Tech storage grows up Hack attack alert Why consultants get axed Tech storage grows up

Most CIOs realize that hack attacks are becoming more sophisticated. The days of throwing up a firewall to fix a problem are over. And it's less common now for attackers to break in through the front door. It's becoming more likely that an end-user will launch a worm or bot that causes an attack. It's not that hard; a hacker can send 100 spam e-mails to a company and get one lucky hit. So if you are working on your company's computer security strategy, pay at least as much attention to client-side protections as you do the hacker's old habits.

For more on tech threats:
- check out this InfoWorld article

Sometimes a CIO has to bring in a tech consultant to upgrade a system. It might happen when there are no people in the IT shop who can handle the task. But there is always a risk in doing this. The consultant may not be on time, the job may be far more complicated than expected, or the consultant and CIO may not be on the same page for efficiently achieving success. In order to protect your company, make sure you have a way out when hiring a consultant. Know who you are hiring and, if at all possible, bring in a trusted consultant that you've worked with before.

To read more on why consultants get axed:
- see this Baseline article

Data storage is becoming more sophisticated. The use of a rotating magnetized disk is receding, and taking its place are solid state drives (SSDs), sometimes referred to as flash drives. They use no moving parts. SSDs are changing the way CIOs view storage for workstations and data centers. Once packaged, these drives are no different from platter-based predecessors as far as interface controllers are concerned. The key difference is the lack of moving parts, and advancement that will deliver an immediate result: data access is near instantaneous.

For more about storage:
- see InformationWeek article