InfoWorld articles from July 2006

InfoWorld archives from July 2006

PlateSpin, Leostream ease the move to virtual datacenters - Tools help migrate servers to virtual realm but have some room to grow.(P>V, PowerConvert)(Product/service evaluation)
July 3, 2006... When planning a datacenter migration from P2V (physical to virtual), rebuilding servers in the virtual realm to take over for their physical counterparts is a task that must be accomplished manually -- a complex, arduous, and money-burning...

IBM's System x servers step toward virtualization - Big Blue takes the xSeries in a new direction with management, functionality upgrades.(Product/service evaluation)
July 3, 2006... After many years of venerable service, IBM is retiring the xSeries server line. In fact, IBM is retiring the "Series" nomenclature altogether, rebranding their entire mainstream server line "System x." Although some might construe this...

SoftGrid opens a stream toward application manageability - Rough edges mar an otherwise innovative virtualization deployment solution.
July 3, 2006... Virtualization is all the rage these days. Chances are good that if you're not pursuing some sort of application or server virtualization strategy today, you probably will be in the near future; the potential cost savings are that compelling....

Adobe's Flex platform now better positioned against AJAX - Rich Internet apps technology gets upgrade.(Adobe Systems Inc.)
July 3, 2006... An update to Adobe's Flex rich Internet application development platform last week makes the technology less expensive to use, and could make Flex more competitive with open source AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) development systems. ...

Intel bets on Woodcrest Chip - Company launches Woodcrest, deals unit.
July 3, 2006... Stung by sinking profits in recent quarters, Intel announced two strategic moves this week, launching the dual-core Xeon Processor 5100 series server chip and selling off its sluggish line of communication chips. Having already lowered his...

Microsoft Office 2007 beta not quite "live" - Citrix, not AJAX, behind "Web-based" Release.
July 3, 2006... Is it Microsoft Office in the browser at last? Ever since Microsoft launched Windows Live, Microsoft watchers have been speculating on when browser-based versions of Office applications would arrive, and what they'd look like. That's why...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Server virtualization enters its adolescence - Cost savings alone make this maturing technology virtually certain to be a fixture in the enterprise.(Editorial)
July 3, 2006... Every six months or so, InfoWorld editors gather to catalog the seven to 10 tech topics we'll focus on both in print and online. Most of those topics are mainstays: Storage is a perennial, as is security (in some shape or form). Ditto for SOA,...

OPEN ENTERPRISE: Hardware vendors are missing the opportunity of open source - Alternative Linksys firmware proves that customers can contribute more than just revenue.
July 3, 2006... Enterprising hardware hackers managed another coup last week, having successfully installed a version of the open source DD-WRT firmware on the latest revision of the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. The WRT54G became something of a fan favorite...

SECURITY ADVISER: The depressing state of computer security.(Column)
July 3, 2006... If you're in the field of computer security, working on behalf of the good guys, and expect us to win any time soon, think again. Last week's column suggested that the only real security solution is to implement default authentication in...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: MS exec walks plank, anti-piracy program yanked - Anything I say can and will be used against me...(Microsoft Corp., Martin Taylor)(Column)
July 3, 2006... If your Internet access seems sluggish, just blame slow readers at the National Security Agency. Salon.com reports the existence of a double- super-secret room at AT&T's St. Louis network operations center, which the NSA could allegedly use to...

ENTERPRISE WINDOWS: Microsoft kills the WinFS dream - Server admins' hopes fade as better Windows file system management goes the way of the dodo.(Editorial)
July 3, 2006... It was what Microsoft described as one of the "pillars" of the Vista/Longhorn platform. It had geeks excited because it was more than just a smarter version of FAT32 or NTFS -- it combined relational data technology with local and network...

STORAGE INSIDER: NetApp gets ready to invade the SMB market - A new product line and a dedicated structure say the company means (small) business.(Network Appliance Inc. introduced StoreVault, small and medium business)(Column)
July 3, 2006... Looking at IDC's latest forecasts, the next few years will see relentless revenue growth for storage boxes priced as much as $15,000 apiece; sales of larger storage devices will increase much less, if at all. Ask yourself who's is going to...

FROM THE ANALYSTS: IT services keep hope alive - The software industry may be increasingly predictable, but services just keep getting more interesting.(Column)
July 3, 2006... The software business may be consolidating into a few gigantic companies, but at least there's still robust competition on the services side of things. That's my conclusion from reading some new Gartner stats recapping the worldwide IT services...

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: The tech worker's contract to nowhere - Agencies that promote contract-to-hire positions put everyone else at a disadvantage.(Column)
July 3, 2006... An ugly truth about the IT job market is that opportunists too often dominate it. Honest employers and job candidates suffer because they're forced to compete with cutthroats. Black hat employers see workers through the lens of the recession --...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: Open government meets IT - Public data, made available electronically, can empower the citizenry in unique ways.
July 3, 2006... One of the speakers at InfoWorld's SOA Executive Forum in New York last fall was Dan Thomas, director of the DCStat program in Washingon's Office of the CTO. Earlier this month, he alerted me to a remarkable development. Starting in mid-June,...

REALITY CHECK: Time is right to bargain with Microsoft - As desktop software becomes less important, companies have leverage over the software giant for a better enterprise agreement.(Editorial)
July 3, 2006... I think it's a wonderful thing that Bill Gates is retiring so that he can devote himself to his foundation. If he puts half the effort into doing good works that he put into building Microsoft, the world will benefit. However, that doesn't mean...

OFF THE RECORD: Devilish details dash software project - Only his partner had the insider knowledge needed to finish the app. Guess who was left holding the bag.(Column)
July 3, 2006... By Anonymous It's been almost 10 years now since I went to work for a large, specialized printing company. My job was to keep all the computers working and to make sure they could interface with an arcane array of high-res output devices....

AMD and Intel bake virtualization into chips - Performance increases when software doesn't have to do all the heavy lifting.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)
July 3, 2006... Hardware-assisted virtualization, now available from both AMD and Intel, is not a breakthrough but the beginning of one. AMD's SVM (Secure Virtual Machine) and Intel's VT (Virtualization Technology) signal a sea change in CPU design assumptions...

Microsoft looks to Longhorn for virtualization speed-up - Hypervisor close to the kernel should outpace Virtual Server 2005.
July 3, 2006... Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 R2 is built along the same lines as VMware but requires Windows Server 2003 as the host OS and, unlike VMware ESX Server, it cannot run in a bare-metal scenario. The latest release adds a fairly nifty Web UI and...

VMware maintains lead with Virtual Infrastructure 3 - New version of flagship virtualization product improves hardware support.
July 3, 2006... VMware has long led the x86 virtualization market with its line of hardware emulation-based products. VMware Workstation and Server require a "host" OS -- either Linux or Windows -- to run "guest" VMs (virtual machines) for a variety of OS...

Xen 3.0 makes paravirtualization mainstream - Open source hypervisor builds virtualization into the OS kernel.(XenSource Inc.)
July 3, 2006... Before the Xen project popped up on my radar three years ago, I'd never heard of paravirtualization. In this technique, an altered version of an operating system redirects privileged operations -- the bare metal code that restructures virtual...

Solaris Containers fill servers to the limit - Sun's built-in Unix virtualization scheme maximizes utilization.(Sun Microsystems Inc.)
July 3, 2006... Sun Microsystems first added virtualization features to its proprietary Unix OS with Solaris Domains, a technology that was found only on expensive, heavyweight Sun hardware such as the E10000. That's much too large a platform for most...

Virtuozzo caters to high-volume server environments - Multiple virtual servers run on a single kernel with high performance and excellent management.
July 3, 2006... SWsoft's Virtuozzo was a hit in the InfoWorld Test Center labs. It handles large numbers of virtual servers running on a single host system, and sports a great suite of management tools and open APIs to make automation simple. Virtuozzo...

Virtualization gaining momentum in the enterprise - From OS and hardware makers to tool vendors and beyond, benefits for IT resource utilization are reflected in the bottom line.
July 3, 2006... What's all the fuss about virtual machines? From AMD to Intel, Microsoft to Novell to Red Hat, every major OS and hardware platform vendor today has a stake in the virtualization game. But the truth is that running multiple virtual systems on a...

CA ITM means double trouble for digital invaders - Computer Associates marries anti-spyware with anti-virus.(Integrated Threat Management)
July 10, 2006... An unfortunate fact of life for the network administrator is that the virus and malware threats are not going away any time soon. In fact if anything, things are only going to get worse. Managing enterprise-wide anti-virus and anti-spyware...

KnowNow gives RSS a business-savvy shine - ESS 3.1.7 combines simplicity of RSS with solid management, data connections, desktop delivery.(Really Simple Syndication, Enterprise Syndication Server)(Editorial)
July 10, 2006... You'd have to have been living on Pluto to have not heard of RSS by now. You probably use it to keep up with your favorite blogs. You may have even wondered how you could use it in your business. For a few simple feeds, blogging software...

BEA touts Federation, adds Eclipse to IDE - Revamped app server focuses on zero downtime.(BEA Systems Inc. planning to enhance BEA WebLogic Portal 9.2)(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... Customers hoping to taste the fruit of BEA's acquisition of Plumtree Software almost a year ago will have to wait a bit longer: A planned upgrade to its WebLogic Portal server will not include Plumtree technology. WebLogic Portal 9.2...

EMC seeks "Vision Thing" with RSA Buy - Wall Street revolts, but Tucci defends Identity, Data Strategy.(Joe Tucci )(Editorial)
July 10, 2006... EMC CEO Joe Tucci likes to describe his company's acquisition strategy as a "string of pearls" approach, focusing on small buys of top-notch technology: Documentum, VMware, Captiva. All together, those pearls add up to something that's really...

Fujitsu, Software AG partner on SOA Registry - CentraSite giveaway targets SOA architects.(service oriented architecture)(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... If an SOA has a hub, it's the registry, because that's where services are exposed. Surprisingly, the top SOA players such as BEA, IBM, and Oracle are better known for their application servers, development tools, and ESBs than their registries....

Sun pushes new Galaxy, blade servers - Opteron-based Fire X4500 and 4600 appeal on price, performance.(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... When Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim made a triumphant return to the company, his first major act was to introduce a new line of Opteron- based Galaxy servers that earned a thumbs-up from many quarters, including the InfoWorld Test Center....

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Netburst slinks away - Now that Core Microarchitecture is shipping, the Pentium 4 architecture gets a fitting send-off.
July 10, 2006... Intel's first server-targeted core microarchitecture CPU, the Dual-core Xeon Processor 5100 (aka Woodcrest), has made its debut. A client CPU line branded Core 2 Duo launched as well, so in servers, desktops, and notebooks, Pentium 4 (aka...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: Evolving WinFS still needs to embrace the Web - To truly succeed at search, Microsoft should acknowledge social networking.
July 10, 2006... I was one of the lucky souls who saw the only public demonstration of Microsoft's object-oriented file system, code-named Cairo, at the 1993 Professional Developers Conference. A decade later, in a column entitled "A Tale of Two Cairos", I...

REALITY CHECK: IM as a unified collaboration platform - IBM hopes instant messaging will become the central portal for enterprise communications.
July 10, 2006... Is the ability to respond quickly to the right situation or to the right person at the right time at the very core of how your company conducts business? My guess is there are fewer and fewer companies that would answer that question in the...

Podcasts: Microsoft and Sun groom their OSes for 10 Gig - Executives from both vendors discuss their 10-GbE visions, including new driver programs for NICs.(Sun Microsystems Inc.)
July 10, 2006... With 10 Gig making inroads into mainstream datacenters, we had to check and see how server OS vendors were responding to this fast new media. In the past, even when straight Gigabit Ethernet adapters were first introduced, operating systems...

Spirent melds voice, video, and data into networking test gear - Enhanced TestCenter and Abacus tools prove invaluable for gauging 10- Gig performance.
July 10, 2006... We've been doing network-switch testing for more than 10 years now, and the concept of a triple-play test (voice, video, and data) has been a part of our plans from the early days of ATM OC-12 through Gigabit Ethernet's birth and now to 10 Gig....

The 10-Gig challenge: How we tested - Today's high-end switches demand heavy-duty challenges to truly assess their capabilities.
July 10, 2006... In our continuing effort to create more realistic enterprise simulation, we agreed to use Spirent's new TestCenter 5000A and combined it with its Avalanche, ThreatEx, and Abacus gear in order to fully load our competitors with the triple play...

The InfoWorld Test Center's 10-Gig switch-off - High-end networking gear from Hewlett-Packard and Extreme Networks prove their enterprise worth in a grueling gauntlet challenge.
July 10, 2006... Two years ago, 10 Gig meant screaming along the bleeding edge with your hair on fire. The speed was there, but achieving it was a black art requiring network performance knowledge, driver tweaking, and OS tuning. Rumor has it this is no...

Kace offers IT automation sized right for SMBs - KBOX automation appliance streamlines compliance, software deployment.
July 10, 2006... I believe that quite a few small businesses are silently hoping that they're small enough to fly under the radar of the compliance police. Just keeping up with patches and software updates has to be stretching SMB IT managers to their limits....

Exclusive: Corticon plays by different rules - Spreadsheet-like alternative to traditional rule builders aces development.
July 10, 2006... Dr. Mark Allen of Corticon caused quite a ruckus several years ago when he published a paper called "Rete is Wrong," which took all of the rule-based engines based on the Rete (pronounced Ree-tee) algorithm to task for inefficiencies and poor...

A product management approach to SOA - How Wachovia Bank applies product lifecycle discipline to SOA solutions.(Editorial)
July 17, 2006... Deploying an enterprise-wide SOA is not just about developing and deploying components and services -- it's about changing the DNA and culture of IT to become more product-management oriented. While most IT shops talk about meeting the...

Banking on SOA - At Wachovia Bank, Tony Bishop and his boss, CIO Susan Certoma, made a huge bet on SOA. Now, they're on their way to completing the platform for innovation the company needed.(Service oriented architecture)
July 17, 2006... When you're the fourth largest bank in the U.S., but only No. 14 in a fast-growing business that's crucial to your future, how do you use technology to leapfrog the competition? That was the question facing Susan Certoma, CIO of Wachovia's $6...

Borland set to sell IDE business - JBuilder, Delphi sales likely this quarter.(Borland Software Corp.)
July 17, 2006... More than five months after Borland Software announced plans to sell off its IDE business, the company said it is closing in on a sale. Borland has had inquiries from approximately a dozen interested parties about its IDE products,...

Juniper, Cisco focus on access control - Company updates Odyssey, deals proxy wares.(Cisco Systems Inc. introduced NAC Appliance 4.0)(Juniper Networks Inc. introduced Odyssey Access Client 4.5 and Steel Belted Radius 5.4)(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... Although Cisco Systems began evangelizing the notion of NAC (network access control) in 2003, it took its time putting a NAC strategy together, allowing competitors and small startups to rush in to fill the void. The fuzzy NAC picture, however,...

Notes on Linux: One small step - IBM Chipping away at Windows' Value.(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... Officially, a version of IBM's Lotus Notes client for Linux wasn't supposed to arrive until sometime in 2007 with the planned next release of the Notes platform. But IBM surprised customers last week with a Linux version of Lotus Notes 7, as...

Experts warn about MS DHCP hole - July brings seven patches, five Critical.(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... Microsoft on Tuesday released its monthly round of security patches, fixing a number of widely reported bugs in its Excel and Office products. The July security updates include seven patches: four in the Windows operating system and three...

Microsoft's Vista, Office delays complicate partner plans - Company uses purse, perks to woo partners.
July 17, 2006... Partner pricing deals, cash incentives key for success in new markets While European Union regulators were slapping a $350 million fine on Microsoft for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust ruling, CEO Steve Ballmer and other company...

OMBs encryption deadline hinges on enforcement - August Deadline could stop more VA-like Losses.(White House Office of Management and Budget)(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... Zero to encrypted in 45 days? That's the amount of time the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) gave federal civilian agencies to fall in line with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines regarding the...

Salesforce introduces partner management - Benioff predicts delays for Microsoft CRM Live.
July 17, 2006... Salesforce.com's summer release is typically an opportunity to hype minor upgrades. But with Microsoft announcing its intention to release an on-demand CRM product last week, are you surprised that there's more than usual in Salesforce's latest...

Fujitsu, Software AG partner on SOA Registry - CentraSite giveaway targets SOA architects.(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... If an SOA has a hub, it's the registry, because that's where services are exposed. Surprisingly, the top SOA players such as BEA, IBM, and Oracle are better known for their application servers, development tools, and ESBs than their registries....

Experts debate merits of tiered Net traffic - Bill McCloskey and Jon Taplin take differing positions on Net neutrality.(Interview)
July 17, 2006... By InfoWorld Staff Should Congress enact a law that prevents telecommunications companies from charging more based on the kind of traffic they are distributing? What is at stake for enterprises that rely on the Internet? InfoWorld asked...

Battle lines drawn over Net neutrality - Ranks are joined on either side of traffic prioritization issue.
July 17, 2006... As the U.S. Congress argues the pros and cons of network neutrality, many companies doing business on the Internet say their very futures may be at stake. Net neutrality supporters want new laws prohibiting Internet providers from blocking...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Exploiting everyday end-user behavior - Social engineers know how to manipulate IT's weakest link.(Editorial)
July 17, 2006... It's summer, the nights are hot and humid, and you're probably not sleeping all that well anyway. What better time to run a story entitled "What Keeps IT Up at Night?" And according to Contributor Editor Dan Tynan, typical IT...

OPEN ENTERPRISE: Lotus Notes breaks away from Windows - Lotus Notes breaks away from Windows.
July 17, 2006... A full year ahead of schedule, IBM has brought Lotus Notes to the Linux desktop. A Linux client for Notes wasn't expected until the arrival of "Hannover," the next major release of the Notes platform, in 2007. But Big Blue had a surprise up its...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: FBI gets hacked, video blogger sacked - Where's Efrem Zimbalist Jr. when you really need him?(European Union has fined Microsoft for allegedly violating its antitrust agreement)(Amanda Congdon has resigned from Rocketboom)(Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage usage )
July 17, 2006... BAE systems consultant Joseph Colon was just trying to sidestep bureaucratic roadblocks when he hacked into the FBI's $500 million computer mishegas known as Trilogy. Using script kiddy tools (and a password supplied by a G-man), the...

FROM THE ANALYSTS: IT gets drafted to babysit the blogs - Plus, database threats and spam rates reportedly are on the rise.
July 17, 2006... I don't have time to read Weblogs. There, I said it. I'm not saying the blogosphere's emperor has no clothes. I'm just trying to be realistic about how much time I can spend in life reading other people's musings. According to the latest...

SECURITY ADVISER: Unauthorized applications (still) a bad idea - Locking down business desktops suggestion draws flak -- but better security is worth the pain.
July 17, 2006... As expected, I caught a lot of flak for last week's column suggesting that one of the better, real security solutions an administrator could implement is to prevent unauthorized programs from executing on business-owned computers. [...

STORAGE INSIDER: Let the summer storage tournament begin - Charged with new products, purchases, and alliances, storage vendors get ready to joust.
July 17, 2006... When I heard about EMC purchasing RSA, my immediate reaction was a mental nod of approval. After all, it has been almost a year since Joe Tucci presented the company's plans for integrated storage and security, and EMC has not yet shipped a...

ENTERPRISE WINDOWS: What the heck is Windows Live, anyway? This giant service set is more than just Google retaliation -- there are some useful business services inside.
July 17, 2006... As late as early June, I noticed that folks attending Microsoft's TechEd trade show seemed to avoid the Windows Live booth because they simply don't know what the service really was. And there are many who think they know what it is and dismiss...

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Broaden your options: Don't fear native code - The conditions that brought .Net and Java into being are no longer today's reality.
July 17, 2006... I have prepared an account of the history of .Net and Java that's intended to balance more fanciful post-mortem accounts (of .Net and Java, not of me). It reads thus: Sun created Java to cash in on the success of Visual Basic and to convince...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: Application UI goes back to basics - Users rediscover that an effective interface doesn't always need bells and whistles.(Column)
July 17, 2006... I'm writing this column on a Mac-based imitation of a 1970s green- screen terminal. Hog Bay Software's WriteRoom, a free program for Mac OS X, advertises "distraction free writing" as its principal virtue: Less is more. In WriteRoom's...

OFF THE RECORD: "Just fix it" is not a viable strategy for complex IT problems - When your boss has more money than sense, look out when the rug starts moving underneath you.
July 17, 2006... By Anonymous In recent months, my job -- running stateside IT for an international stock trading/brokerage house based in Zurich -- has started to feel a lot like being dropped into the middle of a gangster movie in which dangerous...

REALITY CHECK: Software-as-a-service model is maturing - As a growing number of companies experiment with SaaS, customers are the winners.
July 17, 2006... Customers always want their software bug-free and free of charge. Anything less is a disappointment, according to Josh Greenbaum, a principle at Enterprise Applications Consulting. Although free software may never be widespread, when...

ENTERPRISE WINDOWS: 10 Gig is enterprise-ready, but Cisco doesn't play well with others - Storage and VoIP demands are driving 10-gig switching gear's evolution.
July 17, 2006... Click on over to InfoWorld's 10-Gig switch-off special report, and you can read about our latest adventures testing 10-gig switching solutions at the Advanced Network Computing Lab, now nestled comfortably in its new digs at the University of...

OPEN ENTERPRISE: Windows apps cross over to the Mac - CodeWeavers CrossOver Office's abstraction layer makes the move possible, but there's an even better option.
July 17, 2006... Owners of Intel-based Macintosh computers are still waiting for versions of many of their favorite applications that are built for the new hardware. Although Apple's code translation technology is a marvel, it's no substitute for software that...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Cisco hedges its networking edge - Can the No. 1 switching vendor win in 10 Gig by not playing?(Editorial)
July 17, 2006... Cisco's engineers deserve a heap of credit for helping Senior Contributing Editors Brian Chee and Oliver Rist develop the test plan for this week's 10-Gig switch-off. Eager to show what its big iron could do, the Cisco team improved the agenda...

FROM THE ANALYSTS: Product management bug is spreading - It might sound dull, but it's the best way to avoid pet projects and blind alleys.
July 17, 2006... Each week, I typically pick out some piece of research from an analyst firm, rake it over the coals, add a couple of wisecracks, and move on. This week I went looking for research on a subject I thought was really important to the future of IT,...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Bill, bills, and billionaires - Dell woes addressed, Ellison's largesse.(Dell Inc. reorganized its Americas division)(Larry Ellison plans to donations for Ellison Medical Foundation)(Microsoft Corp. launches Certified Professional Magazine 'Online')
July 17, 2006... The news is bursting with stories about rich geeks giving away their money, from BMW (Bill, Melinda, Warren) to Larry Ellison. But do I see any of it? Nooooo. How about funding a retirement home for cranky journalists with a penchant for puns?...

STORAGE INSIDER: Storage consortium Aperi enters Eclipse without Sun - Controversy still surrounds the Aperi group, but joining Eclipse is an important step to better storage management.
July 17, 2006... After joining the open source community of Eclipse last week, the people from the Aperi storage group had one more reason to celebrate this Fourth of July. It took Aperi eight months to get to this point, but the controversy that has surrounded...

SECURITY ADVISER: Effective security isn't easy, but it is possible - Are you willing to do what it takes to truly secure your company's systems -- no matter how unpopular the solution?(Editorial)
July 17, 2006... Last week, the curmudgeon in me had a bad day. After reading about new exploit after new exploit while people keep recommending the same old security solutions, I lost it. See, I've been doing computer security for 20 years now. And...

OFF THE RECORD: Watch your step -- the boss may be out to get you - When someone is setting you up to take the fall, relief is spelled "written documentation".
July 17, 2006... By Anonymous Several years ago, I signed on with the project management office of an international food services company. My first assignment was to head up a team guiding an enterprisewide general ledger upgrade. Most of the coding and...

Clash of the Java rule Titans - Blaze Advisor 6.1 gains speed, JRules 6.0 gains complexity.
July 17, 2006... We're all familiar with the conventional relationship between the business department and IT: The business department needs a new application or they need to change an existing application. They approach IT and ask how long it will take and how...

What keeps IT up at night? Nightmare scenarios range from data leaks to compliance, but fortunately there are strategies to help ensure some shut-eye.
July 17, 2006... Look in the mirror: those bags under your eyes, that sallow skin, the haunted look. You must work in IT. Between keeping the network running and dealing with hackers, slackers, and clueless managers, it's a wonder you get any rest at all. ...

Jitterbit streamlines data migrations - Straightforward graphical tools come close to satisfying "no expertise needed" promises.
July 17, 2006... At a previous job, a colleague told me how she went home one night and lovingly described the arcane parameters of our assignment to her husband: Data from four computers must be massaged into several versions of XML before being passed off...

Quest brings sweet simplicity to database benchmarking - Benchmark Factory 4.7.1 is a snap to use but falls short on reporting.
July 17, 2006... As applications become more and more complicated, and businesses grow more reliant on electronic transactions, benchmarking becomes increasingly important. Businesses could really never get along without benchmarking, and some are starting to...

Wachovia's steps to SOA success - How Wachovia revamped its organization to successfully implement SOA.(Service oriented architecture)
July 17, 2006... Rather than simply create a few services to be shared by applications, Wachovia Bank's goal was vastly more ambitious: to transform its organization with a flexible new SOA infrastructure. Here's the step- by-step plan. 1. Map the future...

BI's new power users rely on advanced search - Increasing cross-over between enterprise search and BI is getting real-time business analytics into the hands of more employees.
July 24, 2006... In the evolving world of business intelligence, swift and targeted access to reports and analysis is the name of the game. But the frequent inability of employees to locate the results they need from high-end BI applications is prompting...

Enterprise search vendors bet heavily on BI - The race is on to marry search functionality with business intelligence.
July 24, 2006... The intersection of BI and enterprise search is seeing more traffic all the time. Already this year, Google, IBM, and X1 have released new products, and Oracle promises to do so later this year. Here is a short list of solutions from market...

Intel in tough fight, even with Montecito - Earlier Missteps will dog new Itanium 2 Chip.(Brief article)
July 24, 2006... It wasn't so long ago that Intel stood confidently astride the entire tech sector, superstar maker of the microprocessors that drive innovation. But like Hollywood celebrities who suddenly find their star overshadowed, Intel has been engaged in...

Microsoft, Nortel team up on unified communications - Integration could be sticking point for Cisco, Avaya.(Northern Telecom Ltd.)(Brief article)
July 24, 2006... We live in a world of redundancies. Take the telephone (please!). Most of us probably have one sitting right there on our desk, next to our computer. It's used for talking to people. But do we really need a separate device? "No" is the short...

Xen primed for the mainstream - IBM, Microsoft support ups ante for VMware.
July 24, 2006... Xen is the flavor of the month in the tech world. Not only is the open- source technology supported in the new release of Novell's Suse Enterprise Linux distribution, but Microsoft pledged to support Xen- virtualized Linux with its forthcoming...

AmberPoint, Reactivity team up for SOA management - Companies promise better visibility for XML networks.(service oriented architecture )(Brief article)
July 24, 2006... Stacks pushed by the software giants may dominate development and deployment of enterprise SOAs. In the realm of runtime service management and security, however, a handful of pure plays still hold sway. Today, two companies in that space,...

Secure Computing: Putting the pieces together - CEOs say CipherTrust buy creates gateway contender.
July 24, 2006... Just two days after Secure Computing announced plans to buy CipherTrust for $273 million, the CEOs of the two companies were talking pizza. No, not the kind with cheese and anchovies. Instead, John McNulty, the CEO of Secure Computing, and Jay...

OPEN ENTERPRISE: McAfee cries wolf on open source - Blaming community development methods for malware woes is a self-serving smoke screen.
July 24, 2006... According to the editor's letter in last week's inaugural edition of Sage, a magazine produced by anti-malware vendor McAfee, "Open source is not to blame for current security trends." Maybe not, but apparently it's still expected to take the...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Betting on authentication - Smarter identity management is the best way to stop enterprise fraud.(Editorial)
July 24, 2006... If Paul Roberts ever goes to the track, I'm gonna let him place a few bets for me. He has a knack for picking winners. Case in point, a few weeks back, the InfoWorld senior editor suggested the time was right for a story on the enterprise's...