Opinion

Gartner weighs in on the state of IT

My conversation with a Gartner fortune-teller reveals troubling times ahead

Database Apprenticeship

One thing that saddens me is that this country has lost the concept of apprenticeships. It used to be that whenever you wanted to learn a trade you would pick a professional who could teach you and you would become his apprentice. What does it really

AJAX and SOA…Where is the Link?

So, what does AJAX and SOA have in common? The answer: Everything. Is AJAX and enterprise technology? Absolutely. As we move to next generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as service-oriented architecture (SOA), the need for a d

SOA domain analysis: All about data and services

SOA is all about using what you have — but discovering all the data and service resources already in place is a huge undertaking

SOA service design: Developing for the future

You can't separate service creation from the big picture, but start small and stick to standards if you want to scale

Planning an SOA: Gathering around the drawing board

Involve stakeholders from all over the enterprise, and with the right tools you can model a robust SOA foundation

New models, challenges for open source businesses

Companies like Greenplum aim to buck the status quo of enterprise software

SOA services deployment: Putting theory into practice

Rigorous testing is the name of the game, complemented by policies that nail down what service consumers can and cannot do

Organic SOA: Developing a sustainable lifecycle

Creating a scalable service-based enterprise ecosystem requires a broad architectural vision

SOA management: Governance plus intermediaries

Management is what distinguishes SOA from a bucket of services. Here's how to publish and proxy services for a fully scalable system

Sustainable SOA

Consolidation creates an impressive slate of end-to-end SOA solutions

Microsoft Plans to Release SP1 Hotfix for SQL Server 2005

The issues caused by installing SP1 for SQL Server 2005 have been addressed and Microsoft is releasing a hotfix this week. The hotfix will correct the timeout errors received when trying to connect to SSIS as well as some other minor issues that surf

Finding references

Dear Bob …If you've covered this topic before, please let me know where.I recently decided that it would be in my best interest to leave my current employer, but not before obtaining employment elsewhere.  In the process of putting to

Mysterious MIMEDefang

Although I've been using MIMEDefang as the primary component in my email filtering path for years, I find that once in awhile it will mysteriously stop functioning. When this happens, it usually spontaneously coughs up an error state with no app

Why arguing by analogy isn’t valid

Dear Bob …I read your column with interest having been a team leader and now finding myself, again, doing what I do best, which is creating software.  I know that I am not a leader but expect some time to find myself in that position again

Technology workers are the future

Innovation starts and ends with people, not mergers and acquisitions

Debunking the computer monoculture myth

When "monoculture" is just another way of saying "I hate Microsoft," security falls by the wayside

CA execs cop a plea, Sun’s McNealy set free

And time's up in the D-Link v. Kamp dispute

Never Outsource DBAs… or Other Critical IT Staff

Outsourcing critical IT functions has always been a mystery to me. I realize it saves the company money in certain aspects, and even saves some admin headaches. However, when you get down to it, it's really just a trade-off. You're trading

A new Sun set to rise on storage

Shortly after the CEO change of guard, Sun unveils its revamped storage strategy

Ready or not, 802.11n-compliant WLAN products are here

The good and bad about Cisco's new Linksys wireless router and PC Card

Virtualize your DR Strategy

There's been a lot of talk lately about virtualization. I know Tom Yager's hitting it in his column and in his blog… so you know it's important. I may not be telling you anything you don't already know, but virtualization can he

Virus hunter

In order to test some security gear, I'm in the process of collecting samples of worms and viruses… which isn't as easy as you might think. It's simple enough to put an unprotected Windows XP system live on the 'net for a few mi

The best way to make decisions

Dear Bob …My boss and I argue regularly about whether his style, which is to run a consensus-driven organization, or mine – I tend to be more authoritarian – is better. He's constantly trying to get me to spend more time building consensus. I

Accessing the web of databases

A world of possibilities is revealed when you view the Web as a network of interconnected data

Virtualization and the client conundrum

When choosing solutions for VOA and dynamic resource allocation, don’t forget the clients

Keep your DBAs

There's been a bit of buzz around lately(again) about methods companies are using to retain their IT staff longer. It would seem that in general the American business community is starting to realize that rotating out the people who run your inf

Cacti Brings Great Reporting Functionality to Open Source Monitoring

Handling malicious obedience

Dear Bob …In an article last year you mentioned an employee subverting a supervisor through malicious obedience ["The hierarchy of power," Keep the Joint Running, 6/20/2005].  In all the years I’ve been a super

Peer-to-peer device networking takes shape

New wireless technologies will make seamless inter-machine communication a reality

Sleazy software company plays the extortion game

Most patent infringement lawsuits have more to do with financial warfare than right and wrong

What is the Future of DB2?

I often wonder who will ultimatly take the lion's share of the database market. Oracle and Microsoft seem to have a strong lead while IBM and Sybase seem to be lagging behind. And for some reason Sybase seems to be almost not even on the same co

Network Weathermap — A Free Monitoring Tool You Should be Using

E-commerce in crisis: When SSL isn’t safe

A secure connection between browser and back end underlies Internet commerce. But what if it’s already compromised?

Sun’s Schwartz still doesn’t get Linux

New CEO's first statements reveal a company struggling with the realities of the software market

E-commerce heads in the sand

Why are businesses ignoring a potentially huge threat to security?

How SSL-evading Trojans work

Trusted code, back-end defenses are the best ways to fight back

An interchange about optimization

Ooooooh, Bob, I think you've oversimplified things just a tad [in "Optimizing the unoptimizable," Keep the Joint Running, 4/24/2006]. Optimizing "must be about a single variable"? Nah, I don't think so. In general it&#03

Google enterprise effect, Take II

Google's enterprise push has security, privacy implications. Plus: Oracle shift fuels commoditization

Core Impact puts a vise grip on vulnerabilities

A deeper look at Core Security's long-standing scanner shows the value of commercial vulnerability solutions

How about Support for Service-Oriented Connections?

Service-oriented connectivity is a bit more complex, but nonetheless important. Instead of dealing with the extraction and publication of simple information to source or target systems, service-oriented adapters have to abstract services or applicati

Embarcadero Closes Gap on CA

Embarcadero announced today that they're partnering with DBE Software. They want to use their Schema Examiner to add functionality to ERStudio and RapidSQL. What this does is analyze database models from a design perspective and provides recomme

Tap SharePoint and get wiki wid it

If you run Windows 2003 Server, you've already paid for a decent wiki platform in SharePoint

Resources for resolving vendor disputes

Want to work things out? A third party can be invaluable for resolving your differences

Tips on how to divorce your technology vendor

If you’re looking to leave your vendor, you may be in for a world of pain — unless you follow a few simple rules

Dumping your technology vendor? Let reason prevail

When it’s time to move on, be sure you’re parting for the right reasons

HP and storage startup set sights on ILM

HP and Scentric both aim for the same goal: Giving customers more control of data

Bye Bye Scott — Don’t Let the Door Hit You On The Way Out

Why Is Everyone Illiterate?

The virtualization myth

There’s a lot more to it than a bunch of developers running Windows and Linux together