majority of these companies have upwards of 1,000 employees, with 25 percent having more than 10,000 staff. The trend of companies migrating to controller-based WLAN architecture or planning to is most pronounced in larger companies, according to the study's author, Rick Blum. Mr. Blum, the director of strategic marketing for the BT consulting group, also noted that this rate of adoption for a standard that has yet to be ratified is unprecedented.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this Network World article

Worldwide shipments of servers up by 12 percent

Paul Mah — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:04:54 -0400

Higher fuel and food prices, as well as concerns over a recession failed to prevent a solid second quarter showing in worldwide server sales. Data from analyst firm Gartner shows year-on-year growth of 12 percent compared to the last year when it comes to the number of units shipped. In terms of revenue, IBM regained its position over rival HP, which took that spot in the first quarter. IBM also grew by 11.5 percent in actual revenue, versus HP's single digit growth of just 2.9 percent. HP continues to hold the top spot in unit shipments though, with 30.2 percent of the market under its belt, while Dell remained in second plate with 24.7 percent of the market.

To find out more:
- check out this Ars Technica article

Email hoaxes that grab millions

Judi Hasson — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:35:55 -0400

It's hard to believe, but those far-fetched email scams telling you that you have won the lottery or offering investment opportunities that sound too good to be true still seem to attract plenty of takers, and sometimes their money. The spammers send out millions of solicitations without cost, and if only a very small percentage respond and fall prey, it can be money in the bank, or in some cases just a good laugh.

Computerworld has compiled a list of some of the top email hoaxes that have come through in-boxes and fooled millions. They include pitches to raise bonsai kittens in bottles, and a claim that Bill Gates wants to give you money. One version of the Bill Gates scam, all to get money from Microsoft, is to forward an email to your friends. Microsoft will track the email for two weeks, and you get paid for every person who receives the email through you.

Then there are never-ending missives from an earnest resident of Nigeria that start with a hello and an introduction, suggesting that your help is needed to claim an abandoned sum of money in a foreign account. The message typically promises that you will receive a large amount of money if you simply send a smaller amount of money now.

To learn about these scams:
- see this Computerworld.com article

Non-solicitation agreements fail in CA

Judi Hasson — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:42:58 -0400

A California court has awarded a big victory to IT professionals who have found themselves constrained after being forced to sign a non-solicitation agreement to prevent them from taking clients and co-workers away when they leave their company. Earlier this month, the California State Supreme Court ruled in Edwards vs. Arthur Andersen that non-solicitation provisions in employment agreements are no longer legal in the Golden State. Employers, whether they're based in California or out of state, can no longer apply such provisions to California residents.

Such agreements will only be valid to protect trade secrets, the court said. John Lecrone, a partner with the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, told CIO.com that the court's ruling is significant because it rejected a long line of federal court rulings. But he said he doesn't think other state courts are going to follow California. "Most other states allow non-compete and non-solicitation agreements as long as they're reasonable," he said.

For more on this ruling:
- see this CIO.com article

Recruiters: Tips on getting the job you want

Judi Hasson — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:04:52 -0400

How do CIOs and IT managers move on and get better jobs? Sometimes it's personal networking and contacts, and sometimes it's with the help of a headhunter. But with the importance of the CIO increasing in the business world, expectations are high. Experts say that CIOs with the best opportunities of landing a top job must have a solid track record, showing they have been through a business cycle or two, made tough decisions and have done more right than wrong. It also helps to have some visibility within the community, even if it's just having given a speech at a conference, or developed an expertise in a particular area that has attracted attention.

Furthermore, it is recommended that job hopefuls build relationships with executive recruiters. And if you are young and ambitious, sometimes it may be wise to make a lateral move to a bigger company that can serve as both a learning environment and an investment in the future.

For more on your job search:
- check out this SearchCIO.com article

Ways to keep the best IT talent

Judi Hasson — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:59:12 -0400

Good managers know how to feed and care for their best workers, making them happy and offering them challenges and opportunities to grow. "The best employees are being recruited at any given time," Paul De Young of the global consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc. told CIO.com. "Managers need to make that assumption and create an environment that's going to make them want to stay."

The publication consulted some experts, and has offered advice for CIOs seeking to hold onto their top talent. For starters, create a culture that gives programmers and developers an opportunity to be creative. Second, don't micro-manage the staff. Instead, empower people, solicit suggestions and accept honest feedback. The experts caution against changing the work environment without considering the impact on employees. And of course there are also some other very basic tips for insure IT staff retention: increased compensation, professional development and training, and flexible schedule options.

For more on keeping your IT talent happy:
- see this CIO.com article

Microsoft's flawed update

Judi Hasson — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:21:23 -0400

Microsoft made quite a big deal about issuing 11 security updates this month to correct problems with Windows. Too bad it couldn't even get the updates right. The company now has revised one of those Aug. 11 updates, explaining that it had posted an incomplete version to its own download center.

Computerworld.com reported that this was the third time in the past two months that Microsoft has had to reissue a security-related update. Anyone who manually downloaded MS08-051 to patch Office 2003 should obtain the second version as soon as possible, Microsoft said.

Those who obtained the update via Windows Update or through their company's Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server, or who updated other versions of Office, do not need to reinstall MS08-051. The update patched three vulnerabilities in PowerPoint, including one that Microsoft labeled "critical," its highest ranking.

For more on Microsoft's reissued update:
- see this Computerworld.com article

Can Jerry Seinfeld add cool to Microsoft?

Judi Hasson — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:16:35 -0400

Can a funny, well-known pitchman help Microsoft overcome its Windows Vista operating system woes, making consumers feel better about a product they have not grown to love? It appears the software giant will find out early next month. Microsoft has been working on TV commercials featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld under the direction of Michel Gondry, an innovative director of films, music videos and numerous TV commercials.

The Wall Street Journal reported this is part of a $300 million Windows advertising campaign starring Seinfeld, with the comedian receiving about $10 million. CIO.com notes that Microsoft wants to boost the flagging public perception of Vista, which has been hurt by Apple's "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" TV ads depicting a younger, more recognizable actor (Justin Long) as a Mac, and an uptight nerd (played by John Hodgman) as a PC.

For more on this new advertising campaign:
- see this CIO.com article

DNS cache poisoning spotted at China Netcom

Paul Mah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:52:28 -0400

China Netcom (CNC), one of China's largest Internet service providers (ISP), had the cache of its primary DNS server poisoned to redirect certain common typos to a malicious site. Now, it is relatively common for mistyped domain names to be redirected by ISPs to a placeholder site with advertisements as an additional revenue source for them. In this case though, customers of this prominent ISP are forwarded to a website under the control of an attacker. According to Websense's Security Labs alert, the site is rigged with malicious iFrame code to exploit known vulnerabilities in RealPlayer, MS06-014, Flash Player and Microsoft Snapshot Viewer.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this Websense alert

An in-depth examination of USB 3.0

Paul Mah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:14:19 -0400

While I wrote briefly about the new USB 3.0 standard recently, Maximum PC has taken it a step further, performing a detailed examination of the new standard. One observation would be that USB 3.0 connectors and cables will be functionally and physically compatible with hardware supporting earlier generations of the technology. This is where the similarities end; while boasting 10 times more speed than the 480Mbps limit of USB 2.0, USB 3.0 also will support bi-directional data transfers. In addition, USB 3.0 also can supply up to 900 milliamps of power, up from 100 milliamps. The specifications for USB 3.0 are expected to be finalized by Q4 of this year.

For more about the USB 3.0 specification:
- check out this Maximum PC article

Emergency radio network fails tests

Paul Mah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:07:15 -0400

A post 9-11 effort to build a massive radio network connecting emergency personnel across New York has performed so poorly in tests that state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli has suggested that the current contractor be dropped. Tests in September last year found that spoken words could not be understood, and that communications between relay towers frequently were lost. Retests in April and July did not show any improvements.

The company hired to build the network, Tyco Electronics subsidiary M/A-COM, must fix the problems, or risk losing the contract without receiving any compensation. The state has committed to making a decision by the end of next week.

For more on this article:
- check out this New York Times article

First comprehensive survey of IPv6 reveals negligible usage

Paul Mah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:59:09 -0400

In the most comprehensive study of actual IPv6 usage to date, Arbor Networks worked with the University of Michigan and close to 100 Internet providers in order to measure actual inter-domain IPv6 traffic on the Internet. The resulting dataset spans a quarter of the Tier-1 ISPs, and involves the monitoring of traffic originating from 2,389 peering and backbone routers. Out of an average aggregate of 15 exabytes of traffic per day, the data shows that the percentage of IPv6 traffic, both native and tunneled, peaks at a mere one hundredth of 1 percent of Internet traffic as a whole.

It is clear that the original deployment plans for IPv6 have failed miserably. Still, perhaps IPv6 will succeed at the end of the day, if for no other reason than there are no ready alternatives.

For more on hosted email services:
- check out this Network World article

Intel demonstrates wireless power

Paul Mah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:49:16 -0400

The last keynote of the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Thursday had Intel doing a demonstration of its technology for the wireless transmitting of power. Two round metal coils are placed two to three feet apart--one working as a transmitter, the other a receiver. A light bulb attached to the receiver remained lit as the coil was moved around.

The phenomenon that the demonstration leveraged on is called "resonant induction," and builds upon the work of Marin Soljacic, a physicist at MIT. Strongly coupled resonators operate on a principle similar to how a singer's voice can shatter glass. This particular demonstration was able to transmit 60 watts of power, enough to power a smaller laptop. Development is ongoing, and no timeframe was given for this technology to be brought to market.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this InformationWeek article

Dell loses bid to lay claim to term 'cloud computing'

Judi Hasson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:02:45 -0400

It was a good try, but Dell's attempt to trademark the term, 'cloud computing', did not pass muster with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Gaining rights to the term would have been a marketing boon for Dell, which still has the right to appeal. 'Cloud computing' is the term widely used by numerous other companies to describe large-scale, hosted computing systems and web-based services.

Dell described cloud computing as the "custom manufacture of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others." The trademark office ruled Dell's claim on the term was not specific enough to warrant a trademark.

"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark merely describes a feature and characteristic of applicant's services," the USPTO said in its ruling. "In addition to being merely descriptive, the applied-for mark appears to be generic in connection with the identified services, and therefore incapable of functioning as a source-identifier for applicant's services."

For more on this 'cloud computing' dispute:
- see this vnunet.com article

Huge IT networks ready for Democratic convention

Judi Hasson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:53:24 -0400

The Democratic National Convention, set for next week in Denver, will be a high-tech affair. Qwest has laid down 3,400 standard voice lines and 2,600 new data lines, and has upgraded its infrastructure with 3,344 miles of fiber and 140 miles of copper and coaxial cable. The company also has deployed video equipment that can handle 130 simultaneous video feeds, and is providing convention goers with a 40Gbps Ethernet pipe.

"It will be 10 times the size of the Super Bowl," said Rick Mabry, Qwest's director of network operations. "The scale of this network is so large that instead of laying stuff down on the ground, we put it underground and are bringing it up to where it's needed." Besides landline web and voice connectivity, delegates, the press and others will have high-quality wireless voice and data services, and much more.

For details on the Denver convention:
- see this Network World.com article

Embedded chips to fuel Internet's growth

Judi Hasson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:48:14 -0400

Intel believes the growth of the Internet will be fueled in the next few years by low-power embedded chips. Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president at Intel, said during a speech at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco that systems connected to the Internet will include infotainment systems in cars, navigation devices, and hardware associated with public places like health networks and traffic controls.

He said Intel is now developing embedded chips based on the Atom architecture for devices like mobile phones, set-top boxes and ATMs. Gelsinger, however, also said the company faces some challenges, including reliability, power consumption and life of those chips.

For more on insight into the future:
- see this PCWorld.com article

A casino CIO offers a few tough hiring tips

Judi Hasson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:36:07 -0400

Sheleen Quish, the CIO of Ameristar Casinos, takes an organized, methodical and pragmatic approach to staffing her IT department. She tells CIO.com that she views every single hire as mission critical and looks for people who will give 100 percent and be team players.

Having a business background and lacking IT training, she said she turns to the experts on her staff when hiring for a highly technical position. But besides good skills, Quish said she wants individuals who will fit into the company culture, have good communication styles, good values and understand how IT fits into the overall business.

"I also want to understand their view of the entertainment and casino business," she said. "If someone is anti-gambling, they are not going to feel good about working here. So we probe. We ask questions."

As for the job seeker, she advises they provide clear, organized resumes, without technical jargon, that states an overall professional objective and what value they can bring to the organization. She also advises job applicants to look the interviewer in the eye, come professionally groomed, be prepared to tell their story in about five to ten minutes," and be ready to explain "what you are passionate about."

For more on the hiring process:
- see this CIO.com article

Hot IT jobs CIOs should fill

Judi Hasson — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:11:23 -0400

Forrester Research has identified key IT roles that are critical to an organization's success that should be filled by CIOs. Sometimes this can mean IT workers taking on multiple responsibilities or filling hybrid positions.

"Near-term demand for hot roles in IT will be driven by the need for local and cross-discipline knowledge, changes in technology, greater emphasis on managing risk and the enterprise, and a limited supply of key roles," Forrester analysts Marc Cecere and Laurie Orlov wrote in an August research report.

What are the hot roles in IT? Some include information/data architects and information security experts; data or content-oriented business analysts, business architects, enterprise architects, and vendor-management experts. Other crucial jobs on the list include enterprise-application strategists and enterprise project managers.

For more hot IT needs:
- check out this NetworkWorld.com article

IBM: Global mainframe revenues on the rise

Paul Mah — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:04:34 -0400

Mainframe systems executive Richard Pape from IBM Asia-Pacific wrote in an email interview that IBM is "witnessing a resurgence in the mainframe." The catalyst appears to be companies facing space and power constrains in the data centers. Indeed, global mainframe revenues are on the increase, with business-intelligence applications being one of the areas that the mainframe platform complements well. Mission-critical, high-volume transactional services, such as those encountered in the financial industry, continue to favor the mainframe as well.

While modern mainframe architectures do come with advanced partitioning techniques and can host multiple operating systems, its downfall could well be something more mundane. In a nutshell, Pape noted: "There are simply not enough young, bright people wanting to learn mainframe skills over PHP, Java, Flash and other 'hip' Web 2.0 technologies."

For more about the venerable mainframe:
- check out this ZDNet article

Torvalds: Not easy to become major Linux coder

Paul Mah — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:03:17 -0400

In an interview with ZDNet.co.uk, Linux project lead Linus Torvalds noted that it is not easy to become a "big contributor" to the Linux kernel. While it is relatively easy to contribute small patches, the situation is different for large modifications. Other than the size and complexity of the kernel, Torvalds acknowledged that it does take time to learn about how the development community works. Sending in huge chunks of rewritten kernel code without warning will just be "frustrating for everybody." At the end of the day, it is more about human interaction than a quantifiable set of steps to adhere to. To prevent developers from becoming frustrated with the process, the Linux Foundation has released a guide to Linux kernel development for those who are interested.

For more on this article:
- check out this ZDNet News article

Hosted email seats will grow 40 percent within next four years

Paul Mah — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:02:32 -0400

A new study conducted by the Radicati Group says that the number of hosted email seats will grow almost 40 percent by the year 2012. Reasons for the fueled growth include a changing attitude of IT toward hosting, as well as the continual evolution of the technology for the better. While smaller businesses are likely to "go the hosted route," large enterprises also might be open to consider it for regional offices, according to Sara Radicati, CEO of Radicati. Where SMBs are concerned, they are expected to switch from standard SMTP hosted email services to a more advanced suite of hosted messaging services over the next four years.

For more on hosted email services:
- check out this Network World article

Microsoft relaxes licensing rules for VMs

Paul Mah — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:01:46 -0400

As expected, Microsoft on Tuesday announced changes to its licensing policy that makes it easier for companies to shift to virtualization. A licensing cap previously mandated that virtual machine hosts could only be migrated to a different physical server once every 90 days. That served as an artificial restriction severely handicapping advanced business continuity and functionality, as well as attempts to reduce energy consumption in the data center.

According to Microsoft, the change applies to 41 server titles, including enterprise versions of SQL Server 2008, and other enterprise-centric products such as Exchange Server 2007. Moving ahead, Microsoft also plans to support its software running inside virtual machines from VMware, Cisco Systems, Citrix, Novell, Sun Microsystems, and Virtual Iron with the same support as their non-virtual counterparts.

To learn more Microsoft's licensing policies:
- check out this CNET News article