connectivity

'Hyperconnected' users growing

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

A new wave of information workers are using multiple devices and applications, meaning that CIOs must begin making plans to accommodate this next-generation workforce. A worldwide study done for Nortel by IDC, covering nearly 2,400 working adults in 17 countries, found that 16 percent were "hyperconnected" users--those using at least seven devices and nine applications. This included use of gadgets ranging from phones to laptops to PDAs and even car-based systems.

Vito Mabrucco, senior vice president at IDC Canada, said the increasing demand for connectivity and applications, as well as the blurring of personal and business use of technology, is expected to tax telecommunications networks, broadband networks, and high-speed networks.

For more on this new kind of workplace:
- see this infoworld.com article

For more tech articles from the FierceCIO network:
> Gates: Windows 7 will be more efficient. Article
> Office for Mac achieves record sales. Article
> The search for the best 3G network. Article

Gates: Windows 7 will 'take less memory, be more efficient'

Paul Mah — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:48:28 -0400

Bill Gates has inadvertently confirmed that Microsoft is hard at work tweaking the next iteration of Windows--or Windows 7--to be more efficient where power and memory utilization are concerned. The company also is working to improve two-way replication of files between machines and to create better connectivity with mobile phones, as well as to make it into the premiere gaming platform. Article

Asian Internet outages continue

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

If you remember last week's Internet outage that wiped out connectivity in large parts of the Middle East and Asia, you might have found yourself wondering exactly how an undersea data cable gets cut. Turns out, investigators are wondering the same thing. Though it was initially believed that the first two severed cables--the cause of last week's outage--were cut by ships dragging their anchors in the Mediterranean Sea, it now appears that something else might be afoot. According to Egyptian officials, surveillance cameras recorded no ships in the affected area during the 24-hour period in question. What's more, a third cable, off of the coast of Dubai and a fourth cable, linking Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have since been severed, creating more outages and raising further questions. For the time being, traffic is being rerouted, in an attempt to keep networks online until the cables can be repaired. If you've got offshore operations in India or the Middle East and you don't have a contingency plan for dealing with outages, consider this a wake-up call.

For more on the outages:
- see this Khaleej Times article

Power grid peril

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Where would we be without electricity? Nowhere. While computers today are able to connect to the web via WiFi, at the end of the day the battery needs to be charged with--you get it, electricity. But new cybersecurity standards proposed by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) are not broad enough and fail to cover a number of interdependent assents, according to a group of experts. They testified in Congress recently that the standards give electric utility owners, operators and users too much leeway in implementing the prescribed controls. Joseph Weiss, managing partner of Applied Control Solutions, testified that the growing interconnectedness of control systems with other networked computing systems is happening without a appreciating the security risk resulting from such connectivity.

For more on the juice that runs your systems:
- see this ComputerWorld article

Overstating the flatness of international commerce

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

According to Pankaj Ghemawat, professor of global strategy at IESE Business School in Barcelona and professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, globalization is a major economic force to be reckoned with--but the idea that borders don't matter at all in commerce has been overstated in business literature. In his book, Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter (Harvard Business School Press, September 2007), he suggests that too many organizations depend on strategies that presume that complete global integration can be achieved. Thus, too much emphasis is placed on international standardization. While it is important to take advantage of similarities across borders, it is also critical to address differences. Technologies and standards may enable connectivity and collaboration at a distance, but it is an exaggeration to believe that we have achieved the "death of distance."

For more on globalization:
- read the article in CIOInsight

Mobility: Balancing functionality with security

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

Companies are beginning to swap traditional desktop configurations in favor of centralizing desktop applications in a secure datacenter, thanks to more reliable and robust security offerings. Security concerns over mobile data must be by far the primary concern. At the same time, information must be accessible to the point that employees have constant connectivity to critical information. When granting access to remote employees, it is critical for an enterprise to deploy quarantining technology to keep computers and laptops that violate network security policies from infecting the internal network when signing back in. But balance is key; ultimately, security and performance are codependent.

Read more about mobile security:
- read the article at TechNewsWorld

ALSO:
- read this about mobile security
- this on best practices in managing mobile devices
- and this on mobile security tools for SMBs

Protecting data from insecure home networks

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:01:38 -0500

While more and more employees are telecommuting, many of the home-based networks that those employees are using are configured improperly, leaving your company exposed to data breaches. To stem the tide, IT organizations should be involved in every aspect of setting up networks and computer systems for employees working from home. That involves knowing your options for home-based and small-office networks and choosing the right connections, providing telecommuters with the right applications, knowing when they will be accessing the network and providing iron-clad backup connectivity.

Read more about protecting your company against inadvertent data breaches:
- see the article at Computerworld

Bluetooth gadgets ship 10M each month

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:01:37 -0400

Bluetooth technology is one of those haggard hyped solutions that comes and goes off the radar, but it's quietly taking root with 10 million enabled devices shipping each month. Why? It provides cheap connectivity for an array of devices. The number of devices is expected to grow even larger as the technology matures with increasing adoption.

For more on what's spurring Bluetooth ahead:
- read the article at CIO Today

Why downtime isn't necessarily a bad thing

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:01:36 -0400

There's no doubt that connectivity and mobile computing boost productivity but in pushing a 24x7 online work effort, companies may distort the critical work-life balance that employees are supposed to have in place. As some experts warn, fostering a 'work everywhere and anytime' culture can actually hurt productivity and may even foster employee lawsuits in the future. The growing number of technology-enhanced work environments, in which managers and staff are expected to be available both at work and away from work, might lead to addictive behavior that could bring some big legal woes.

To learn more on why increased connectivity isn't always a good thing:
- check out this article at InternetWeek

The need for a better work-life balance in IT

Sun, 21 May 2006 20:01:36 -0400

The ability of today's IT teams to stay connected, react in real-time to issues and support needs and literally be on call whenever and wherever they may be is a wonderful thing for companies. But it's not such a wonderful way to live; the current level of connectivity means less downtime for most tech professionals. As some experts relate, the unbalanced work-life scenario will lead to burnout and less productivity down the road. That's why IT managers have to pay the issue some serious attention before they lose their most valuable team members.

For more on keeping workers happy and productive:
- read this eWeek article