Opinion

Tragedy of the network commons

Effective security and identity management hinge on user behavior, not just technology

The victim cycle

Dear Bob,I have been working for a small company for over 4 years as the "computer support specialist." However, my duties include the intranet development, backups, virus scan, as well as hardware and software support and training.I am so

Building a technology plan

Dear Bob … I work for a forward thinking, small to medium size company. I have been here for 17 years, and love the environment. For 16 of those years, I was a Programmer/Analyst, functioning as Manager when he was not in town. Last year, I was pro

Betwixt

Unfortunately, into every server's life a little rain shall fall. Your bias may lend you to claim that your chosen platform isn't susceptible to certain problems, and that may be so, but other problems will arise, fear not. In a large singl

Setting off storage fireworks

Between Adaptec's acquisition plans and rivalries between Quantum and Sony, summer storage news shows no sign of slowing

Security: It’s time for management to get a clue

IT managers must educate their bosses about security issues

The shaky state of enterprise security

The 2004 InfoWorld Security Survey shows IT managers are worried about the effectiveness of their security systems, with good reason

Corporate insecurity 

Our survey turns up encouraging progress on old threats, but vulnerability to new ones

Patrolling an always-on network

Increased crime-fighting systems demand more effective enterprise security

Your business, live on screen

Business activity monitoring serves up a dashboard readout of key performance indicators, updated in real time

Federating identity

Web sites ask for too much information. Instead, federated sites should share just enough

Bluetooth can pack a mean bite

Manufacturers' lax attitude to security leaves wireless devices vulnerable

Efficiency can be lost on code snobs

So many problems don’t get solved because we overthink the project

Security in surprising spots

In the world of VoIP, security turns up when and where you least expect it

Hoping MIIS isn’t a metamiss

Microsoft Identity Management gives admins a secure handle on data — for a hefty price

Backing up

Dear Bob … A year ago, I was a Server Support Supervisor. I accepted a new position in another division a year ago. It was the smartest move I’ve made. I was recently told, in confidence, that the server backup process in m

Center of what?

Dear Bob …   I need an outside perspective on a situation, but I can't describe it in much detail — my manager is touchy about a lot of things, and if you print any specifics I could get into trouble.   So here's a sket

Take it or leave it

Dear Bob …   I just got out of a meeting and I'm beside myself. I'm responsible for an underfunded IT department — there are just fifteen of us in a profitable company with 500 employees — and once again, one of the executives

Micromanagement vs absentee management

Dear Bob … I'm a hand-off manager. I figure, if I don't trust the people who work for me to succeed without my close supervision, I hired the wrong people. I got into a mild debate over lunch with a colleague who practices a more hands-on

Apple’s WWDC 2004 #3: Apple and Java

At WWDC, I shared a brief "yeah, what's that about?" moment with Apple's VP of Developer Relations, Ron Okamoto. The subject was Java, and we were wondering why Sun has never played the Mac for its potential as the premier Java cl

A developer’s perspective on BPEL

According to Collaxa's Edwin Khodabakchian, a pure visual development tool for process orchestration is still a long way off

Blog meets print 

Dialogues started online shape the content of this magazine 

Will open source software for Windows catch on?

The release of an open source version of Niku's project management app could spell the start of a new trend

Pervasive storage without the sting

New Windows appliance from Tacit simplifies WAN file-sharing

Unix leap of faith

Don’t wait until the rest of the world notices the efforts of Apple, Novell, and Sun

The click-and-drag enterprise

By providing common tools for business analysts and software developers, BPM promises to revolutionize application integration. But can it deliver on the promise, or is the dream of truly business-driven development too good to be true?

Microsoft needs to open MOM up to more than Windows

Competition for Microsoft Operations Manager is heating, and Redmond can't ignore other platforms

Dropping Internet Explorer

You know you should avoid IE, but what are your more secure replacement options?

Longhorn through the open source lens

Two open source leaders offer their take on the successor to Windows XP

HailStorm was before its time

Your basic personal information is already available. Someday, someone will launch a service that will let you manage it effectively

The long view on Longhorn

Longhorn’s reach will extend around the world and change the way developers do their jobs. But what will it mean in the long run?

WinFS: The grand schema of things

Microsoft manager gets to the heart of key Longhorn pillar 

Product Previews

Cleaning up residue from a departed manager

Dear Bob … Several months ago I terminated one of our IT managers. It was a classic situation: He thought he should be running the place and couldn't accept my authority. I did try the technique you suggested when I first came in, and

A taste of Nocona

Last week I received a reference server with a couple Intel 3.6Ghz EM64T Xeon (Nocona) CPUs. These are the brand-new x86_64 chips from Intel, designed to directly compete with the Opteron. Intel may have borrowed heavily from AMD for the Nocona, but

Coaching a peer

Dear Bob … As in any organization, in ours there are go-to people, and those whom you avoid assigning to mission critical tasks. We all try to seek the solution or the path to the solution. However, some are less effective than others at

Scripture, or the simple things

On the one hand, I love scripts. I write or mangle Perl and bash scripts almost every day to do small tasks here and there. Perl can easily handle large, relatively complex tasks, such as Active Directory manipulation or hi-res time sensitive stuff.

Inside the new Novell

Armed with a new open source strategy, the one-time networking leader is back and eyeing Microsoft's turf

Web standards on the move

Internet Explorer may be moribund, but Web client technology is alive and well

The new Novell

Building a successful business on software that is — gulp! — often free

Java’s act holds together

Unbelievable but true: Sun’s Java strategy hit pay dirt in record time

The end of the line for NetWare?

With NetWare likely relegated to legacy status, Novell aims to win customers over to Linux

Sun’s N1 blade management software shows potential

N1 Provisioning Server Blades Edition brings drag-and-drop ease to management, but suffers hindrances

Finding a cure for viral cells

Stopping the spread of smartphone-borne viruses could lead to harsh restrictions on cellular service

You know you’ve got a browser problem when …

CERT and even Slate say that users should switch to another browser until IE is secure

Should everyone always know where you are?

Until some thorny security problems are solved, VoIP growth may be stifled by its limited use in emergency situations

A midsummer storage dream

Turning figments of the imagination into reality is a common theme in newly released storage products

Product Previews

Time to hire?

Dear Bob … I manage a small (~30 person) IT department which we augment from time to time with independent contractors depending on the workload. Two of my managers (applications and desktop support) are trying to persuade me that we need to hire

Contacting contacts

Dear Bob … I was laid off last week from a small Telcom software company. No fault of my own, the company has been poorly managed and cut about 1/2 of the remaining positions. One of the things that I am considering doing is hanging out my own shi