InfoWorld articles from April 2003

InfoWorld archives from April 2003

Capturing security's fine lines - The layered approach to security has a secret side effect: data overload. Centralizing security management can keep your head above water.
April 7, 2003... Chad Hoggard was drowning in data. Each day the security administrator at Seattle-based Holland America Cruise Lines must drill into hundreds of thousands of log lines delivered from the nearly 100 devices that comprise or protect the company's...

Old CDPD network causing new problems - Analog cellular being phased out by carriers, suppliers.
April 7, 2003... The CDPD analog cellular network is being phased out by suppliers and carriers alike by suppliers and carriers in a move that will open doors for 3G and digital networks to flourish. AT&T Wireless, one of the two primary supporters of...

CA turns to Linux for integrated security - Cross-platform security strategy hinges on open source.
April 7, 2003... Nudging Linux toward adulthood, Computer Associates is ramping up efforts to portage its core management products to the open-source platform. By doing so, the Islandia, N.Y.-based software maker is strengthening its cross-platform systems...

The IPS question - Does intrusion prevention really work? Enterprises and vendors alike are seeking the answer -- and figuring out what it means for their businesses' futures.(TippingPoint's Unity2000 data security device)
April 7, 2003... Security customers aren't the only ones debating whether IDSes (intrusion prevention systems) can deliver on their promises of preventative security -- IDS vendors are also trying to figure out how to deal with a technology that threatens the...

Prevent or deter? Whether intrusion prevention is reality or just marketing-speak, it all comes down to a matter of trust.
April 7, 2003... Cybersecurity may not be on everyone's mind at every waking moment, but that doesn't stop the evolution of defensive measures. Intrusion prevention technologies are the latest outgrowth of attempts to thwart those bent on subverting -- or at...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Suspicious behavior - The machine's coming undone.(Column)
April 7, 2003... Amber has been acting very suspiciously lately, and I cannot help but wonder what is going on. First the shopping spree and now a mysterious dinner that she got all dressed up for. "It's just something I have to do, Cringe," she said. I wonder...

SECURITY ADVISER: The cyberwar begins - Information warfare could hurt your company.
April 7, 2003... Predictions of some sort of cyberwar have been floating around for months now, with security experts suggesting that if war actually broke out, a series of cyberattacks was sure to follow. However, there hasn't been much evidence of anything...

STORAGE INSIDER: Tape libraries aren't dumb - Going beyond the 'dumb peripheral,' ADIC gets a head start in the tape library race.(Column)
April 7, 2003... Here comes another column about innovation -- you know, that new stuff that keeps this industry moving along? This time, we're not talking about virtualization or iSCSI, but a new twist in the world of tape: tape libraries. ADIC last month...

THE OPEN SOURCE: Keeping jobs at home.(Column)
April 7, 2003... Open source can helpU.S.companies retain American programmers In a recent column, I disputed the notion that open source is responsible for U.S. programmers being replaced with cheap overseas labor (see "Boon or bust?"). In my discussion, I...

WINDOW MANAGER: Microsoft's Software Update Services are free, but competitors say you get what you pay for.
April 7, 2003... Enterpriseupdate To those of us who live in the Windows environment, it sometimes feels like a warm, familiar blanket. But with all the patches we have to apply, it looks more like a crazy quilt. As one way to deal with this...

WIRELESS WORLD: Happy birthday, Mr. Cell Phone - Thirty years have been good to the cell phone, but it still has a ways to go.(a talk with inventor, Marty Cooper)
April 7, 2003... April marks the 30th anniversary of the cell phone's invention. I spoke with Marty Cooper, the man credited with inventing it when he worked at Motorola. In those intervening years, the cell phone has gone from Cooper's first 30-ounce...

Okena builds a better mousetrap.(StormWatch 3.2 )(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 7, 2003... StormWatch 3.2 intrusion prevention system provides peace of mind for the patch-weary IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems) do little more than inform administrators of a potential violation of a secured space. And because these systems rely...

HRMS made easy - Hosted HRMS: Employease picks up where Peopleclick leaves off.(SR)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 7, 2003... The goal of an online HRMS (human resource management system) is to streamline HR processes such as recruitment, payroll, performance evaluations, and benefits administration and to provide a central repository of employee-related information....

ProLiant DL740 tames enterprise apps - HP's scalable, powerful server is geared for mission-critical application migration.(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 7, 2003... When an ordinary Intel-based server doesn't deliver the oomph or reliability that a specific application needs, you have three choices. One, you can scale vertically by migrating to a server that has a similar architecture but provides more...

Sun chases network inflection point - N1 Data Platform bolsters distributed network vision.
April 14, 2003... Sun Microsystems is attempting to expand the definition of its self- styled "network is the computer" moniker. According to Sun CTO Greg Papadopoulos, a rise in the number of autonomous devices residing on a network coupled with a decline...

Wireless switching paves new application path - App vendors explore the uses of new smart phone technology.
April 14, 2003... Enterprise application vendors are catching the pervasive-computing bug. Following the porting of enterprise-grade applications to PDAs, advances in network switching technology are paving the way for high- end cellular handsets called smart...

WS Security tops RSA show agenda - Liberty Alliance to unveil Identity Web Services Framework.(RSA Conference)
April 14, 2003... Federated identity and Web services security will dominate the agenda at the annual RSA Conference that kicks off inSan Franciscothis week. RSA Security, VeriSign, and the Liberty Alliance Project will use the event to launch products that...

WIRELESS WORLD: CDPD premortem - CDPD's pending demise should force companies not to get locked into one wireless technology.(cellular digital packet data)
April 14, 2003... The demise of the CDPD (cellular digital packet data) analog cellular network in and of itself may not be the cause of any major disruptions in your business processes. But it should give you pause, forcing you to think about the future as you...

THE OPEN SOURCE: On the desktop - Virtual desktops and evolving e-mail clients make Linux an increasingly viable desktop option.(Column)
April 14, 2003... I have been using Linux on my desktop since 1997. I found the platform's features and supporting applications usable back then, and much has changed for the better. Some things which were great back then are still great today. The most...

SECURITY ADVISER: Hah! You're wrong! Good security advice isn't necessarily consistent -- what's wrong for you is right for others.(InfoWorld's CTO Forum)(Column)
April 14, 2003... "I couldn't disagree with you more!" I glanced to my left as two members of the panel I was chairing at InfoWorld's CTO Forum in Boston loudly disagreed with each other. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and if the session went on...

STORAGE INSIDER: The iSCSI iceberg - The future is finally here for iSCSI SANs, and a lot of vendors are jumping on board.
April 14, 2003... Are you sick of hearing about the future of iSCSI and all the glowing predictions of what it will bring? Well, so are we. For every one article we've written on iSCSI over the past three years, we've had at least 10 briefings. Alas, it's only...

WINDOW MANAGER: The previously unannounced changes in Windows Update are now something people want to talk about.(Windows Update)(Column)
April 14, 2003... Microsoftresponds Is there an echo in here? I reported three weeks ago that the WU (Windows Update) routine had been changed by Microsoft so that it now uploads your Product ID number and a list of your installed hardware (see "What...

SANavigator puts SANs in perspective - McData's mature SAN management tool boasts full functionality, broad product support.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 14, 2003... As SANs grow over time, with switches and servers added haphazardly to the array, they can become quite difficult to track and manage. McData'sSANavigator 3.5.1 brings order to complexity and enables the SAN administrator to monitor and manage...

Grand Central connects Web services - Hosted network fills the gaps between incompatible Web technologies.(Grand Central Communications)
April 14, 2003... Imagine a world with no Postal Service nor Federal Express. Whenever you wanted to send a document to someone, you'd have to find out how they accepted documents, find a trustworthy carrier to transport the document, and then negotiate delivery...

Dawn of the dynamic enterprise - With rapid, unpredictable change as a constant threat, complexity is IT's silent killer.(Industry Overview)
April 14, 2003... IT strategists and visionaries peering into 2004 and beyond see a potentially catastrophic flaw in existing enterprise solutions: complexity. How serious is it? Every business that hosts or outsources large-scale solutions will take a hit. Even...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Contractual discord.
April 21, 2003... Amber vehemently denied any messing around and got mad at me for asking. "I'm not cheating on you, Cringe," she barked. "Don't you even trust me?" And she ran out of my house without looking back. Geez. Gateway woes One of my spies...

WIRELESS WORLD: CPUC throws carriers for a curve : Proposed pitch for wireless regulations has Verizon crying foul.(California Public Utilities Commission )(Column)
April 21, 2003... The CPUC is pitching a set of wireless-industry regulations and Verizon is crying foul In baseball, it's called a donnybrook; an all-out fight where both teams empty the benches and pour onto the field. That's what the fight over proposed...

WINDOW MANAGER: Time for a change -- The Window Manager column switches from print to e-mail in preparation for Microsoft's next act.(Column)
April 21, 2003... This is the last installment of my column that will appear in InfoWorld. After today's print edition and the coming online publication of my final May 5 column, I'm converting Window Manager to an e-mail newsletter. To continue receiving my...

STORAGE INSIDER: Rounding third, coming home -- As Storage Insider rides into the sunset, a working SMI bodes well for interoperability.(Storage Networking Industry Association's Storage Management Initiative )
April 21, 2003... Hear that whooshing sound? No, it isn't the sound of Houston Astro Jeff Kent swinging over San Francisco Giant Robb Nen's slider for strike three, but rather Mario and Scott leaving the building. Don't worry, though. This column isn't going...

SECURITY ADVISER: No security secrets -- The secret to managing your company's security is that there is no secret -- it all comes down to your employees.(Column)
April 21, 2003... I was half-listening to a comment by my seatmate as I toyed with the foodlike breakfast substance the flight attendant had placed on my tray- table. I was trying to decide whether any naturally occurring food had ever been that shade of yellow....

eTrust Antivirus 7.0 pulls double duty : CA's antivirus solution boasts dual scanning engines and superior manageability.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 21, 2003... Computer Associates' eTrust Antivirus 7.0 is similar to enterprise antivirus solutions from other leading vendors such as McAfee, Symantec, and Trend Micro. But CA's solution distinguishes itself in several important ways, making it worthy of...

Network security: Product or service?(Computer Associate's eTrust Antivirus 7.0)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 21, 2003... When your office has a monitored burglar alarm system installed, is it a product or a service? With infrared motion detectors and sirens, you might think that a security system is a product. But the true value isn't in these Spy Kids gadgets....

Double-duty Aps : Proxim's Orinoco AP-2000 sets up dual-mode wireless for the enterprise.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 21, 2003... As wireless LANs begin the long transition from 802.11b to higher-speed alternatives, dual-mode APs (access points) can protect previous investments while offering the advantages of newer technology. Proxim's Orinoco AP-2000 with 5GHz adapter...

THE OPEN SOURCE: The open road ahead -- The Open Source concludes this week, but the open-source movement continues to gain momentum.(Column)
April 21, 2003... Things change. Next week, InfoWorld gets a new look with fewer columns, not including this one. A lot has happened with open source in the year and a half that I've written this column. When I started, there were lots of people in the IT...

Microsoft looks to tie SUS, frameworks - Company targets CA, HP, Tivoli, but experts question plan's viability.
April 28, 2003... Microsoft revealed an effort to align with systems management vendors to integrate its SUS (Software Update Services) into their frameworks, with the goal of easing Windows patch management installation and configuration. But analysts said...

N+I: Network startups centralize wireless LANs - Security functions find way into network core.(BlueSocket, ReefEdge, Aruba Wireless Networks and Perfigo )
April 28, 2003... Seizing an opportunity to centralize WLAN security, startup networking vendors will tackle established competitors this week at NetWorld+Interop in Las Vegas. Newcomers BlueSocket, ReefEdge, Aruba Wireless Networks, and Perfigo will...

IBM rolls out WebSphere for mainframes - Big Blue brings Web services to zSeries.(WebSphere for z/OS 5.0)
April 28, 2003... Hoping to entice enterprise users to buy mainframes for Web services, IBM this week will roll out an improved version of WebSphere for its zSeries. The spruced-up edition, WebSphere for z/OS 5.0, adds support for core Web services...

Plumtree grows beyond portal roots - Company unwraps integrated infrastructure suite.(Plumtree Enterprise Web Suite)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... PlumtreeSoftware this week will extend its reach into Web application building and management with the introduction of an integrated suite and a set of developer tools. The Plumtree Enterprise Web Suite combines new versions of the portal,...

REALITY CHECK: Think outside the SarbOx - Companies will have to come to terms with transparency to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley bill.(Column)
April 28, 2003... After two years of writing Wireless World, in which I tried to balance the need to inform readers about worthwhile technologies with the need to debunk the worthless, I'm broadening my perspective beyond wireless while keeping the same...

Solaris 9 x86 proves uneven - Lack of hardware and application support eclipses OS' potential benefits.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 28, 2003... When it comes to Unix, Sun Microsystems' Solaris operating system shines on the company's 64-bit SPARC processors. Unfortunately, the picture is less bright for the version of Solaris written for Intel's 32-bit Pentium family. Solaris 9...

Web services creation made easy.(BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 beta)(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 28, 2003... Beta of BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 insulates developers from J2EE trials and tribulations BEA WebLogic Workshop is a combination development/run-time environment, very much in the spirit of IBM's WebSphere Application Developer. But...

F5 bests Radware in WAN-link manager duel - Link Controller flies through tests while LinkProof flounders.(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 28, 2003... Given the increasing importance of Web services for conducting business, IT staff can't afford to gamble on a single WAN connection to the Internet. In the real-world of wide-area networking, backhoes slice through data lines, telco workers...

Coyote Point Equalizer E-350 balances value and functionality - Version 7 load balancer a fine fit for Web sites without gigabit needs.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 28, 2003... Switch-based load balancers are a necessity for almost any high-volume Web site. But smaller Web sites with T-3 or 100Mbps Internet connections don't need gigabit functionality and may be better served by router-based load balancers such as the...