second life

The corporate virtual world

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

There is new emerging job for CIOs and IT departments at many big corporations that have employees scattered across the country as well as around the globe. According to Business Week, IBM has found a hi-tech way to overcome new employees' geographic and cultural barriers by setting up a way for them to interact virtually using the same kind of 3D technology that runs virtual worlds such as Linden Lab's Second Life videogame. IBM has built so-called "virtual work spaces" that let workers use avatars, or graphic representations of themselves, to handle such tasks as rehearsing presentations or learning about employee benefits. Sun Microsystems executives say that virtual worlds can help their scattered colleagues forge closer bonds. "Virtual world technology is a way to bring the company together to build a global corporate culture where people are on equal footing," said Nicole Yankelovich, principal investigator at Sun Labs. Does your company have such needs, and the resources and capability to get on board with of this new trend?

For more on this emerging trend:
- See this BusinessWeek article

So, where is your main frame?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Sometimes, old technology gets a new life. Even if you are purchasing newer software and hardware, remember that some old tools can have a second life. That's the case with the IBM mainframe. It remains a mainstay in much of the global trade economy. IBM has retooled the technology, cut prices and revamped its strategy. Although mainframes are a tiny piece of IBM's market these days, the technology still exists and is being used.

The mainframe stands as a telling case in the larger story of survivor technologies and markets, the New York Times reports. "The demise of the old technology is confidently predicted, and indeed it may lose ground to the insurgent, as mainframes did to the personal computer. But the old technology or business often finds a sustainable, profitable life.'' So, as you start retiring your old tools, keep in mind that some of them may come back for a second life.

For more on the old technology that getting a new life:
- See this New York Times article

Web 2.0 changes the way we connect

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Meanwhile, Rob Carter, CIO of FedEx, told a roomful of technology executives at the SIMposium 2007 that Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way that people view connectedness and networking. Sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Second Life are defining "the notion of virtual place" and represent how people are beginning to break down the idea "that community is defined by face-to-face interactions," Informationweek reports. He also noted that Internet-based, community-oriented platforms like Wikipedia would impact how people work in the future. Pitfalls in this area include questions over intellectual property. "We have a long way to go before we clarify what IP is all about," he said. In terms of Carter's take on the CIO role: "I actually think I have the best job in business," Carter said.

For all the details:
- read the blog in InformationWeek

Survey: Beware social networking sites

Tue, 01 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

According to a recent survey conducted during the recent Storage Networking World Conference, CIOs should be extremely wary of employees using company computers to access social networking sites like Second Life and MySpace, as well as using instant messaging technology. Doing so can threaten corporate IT integrity. Part of what's missing is formal policies to manage and prevent data breaches and network attacks arising from these practices. Of the few companies that have social networking policies in place, most cover only "selective blocking"; relatively few block all external networking.

Read more about the effects of social networking on the enterprise:
- read the article in Small Business Digest

ALSO: read this on tapping into the world of social networking

ALSO NOTED: The damage that data leaks can do; Hosted services make sense;

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> Are data leaks bleeding your company dry? Article

> Hosted services trump in-house deployments. Article

> Self-service technologies help companies help themselves. Article

> Total malware volumes grow dramatically. Article

> Security is a top concern for European companies. Article

> Businesses have yet to cash in on Second Life. Article

> Survey: Most IT managers believe that SAM ISO is unsustainable. Press release

And Finally… Notes from InfoSec. Blog

Online role-playing comes to the boardroom

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

You may soon find yourself attending a virtual meeting, staring at an avatar representing you on screen. Using state-of-the-art technology from companies such as Second Life, Qwaq, Tixeo and Multiverse, companies now can conduct online meetings and collaborate online using three-dimensional graphic characters, or avatars, standing in for actual employees. And it's not just cutting-edge Silicon Valley companies taking the plunge; even large companies like Raytheon, BP and Hewlett-Packard are experimenting with the technology. It's viewed as an effective and efficient way to interact in ways that aren't possible over the phone or via video conference. But meetings and conferences are just the beginning. Although it's too early to gauge the effectiveness of virtual technology on business, software vendors say businesses are showing a lot of interest.

Learn more about virtual meetings:
- read the article at BusinessWeek

ALSO NOTED: No slowdown in outsourcing to India; Why corporations are digging in at the virtual world of Second Life; and much

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:01:33 -0500

> No slowdown in outsourcing to India. Article

> Why corporations are digging in at the virtual world of Second Life. Blog

> A few tips for making that budget go further. Article

> New wireless networking approach hurdles metal obstacles. Article

> UK tech salaries closer to being on par with London salary levels. Article

And Finally... The Apple iPhone lives! Article

Second Life hack puts users' data at risk

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:01:39 -0400

A hole in commercial software used on servers supporting the fantasy multiplayer game site, Second Life, let hackers have access to the confidential data of over 650,000 users. The site has notified each user about the hacked database incident. Most of the data at risk was not encrypted--including names and credit card information. Computer login and password data, however, were protected.

For more on the latest business data breach:
- Here's a blog at CSO online