Opinion

Focus on SOA Connectivity

The heart of any SOA is the ability to extract information and invoke remote services contained in remote information systems one or many. This is the fundamental jumping-off point for SOA because the value of this type of technology is the ability

Quest Spotlight Goes Enterprise

I got a press release in my inbox today that Quest's enterprise version of Spotlight for SQL Server has just been released. Now, I know that quite a few of you are aware that I'm not fond of Spotlight as anything more than a nice screensave

The long, winding road to today’s 3G broadband

It's taken awhile for 3G to arrive, and the standards are still confusing. They're only going to get more so

Power to the search

Homegrown search service brings flexibility to InfoWorld.com

3G vs. Wi-Fi hotspots

Wi-Fi is cheaper, but 3G is potentially much more convenient. Will WiMax change the equation?

3G today: Broadband on every corner

Compared with Wi-Fi hotspots, 3G provides a hassle-free wireless broadband experience. But is it worth the price?

Locking down standards for desktop Linux

Businesses will be hesitant to adopt a desktop that's always in flux

When a boss suddenly becomes abusive

Dear Bob …Recently, (within the last 9 months) my boss's attitude towards me has changed, but I don't know why, and as more time passes she has become more verbally abusive to both myself, my staff, and other department members that repor

Fine-tuning your supply chain

Are you capturing the data that matters most? New research can help you reconnect the dots

Go hack yourself

Metasploit tips make it easy to learn about tools that hackers may use against you

SP1 for SQL Server 2005 Yields Mixed Results

As most of you probably already know, Microsoft released SP1 for SQL Server 2005 this month. The service pack represents a few bug fixes as well as the production version of database mirroring. What you may not know however is that it's yielding

Quickshift isn’t Quick Enough

For those of you were putting your eggs in the Quickshift basket, you'd better have a backup plan because the rumor I hear is that they just went under. Quickshift was a company that developed a memory compression technology that was supposed to

SOA Expert Podcast Show 35…Great Debate, SOA vs. Traditional Enterprise Architecture

SOA Expert Podcast Show 35…Great Debate, SOA vs. Traditional Enterprise Architecture Listen to the latest SOA Expert Podcast…

Need for SOA Speed

I'm at the Brainstorm Group's SOA Conference in Chicago. I'm doing the keynote at 11:00, then some debate thing at 4:00. I'll record the debate for the Podcast, it's on SOA vs. traditional enterprise architecture, should be g

Forcing IE to behave

If you're looking to make IE respond like all the other browsers when it comes to forced downloads, standard Content-type and Content-disposition headers won't do the trick. However, this PHP snippet shows what will. Be sure to modify the l

Gearing up for Interop …

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 supports Linux Guest OSes

It's official. Is this maybe the beginning of a change of tactics for Microsoft? Between this, SFU 3.5 which was released over a year ago and the recent peeks into Microsoft's Linux labs, we might be watching Redmond switching strategies. I

Dark tales from your friendly IT help desk

Abused PCs and slowed-down networks rank among user transgressions

Get ready for the virtualized enterprise

Neterion, Emulex, and others are quietly building the virtual I/O infrastructure

A good bottle of scotch

I'm honestly saddened by my state government's response to a recent spate of computer security problems. All over NHPR is a continuance of a discussion started in February over a supposed security breach of certain state-run servers. The re

A matter of printer prices

Dear Bob …I don't really need advice about this, but it's an issue that gripes me, so I figured I'd pass it along so you could be annoyed about it too.I own a color laser printer, and I'm running low on toner. I just priced repl

Dell strikes gold by acquiring Alienware

It captured the rarest of finds: genuinely unique, truly innovative PC technology. Should you care?

New screencasts and podcasts from Jon Udell

New content will show, as well as tell, the latest in enterprise IT

Open source network monitoring tools you should care about: MRTG and RRDtool

Is extreme outsourcing and consolidation worth it?

Aggressive reorganization moves may not yield all the hoped-for benefits

The hidden costs of offshoring

Saving money south of the border can be an expensive proposition

Are revenue, cost and risk enough?

The KJR Manifesto has generated a great deal of correspondence. Most of it has been favorable. Quite a bit has been to clarify one point or another. And a few have provided challenges – tests, to probe whether the guidelines hold together.A recent ex

Merged Red Hat and JBoss could be headed for a fall

Can the open source vendor handle competition from the big leagues of enterprise IT?

Chargebacks and the KJR Manifesto

Dear Bob …Great job on the KJR Manifesto. It's a great list!Rules 11 and 12 brought to mind a quandary for me.[In case you missed them:11. IT is an integral part of the business. Run IT in a business-like way, not as a separate business. Runni

McAfee Irritations

After dealing with the vagaries of McAfee's Managed Virus Scan product for far too long, I finally fired it from a network today. Besides causing seemingly random havoc on a few servers, continuing unresolved problems with automated updates on d

Turning outsourcing into a plus takes time and skill

As jobs hopscotch across the globe, the outsourcing model will still face obstacles

Tracking malware with honeyclients

Sweet success over client-side attacks is possible, thanks to group efforts

Apple shakes its Boot; Sony’s meager loot

Note to OS X users: If it ain't broke, don't break it

The long road to RFID interoperability

The Gen2 standard means vendors and customers finally have a common platform

Top six steps toward disaster-recovery

Too many companies lack a basic plan for bouncing back from worse-case scenarios

Next-gen RFID tools expand the market

New standards, software help RF-enable businesses of any size

The last word on SNW Spring

When old-school storage meets up-and-coming technologies, users reap the benefits

Mac OS X 10.4.6 VPN woes

I was actually pretty happy to see that OS X 10.4.6 would include native IPSec VPN support specifically to connect to Cisco VPN servers… Well, L2TP over IPSec, anyway. After I updated the PowerBook, I gave it a shot connecting to a Cisco PIX VPN se

A quibble about the KJR Manifesto

Dear Bob …I read this week's Keep the Joint Running, "KJR Manifesto – Core Principles" (April 10, 2006), and I have a quibble.When, in Guideline #5, you say there are no IT Projects, I say maybe, but maybe not.  There are ce

Set my data free

Companies should be able to deliver personal data in the form that most benefits the customer

Windows Boots on a Mac

Boot Camp means Intel-based Macs can boot XP, and Windows’ sworn enemy made it happen

IBM’s Brand Takes on a Different Nuance

When you buy a product because you trust the brand, it can be a shock to discover a completely different company is actually doing technical support. For example, many IBM ThinkPad customers were unhappy when IBM sold that brand to Lenovo. And now a

Red Hat buys JBoss…Who did not see that coming?

Marketing a new business

Dear Bob …I'm considering starting my own company. Besides word of mouth, what is a good way for me to market my services (advertise)?- EntrepreneurDear Entrepreneur …This is a short question that requires a long answer, because it depends o

How to exit a doomed IT project

Three years after starting a one-month, quick-hit assignment, it was time to jump off the runaway truck

Coping with the compliance headache

The economic issue of regulatory compliance is a problem for IT to solve

10 tips for easing IT change management

Those potentially messy transitions demand clear communication and taking a long view

Mergers and other IT disruptions don’t have to spell chaos

IT pros are usually the ones introducing disruptive technologies into the enterprise. But what happens when the disruptors are the disruptees?

Microsoft fights fire with fire in server virtualization market

Redmond about-faces, supports Linux under Virtual Server, waits for customers to come knocking

IT portfolio management can ease change

Combining skills and software can pave the potholes of mergers, consolidations, and other disruptive events