News Analysis: Apple's iPad might not face any worrisome competitors just yet, but as Google possibly prepares Chrome OS to take on Apple's tablet, it might be time for Apple to worry about the search giant's Web-based operating system. With an attractive feature set and ready access to Web applications, Chrome OS tablets could end up cutting into the growth of Apple iPad sales.
The adoption and usage of Enterprise 2.0 applications in the workplace is growing at astronomical rates. While there is ample proof of the business benefits of their use, there continue to be major security and compliance risks associated with them. It is time for IT executives to demonstrate leadership and set smart policies. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Lee Klarich explains how IT executives can smartly and safely enable Enterprise 2.0 applications in their organization.
Virtualization introduces a new capacity management paradigm, forcing IT administrators to reassess how they currently plan and manage data center capacity. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Rob Smoot discusses various capacity management methods, explaining why capacity management is important, and how it differs in the physical world versus a virtualized one.
Data parallel programming on a distributed data grid is an important new method for overcoming performance bottlenecks for a broad class of applications. This new method is expected to have important applications in cloud computing over the next few years. Here, Knowledge Center contributor William L. Bain discusses how a distributed data grid can be used to implement powerful, Java-based applications for parallel data analysis.
Google recently put Web content translation onto the map by offering Web users the ability to translate search results from one language to another. Website owners need to decide what Website content should or should not be translated, how this decision will affect company branding and content control, and how translation will impact overall business ROI. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Swamy Viswanathan offers five best practices for how to translate your company’s Website content to maximize ROI.
As cloud consumers, enterprises can do much to improve cloud security. In fact, when it comes to securing corporate information in the cloud, it really is the responsibility of the enterprise. If there is a breach, it's the enterprise that will be seen as responsible, at least for now. By thinking as a cloud provider, Knowledge Center contributor Matthew Gardiner shows enterprises how they can improve security in their cloud computing model and prepare to reap the most benefit from the cloud.
Unlike other network security solutions such as antivirus software, Web content control requires balancing employee needs with that of network security and corporate liability. Web filtering is most effective when combined with training, regular monitoring and a clear acceptable use policy. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Bob Walters explains how to balance the needs of your company's network integrity, its need to cover its back legally, and the recognition that the Internet is part of employees' daily life.
Measuring an IT project's success can be done using certain project metrics. Project metrics collect data to report on the state of a particular IT service. Project metrics can measure processes, activities, resources, processes and deliverables within a quality control plan. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Serhiy Kharytonov explains how IT managers can use data from project metrics to help them with decision making or to take corrective steps on projects when necessary.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The HITECH Act imposes certain requirements on vendors of personal health records (and other related entities) in the event of certain security breaches relating to protected health information. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Gretchen Hellman explains the new HITECH Act compliance requirements, their implications and some best practices for meeting HITECH Act compliance.
It's possible to start up and run a small business with just a collection of single applications on your server. Many single applications for accounting, billing, invoicing, dictation and audio/video transcription have now hit prime time. There are some challenges involved, though not as many as you might think. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Peter Lupton explains how to run your small business using single applications.
Today, the customized, siloed nature of technology supporting different lines of business makes it difficult for companies to make the consistent upgrades needed to leverage rapid advances in technology or user interface. Because significant competitive advantage can be gained by upgrading, Knowledge Center contributor Bill Hyman explains how to upgrade software while still preserving the customizations that were previously made to it.
The transactional costs in IT outsourcing can be deal breakers. So it's vital from a financial and legal standpoint to create a strategic, win-win outsourcing deal from the start. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Jennifer C. Wolfe shares seven specific principles about how to create that win-win outsourcing deal, as well as avoid the legal pitfalls and time killers in the outsourcing negotiation process.
One of the most cost-effective forms of quality assurance is building software the right way, right from the start. To do so, you need to know the requirements to build the right features and how to apply the right software development life cycle model. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Rex Black explains both, as well as the three things every programmer should do with every piece of code written, and how to use continuous integration to avoid nasty surprises.
Everyone wants to take advantage of the cost savings of outsourcing their software projects, but not everyone succeeds. Successful outsourced efforts require good communication, relationship building and trust, as well as a solid understanding about what Capability Maturity Model Integration does—and doesn't—tell you about an outsource vendor’s capabilities. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Rex Black explains these and other critical logistical issues to consider when selecting an outsourcing vendor.
When it comes to software testing, the right test team can sometimes mean the difference between a good application and a bad application with security or code problems. IT managers often wonder if it's wise to use junior programmers or whether or not users or business analysts should play a role in testing. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Rex Black explains how to determine the testing skills required for your project, how to find true professional testers, and how to automate the testing.
We know the dot-com phenomenon (and bust) was driven, in part, by poor software and systems quality—so why are organizations still managing quality like it's 1999? There are key quality objectives every organization should have for their software and systems, and to run projects effectively. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Rex Black offers steps on how to remove bugs before delivering software into the data center, how to test for the right problems with the right metrics, and how to optimize quality from a financial point of view.
Green IT initiatives in the enterprise create cost savings and solidify viability. Now is the time to transform your business by going green for sustainability and profitability. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Scott P. Stephan outlines some achievable goals for any business seeking to make a positive impact on the community, the environment and their profit margins.
To transform today's deluge of data into knowledge that drives innovation, scientific organizations need to bring back the contextually-rich collaboration that existed at the company lunch table. Scientific business intelligence solutions are services-based, flexible and designed to handle the complexities of modern research environments. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Frank Brown explains how scientific business intelligence can empower researchers to work together more effectively and make new discoveries in the cloud.
We need to fundamentally change the way we teach K-12 students in the United States. Mass assembly line education has to be changed into an individualized and personalized educational process where mobile technology is used to facilitate the personalized approach. Here, Knowledge Center mobile and wireless analyst J. Gerry Purdy explains why, once mobile technology is used, all students who go through K-12 education in the United States will have each learned at his or her own rate—and will experience a better outcome because of it.
One of the most common ways of preventing insider security breaches is to have an auditing system in place, which monitors who is doing what within the system. Another method of preventing insider security breaches is to implement a system of job rotation or separation of duties. But Multi-Party Authorization is a better method for proactively preventing insider security breaches because, as Knowledge Center contributor Craig Palmore explains here, Multi-Party Authorization requires two or more people in order to allow access to certain sensitive files.
Even as the unemployment rate grows, demand for Linux-knowledgeable developers is on the rise. In this economy, becoming trained in open source is a safe bet for expanding one's job prospects. The work of open-source developers lives in an open-source community where future employers can easily view a potential hire's work. By building expertise in Linux and open source as a long-term investment, Knowledge Center contributor Amanda McPherson explains how you can better position yourself to get that IT job you want.
Backup and disaster recovery have historically been treated as two separate islands of IT, handled by different departments. Although some organizations have merged the two, most continue to use tape-based backup and disk-based replication, two separate technologies and processes. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Bobby Crouch explains how to get the most value from your storage investment by using continuous data protection to bridge the gap between tape-based backup and disk-based replication.
Protecting sensitive information is a challenge for many organizations. To protect certain files, businesses must first find them, and that's no easy task with terabytes of data and hundreds of thousands of files on SharePoint sites, network attached storage devices and file systems. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Raphael Reich explains how to streamline data classification projects, including how to identify data owners, know which metadata accelerates searches, and streamline reporting and remediation.
For organizations involved with software development and delivery, consciously implementing measures for legal compliance into the software development process itself is crucial. Equally important is incorporating effective software intellectual property management into the organization. Here, Knowledge Center contributors Sorin Cohn-Sfetcu and Kamal Hassin explain how to validate the intellectual property cleanliness of software, while ensuring it meets all legal obligations before market delivery.
Ensuring the security of proprietary data within a virtualized environment is more important than ever, yet the standards established to protect companies against damaging threats continue to confound many. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Robert Grapes explains how companies can build privileged access management into the virtualization implementation process to ensure that the benefits of the virtualized environment outweigh the risks.
Enterprises must strive to continue business operations during a crisis. Having the ability to communicate the emergency situation to employees is vital, as is empowering staff to continue to perform their job duties even if they cannot be in the office. By being prepared with a business continuity plan, you minimize the level of business productivity loss that is inevitable whenever a crisis arises. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Jim Lippie explains how to use IT to ensure the viability of your company during a crisis and beyond.
Database backup and recovery is becoming more difficult and complicated, especially with today's explosion of data growth and the increasing need for data security. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Brent Ozar outlines seven actions database administrators can perform to build a sound database backup and recovery strategy.
In periods of economic uncertainty, enterprises often re-evaluate telecom operating expenses in an attempt to streamline processes and expenditures. But to be positioned well for future economic growth, it’s important to create a mix of short- and long-term cost-cutting strategies. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Albert Subbloie discusses ways that IT and telecom departments can satisfy current cost-cutting demands while preparing for long-term economic growth.
A staggering number of enterprise mobile devices are lost or stolen annually, at a high cost to the organizations that own them. But there are solutions available to help secure the data left on the devices. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Kurt Lennartsson explains why it is imperative that organizations secure this data, and explains how to use encryption software to protect data that is in transit on these mobile devices.
With the alarming increase in the number of reported data breaches in recent years, enterprises must seek measures beyond regulation that will help them protect their company reputation, and avoid financial and brand damage. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Paul Meadowcroft discusses how end-to-end encryption and good key management can be the panacea to securing sensitive data, regardless of whether encryption is explicitly mandated by a piece of regulation or simply recommended.
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