By Andrew Conry-Murray
IT execs love to hate the organizations that write technology standards--groups plagued by vendor influence and prone to indecision. Still, standards shape information technology as well as the business IT enables. In this Special Report, our tech editors address the standards that matter most in seven core markets.
Enterprise Applications: SOA Rising By Lori MacVittie
The move to service-oriented architecture application standards provides unprecedented interoperability between applications supporting its base standards, for both ISVs and the enterprise. Security: Shaping Strategies By Don MacVittie
Two of the standards driving the security industry--PCI DSS and 802.1X--will have as much strategic impact on the enterprise as technological. Storage and Servers: Get Serialized By Steven Hill
Let's face it: Speed is everything. And the serial revolution is finally making its way to a server near you, with disk and I/O performance you've only dreamed about. Management: IT Aims to Improve Itself By Bruce Boardman
As enterprises adopt standards-based best practices to boost efficiency and comply with a growing number of regulations, management standards have become more important than ever. • Standards Challenge Puzzle • Standards Challenge Answers
Wireless: A Future Without Cables By Dave Molta
Expect to see an array of wireless systems tied together by higher-layer standards like IMS. Integrating those technologies in a way that allows a wide range of devices to move transparently across networks won't be easy. But as standards evolve, that hope is likely to be realized. Infrastructure: It's All Good Inside By Peter Morrissey
Thanks to Ethernet, the infrastructure space has had it easy in terms of standards. But we're not immune to them, and these standards are making our complex infrastructures even easier to manage. Messaging: Getting Your Message Across By Michael J. DeMaria
Consumers and businesses alike are looking to overcome interoperability problems so as to integrate multivendor communication technologies.
Chip Changes Propel Virtualization By Steven Hill
Vendors have been touting the massive potential for datacenter virtualization for some time. Now, new x86 processors from Intel and AMD are paving the way. But is a world of virtual systems that take care of
themselves really possible in our lifetime?
Affordable IT: Survival Strategies for Small IT Shops By Andrew Conry-Murray
IT departments at small businesses face many of the same challenges as those at large enterprises, but without the same financial or human support. These real-life strategies on helpdesk management, user
training and security will help small IT shops stop fighting fires and start building the business.
Workshops
Centerfold: Video Conferencing Resuscitates Hospitals' Interpreter Services By Jim Carr
With 60 percent to 70 percent of its patients speaking little or no English, three hospitals pool
their interpreters through a VoIP/video conferencing link to improve patient care and boost overall
efficiency. Crash Course: XSLT and XPath in Your Organization By Edward Hand
To make the most of company data, you must keep up with the changes in its flow--among users,
applications and systems. An understanding of XSLT and XPath are essential to anyone managing an IT
environment where XML has become commonplace.
Sneak Previews
Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 By Ben DuPont
Novell makes SUSE as easy to install as Windows Server--making Windows to Linux transitions that much easier.
Cittio's WatchTower 3.0 By Bruce Boardman
Customizable dashboards and value-added documentation simplify management for small-to-midsize businesses.
Departments
Last Mile: Worst...Security...Ever By Andrew Conry-Murray and Tom LaSusa
This edition laughs at the Top 11 worst security strategies, driving under the influence (of cell phones) and a Zen inspired casemod.
Columns
The Art of IT: What IT Controls--And Doesn't By Art Wittmann The control freaks in IT would love to string up anyone who violates the department's policies. But
once users are allowed to take their laptops home, the chances of IT controlling the application mix on
those machines diminishes.
Air Time: Wireless FUD--Alive and Well By Dave Molta The wireless network market is an industry that lives and dies by innovation, so fear, uncertainty and doubt are all things we have to learn to live and work with.
BuzzCuts
EMC and RSA: A New Day for Data Security By Mike Fratto
EMC's acquisition of RSA gives the company a competitive advantage in the information security space and a golden opportunity to lead the market in a new direction.
Give Flash a Chance By Mike DeMaria
Player 9 has serious improvements over its predecessor, including more options for programmers and faster content rendering. If you've dismissed Flash in the past, it's a good time to take a second look.
Cisco Wireless Bugs--Deja Vu? By Lee Badman Bugs were recently found in Cisco's Wireless Control System that appear similar to past problems affecting its Wireless LAN Solution Engine. In each case, fixes required new code. But the real solution should
have been vigilance.
VA Employee's Stolen Laptop Recovered--But Don't Relax Yet By Jordan Wiens
The laptop containing personal data of thousands of veterans has been recovered. The government says it doesn't look like the data was accessed or copied. But don't be so sure.
REPORTS
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