Network World back issues from January 2007:
Reviewing IBM's 2006 buying binge; IBM laid claim to 11 software companies, filling technology gaps and grabbing customer accounts.
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Dubie IBM's New Year's resolution last year must have been to buy software companies. After all, it snapped up 11 of them (12 if you count completion of the Micromuse deal announced in 2005), ranging from separate billion-plus-dollar deals for FileNet ...
Service providers changing stripes in 2007.
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Frank Dzubeck The service provider business segment is in the process of morphing into multiple parallel lines of business. YouTube.com, Google.com and MySpace.com consider themselves next generation or alternate service providers. These companies ...
Messaging ROI; * ROI analysis not best way to evaluate messaging.(return on investment)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Michael Osterman ROI analysis is an extremely useful tool when evaluating various business investments, particularly in evaluating competing options when resources are scarce. For example, to improve customer service, should you invest in more call center ...
Lucid8 launches e-discovery tool for Exchange.(DigiScope)(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Deni Connor Messaging management vendor Lucid8 Wednesday is expected to roll out software that lets IT administrators search for, discover and retrieve individual e-mails, mailboxes and attachments for e-discovery purposes. DigiScope allows the ...
EV-DO cellular data services catch on; 3G EV-DO services are maturing, and businesses are eyeing the high-speed wireless data option for their mobile workers.(Evolution Data Optimized )
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Pappalardo Increasing speeds and falling prices are adding to the appeal of 3G Evolution Data Optimized wireless data services, which deliver broadband speeds to mobile devices. As availability expands, more businesses are eyeing EV-DO ...
Using NAC to protect your network; * Steps to take when using NAC to protect your network.(network access control)(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Tim Greene A recent study spells out some useful steps businesses should take when considering the use of NAC as a way to protect their networks. These recommendations from the Aberdeen Group assume that a business has decided it will benefit from ...
Hot IT exec jobs for 2007; * Chief convergence officer and other hot IT positions.(labor market for information technology workers)(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Schurr Six of the 25 hot executive jobs for 2007 are IT-related, according to Christian & Timbers' recently released list. The executive recruitment firm's 12th annual list categorizes in-demand positions by the driving forces that are changing markets, ...
On hacker conventions, SecurityFocus and list sponsorship; * Current thinking on hacker conventions.(Column)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: M. E. Kabay Recently President Richard Schneider of Norwich University wrote to me about a message he had received from one of our alumni concerning a message that appeared on one of the well-known and respected SecurityFocus discussion lists, Security ...
What's new with VMware; * An update from VMware's new Senior Director of Storage Ecosystem Alliances.(Column)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Mike Karp On my return from Storage Networking World this past November, I wrote a nastygram about the leading player in application virtualization, VMware. Since then a few thongs have happened, and fairness dictates I bring you up to date. VMware ...
Server virtualizations to become ubiquitous, analysts say; * Server virtualization, a key battleground among titans, say analysts.(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Deni Connor Server virtualization is in the news again as an industry analyst report is released and as a new virtualization technology made its way into the Linux kernel. Server virtualization is transforming data center management by breaking the ...
Tests of the year; * Looking back at the LAN and router tests from 2006.(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Jeff Caruso As we enter the year 2007, I'd like to point to some of the best LAN- and router-related tests that ran in Network World in 2006. The most recent test reviewed a managed Gigabit Ethernet switch that is distinctive in that it's made in ...
Aksys launches PBX-less VoIP system for SMB; Peer-to-peer IP phones use VoIP/POTS links.(Aksys Networks)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Aksys Networks, a maker of small-office VoIP gear, announced a server-less VoIP phone system this week aimed at offices with 30 or fewer workers. The Konnect business phone system consists of IP phones with dual Ethernet and RJ-11 ...
Location, location, location; * Considerations for locating a data center.
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Andreas M. Antonopoulos Real estate mavens will endlessly repeat the three criteria for a property: location, location, location. Data centers are real estate, too, so what are the three most important criteria for the data center? Location is the ...
YouTube, video e-mails causing headaches for WAN administrators; * The rise in the new class of unwarranted traffic.(wide area networks)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Steve Taylor, Jim Metzler The 2007 WAN budget for most IT organizations will either be equal to last year or be up by a few percentage points. With all of the additional legitimate business demands being made on the network, the last thing that IT needs to ...
Is the FCC pining for the good old days? Reading between lines of the AT&T/BellSouth merger approval.(Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp.)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Scott Bradner It was not much of a surprise when the FCC figured out a way to approve the AT&T/BellSouth merger before last year ran out. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin had been pushing for this result for months, and when push came to shove, AT&T came ...
Expanding telepresence; * Will telepresence products ever reside in the branch office?(Column)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Robin Gareiss Like most new (and expensive) technologies, telepresence is gaining the attention of global enterprises that have large concentrations of employees at a dozen or two dozen locations worldwide. They can install these expensive systems at those ...
The new and improved WAN application delivery market; * Forecast for the worldwide WAN application delivery market.(wide area networks)(Industry overview)
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Dubie 'Tis the time of year for market forecasts. Today's comes from research firm IDC, which before year-end released its forecast for the worldwide WAN application delivery market. IDC expects this market, which peaked at $670 million in ...
A new flood of spam.
Jan 02, 2007; ... Byline: Ron Nutter Until recently, we haven't had much of a problem with spam, nothing that using the delete key would handle. In the past few weeks, we have been getting an increasing level of spam. The ones we seem to be getting the most of are the ones with ...
NTT reports growing IPv6 traffic, peering in U.S. * NTT peering with more than a dozen carriers through four exchange points in the United States.(NTT Communications Corp.)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Carolyn Duffy Marsan NTT Communications, the first carrier to offer a commercial IPv6 service in the United States, is reporting steady growth of IPv6 traffic across its own backbone as well as for its peering partners. As other carriers such as ...
Now that Vista is out, how long 'til Longhorn? * Now the wait is for Longhorn Server.(Microsoft Exchange Server 2007)(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Dave Kearns Happy New Year! I was recently watching an old episode of The West Wing in which President Bartlett was delivering a canned speech to some group. Originally scheduled to be delivered in the Rose Garden, inclement weather forced it inside at ...
State agencies renew contract with Cingular; Deal could be worth as much as $2 billion for wireless carrier.(Western States Contracting Alliance, Cingular Wireless)(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jim Duffy The Western States Contracting Alliance has renewed its contract with Cingular Wireless that provides state and local agencies in 50 states with the ability to purchase Cingular's wireless voice and data services. The four-year agreement ...
Tolly: Security, SMB-tailored offerings and China all a big part of 2007.(Tolly Group, small and midsize businesses)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Kevin Tolly Because The Tolly Group's primary focus is to help vendors show what their offerings can do, it's a pretty good bet that what came through our labs in the latter part of 2006 could be showing up on your to-do list sometime in 2007. ...
Identity management conferences, good and bad; * Reader response to Gartner's identity management conference.(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Dave Kearns Still recovering from your New Year's Eve celebration? Wondering which persona you may have been showing that night? Did you wake up wondering about your own identity - or that of someone else? In today's newsletter, there is nothing too strenuous ...
Convergence/VoIP predictions for 2007; * IP contact center to get increased focus.(voice over IP)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Steve Taylor, Larry Hettick Today, we dust off the crystal ball and share our top 10 predictions for convergence and VoIP in 2007. 1. More service providers and infrastructure suppliers will converge; we expect further consolidation among the major players ...
EarthLink's CEO Garry Betty dies at 49.(chief executive officer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Pappalardo Garry Betty, CEO at EarthLink, lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Tuesday. "We are greatly saddened by today's news," says Robert Kavner, chairman of the board at EarthLink in a press release issued Wednesday. "Garry ...
Major League Baseball hits a Web site home run; Citrix NetScaler application accelerators help keep MLB.com at the top of its game.
Jan 03, 2007 ... Among Ryan Nelson's nightmare scenarios is when a major league baseball team pinch-hits for the lead-off batter in an inning. That simple act has mighty repercussions when you're the director of operations for Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), which runs ...
Will virtual provisioning eliminate desktop management? * Analyzing Citrix' acquisition of Ardence.(Citrix Systems Inc.)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Andi Mann While talking with colleagues at EMA about the acquisition late December of Ardence by Citrix Systems, an interesting question came up - will this new model of virtual provisioning eliminate desktop management, and especially legacy-style desktop ...
Sweating the small stuff; Survey finds even minor changes can have a big impact on Web application performance.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Dubie Network managers in the know realize application rollouts, major upgrades or widespread patching can wreak havoc on performance, but a new survey finds that even minor day-to-day infrastructure changes can send performance plummeting. ...
Verizon Business building $500 million terabit cable to China; * Verizon teams with Asian carriers on submarine cable system.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jim Duffy Verizon Business signed a construction and maintenance agreement with a consortium of Asian carriers to build the first multiterabit optical submarine cable system directly linking the U.S. mainland and China. This new system, to be named ...
Dzubeck on the year ahead: What's hot for 2007; Set to explode in 2007: Cisco video, VoIP, data center consolidation, SOA and much more.(voice over ip, service oriented architecture)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Frank Dzubeck Looking even a year ahead into the network future can be a daunting task. For example, three years ago at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates, then Microsoft's chairman, boldly predicted the problem of spam ...
AT&T pledges net neutrality to seal BellSouth deal; The long awaited $86 billion deal is complete? so what now?
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Pappalardo AT&T finally completed its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth after receiving long-delayed FCC approval in late December. But the deal didn't get the final nod without a lot of concessions from AT&T -- concessions that have implications for ...
Where to go for free career podcasts; Microsoft outlines Vista certifications; * News about career resources, Microsoft certifications, hiring forecasts.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Linda Leung Welcome to the New Year! I'm looking forward to seeing what challenges and opportunities the year will bring in IT education, and what the hot training topics will be. Please keep those e-mails coming and let me know what you'd like me to cover in ...
How many Wi-Fi security sensors should you install? * Security sensor placement considerations.(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Joanie Wexler If you are planning to deploy a Wi-Fi intrusion detection/prevention system, how do you know where to place your sensors and how many of them to install? Sensors, of course, are the distributed wireless devices that continually scan ...
The year ahead: Juggling IT risks, opportunities.
Jan 03, 2007 ... There's a four-letter word IT pros know all too well: risk. In 2007, IT executives will need to clearly evaluate risk as they weigh sometimes opposing proposals to bolster security, increase wireless connectivity, extend more business processes over the Internet and ...
Imperva identifies AJAX flaw; Attackers could exploit the AJAX flaw to break into back-end systems or launch a DoS attach, Imperva says.(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Ellen Messmer Security vendor Imperva has identified a vulnerability in AJAX, which it says an attacker could use to compromise an application based on the Web scripting components known collectively as AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML). The ...
New product helps companies find documents needed in litigation; Expert says such concept-oriented enterprise search tools go beyond Google and other consumer Web search engines.(RecomMind Inc. introduced MindServer software)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jon Brodkin Recommind, a maker of enterprise search products, is unveiling a version of its MindServer search and categorization platform today that makes it easier for companies to secure electronic files potentially needed in litigation. Recent ...
Linux happenings in 2007; * This year promises to be a big one for Linux.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Phil Hochmuth [Editor's note: Welcome former subscribers of the Novell NetWare Tips Newsletter. We hope you find the Linux & Open Source Newsletter informative and entertaining.] This year promises to be a big one for Linux, at least according to ...
Microsoft Live's Ms. Dewey; * Microsoft Live's Ms. Dewey, annoying but interesting.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Mark Gibbs Now that Microsoft can see the light at the end of the Vista tunnel they are starting to apply more effort to other projects and one of their big drives for 2007 is going to be Microsoft Live. Now exactly what Microsoft Live is going to ...
Compuware picks up Proxima; Management software maker Compuware acquires business service management technology from point player Proxima Technology.(Proxima Technology Inc.)(Brief article)
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Dubie Compuware this week announced it has acquired service management software maker Proxima Technology for about $31 million. Detroit-based Compuware picked up the Proxima to augment its own Vantage software suite, which provides various applications ...
Deciphering the details of AT&T's BellSouth concessions; Get the skinny on AT&T's 20-page concession document, which helped seal the BellSouth deal.
Jan 03, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Pappalardo AT&T filed a 20-page document with the FCC in late December that offered a number of concessions aimed at helping finalize its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth. It's not easy to make heads or tails of FCC documents, let alone ...
Jan. 8, 2007 Cartoon of the Week.
Jan 04, 2007 ... All cartoons ...
The other networking; * Use physical and virtual methods to connect.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: James E. Gaskin Small business "networking" means different things to technology writers (modern business tools) and the Chamber of Commerce (let's do lunch). But you can now leverage networking technology to enhance your industry network connections. ...
Crescendo Networks gets cash to compete in crowded market; * Christmas came early for Crescendo.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Denise Dubie For Crescendo Networks, Christmas may have come a bit early last month. The company in December announced it had garnered some $10 million in venture capital backing to expand upon its application acceleration technology. And ...
Apple's Macworld opens arms to corporate users; OS X upgrade, new iPod and possibly the oft-rumored iPhone too take center stage.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Jennifer Mears When the Macworld Conference & Expo kicks off next week, attendees can expect the usual buzz around consumer products - Steve Jobs is expected to formally unveil iTV, a video streaming device, during his keynote address on Tuesday and there ...
Preparing for the CISSP exam, Part 1; * Stay current with these security newsletters.(Certified Information Systems Security Professional)(Column)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: M. E. Kabay A former student recently wrote to me with a request for suggestions on what to read in preparing for the CISSP exam. I decided to answer him by writing an essay that readers of this column who are thinking about the exam could also use. By ...
The year's top stories; * Top 10 LAN- and router-related stories of 2006.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Jeff Caruso Last time, we looked at LAN- and router-related tests and case studies in Network World in 2006. In that spirit, let's take a look at all the top stories in our category from the year. 10. What's the biggest, fastest LAN switch? ...
How customers chose between DSL and mid-band Ethernet; * BellSouth on how customers decide between high-speed DSL and low-speed alternatives.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Steve Taylor, Jim Metzler In continuing our discussion of how one goes about deciding between high-speed DSL and low-speed (a.k.a. mid-band) metro Ethernet, we called for responses from both users and service providers. Recently, we shared some ...
'Twas the season to acquire; * Once again we find the holiday season 'twas the season to acquire.(acquisitions in high technology industry)(Column)
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Mike Karp Last year about this time, I realized we had arrived at the collision of two aspects of importance to the high-tech community: the holiday season, and yet another invasion of Ferengi business practices. One year later the earth continues to move in ...
Why mobility will a key trend in 2007; * Mobility focuses on the user, not the platform.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Michael Osterman I believe that one of the key trends in messaging for 2007 will be mobility. I'm not talking about accessing e-mail and other communications tools via mobile devices, which I believe will grow in importance, but instead the ability for all of ...
Using a camcorder for data backup.(Brief article)(Column)
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Steve Blass Can I back up computer files onto a digital video tape using a camcorder? Yes. Using the camcorder as a data tape drive will put more wear and tear on the camcorder, but you can use digital video camcorders as backup devices for ...
Monster mash: How job site uses presence.(Monster Worldwide Inc.)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Despite the growing interest in enterprise-oriented IM, some enterprises continue to achieve collaboration results using consumer-oriented tools. At Monster.com, the online job-search and career-development company, engineering and product-development teams use ...
Telecom: Back to the future.(AT&T Inc. acquired BellSouth Corp.)
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: John Dix AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth moves the industry one step closer to its past as competition drives a consolidation cycle that is returning us to the days when the market was dominated by a handful of players. AT&T divestiture in 1984 ...
Mobile network operator getting machines to talk to each other; Aeris extends CDMA services, eyeing Wi-Fi, WiMAX.(introduced short messaging services)
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: John Cox A network operator is expanding its offerings to become a nationwide supplier of cellular services for telematics and machine-to-machine communications. Aeris, in San Jose, Calif., recently unveiled a new Short Message Service (SMS) ...
Four presence potholes to avoid.(real time collaboration)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Despite the productivity benefits of presence-aware tools, enterprises must grapple with the cultural shift toward real-time collaboration. While organizations typically make use of the tools optional, many employees feel compelled to join in if they want to ...
Programming your brain.
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Gibbs Welcome to the new improved Gearhead 2007, featuring greater word economy, improved hunt-and-peck typing, nearly guaranteed accurate responses to your questions and the best crash-test ratings in the industry. Gearhead is ready and willing to ...
UPDATE--Cisco and IronPort discuss merger plans.(Cisco Systems Inc., IronPort Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Ellen Messmer Cisco today announced plans to acquire IronPort Systems for $830 million, with both companies saying that once the deal is closed, which is expected by April, integration of IronPort's core technologies into Cisco's Self-Defending Network ...
Asynchronous tools aren't dead yet.(Brief article)
Jan 04, 2007 ... The emerging view of collaboration is that it is a collection of capabilities rather than a set of separate applications. These capabilities are becoming always-available from multiple applications and devices. Despite the shift toward real-time collaboration, ...
Study: IPSec fades; SSL grows for remote access security; Aventail, Citrix, F5 and Juniper take leadership position, Gartner says.(Secure Socket Layer )
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Tim Greene Remote access IPSec VPNs are no longer on the radar screen of companies that seek the advice of consultants at Gartner, according to a new report. "Gartner clients no longer ask about new IPSec remote-access installations or expanding ...
Multiple flaws in Cisco Clean Access; * Patches from Cisco, Ubuntu, Trustix, others* "Happy New Year!" worm on the move* Microsoft sees botnets as top cyber-threat, and other interesting reading.(Microsoft Corp. ackowledges defects in Windows Vista)(Cisco Systems Inc. warns flaws in its Clean Access software)(Google Inc. enhancing its Gmail service)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Jason Meserve With the New Year upon us, we have two podcasts that look at the year ahead: Major Looming Threats for 2007 Will YouTube become a major source of a computer virus in 2007? Will there be a significant ATM (automated teller machine) ...
HP bolsters security of its Unix servers; * HP tightens security on HP Integrity servers.
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Deni Connor HP continues to advance its Unix operating environment with the addition of features that simplify the protection of data on HP Integrity servers. The company added encryption and hardening capabilities to HP-UX 11i. These capabilities, ...
Identifying endpoints; * The most popular methods of identifying endpoints.(network access control)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Tim Greene NAC can use many factors in deciding whether to allow a particular device access to a network, and users have definite preferences for some over others, according to a recent study. The most popular method of identifying endpoints is by ...
Crystal eye(ball) on the carriers.(forecasting telecommunications industry)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Byline: Johna Till Johnson After a lengthy and meditative look into my crystal ball, I've determined that what 2007 holds for us in telecommunications is . . . golden bubbles. Oh, wait - got my crystals confused. That was a champagne glass. Seriously, ...
A new SSL certificate is on the way.(secure socket layer)
Jan 04, 2007 ... Web-based businesses face a crisis in consumer confidence because of phishing scams. But because of a new kind of SSL certificate, Web sites will be able to definitively demonstrate their identity, and customers will be able to confirm the identity of trusted sites. ...
We ask the U.S. Army's new Web tool about girls, guns, gays and invading Iran; Artificial intelligence powers Army recruiting tool called SGT STAR.
Jan 04, 2007; ... Byline: Jon Brodkin The U.S. Army has a new recruiting tool on www.goarmy.com. It's called SGT STAR, an artificial intelligence program that can answer questions from recruits in a conversational style (see The new Army recruiter who never goes to sleep). Here are ...
Soft skills set the best candidates apart.(qualities for network professionals )(Brief article)
Jan 04, 2007 ... These days, the key qualities for network professionals to possess might be some of the most difficult to quantify: business savvy and interpersonal skills. In a Robert Half Technology survey conducted last year, 41% of 1,400 CIOs surveyed said they are putting more ...