Baseline articles from January 2008

Baseline archives from January 2008

Private Investigation Laws: Obstacles and Solutions.
January 2, 2008... Depending on the jurisdiction and regulatory laws, computer forensic professionals may be subject to private investigator (PI) licensing requirements. The key word is "may," since each law is different and not always comprehensive. The...

Evaluating Your Computer Forensic Vendor.
January 2, 2008... Finding the right forensic specialist for your business isn't easy. You need an investigative response team that understands applicable federal and state laws as well as the regulatory and cultural landscape of your industry. These...

Computer Forensics Faces Private Eye Competition.
January 2, 2008... The Internet is boundless and cybercrime scenes stretch from personal desktops across the fiber networks that circle the globe. Digital forensic investigators like Harold Phipps, vice president of industry relations at Norcross Group in...

2007 Data Breaches Not As Bad As We Think.
January 2, 2008... The roster of identity thefts for the past year is as disturbing as it is lengthy. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were 443 data breaches in 2007, resulting in the compromise of more than 127 million records. By...

A More Open Microsoft.
January 2, 2008... You might have missed the news just before the holidays that Microsoft has become slightly more open with respect to its networking protocols. Late last year, they announced a way for third parties to license their core file sharing protocols...

Will the Voting Machines Get It Right?
January 2, 2008... Electronic voting was supposed to solve the vexing balloting problems that plagued the 2000 presidential election. But as the 2008 primary season kicks off, many states are still wrestling with the accuracy and security of high-tech voting...

The Boston Celtics' New Malware Point Guard.
January 3, 2008... The franchise that won the most NBA championships, the Boston Celtics, was getting beaten by viruses punching through its defenses. The solution? A gateway appliance that double-teams malware without impacting network or client performance. ...

Virtual PCs Add New Layer of Security.
January 3, 2008... BOSTON (Reuters) - Worried about people accessing your private information whenever you use a public computer? There is a way to protect yourself: Devices as small as a keychain allow you to use any computer without leaving a trail of...

Shell Strikes Massive IT Outsourcing Deal.
January 3, 2008... More than 3,000 Royal Dutch Shell IT workers are waiting their find out their fates as the European oil giant is expected to announce next week that it will outsource much of its IT operations. According to published reports, Shell...

InterContinental Hotels Cultivates Customer Web Community to Improve Business.
January 4, 2008... Certain travelers want to know where the Internet hookup is the instant they enter a hotel room. Women who travel frequently like to exercise, but they don't want to work out in a glass-enclosed gym. Market researchers at the InterContinental...

Paulson: Don't Want to Rush Economic Stimulus.(Paulson Henry)
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Monday the Bush administration was considering how to give the economy a boost as it weathers a housing correction, but does not want to rush. "Our most immediate goal is to...

Xerox Softens Image in Brand Overhaul.
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Xerox Corp on Monday launched a multimillion dollar brand overhaul, aiming to cement its image as a technology and services provider and finally shed the notion that it simply makes copiers. The company will change its...

Microsoft's Bill Gates Bids Farewell to CES.
January 7, 2008... LAS VEGAS--In what might have been his final keynote address at an International CES event, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates opened the 2008 expo with talk about entering a new "digital decade," where his company plans to play a major role. ...

Wikia Brings Own Brand of Open, Social Search.
January 7, 2008... As expected, Wikia Jan. 7 is launching Wikia Search, a socially driven, open-source alternative to top-line search engines from Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Wikia Search, forged from the floundering Grub distributed search project Wikia...

Sears Really Has More On Your Life.
January 7, 2008... One of the funniest scenes from the 1995 Brady Bunch movie comes when the sugary-sweet brood stuck in a twisted '70s time warp believes they've saved their shag-rugged home. In triumph, patriarch Mike Brady declares: "Kids, put on your Sunday...

Union Aims to Disrupt Shell Outsourcing Plans.
January 8, 2008... Labor union opposition could delay Royal Dutch Shell's plans to outsource more than 3,000 IT jobs this year, according to published reports. (See Baseline's report "Shell Plots Massive IT Outsourcing Deal".) Silicon.com and ZDNetUK are...

WiMax to Grow Fast Globally in Next 2 years: Intel.
January 8, 2008... SDEROT, Israel (Reuters) - An emerging long-range, high-speed wireless technology is expected to spread quickly and be available globally within two years, a key backer of the so-called WiMax technology said on Tuesday. "In a year or two,...

Microsoft Bids $1.2 billion for Fast.
January 8, 2008... OSLO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has offered to buy Norwegian Internet-search software firm Fast Search & Transfer for 19 crowns per share, valuing it at about $1.2 billion, the companies said on Tuesday. Fast shares, which had been...

Lessons Learned from the Fax Machine.
January 8, 2008... So you probably think that the lowly fax machine can't teach you anything about modern computing culture, but you are wrong. Here are four lessons that bear repeating. First, interoperability matters. In my column last week, I spoke about...

Halting the Import of Hazardous Goods.
January 9, 2008... Barbie dolls are dangerous? Say it isn't so, Mattel. The sweetheart doll loved by generations of American children was among the millions of toys recalled last fall because of magnets that could become dislodged, lead paint, and other toxic...

Goldman Sachs Sees Recession in 2008.
January 9, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs on Wednesday said it expects the U.S. economy to drop into recession this year, prompting the Federal Reserve to slash benchmark lending rates to 2.5 percent by the third quarter. In a note to clients,...

Rich Internet Apps: Best of Thick and Thin.
January 9, 2008... Back in the days before the Internet went mainstream and the browser became the de facto user interface, there was a period where developers spent an inordinate amount of time trying to design rich user interfaces, with mixed results. But...

New Year Sees Shake-ups in Corporate America.
January 9, 2008... NEW YORK--It could be a rocky year for many U.S. business leaders. The uncertainty follows a string of recent departures as hard pressed corporate chiefs grapple with the housing and credit crunches, soaring commodity and oil prices and...

Microsoft Won't Launch iPhone Rival: Report.
January 9, 2008... FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Microsoft will not launch a product that competes directly with Apple's iPhone, Chairman Bill Gates said in an interview with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "No, we won't do that. In the so-called smart...

Amaox Battles Bioterrorism with Virtual Software.
January 9, 2008... Mustard gas. Phosgene. Chlorine gas. Anthrax. If it's a potential bioterrorist weapon, chances are that Amaox-- a little known biotech company 'based' in Paw Paw, MI-- has a treatment in the works to stop such an outbreak or at least...

Tuning TECH to Business.
January 9, 2008... Aligning IT to business needs will continue as one of the top--and most vexing--challenges for IT managers for the next five to 10 years, according to new research by Ziff Davis Enterprise. Alignment is nothing new. It's a perennial list...

5 Secure Reasons for Thin Clients.
January 9, 2008... Access to Web applications is typically the most frequent use of a personal computer. Whether this should be done by means of a "fat" computer or by the increasingly available "thin" client is a question on many enterprise agendas. The fat...

Bernanke's Bluntness Seems to Assure a Big Cut.
January 10, 2008... CHICAGO (Reuters) - Weeks ahead of a key policy-setting meeting, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday left little doubt the central bank will slash interest rates to bolster the sagging economy. Speaking in Washington, Bernanke...

Apple Eyed for Slim Laptop, Online Film Rentals.
January 10, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas winds down to lackluster reviews, Apple Inc is expected to grab the spotlight with an ultra-slim laptop computer and online movie rentals at its biggest annual show...

Logitech Shares Surge on Talk of Microsoft Bid.
January 10, 2008... ZURICH (Reuters) - Shares in Swiss-based computer peripherals maker Logitech International SA gained up to 12 percent on Thursday amid speculation Microsoft Corp would launch a takeover bid, traders said. But board member Daniel Borel, who...

New York Launches Antitrust Probe of Intel.
January 10, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state launched a formal investigation on Thursday to determine if Intel Corp, the world's biggest chip maker, violated state and U.S. antitrust laws to squeeze out rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. New York...

Designer of Laptop for Poor Kids Starts Company.
January 10, 2008... BOSTON (Reuters) - The scientist who designed a notebook computer for poor children that is being produced and sold by a nonprofit foundation has set up a company to commercialize the technology with a goal of producing a $75 laptop computer....

Fed Pledges to Act to Counter Market Turmoil.
January 11, 2008... NEW YORK--Federal Reserve officials on Friday said falling home prices and financial market turmoil are big risks to the U.S. economy but pledged that the central bank would not shrink from taking bold steps to support growth. At a...

8 Ways to Avoid an Audit from the Business Software Alliance.
January 11, 2008... The fear of a Business Software Alliance (BSA) audit has caused many a sleepless night among senior executives and IT professionals over the past two decades. This enforcement arm of dozens of high-profile software vendors is known for its...

Bank of America to Buy Countrywide for $4 Billion.
January 11, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp said on Friday it agreed to acquire battered mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp in a $4 billion transaction that could help avert one of the biggest collapses from the U.S. housing crisis. ...

Homeland Security Strips Chips from Controversial REAL ID Plan.
January 11, 2008... The Department of Homeland Security is pressing ahead with its plan to require more secure driver's licenses for most Americans, but plans to embed microchips in the REAL ID cards have apparently been scrapped. Homeland Security Secretary...

IBM Jazz Opens Jam Session.
January 14, 2008... IBM is opening up its collaborative development platform, known as Jazz, to the community at large, the company announced Jan. 14, allowing any interested party to collaborate and contribute to software under development at www.jazz.net. In...

IBM, Samsung Churn Out Most Patents in 2007.
January 14, 2008... IBM continues to churn out more patents than its competitors, logging an impressive 3,148 for the year, according to a review of patent grants by IFI Patent Intelligence . While the IBM total was nearly 500 less than in 2006, it was still...

Apple, China Mobile Call Off iPhone Launch Talks.
January 14, 2008... HONG KONG--Apple Inc and China Mobile have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones in China, dashing investor speculation that the device will hit store shelves soon and sending China Mobile shares down. Investors had...

Overtime Hours Point to Manufacturing Recession.
January 14, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - A drop in factory overtime hours to the lowest level since 2002 does not bode well for the manufacturing sector and has led many to expect widespread job cuts and a recession-plagued economy. A decline in overtime,...

Wal-Mart, Teens Could be 2008's Best Retail Bet.
January 14, 2008... CHICAGO (Reuters) - Consumers and investors will likely be shopping for discounts this year, whether it's in stores or on the stock market, as the sluggish economy hurts sales and profits. While that means discount giant Wal-Mart Stores...

Boeing to Announce Further 787 Delay: Report.
January 15, 2008... NEW YORK--Boeing Co is close to announcing a further delay to its 787 Dreamliner, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, threatening to push deliveries of the new, hot-selling plane even further back and increasing the risk of costly...

It's About Time for a Browser Audit.
January 15, 2008... So here we are with the start of a new year, and already probably most of your resolutions are either forgotten about or still on your "to do" list. Here is one that won't take much time, won't cost much to do and will bring some immediate...

Diebold to Restate Results Following Probe.(Brief article)
January 15, 2008... NEW YORK(Reuters) - Diebold Inc., a maker of automated teller machines, said on Tuesday it would restate its financial results for 2003 through 2006 and the first quarter of 2007 after a regulatory review that led it to adopt a new accounting...

GM, Toyota Battle Turns Electric.
January 15, 2008... By Kevin Krolicki and Jui Chakravorty, Reuters DETROIT--Toyota Motor Corp, likely to claim the title of world's biggest automaker later this month from General Motors Corp, on Monday threw down the gauntlet to GM in a race for the next...

Alan Greenspan to Join Hedge Fund.
January 15, 2008... BOSTON--Hedge fund manager John Paulson, who earned billions of dollars last year by betting against the housing market, said on Tuesday that former Federal Reserve board chairman Alan Greenspan will advise his firm. Greenspan, whose words...

Weak Retail Sales Fuel Recession Fears.
January 15, 2008... WASHINGTON--Retail sales fell unexpectedly in December to close out the weakest year at the cash register since 2002, data showed on Tuesday, the strongest signal yet that the economy may be sliding into recession under the weight of a housing...

Special Report: Watching the Recession.(Brief article)
January 15, 2008... This year's economy appears to be pointing in the direction of a recesssion. What does this mean for information technology managers, CIOs and business executives with budgetary discretion? It could mean a whole lot of strain on capital,...

Apple to Rent Movies on Web, Shows Thin Notebook.
January 15, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc will start renting movies over the Internet, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said on Tuesday, moving the iPhone and iPod maker into a very competitive market. Jobs also unveiled a notebook computer that was...

BEA Accepts $8.5 Billion Oracle Offer.
January 16, 2008... BOSTON (Reuters) - Oracle Corp on Wednesday won a three-month-long campaign to buy BEA Systems Inc by raising its bid for the business software maker by 14 percent to $8.5 billion. Activist investor Carl Icahn, BEA's largest shareholder...

Economic Worries Grow Among Voters: Poll.
January 16, 2008... WASHINGTON--Voters are growing increasingly concerned about a recession, and the malaise is filtering into their views on the presidential election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. Some 47.5 percent of those...

Bernanke Faces Grilling on Fiscal Stimulus Stance.
January 16, 2008... By Alister Bull WASHINGTON--Ben Bernanke has tried hard not to follow his predecessor Alan Greenspan into the political arena by commenting on fiscal policy, but the Federal Reserve chief will find it difficult to stay above the fray this...

Brocade Ex-CEO Sentenced to 21 Months in Options Case.
January 16, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Brocade Communications Systems Inc's former CEO was sentenced on Wednesday to 21 months in prison for backdating stock-option grants in a scandal that has ensnared scores of U.S. companies and led to billions of...

IBM Growth in Americas Slower than Overseas.
January 17, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM said on Thursday that revenue from the Americas rose 5 percent, slower than other regions as overseas units showed the strongest gains, and said computer hardware sales declined. Fourth-quarter net income at...

Bernanke Backs Quick Fiscal Stimulus.
January 17, 2008... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday threw his support behind efforts to craft a fiscal stimulus package and repeated that the U.S. central bank was ready to act aggressively to counter recession risks. ...

Time Warner to Test Internet Billing Based on Usage.
January 17, 2008... NEW YORK--Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday it is planning a trial to bill high-speed Internet subscribers based on their amount of usage rather than a flat fee, the standard industry practice. The second largest U.S. cable operator...

What to Do When You Receive a BSA Audit Letter.
January 18, 2008... Let's face it, software asset management (SAM) might be a best practice, but there are still plenty of organizations out there who haven't instituted SAM due to a lack of resources or initiative. If your organization is one of them and the...

Sprint to Cut 4,000 Jobs, Close 8 Percent of Stores.
January 18, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile service, said on Friday it will cut about 4,000 jobs and close about 8 percent of its stores, predicting further pressure on its ability to attract subscribers and turn a profit in 2008....

Halo 3 Meets Second Life.
January 18, 2008... Video games and military training are a natural fit. Any exercise that can sharpen physical reflexes and shooting skills has obvious applications for soldiers preparing for war. For researchers at Sandia National Labs and BBN Technologies,...

Yahoo Plans to Cut Hundreds of Jobs: Source.
January 22, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO--Yahoo is planning to announce cutbacks later this month that will likely lead to hundreds of job losses at the nearly 14,000 employee company, a source familiar with the plan said on Monday. Yahoo spokeswoman Diana Wong...

Fed Slashes Interest Rates.
January 22, 2008... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday slashed U.S. interest rates by a hefty three-quarters of a percentage point, the biggest rate cut in more than 23 years, in an emergency bid to lend support to a U.S. economy some fear...

Google Enrolls University of Phoenix.
January 22, 2008... Google scored a big win in its battle to unseat Microsoft on university campuses as the University of Phoenix has announced to its 70,000 students that it will soon convert to Web-based Gmail. The search engine giant has been waging a quiet...

Bill Would Help States Ditch Electronic Voting.
January 22, 2008... New Jersey Democrat Rep. Rush Holt recently introduced a measure that would provide financial relief for states that jumped into electronic voting only to find those systems increasingly unreliable. Holt's Emergency Assistance for Secure...

Lessons From General Motors' Fall from the Top.
January 23, 2008... The news today is grim on several fronts, as recession fears continue to grip world markets. If plunging markets and an economic slowdown weren't bad enough, it became official that General Motors is no longer the world's largest auto...

Apple Execs Get Bonuses, Jobs Still at $1.
January 23, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several senior executives at Apple Inc took home 2007 cash bonuses that doubled their salaries but Chief Executive Steve Jobs maintained his annual pay of $1 and took no additional compensation, the company said on...

Motorola Forecasts Loss on Struggling Phone Biz.
January 23, 2008... NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola Inc said on Wednesday it will post an operating loss in the current quarter as recovery in its cell phone business is taking longer than expected, dashing Wall Street expectations for a profit and sending its...