Network Computing


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IMMERSE YOURSELF:

IBM Buys Into Security:
IBM's recent deal to acquire Web security software vendor Watchfire is one of those deals that 'validate the market'--at least for those companies that haven't been burned by SQL injection and other Web security issues.
By Jordan Wiens Andrew Conry-Murray / Jun 20, 2007

Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephony Arrives in U.S.:
A relatively new cordless telephony standard in the United States, DECT is finally breaking into the communication market, thanks in part to offerings from Siemens.
By Frank Bulk / Jun 20, 2007

The Battle of Web 2.0 RunTimes:
With the release of its AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) software, the company joins the list of vendors delivering Rich Internet Application runtimes.
By Andy Dornan / Jun 20, 2007

Tech CEOs Play Presidential Politics:
The "Great Nation" report by advocacy group Technology CEO Council urges the United States to encourage more people to enter science, technology engineering and mathematical fields.
By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee / Jun 20, 2007

Google Amps Apps Focus:
The company anticipates its new Google Gears open-source project will emerge as a standard for delivering offline Web applications.
By Andy Dornan / Jun 6, 2007

Brocade Moves Beyond FC:
Proving that iSCSI is a credible threat to Fibre Channel, Brocade announces the release of an iSCSI initiator.
By Steven Schuchart Jr. / Jun 6, 2007

What the Heck Is a Mobile Companion Anyway?:
Built to work with a smartphone, Palm's new Foleo straddles the line between a PDA and full-blown ultra-mobile PC. But just how useful will it be?
By Sean Ginevan / Jun 6, 2007

Postmortem: Interop Wireless:
If you ever wanted the skinny on just how Wi-Fi scales, Interop provides the perfect setting.
By Frank Bulk / Jun 6, 2007

Java Returns to the Desktop:
At the recent JavaOne show, Sun Microsystems unveiled JavaFX, a desktop-scripting environment for Java browser apps.
By Andy Dornan / May 23, 2007

Next-Gen Wi-Fi Nears Takeoff:
The Wi-Fi Alliance announces the first products certified to the speedier next-generation 802.11n wireless standard.
By Frank Bulk / May 23, 2007

Data De-Dupe Hits Storage:
Network Appliance has announced the first iteration of data de-duplication technology for primary storage.
By Howard Marks / May 23, 2007

Motorola Banks on Vo-Fi:
Motorola's recent equity stake in Vocera Communications is an indication of the company's belief that voice over Wi-Fi is set to soar.
By Jameson Blandford / May 9, 2007

SOA Poised To Explode--Or Not?:
Gartner is forecasting big growth for apps designed around a service-oriented architecture. But the first batch of SOA software has done little to impress.
By Andy Dornan / May 9, 2007

WiMax Semantics:
Savvy IT watchers are quick to notice there's a difference between 'WiMAX' and 'WiMAX-class'.
By Dave Molta / May 9, 2007

Hacking Contests: See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
Are 'hacking contests'--events where companies offer prizes to users who can uncover software vulnerabilities--a threat to security? Gartner thinks so. But is it being quick to judge?
By Jordan Wiens / May 9, 2007

IBM, Dell Servers Go Green:
Responding to enterprises looking to lower power consumption, the two server giants have begun to offer more environmentally friendly servers.
By Steven Schuchart Jr. / Apr 25, 2007

What Palm Sees in Linux:
Palm announces plans to produce a Linux-based mobile OS later this year. But doesn't this seem like a case of 'too little--too late'?
By Sean Ginevan / Apr 25, 2007

The Digg Effect: The Truth About Windows BIOS:
Microsoft haters were ready with pitchforks and torches over a rumor that the Phoenix BIOS was locking users out of any other OS other than Vista. Notice however we said 'rumor'?
By Steven Schuchart Jr. / Apr 25, 2007

SOA Market Shapes Up:
Progress on long-developing SOA standards and consolidation among SOA vendors would seem to confirm the obvious: Service-oriented architectures are becoming more real every day.
By Andy Dornan / Apr 25, 2007

Are Network Engineers Really Ready for VoIP?:
Results from a recent survey indicte that U.S. network engineers are worried that enterprise networks are not up to the task of handling VoIP traffic--and neither are they.
By Mike Fratto / Apr 11, 2007

RIM Adds Glitz to BlackBerrys:
The ubiquitous handheld device is getting more consumer-oriented features. How soon before your users start asking for them?
By Sean Ginevan / Apr 11, 2007

Is Web 2.0 Inherently Insecure?:
Many Web 2.0 apps pass data as a JavaScript object or as code that can be evaluated in JavaScript. This approach leaves users vulnerable, in particular, to cross-site request forgery attacks.
By Jordan Wiens / Apr 11, 2007

Backup Without Wires:
Cisco's new high-speed WAN interface cards let routers connect to carrier 3G networks using EV-DO or HSDPA.
By Frank Bulk / Apr 11, 2007

IEEE Gives BPL a Needed Jolt:
The IEEE has announced the formation of a working group to develop requirements for a baseline BPL standard. Advocates say this will provide competition for cable and telecom companies.
By W. David Gardner / Mar 27, 2007

Can Microsoft Redefine Presence?:
Microsoft's Office Communications Server aims to take the mystery out of business communication by weaving presence information into multiple applications. But are we talking improved communications or shades of "Big Brother"?
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Mar 27, 2007

Is OpenBSD a Little Too Open?:
Core Security Technologies has uncovered a vulnerability in the way many versions of OpenBSD handle IPv6 packets, exposing them to compromise from their local subnet and on IPv6 routed networks.
By Jordan Wiens / Mar 27, 2007

Who Picks Up the Cellular Tab?:
While almost all enterprises pay the bills for their employee's wired telephone services (even for personal calls), the same cannot be said for mobile phone statements.
By Sean Ginevan / Mar 27, 2007

BuzzBites: Burgers the McWireless Way!:
Thanks to a partnership with Japanese wireless provider NTT DoCoMo, visitors to the Golden Arches in Japan will soon be able to pay for Big Macs and McNuggets with their cell phones.
By Tom LaSusa / Mar 27, 2007

BuzzBites: Spam Scotland at Your Own Risk:
Fed up with the daily deluge of spam he received, Gordon Dick, of Edinburgh, Scotland, decided to sue one of his inbox invaders--and won.
By Tom LaSusa / Mar 27, 2007

Beware The FMC Hype:
Fixed-mobile convergence has garnered a lot of attention lately in the industry, but implementing it isn't as easy as grabbing some Wi-Fi-enabled handsets and deploying an FMC appliance.
By Sean Ginevan / Mar 14, 2007

Will Alcatel-Lucent Choke on SIP?:
SIP technology will occupy much of Alcatel-Lucent's innovation this year, but it's no guarantee of success.
By David Greenfield / Mar 14, 2007

Major Vendors Push Green Standards:
A new standards body promoting energy efficiency in the IT industry is being supported by a veritable who's who of vendors.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Mar 14, 2007

Cisco's a Slow Learner:
Cisco's recent problems with the default passwords for its unified IP phone isn't the first time the company--which has spent so much on security branding--has had password issues.
By Jordan Wiens / Mar 14, 2007

BuzzBite: Stinking Up the Web:
In less than 10 years, fragrance cartridges attached to computers will be able to create scents based on information sent over the Internet.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Mar 14, 2007

BuzzBite: E-mailaholics:
Are you looking to free yourself from the shackles of e-mail obsession? There's a 12-step program that's just right for you.
By Tom LaSusa / Mar 14, 2007

IBM Chases the Corporate Desktop:
The company recently launched an offering that lets business customers pick and choose from a set menu of components to create a full desktop suite capable of running on Linux, Mac and Windows. U
By Paul McDougall / Feb 28, 2007

Deja 2K All Over Again:
The change to daylight-saving time on March 11 has administrators and programmers scrambling to adjust the time on a host of computer systems that expected DST to occur on April 1.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Feb 28, 2007

Open-Source Rumors Greatly Exaggerated:
Rumors that Cisco was planning to open-source Trust Agent have turned out to be--unfortunately--untrue.
By Mike Fratto / Feb 28, 2007

Mobile Virus Threat Still Miniscule:
Mobile malware is real and should be addressed, but the problem pales in comparison to other technology threats.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Feb 28, 2007

BuzzBite: Cell Phone Snitches:
From the Big Apple to the Land of the Rising Sun, cell phones are the latest weapon in both fighting and preventing crime.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Feb 28, 2007

BuzzBite: Keeping Mobile Networks 'Regular':
A tree widely used in India as a remedy for constipation could soon help the country overcome its sparse mobile coverage.
By Tom LaSusa / Feb 28, 2007

Capacity Planning Goes Electric:
It's still some time away, but electrical power may become the limiting factor in equipment purchases in the next couple of years.
By Mike Fratto / Feb 14, 2007

Extended Validation Certificates Certifiably Useless:
EV certificates are being touted as a means to help users identify fraudulent sites and thwart phishing. But a study suggests they actually do very little to help fend off phishing attacks.
By Mike Fratto / Feb 14, 2007

BuzzBites: CDC Spreads Infection of Computer Kind:
On the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched new flu preparedness guidelines, intruders planted malware on the agency's podcasting Web site.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Feb 14, 2007

BuzzBites: When Google Sees Too Clearly:
Find out which country asked Google to decrease the resolution of the search engine's satellite photo service in order to protect its sensitive locations.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Feb 14, 2007

Wireless Data Access: Not Just an Option Anymore:
With many vendors touting mobile application development tools, expect more complex mobile apps to creep into the enterprise mainstream.
By Sean Ginevan / Jan 31, 2007

Avaya Fills Enterprise Hole:
The recent acquisition of Ubiquity Software will provide Avaya with a richer, SIP-based development environment that can be adapted to the enterprise.
By David Greenfield / Jan 31, 2007

BuzzBites: When Mobility Goes Too Far:
Notebooks and mobile devices let people work just about anywhere and anytime--including when 'nature calls.'
By Lorna Garey / Jan 31, 2007

802.11n: Plan Ahead:
A ratified standard isn't expected until 2008. Still, it's never too early to determine how 802.11n will affect your Wi-Fi infrastructure.
By Peter Rysavy / Jan 31, 2007

Cisco's IronPort Acquisition: A 2-for-1 Deal:
Cisco taps into two markets--antispam and messaging compliance--with one $830-million acquisition.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Jan 31, 2007

The Recline of Civilization:
You know those days when you know you have to work, but you just can't pull yourself out of bed? Thanks to a new adjustable workstation, you don't have to.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Jan 31, 2007

Mirage and the USPTO: Patently Ridiculous:
Mirage's patent for its description of techniques such as ARP poisoning is further evidence that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seriously flawed.
By Jordan Wiens / Jan 17, 2007

Kontron's Tough-Guy Laptop:
Kontron's new NotePAC laptop can operate in rain and survive a three-foot drop onto concrete. But does a 13-pound machine actually qualify as a laptop?
By Sharon Gaudin / Jan 17, 2007

Measuring the PC Power Bill:
Have you been concerned about how much it's costing your company to power all those desktops and laptops? Intel suggests you relax.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Jan 17, 2007

Are Digital Gangsters on the Rise?:
Goodfellas these ain't. Organized criminals are realizing that the Internet has been largely untapped in terms of generating real profit--until now.
By Sharon Gaudin / Jan 17, 2007

BuzzBite: Spam Goes to War:
British intelligence is utilizing spam in the form of demoralizing text messages sent to Taliban fighter's cell phone numbers.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Jan 17, 2007

BuzzBite: Japan's Robot of the Year Sucks:
An automated vacuum cleaner has received the Japanese Ministry of Economy's "Robot of the Year" award for 2006.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Jan 17, 2007

Will Laptops Get Out-Evolved?:
With advances in computing power, storage and high-speed wireless networks, it should be possible by the end of this decade to have a small handheld device that can run most of the apps you need and that has constant broadband connectivity
By Peter Rysavy / Nov 29, 2006

IBM's Blade Server Meter-Reader:
A plug-in for its systems-management console, IBM's PowerExecutive energy-management technology monitors and displays how much power each blade is using and how hot it is.
By Sharon Gaudin / Nov 29, 2006

Enterprises Still Gambling on Mobile Device Security:
Given the rash of high-profile data breaches and the ease with which mobile devices can be lost or stolen, what reason could companies offer for failing to implement security policies?
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 29, 2006

BuzzBites: When Phishers Go Fishing:
Do Internet phishing scammers take weekends off? Symantec found that phishing e-mails drop 31 percent on Saturdays and Sundays.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 29, 2006

BuzzBites: Parlez-Vous Parking?:
Paris cell phone and GPS navigation device users will be able to find parking garage spots faster.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 29, 2006

BuzzBites: FTC Spanks Adware Vendor; Ink Costs More Than Blood?:
Zango coughs up $3 million for downloading software to PCs that was tough to remove. Also, blood may be thicker than water, but it appears ink is more expensive than blood.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 15, 2006

New Player Joins the SaaS Team:
New company Workday is a further validation of the Software as a Service model, which promises speedier deployments and lower implementation costs by delivering applications using a Web browser.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 15, 2006

Will Enterprise Desktops Go Virtual?:
In what could be touted as the rollback of the client-server revolution, Hewlett-Packard is aligning with VMware to give enterprises the option of re-centralizing.
By Charles Babcock / Nov 15, 2006

Farewell to the Independent Managed Security Services Provider:
The recent purchase of independent MSSP Counterpane caps several years of consolidation.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 15, 2006

Unsanctioned Apps Wreak Havoc:
Unsanctioned apps are a persistent thorn in IT's side and must be addressed by a variety of methods, including user instruction and enforcement of corporate policies.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 15, 2006

VCs Chasing Consumer Tech:
Venture capital investors poured $6.89 billion into the technology market in the first half of 2006. Yet investments in enterprise technology remain flat.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 1, 2006

Extreme Heads for Middle Ground:
Extreme Networks is courting the midsize market by offering on-site assessment services.
By Mike Fratto / Nov 1, 2006

Sprint Rolls the Dice on EV-DO:
With multibillion-dollar investments in both EV-DO and WiMAX, Sprint is banking heavily on mobile data to drive company profits and regain market share from Cingular and Verizon Wireless.
By Sean Ginevan / Nov 1, 2006

BuzzBites: Detect This; Selling iCrack:
Call centers are relying on speech-analysis and emotion-detection software. Plus, the software expert who broke Apple's iTunes copy-protection software plans to make a little scratch.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Nov 1, 2006

T-Mobile Up and Down With 3G:
The cellular service provider is hoping that the proposed rollout of a nationwide 3G network will make up ground lost over the past two years.
By Frank Bulk / Oct 18, 2006

New Anti-Phishing Tool Puts Monkey-Wrench Into the Practice:
Monkeyspaw can automatically submit phishing suspects to the Phishing Incident Reporting and Termination Squad, which attempts to take down the offending sites.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Oct 18, 2006

WLANs Still Insecure:
As wireless networks expand in the enterprise, war drivers who chart the locations of vulnerable Wi-Fi networks are using new ways to disseminate their findings. These tactics make it easier to target unprotected enterprises.
By Sean Ginevan / Oct 18, 2006

Teaming Up for Leak Prevention:
Major vendors like Websense and Symantec are partnering with start-ups in the emerging information leak prevention market to spice up their products and tap into compliance dollars.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Oct 18, 2006

BuzzBites: Old McDonald Had a Robot. Plus, Hack the Vote:
Automation also can be found at the dairy farm. We aren't rid of those hanging chads just yet.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Oct 18, 2006

BuzzCut: Open-Source-Based Businesses Square Off:
With the launch of its open-source routing appliance, start-up Vyatta is showing David-eqsue tenacity against 'Goliath' Cisco Systems.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Oct 4, 2006

Carriers Circle Their Wagons Around 4G:
Sprint, T-Mobile, Vodafone and several other heavyweights have formed the Next Generation Mobile Networks initiative to define features they would like in 4G networks.
By Sean Ginevan / Oct 4, 2006

BuzzBites: Dirty, Dirty Mouse; Predicting the Internet's Future:
A new self-cleaning mouse rids itself of germs and bacteria. Coming to the Internet by 2020: virtual world addicts and anti-Internet terrorists.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Oct 4, 2006

Truth vs. 'Truthiness' in Vendor Claims:
When vendors promise the world about product performance or capacity, the truth tends to be a little more down to earth than sky high. Just take Barracuda Networks' Model 300 for example.
By Frank Bulk / Oct 4, 2006

Locking Up SOA Governance:
HP and WebMethod's recent acquisitions of companies that make service-oriented architecture governance products could be bad news for the enterprise.
By Lori MacVittie / Oct 4, 2006

A Bad Call for IP Telephony:
While conventional telecom providers will soon be able to cut costs, many VoIP service providers will be forced to increase them.
By David Greenfield / Sep 27, 2006

The Perfect Search With Your Cell Phone:
It may not be long before you can use your cell phone to do an Internet search. Just don't expect to Yahoo or Google it.
By Robert Hertzberg / Sep 27, 2006

Symantec and Juniper: An Unequal Partnership:
Symantec and Juniper are partnering to strengthen their presence in the security market. But all signs indicate Symantec stands to gain the most with the least risk.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 27, 2006

BuzzBites: Software Sidelines the Segway; Web 2.0 Goes to the Dogs:
A software bug in Segway PT scooters can cause a tumble. Investors spend $1 million for social networking sites for pet owners.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 27, 2006

After Hard Lessons, the VA Encrypts It All:
Badly burned in recent months by two of the most extensive personal data breaches in history, the Department of Veterans Affairs aims to protect veteran data by securing a total of 300,000 hosts.
By Patrick Mueller / Sep 20, 2006

Skype Users Most Active During Office Hours, Says Study:
The peak time for Skype usage in the United States is around noon CST. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell the difference between business usage and chit-chat.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 20, 2006

IEEE: No Comments, Please!:
The IEEE 802.11n task group isn't likely to have a final wireless standard until 2008, in part because the group is obligated to respond to comments on the draft standard--all 10,000 of them.
By Dave Molta / Sep 20, 2006

Is There Money to Be Made in Wikis?:
No longer strictly off-the-cuff Web sites, wikis are being used in thousands of corporations. Now one start-up hopes to turn them into lucrative collaborative tools.
By Robert Hertzberg / Sep 20, 2006

BuzzBites: Hypno-Spam; Rebuilding the Bombe:
A new form of spam uses a subliminal message to boost responses. Plus, why are amateur engineers rebuilding a computing machine that hadn't been run in six decades?
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 20, 2006

Move Forward with 802.11n: Make Lemonade from 802.11n Lemons
As the time approaches to make a significant Wi-Fi investment, you'd probably like to see some protection. Does it make sense to deploy 802.11a/b/g when 11n is imminent?
By Dave Molta / Sep 13, 2006

ISS: IBM's Red-Headed Stepchild:
IBM can't stop gushing over the managed security services business it acquired from ISS. But it seems to be completely ignoring ISS' IPS software and appliance business.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 13, 2006

Could Social Networks Succeed in the Enterprise?: My Network or Yours
Eager to capitalize on the success of MySpace, start-ups are exploring the possibilities of business-focused social networks for the enterprise.
By Robert Hertzberg / Sep 13, 2006

Small Biz Goes Mobile:
A recent Yankee Group survey indicates that small enterprises are encouraging employees to get e-mail and calendaring over their mobile devices.
By Sean Ginevan / Sep 13, 2006

BuzzBites: Linux and Lenin; Booting Up:
The Indian state of Kerala, which is communist, plans to promote Linux in its 2,724 high schools. Also, what do technology and the art of throwing rubber boots have in common?
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 13, 2006

Wi-Fi Security Vendors Sound Desperate:
A recent Wi-Fi exploit prompted two vendors to quickly claim their products protect against such vulnerabilities. In truth, the security market is rife with vendors trading on fear and opportunism.
By Frank Bulk / Sep 6, 2006

Brocade's Acquisition of McData: Where's the Value?: The $713 Million Muddle
Brocade's acquisition of McData may have left both companies' boards cheering, but the IT and financial communities aren't celebrating.
By Steven Hill / Sep 6, 2006

Could Cash Keep Silicon Valley Employees Happy?:
New accounting rules are forcing Silicon Valley companies to cut back on stock options. Could cold hard cash keep the workforce productive?
By Robert Hertzberg / Sep 6, 2006

Searching for Trouble:
The exposure of anonymous search requests seems innocuous, but personally identifiable information is permeating the search logs.
By Patrick Mueller / Sep 6, 2006

BuzzBites: The Mafia vs. Wizards; But Will It Match My Tinfoil Hat?:
Organized crime may have found a new racket: stealing the virtual possessions of online gamers. Italian leather crafter sells wallets with metal-infused RF shielding.
By Andrew Conry-Murray / Sep 6, 2006

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