aims

Congress passes Patent Reform Act

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

In an effort to balance the need to protect small inventors with encouragement for large players to innovate, the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed the Patent Reform Act. The bill aims to overhaul the patent system, but many consider it a big win for large technology companies like Microsoft and IBM because it allows courts to assess damages in patent infringement cases differently. Currently, courts consider the value of the entire product when a small piece of the product infringes a patent. The new bill allows courts to base damages only on the value of the infringing piece. Large organizations like the direction of the new patent law because it will make it more difficult to be sued unless the entire concept of a new idea is infringed upon. Those who oppose the reform initiative say it will leave small players vulnerable. Among those raising an eyebrow is the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB issued a statement on Thursday saying it opposes the bill, citing concerns that the changes in assessment of damages would "introduce new complications and risks reducing incentives to innovate."

For more on the Patent Reform Act:
- read the article in Infoworld

ALSO NOTED: Digital rights; IT service management frameworks;

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> Picking your way through the digital rights minefield. Blog

> Digital Rights Management and online file sharing. Article

> Adopting IT service management frameworks. Article

> Less than 20 percent of organizations have started Windows Vista deployments. Article

> Survey: Most desktops aren't Vista-ready. Article

> Red Hat aims for small and mid-sized businesses. Article

And Finally … The value of a Windows alternative for serious office work. Article

Look out for SML

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

SML may be the most useful standard you've never heard of. The Service Modeling Language standard, an XML-based schema to define information about hardware, software, applications and services, aims to improve information-sharing among third-party IT management products. Backed by many large vendors including Cisco, IBM, Dell, EMC, Microsoft and Sun, SML will make it easier to share information between disparate IT tools and will provide a foundation for automating common tasks like configuration management, asset monitoring and application positioning. The only thing left to do is to get the standard approved, and it's only a matter of time now.

Read more about SML:
- read the article at Network Computing

ALSO NOTED: Industry group collects big on software infractions; Business networking site now boasts Q&A feature; and much

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:01:33 -0500

> Industry group collects big on software infractions. Article

> Business networking site now boasts Q&A feature. Article

> U.K. looks to boost data sharing. Article

> Seagate aims to get sexier for customer adoption. Article

> The big tech innovations to track this year. Article

> Two approaches to migrating data and apps to Vista. Article

> The energy issue with wireless technologies. Article

> Growing adoption drives need for better mobile device security. Report

And Finally... A search engine for cranky Web surfers. Article

ALSO NOTED: OfficeLive readied for final release; New alliance aims to stop spam; and much more...

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:01:33 -0500

> OfficeLive readied for final release. Article

> New alliance aims to stop spam. Article

> Feds say airline lounge WiFi can stay. Article

> HP CEO doesn't have much recollection on spying incident. Article

> How grid computing is helping a delivery service save money, time. Article

> Microsoft takes aim at CRM market with Office Live. Report

> Manufacturer warns of laptop battery shortage. Report

> Linux eyes the enterprise desktop. Report

And Finally... The Web hits a huge milestone. Article

Feds use smart cards to boost security

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

The US Defense Department aims to meet new Homeland Security data and network access requirements by utilizing authentication middleware technology that will let users access government PCs and networks using smart card technology. The cards, which feature identity assurance and authentication capabilities, use PKI and biometric fingerprints. It's all part of the national security directive to shore up government networks and data bank security.

For more on the new strategy for DoD network protection:
- get the news at InformationWeek

ALSO NOTED: An effort to educate on identity theft vulnerability; Provider aims to meld mobile network with WiFi access; and mu

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> An effort to educate on identity theft vulnerability. Article

> Provider aims to meld mobile network with WiFi access. Article

> EMC puts rights management into data storage product. Article

> HP investigation reveals media phone records were accessed. Article

And Finally... The world's tallest living thing. Article

Editor's Corner

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:01:40 -0400

The advancement of new technology, and the commitment from vendors to push the envelope, never ceases to amaze me. I'm not naive, vendors make money on better tools and systems, but when they move into the spectrum of helping users avoid security issues and headaches my respect for them does get a bit deeper. That's how I feel right now about Google's support of the StopBadware.org group, which aims to protect users from online malware and malicious Web sites. Google is working to help identify such sites and offer a warning up to its search users before they click through to the sites in question. Built-in protection services will prove economically smart for Google as I'd search through a site that offers such protection over a search engine that doesn't. I just hope that other search engine operators see the value Google sees and follows their lead. - Judy

ALSO NOTED: Gates optimistic about Vista shipping expectation; Outsourcing still strong; and much more...

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> Gates pretty optimistic about Vista shipping expectation. Article

> Outsourcing still strong, though more enterprises are stepping back. Article

> How to fight back against the top 10 security risks today. Article

> Firefox 2.0 beta hits the streets this week. Article

> Congress aims to fight Internet censorship by regulating U.S. firms. Article

> Feds putting final polish on IT info-sharing initiative. Article

> New IT think tank focused on innovation and productivity. Article

And Finally... A graphic look at 20 years of viruses. Article

ALSO NOTED: FBI goes after Senate staffers for wiping out data; Top headaches keeping security leaders up at night; and much mo

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> FBI goes after Senate staffers for wiping out data. Article

> Top headaches keeping security leaders up at night. Article

> Social networking site grabs phishers' attention. Article

> Standards group aims to stop Linux fragmentation. Article

> Adobe fights Microsoft on free PDF feature in new Office version. Article

> Laptop theft puts hotel site users data in jeopardy. Article

And Finally...The six things you might not know about Linux. Article