Opinion

The artful logger

Smart logging can capture a wealth of compelling data. The trick is in deciding what to log

Haunted by old storage 

Data storage technologies may eventually die, but their media often survive long after that purported demise

Culture shock

It may hurt at the beginning, but you have to change your culture if you want your company to be secure

Sygate Toughens Up LAN Security

New Secure Enterprise improves detection, adds policy-based authentication

Opportunity, or a bad idea

Dear Bob … I am working for an IT Service Provider. I'm a technically focused person, and enjoy hands-on experience working as a support engineer one of the major names in the industry. Now, because of the limited resources in the company, I

Pursue a dream job, or just a job?

Dear Bob, I have been a productive programmer for several large companies. I like programming and I'm good at it. Recently, while recuperating from surgery, I watched the proceedings of the Mars Rovers and their control teams. I got th

More about footware

I got quite a few comments about my advice to Unused boot. Most challenged my recommendation to start the process of documenting behavioral and performance problems to set the stage for involuntary termination. So first, a clarification. The

The challenge of Wi-Fi

Wireless LANs are maturing rapidly but expect rough patches along the way

WLAN pioneer explains it all

A WLAN expert explains the current state of enterprise Wi-Fi and what we can expect in the near future

Catching the bad guys

Want to sniff out security ne'er-do-wells? When all else fails, try money

Feds jump online integration hurdles

System architects leverage XML and Web services interfaces

Miami’s self-service push is ‘never-ending’

Implementers of award-winning portal offer tips from the trenches

Government veers onto the Web

Feds change course to make efficient self-service the name of the game

Microsoft’s Hummer, SCO’s bummer

Worried about Windows behind the wheel

DEP is a keeper

Windows’ Data Execution Prevention stabs at the heart of malware and goofware

A model development process

Including system management in the design phase will ease application support woes 

Push me, pull you

Forget the old rules for how Internet content arrives. It’s all about end-user control

A not-so great and powerful wizard

Windows XP's new Smart Network Key wizard is nice to small networks, but better solutions exist for the enterprise

Suckered or just stuck?

Dear Bob … After years of reading your column and sometimes rolling my eyes, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum myself. I was a contractor for 7 years and got slammed by the recession like most others. I muddled through with a quilt work of shor

A question of obligations

Dear Bob, I've been a developer for over 20 years but changed platforms (mid-career system-level mainframe to Windows move) and do not yet have the breadth and depth that I had on the former platform. While there has

To certify or not to certify

Dear Bob … I have a diploma, an Associates, and a Bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems. My focus point is systems analyst and programming, but I don't have any certifications. I was told that most companies are lo

Top 10 tools of the trade

The InfoWorld Test Center puts its heads together to come up with a winning toolbox to keep the datacenter healthy

The return of the mobile enterprise

Faster wireless service, bulletproof security, and better hardware pave the way for a mobile comeback

The coming wireless enterprise

Ubiquitous wireless broadband may have more impact on business than you realize

Please, no more storage forecasts

Small businesses can’t look too far away to future products

Verizon races toward wireless broadband

Now in trial in several major cities, Verizon's pricey EV-DO service delivers speeds reminiscent of 3G's original promise

Maximizing business intelligence

If your data is clueless about itself, don’t plan on extracting much from it

Vulnerability vigilence

If you haven’t learned to keep your software patched by now, you probably deserve Sasser; but maybe you don’t know how

Google’s supercomputer

How closely coupled do a bunch of servers have to be before they’re one big computer?

Making Windows easier to see

Robust Accessibility features improve the Windows experience for visually impaired users

Wireless advances

What's working, and what's not, in mobile data

Product preview

How to answer a question

Dear Bob … I'm the COO of a small manufacturing company with an 11-person IT department. After months of searching we just hired a new department head, who I introduced to the staff yesterday. It was, to say the least, embarrassing. One progra

Should he move to the dark side?

Dear Bob … I'm a CIO who has just been laid off. It wasn't due to performance problems on my part. To the extent there was a performance problem it was on the part of the sales manager, but no revenue is still no revenue and the company c

XBRL: A case study in complexity

A noble attempt to help expose financial dealings via XML asks too much of developers

Make spam wait

Unsolicited e-mail should sit in the waiting room until it’s called, if it ever is

Wi-Fi hot spots in critical condition

Broadband data over cellular networks will deliver the coup de grâce

Plumbing the portals

Reviewing portal servers pushes the limits of real-world testing

Microsoft will deliver better security any day now

Windows XP SP2 promises a host of safety technologies to gird workstations

A MAID for your archives

New cabinet challenges traditional approach to data protection

Clearing up the Euro-security picture

EU expansion will ease some security complexities

Portlet standard predicament

With two portlet access visions and no single standard to bridge the gap, the choice is less than certain

The open-source alternative

You may not need a pricey portal for your project if you're willing to consider open-source options

Product preview

Adobe Has Designs on XML Forms

More advice, from an experienced reader

Dear Bob … I've done quite a bit of hiring over the years. I'd like to add my nickel's worth of advice to the suggestions you gave "Got a better offer." The first is that "Got" should make sure he has&amp

A great dilemma to face

Dear Bob … I am a senior-level developer who is in the job market because my  previous employer has ceased operations. Last week I received an offer from a small company for a position very similar to my last one, and agreed to terms with

Sun, why doth Microsoft settle with thee? Let me count the reasons

The proposition that the settlement between Microsoft and Sun means they're picking out curtains is cute, but baseless. When seen as a business and political decision, $2B was a worthwhile investment for Microsoft. Here's my conjecture on

Opportunities in the two economies

Dear Bob … I hear what you're saying about the two economies, but how does that help me? Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but, I need a smart person (that would be you) to help a not so smart person (that would be me) figure out w

Databases flex their XML

IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Sybase compete in our data management gymnastics