Caron Carlson

Staying in touch with customers and colleagues becomes not only easier but also safer for road warriors when less dialing is required to leave and retrieve messages. To that end, Siemens Communications Inc. is launching a new version of its unified messaging technology, which includes speech recognition and features that reduce the number of digits […]

To give remote workers the reliability of traditional telephony and the functionality that their counterparts in the main office enjoy, ShoreTel Inc. this week is unveiling Office Anywhere as part of the latest upgrades to its IP telephony technology. “Teleworkers today are at the mercy of the Internet. But voice isnt a guaranteed IP service,” […]

Chief information security officers at federal agencies are more concerned about the quality of the software they buy than they were a year ago, and they are beginning to integrate security functions directly into their daily operations rather than relying on outside help, according to a study released today. The study, based on a survey […]

The Department of Homeland Security worked to repair holes in its information systems last year, but ongoing weaknesses dogged the agencys networks, most notably in managing IT security. According to a July audit letter from KPMG LLP released last week, the DHS did not correct vulnerabilities in access controls and systems software that had been […]

A select group of about 45 IT companies received a request for proposal from the FBI last week to deploy Sentinel, the bureaus next-generation data management project. The new system, whose cost was not disclosed, will replace Virtual Case File, which the bureau canceled in March following an audit that turned up poor management and […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology launched a database of network vulnerabilities last week to give IT security professionals a clearinghouse to keep up with newly discovered weaknesses and learn ways to remediate them. The National Vulnerability Database, which is updated daily, integrates all U.S. government resources on computer vulnerabilities that are publicly available. […]

As part of the effort to integrate the 22 organizations joined to form the Department of Homeland Security, the agency is launching two programs for procuring IT services and equipment. Taking a cue from successful enterprise IT shops, the DHS plans to eliminate duplicate systems and services while taking better advantage of its buying power. […]

As voice-over-IP systems prove to be less easy to use than the technologys champions suggest, vendors are responding to small and midsize businesses need for simpler, more intuitive IP telephony. Nimcat Networks Inc. this week is launching a Web portal where users can download new features for their VOIP handsets within minutes. The portal, called […]

The controversial Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives late last week, prompting predictions of expanded exports by the IT industry and warnings by tech worker representatives of lost jobs. The industry, which had made passage of the agreement, known as DR-CAFTA, a top legislative priority this year, erupted […]

After nearly four years of sitting on the sidelines, corporate America finally mobilized last week to fight the FBIs expanded powers to demand sensitive customer information. However, persistent cold feet on the part of several business groups scuttled the initiative at the last minute, said sources close to the initiative. Congress is moving rapidly to […]

Despite a steady stream of data breaches this year—most recently at CardSystems Solutions Inc.— members of Congress are unable to agree on how to combat the growing threat to consumer privacy, and the roster of divergent proposals grew again last week. “We need to do everything possible to ensure that our personal information remains privileged […]

Corporate America mobilized this week to break a nearly four-year silence on the FBIs expanded powers to demand sensitive customer information, but persistent cold feet on the part of several business groups killed the initiative at the last minute, sources close to the initiative said. Congress is moving rapidly to renew sections of the 2001 […]