Embracing mobile site visitors: Early detection is best

04/19/12

When you think about your company's websites -- whether internal or customer-facing -- you most likely picture the sites rendered on a computer screen, the environment Web development teams typically target. But there are more than 4 billion mobile phones in use worldwide, more than the total number of TVs and PCs combined, and that doesn't even include tablets. The reality today is your websites are being visited by people using hundreds of kinds of devices, the vast majority of which are mobile.

A Report on ICANN 43: New gTLDs and DNSSEC

04/03/12

The Internet's governing body, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, holds three public meetings per year to discuss how ICANN can help make the network more secure and to encourage end-to-end interoperability. The most recent meeting in Costa Rica in March featured two rich information sharing sessions, one on the new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) program and the other on Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

Apple forcing IT shops to "adapt or die"

01/31/12

Many IT departments are struggling with Apple's "take it or leave it" attitude, based on discussions last week at MacIT, which is Macworld|iWorld's companion conference for IT professionals.

What to Watch from Five Tech Giants in 2012

01/03/12

With 2011 behind us, what do the top tech companies have up their sleeves? Though a few have already made big announcements, most of what we think is coming is based on rumors. With that in mind, your business should watch for these potential developments from five of the top tech companies in 2012.

Ten must-have iPhone games

12/27/11

Scored an iPhone this holiday season? Or perhaps just delicious iTunes Store credit? We've assembled this list of the best iPhone games; if you're a gamer, these are the must-have apps for your device. Loosen your thumbs, loosen your wallet, and start playing.

Ten IT news stories we'll read in 2012

12/27/11

Well, we erred in our 2011 predictions in not repeating a 2010 forecast that Carol Bartz would be ousted as Yahoo CEO -- it was bound to happen, we just called that one too early. Then again, we also predicted last year that Oracle would buy Salesforce.com and have decided not to repeat ourselves this year, so we'll see if we were just ahead on that one, too. Meanwhile, these are our predictions for the next 12 months.

Is the Windows Business Desktop Dying?

05/23/11

A combination of factors is going to cause Windows to lose its stranglehold on the business desktop.

HP's Apotheker lays out new vision for HP. Details to come?

03/14/11

Apotheker, who took over in the wake of former CEO Mark Hurd's sudden departure, said on Monday that HP will 'provide seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for the connected world.' What does that mean?

TSA and the freedom thing: We're the problem

11/23/10

The nation is in an uproar over full body scanning and pat downs in the airport TSA security lines. Is it a necessary security measure or a violation of our freedom and privacy? Bill Brenner weighs in.

'Net neutrality' as fighting words

10/06/10

The term network neutrality has been used lately to refer to a number of different ideas. One is that networks should be operated without any protocol filtering. Another is that the one and only business model for an ISP is one in which there is a flat fee for unlimited access at the specified line rate. And still another is that networks should be available to all, equally, regardless of their geographic location. There may even be more ideas wedged uncomfortably into this single term's common use.

Why IT planning is broken, and what to do about it

09/14/10

IT planning is broken. From the research I have participated in and the conversations I've had with people in the field, I can say that this is unambiguously true. The question is, should we care? Or is IT planning a quaint relic of a bygone era?

Healthcare powerhouse McKesson comments on AppSec in GRC

09/14/10

When asked what the greatest risks his company expects to face in 2010, the CEO of a major U.S. airline began to list items such as energy pricing, labor challenges and terrorism. IT security, let alone the application security subcategory, did not make the list. Is this a common theme across today's businesses? Or, is it just that organizations just don't speak of IT and security risk using IT and security lingo?

Tale of an accidental cloud leader

09/09/10

With three major cloud platform implementations under our belt, we've heard more than once we're considered a cloud leader. It wasn't our goal, but with resources constrained and the call from business leaders to deliver several key transformations over the last few years, we turned to cloud computing for answers.

Disband the ITU-T IPv6 Group

08/24/10

When the ITU-T IPv6 Group gets together in Geneva next week, one of the things they should discuss is the need for their very existence.

Opinion: IT needs to help secure industrial control systems

08/13/10

After the Stuxnet worm exploited a zero-day vulnerability in a popular industrial controller, it's clear that operators of large-scale infrastructure management systems need to work with the IT security community to better safeguard these critical systems.

Is cyberwar lawful?

08/09/10

The answer is probably not -- at least an unprovoked attack -- based on extensive new legal research appearing in an upcoming issue of the British journal INFO.

The rise of consumer tech

07/12/10

How is your company handling the rising tide of consumer smartphones, like the iPhone?

Inside net neutrality with FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell

03/12/10

Billions of dollars are at stake in the FCC's net neutrality rule making, which could mandate rules for broadband Internet access over wireless and wireline networks.

Meeting an Olympic-size security challenge

02/26/10

Events like the Olympics make me truly appreciate those actively involved in security, intelligence and law enforcement.

Draining the net neutrality swamp

02/11/10

While it was always hard to envision the "information superhighway" having on-ramps from every driveway, that is in fact today’s reality. The path to the world is right at your door. Universal broadband is the foundation of an information renaissance that is driving everything from new commerce opportunities to diverse new employment and entertainment options.

An open letter to my public transit company

02/08/10

For the last week I have been barraged by phone calls and e-mails from various technology body shops asking what my lowest and best rate was for a six-month PCI project you are looking to staff. I've also received e-mails from a bunch of folks trying to get me to work on a project for you. I have heard various rates of $55 to $70 per hour for this PCI project. Note that these rates are considerably lower than the market rates for qualified PCI professionals, especially in the tri-state area.

Net neutrality: Needless yoke or new opportunity?

01/11/10

The Federal Communication Commission's net neutrality proceeding represents huge opportunities for network operators and equipment manufacturers to demonstrate that differentiated speed and service quality in vertically integrated networks will promote -- not diminish -- investment, innovation and consumer welfare.

Virtual insecurity: Who's in control of your virtual machines?

12/21/09

Server virtualization has reached an inflection point in the enterprise at the 10-year mark. Capital expense savings from physical server consolidation are leveling off and early gains in IT operational efficiency are at risk due to rapidly growing and increasingly complex virtual infrastructures. Moreover, business-critical production applications -- the next virtualization frontier -- demand higher levels of service and strict security and compliance oversight, further challenging IT operations teams.

Wireless management presents unique challenges

12/08/09

From convergence to mobility to virtualization, every networking innovation that delivers convenience to end users also brings complexity for IT managers. Nowhere is this trade-off in complexity greater than in the migration to IEEE 802.11n wireless networks.

Office in a bag: Basic 'musts' for the digital nomad

09/24/09

In the past few months, the dream of the digital nomad lifestyle has really taken flight. You know when major newspapers pick up on a trend, it's reaching the mainstream -- something that Computerworld's own Mike Elgan has been predicting for some time.