Opinion

Managing disruption

In IT, getting the better of bedlam requires a second-nature approach to change

A new EDI architecture?

Dear Bob …I thought I remembered something from an old column but couldn't find it.  So I thought I'd drop a line to see if you remembered; see if you had $.02; or see if perhaps a column springs out of it.Topic – electronic data

SOA Expert Podcast Show 34…SOA Press Conference at Business Integration 2006 in Frankfurt

SOA Expert Podcast Show 34…SOA Press Conference at Business Integration 2006 in Frankfurt Listen to the latest SOA Expert Podcast…

Investing in data management

Companies own up to their need for better data strategies

Gearing up for hacking takedowns

Wrestling malicious phishing and bot sites into submission requires a group effort

Outlaw Caller ID!

SNW Spring: Talking ’bout a revolution — or two

New SAS switches and AMD-based NAS are ready to give competitors a run for their money

Effective long-distance data protection

Keeping data safe and available is a unique challenge at remote offices

Building the branch office from the ground up

Successful management of a remote office starts with the right infrastructure and tools

Microsoft to admins: Rootkit means rebuild

Thanks to Windows' unprotected kernel, recovering from a rootkit infection could require a full OS wipe

Starting a skills-enhancement business

Dear Bob …I am so impressed with the article on intuition ("Intuition's role," Keep the Joint Running, April 3, 2006). I rely a lot on my intuition and it has certainly guided me making all the right decisions. In fact I find rationa

Virtualization and I/O

You can virtualize a system, but I/O is always there, keeping it real

Reinventing the intranet

Modern social software could be the key to building effective enterprise knowledge systems

Why are the Backup Wars Important?

I've been talking off and on for a while now about the database backup wars, but what I haven't done is explain why they're important to begin with. Well, for starters, there are two big issues: space and usability. Space: Databases ar

When your boss makes a staff member nervous

Dear Bob … Great columns, I have learned a lot. Question: an underling of mine is talented and produces good work, which is basically all I care about. I will call her Mariah. She serves myself and another program lead. My boss is ex-union, and her

Why I Don’t Hate Microsoft — And Why You Shouldn’t Either

When your VoIP vendor goes bye-bye

References and specs aren't enough; check the financials before hiring a company to do a major installation

Budgeting for security breaches

Losing customer data is a huge headache for which businesses must be prepared

Backup War goes into Overtime

I know a lot of you think that the database backup wars are finished, and for a while there, so did I. But, Quest is making sure that it's alive and well. The war has been going on for a couple years now, and I'll briefly summarize the whol

Working with Log Files Hands on Lab Part 1: Syslog

Orbitz gets up and running fast with open source

Open source tools allow travel site to keep pace with well-funded competitors

eFashion Solutions seeks agility, not do-it-yourself

Open source allowed flexible options without having to start from scratch

OpenDocument standardization effort just got harder

Is Microsoft playing the spoiler by joining a key standards subcommittee?

Has InfoWorld gone Mac crazy?

Readers weigh in on Tom Yager's Apple fixation

MIT makes heterogeneous IT systems work

Open source lends the flexibility needed to meet disparate departmental needs

Christian Science Monitor seeks closer technology relationships

Traditional, proprietary software couldn't support an entrepreneurial approach to IT

An early taste of SNW Spring

SAS, iSCSI, and CDP look to be the three most-discussed technologies at this year's show 

Open source demands new IT buying strategies

As the software industry increasingly turns toward open source, IT managers must rethink how they evaluate and purchase assets

The move to open source is good for BZ Results

Reliability and adaptability were key reasons for choosing open source

Sun signals a new day for open source

Tim Bray, co-creator of XML and director of Web technologies at Sun Microsystems, talks to InfoWorld Senior Editor Neil McAllister about Sun's efforts to open its code

Frustration drove Owens Forest Products to open source

Code quality encouraged manufacturer to leave proprietary software behind

Letters to the Editor

Readers react to a letter criticizing columnist Tom Yager’s fondness for Macs

The virtues of open source in your enterprise

The decision to forego proprietary software isn't always easy, but those who rise to the challenge can reap the rewards

Bad boss, bad boss’s boss, what to do?

Dear Bob …  I could use some advice.  I'm working on a contract that is probably going to end in September.  I have no confidence in any of my management chain.  My immediate 'supervisor' is an idi

Patterns could be Key to SOA Solutions

You remember patterns don't you? They are defined by WikiPedia as: "A pattern is a form, template, or model (or, more abstractly, a set of rules) which can be used to make or to generate things or parts of a thing, especially if the things

Encryption for all

Protecting your hard drives will help keep your company from getting snakebit by security breaches

Microsoft admits defeat, Amazon hits “Delete”

Struggling software colossus seeks chimps off the old block

Busting myths about CMS and Windows Vista

Excerpts from two top 10 lists can take some of the anxiety out of buying new products

Don’t blame the laptop for data theft

Common-sense planning can keep sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands

Continuing Open Source Stack Troubleshooting

Dealing with technological diversity

How people adapt technology to suit their own unique styles

Software vendors should optimize for Opteron

ISVs would do well to discuss the potential for a “Made for Opteron” sticker

In a team but not part of it

Dear Bob .. I don't know what to do. It has come to my attention that my office mate has recorded and shared a private conversation I had with him on at least one occasion. I'm not worried about what was said in the conversation as much as

SOA: Focus is on Approaches, Not Technology

So what's hot these days in the world of SOA? Governance, registries, orchestration,…? Nope. As those looking to implement SOA seek that first killer project the emphasis is on what to do, not what you use….

Edge Dynamics puts SaaS on a critical mission

Software as a service is steadily moving into the core of business processes

When servers crash and burn

When the boss ties your hands, how can you keep the system from taking you down with it?

Could a common installer be the answer for desktop Linux?

Standardization isn't the only kind of cooperation that could further the idea of a free desktop

The follies of failing to federate identity

A workable plan for federating identity starts with business policies

Software as a Service

As some wiseguy once said, those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat the seventh grade. Based on that principle, I think I have to nominate the entire IT punditocracy to do exactly that.I'm departing from my normal Advice Line

Knowledge transfer and its alternatives

Dear Bob …What are your thoughts about knowledge transfer? I've been introducing "knowledge acquisition" as an alternative, to try to put responsibility where it belongs.Some background: We're in the middle of an extended … we