System News for Sun Users

WebLogic World Record Two-processor Result with SPECjEnterprise2010 Benchmark

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

A new SPECjEnterprise20 benchmark result was set for Oracle WebLogic Server running on Oracle's Sun Fire x86 servers, together with Oracle Linux and Oracle Database 11g Release 2 that achieved 8,310.19 SPECjEnterprise2010 EjOPS. Juergen Kress describes this new mark as a 53 percent improvement upon the previous best two-processor result and showcases the performance of Sun Fire x86 servers, based on new Intel Xeon E5 processors, running Oracle software across multiple tiers.

Solaris and IPv6: Is Solaris Compliant?

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

While he concedes the impossibility of knowing the status of all Oracle products, Jim Laurent points out that it is a matter of record that Solaris 10 and 11 have undergone testing by UNH Interoperability IPv6 test facility. The results are posted at theUNH site. UNH has also tested Oracle Linux and found it fully compatible with Red Hat Linux 5 and 6, which have also been tested by UNH, according to Laurent.

Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle data sheet on Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure describes the three-tiered solution (client, session and virtual desktop), which prevents the end user from connecting directly to the corporate data center. Users can deploy the Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure on multiple servers linked together into a failover group whose purpose is to protect against outages. The Oracle VDI offers a broad range of devices, operating systems, and virtualization platforms and enables centralized management of desktop services. Existing PCs can be leveraged as clients, reducing the requirement to upgrade hardware and maximizing the lifespan of PCs, according to Oracle.

PHP & MySQL: Novice to Ninja, 5th Edition

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

"PHP and MySQL: Novice to Ninja, 5th Edition," Kevin Yank's book that covers everything from installing PHP & MySQL under Windows, Linux, and Mac through to building a live web-based content management system, has been released by SitePoint. The book is written for beginners but nevertheless covers more advanced topics such as the storage of binary data in MySQL, and cookies and sessions in PHP. It comes complete with a set of handy reference guides for PHP & MySQL that include:

MySQL syntax
MySQL functions
MysQL column types
PHP functions for working with MySQL

Oracle VM 3.1

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle VM Server for x86 Release 3.1, the latest release of Oracle's server virtualization solution, is available. The solution's enhanced user interface is designed to significantly simplify ease of use for virtualization administrators and help reduce deployment times. Key new capabilities improve storage availability and backup support and hardware compatibility. Three new pre-built, pre-configured Oracle VM Templates for the Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management 9.1; and Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c add to the more than 100 available templates that enable faster application deployment.

How to Deploy Oracle RAC On Zone Clusters

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

In a lengthy how-to on deploying Oracle RAC on zone clusters Vinh Tran explains that by installing Oracle RAC inside a zone cluster, you can run multiple instances of an Oracle database simultaneously, allowing you to have separate database versions or separate deployments of the same database (for example, one for production and one for development). This architecture enables the deployment of different parts of a multitiered solution into different virtual zone clusters, in turn allowing users to isolate tiers and administrative domains from each other, while taking advantage of the simplified administration provided by Oracle Solaris Cluster.

Updating Your Oracle Solaris 11 System from the Oracle Support Repository

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

The post "Tips for Updating Your Oracle Solaris 11 System from the Oracle Support Repository" by Peter Dennis explores Support Repository Updates (SRUs) and how best to maintain systems with the latest updates or a selected set of updates from Oracle. Dennis examines some of the more advanced uses of the Image Packaging System (IPS) and assumes a basic knowledge of the update process using the pkg(1) command-line utility.

Price Comparison for Big Data Appliances

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

A cost comparative exercise by Jean-Pierre Dijcks involving the Oracle Big Data Appliance (BDA) and a DIY system built using HP solutions and Cloudera reveals a big price point advantage for BDA. Dijcks costs out the DIY system at US$ 762,849 at all list prices, which includes neither the costs of cabling the system, installing the OS, JVM and other base components nor installing and configuring the Hadoop stack software to get to a production system. Oracle BDA, on the other hand, comes in at US$ 450,000, according to Dijcks's analysis.

A Highlights Review of ZFS

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

Karoly Vegh, whose job at Oracle is to do Solaris 11 tech-updates/demos for customers has posted a high-level overview of ZFS that provides some background on the corporate decisions to devote assets to the development of this solution. Vegh explains that several goals were realized in the course of this development effort, including:

Removing capacity limitations
Reducing administrative complexity
Eliminating data corruption caused by partial writes
Enabling rollbacks to previous states
Implementing zfs-internal data services

Vegh promises further details in a second post on the subject.

MySQL Workbench 5.2 GA; Includes 28 Bug Fixes

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

The MySQL Developer Tools team has released MySQL Workbench version 5.2.40, the next maintenance release of its flagship product, which contains more than 28 bug fixes applied over version 5.2.39. The team reports that, in addition to the new Query/SQL Development and Administration modules, version 5.2 features improved stability and performance - especially in Windows, where OpenGL support has been enhanced, and the UI was optimized to offer better responsiveness. Sources and binary packages for several platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux are available as downloads.

illumos Developers' Council Meeting, May 16, 2012

2012-05-18T16:00:00+01:00

Proceedings of the May 16, 2012 meeting of the Illumos Develops' Council are available through a downloadable recording. Major decisions arrived at include the decision to seek consensus on issues and, in its absence, to rely on simple majority vote; the council adopted the RTI process drafted by Bryan Cantrill, which is available as a download. The council also decided to table the draft vision statement for future discussion and not to term-limit membership on the council. Finally, Dan McDonald was added to the Advocates membership.

Read Java Magazine - May/June 2012 -

2012-05-16T16:00:00+01:00

The current issue of Java Magazine features articles on device convergence with Java 12; Java ME in the Indian games market; an interview with Donald Smith on OpenJDK; an explanation by Jim Weaver on using properties and binding in JavaFX 2.0; and articles on several other aspects of Java today. Registration and log in are required for full access to the online magazine. Access is free.

NexentaVSA for VMware View Automates Deployment of VDI

2012-05-16T16:00:00+01:00

Nexenta has released a purpose-built virtual local storage appliance that dramatically simplifies deploying, managing, and calibrating storage for VMware View. Blogger Mason Uyeda writes that end users now have an application that automates the entire process of deploying VDI, and related storage, through a few simple clicks. Integrations with VMware vSphere, vCenter, and View Manager, along with local virtual storage, facilitate this automation. Uyeda explains that deploying local storage on the same compute node where the VDI machines are deployed, NexentaVSA for View cuts through performance barriers that result from network constraints, storage protocol limitations, and external storage bottlenecks.

Making Hybrid PDFs with Libre Office

2012-05-14T16:00:00+01:00

In a two minute video, Simon Phipps demonstrates how to create a hybrid (or editable) PDF using LibreOffice. Phipps explains that a hybrid PDF is a normal PDF file, but with the Open Document Foundation source of the document embedded so that anyone with LibreOffice is also able to open and edit it. Both ODF and PDF are open standards, so you can be sure that there's a choice of free and open source software for editing and viewing them that will remain accessible in perpetuity, Phipps assures viewers.

How to Set Up a Cluster of x86 Servers with Oracle VM 3

2012-05-14T16:00:00+01:00

Kris Bakke and Jeffrey Kiely have written a how-to that walks users through setting up a cluster configuration of Oracle VM 3 using Oracle's Sun x86 systems. The primary design goal for this cluster configuration is high availability (HA). Server redundancy is inherent in the virtualized architecture, the authors remind readers, so the design also utilizes multiple networks with bonded ports. This enables redundant network connections between the virtualized servers in the Oracle VM server pool and the management server, they write, thus giving Oracle VM Manager continuous access to the servers in the event of a failure.

Oracle Solaris Zones Preflight System Checker

2012-05-14T16:00:00+01:00

Duncan Hardie posts about Oracle Solaris Zones Preflight System Checker, which is built into Solaris 11 and to which Hardie provides a download link for Solaris 10 users. Using Oracle Solaris Zones Preflight System Checker, according to Hardie, enables migrations to an Oracle Solaris Zone on both Solaris 10 and 11. In addition, the following capabilities become available:

Analysis of the Oracle Solaris configuration, including networking, storage, and Oracle Solaris Operating system features in use and of application binaries and running applications.
Generation of a template Oracle Solaris Zone configuration to use on the target host.

Second-annual OpenStorage Summit EMEA

2012-05-12T16:00:00+01:00

Nexenta is hosting the second-annual OpenStorage Summit EMEA in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Much like last year's EMEA Conference, this year's event will feature a who's who in the OpenStorage industry participating in panels, case studies and technical vendor presentations.

Three Reasons Why You Should Attend

In-depth look at OpenStorage
Nexenta certification = free conference
Top-class Speakers and Exhibitors

Classes offered include NexentaVSA for View (22nd -23rd), Architecture and Design of Nexenta Solutions (22nd -23rd) and Installing Nexenta Appliances (1 day class on 22nd and 23rd)

Space is limited. Sign up now!

T4 Crypto Cheat Sheet

2012-05-11T16:00:00+01:00

An update on T4 crypto acceleration for Oracle TDE is available in tabular form in a post from Stefan Hinker. He posts the changes that have occurred while the patch for Solaris 10 has been in the works. The changes are listed in terms of T3 and earlier; T4/Solaris 10; and T4/Solaris 11.

Oracle Offers SPARC T4 Servers Interactive e-Book.

2012-05-11T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has created an interactive e-Book on the new SPARC T4 servers and SPARC SuperCluster. The e-Book, available as a PDF, includes such content as the SPARC SuperCluster T4-4 launch webcast; customer success stories; and 3D demos and detailed product information on all SPARC Servers.

Accelerate Linux Deployments with Oracle Validated Configurations

2012-05-11T16:00:00+01:00

Using Oracle Validated Configurations is strongly urged in a post by Durgam Vahia, who describes the program as offering " ... pre-tested, validated architectures, with documented best practices for software, hardware, storage, and network components. This integrated approach helps improve the performance, scalability, and reliability of solutions, with faster, lower-cost implementations." The Oracle integrated stacks free the customer from the burden of testing a stack in their respective environments. They simply choose the Oracle Validated Configuration certified for their situation. Support is available for any and all components of each of the Oracle Validated Configurations.

Will Your Next Car Steal Itself?

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

"As vehicles offer an ever-growing number of digital features, they could present several security threats'unless automakers manage these technologies effectively.

That's the thinking of Dave Miller, CSO at cloud-based platform vendor Covisint. Miller says that in a world of smarter cars, there are five key vehicle identity and security issues to consider. Now Miller believes that cloud services provide the answer to these threats, and given the obvious vested interest, it might be tempting to dismiss the whole concept..."

What Does 'Big Data' Really Mean?

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Big data is an IT buzzword nowadays, but what does it really mean? When does data become big?

At a recent Big Data and High Performance Computing Summit in Boston hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), data scientist John Rauser mentioned a simple definition: Any amount of data that's too big to be handled by one computer..."

This Just In: Cloud Computing Is Hard And Takes A Long Time

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Cisco Systems has surveyed more than 1,300 IT professionals to determine the top priorities and challenges they face when migrating applications and information to the cloud. Guess what? It's harder, and it takes longer than many thought.

Duh..."

Oracle Improves Its Desktop Virtualization Portfolio

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's desktop virtualization portfolio now includes three new releases: Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 3.4; Sun Ray Software 5.3; and Oracle Virtual Desktop Client 3.1. Among the improvements delivered by these releases are the up to 720p High Definition (HD) video playback on Oracle Sun Ray thin client devices; the new security features including support for 802.1x identity-based network authentication enhance security; expanded storage options; and the ability to copy and paste between local applications on the client device and remote virtual desktops, new HD multimedia capabilities, and enhanced integration of smart card authentication provided by Oracle Virtual Desktop Client 3.1.

Building an Appliance? Oracle Enterpise Linux is the OS of Choice

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

Companies that are building appliances with some Linux distro as the embedded OS can do better, argues Wim Coekaerts, than rely on community-based and/or community-maintained versions or even those commercial Linux distros that come with distribution and access restrictions. The alternative, Coekaerts suggests, is Oracle Enterprise Linux. Customers have complete access to the code and are able to use Oracle Enterprise Linux as they choose, without contract restrictions, nor even any license or activation key. This is one distro that can manage across all the use cases, says Coekaerts.

Meet The MySQL Experts Podcast: Managing Scalability of MySQL Enterprise Edition

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

On this episode of Meet the MySQL Experts Podcast, Mikael Ronstrom, senior MySQL Architect, discusses how the MySQL Thread Pool improves MySQL Scalability. Ronstrom summarizes the typical problems that commonly crop up when scalability is called for, one of them being MySQL Thread Pool itself, which was resolved in a later version. Ronstrom also notes the best use cases for MySQL Thread Pool, which are for sorting out active connections and managing long-running queries. Finally, he points out that, even with more than 64 active connections MySQL Thread Pool can produces results up to 20x better than MySQL Enterprise alone.

illumos Hardware Compatibility List

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

One of the challenges when using any Operating System is answering the question 'Is my hardware supported?'. To track this down, you often have to scour Internet sites, hoping someone else has already asked the question, or do other, more horrible machinations - or ask someone knowledgeable. If you're running on an illumos-based system like SmartOS, OmniOS, or OpenIndiana, this just got a lot easier: Robert Mustacchi has created the list. Better yet, he has created a tool to automatically create the list.

The List

illumos now has a hardware compatibility list (HCL) available at http://illumos.org/hcl.

This list contains all the PCI and PCI Express devices that should work. If your PCI device isn't listed there, don't fret, it may still work. This list is a first strike at the problem of hardware compatibility, so things like specific motherboards aren't listed there.

Oracle Updates Its Publication on Oracle Solutions Certified for SAP

2012-05-10T16:00:00+01:00

Each year, Oracle releases its publication "Oracle for SAP Technology Update," as it has just done. Like its predecessors, the 2012 issue provides updates and information about Oracle products and services for SAP customers. The publication features content about running SAP on the Exa stack, including technical articles and customer cases. Users can download the 2012 issue as a PDF.

Your Biggest Security Threat? Your People

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"An employee uses business credentials to shop online. Another clicks on a link in an e-mail message from a complete stranger. A systems admin goes to a forum for help with a problem and gives detailed hardware, software, network and configuration information.

The exploits, payloads and motives may change, but the single biggest security threat to the enterprise is still its employees..."

Move Over, VDI: It's Time for IDV

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Like an 'emperor's new clothes' scenario, VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) seems to offer so much but at a price tag that's hard to justify. That's not to say VDI has had little or no value for IT: VDI was born of issues IT managers faced around centralized desktop management, migration issues, and support frustrations, and no one is denying the need to centralize management or address management support issues. However, VDI fails us in many ways, starting with the fact that devices require high-bandwidth connectivity to access user systems..."

Public-Sector Cloud Computing: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"When the second-in-command of one of the most technologically advanced states in the country slams public-sector computing -- publicly -- it's a resounding wake-up call.

'Don't underestimate how far local, state and federal government is behind [in computing],' said California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom at a tech conference in Silicon Valley earlier this year. 'We have to wake up to the new reality..."

Cloud-Oriented Architecture and the Internet of Things

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Quick quiz for all your Cloud aficionados out there: what's missing from the NIST definition of Cloud Computing? To make this challenge easy for you, here's the definition: 'Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.' Give up? ..."

Be a Winner by Asking Power Questions

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"We often think that we convey intelligence by coming up with clever responses to questions. But that's only half of the equation. When attending conference calls or meetings with executive superstars, have you ever noticed how insightful and engaging their questions are? It's not by accident. In the book 'Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others'), the authors demonstrate how work colleagues, managers and executives, customers and business partners notice you based on your phrasing of inquiries..."

Forklift vs. Incremental Upgrades -- Weighing All the Factors

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"During the past three to five years (depending on the industry in question), IT budgets have been modest at best. There has been a great deal more Band-Aids placed on them than shiny new hardware and software purchased. At the same time, not a lot of new stuff has come on the market. Mainly, the past few years have been all about incremental improvements to the old hardware and software. What little new technology was released did not see significant adoption..."

Next-Generation IT Has Big Shoes to Fill

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"What do 3D printers, the difference between process and practice, and the increased demand for luxury goods have to do with a 7-foot, 8-inch-tall basketball fan with size 25 feet?

The answer: Together they provide a case study for the future of both manufacturing and information technology. For next-generation IT leaders positioned to anticipate this custom-tailored future, rich rewards on the executive team await..."

Half of IT Workers Eyeing Greener Pastures

2012-05-09T16:00:00+01:00

"With the IT job market steadily improving, tech employees are feeling more engaged with their jobs and more loyal to their organizations. However, companies ought not to confuse that commitment with unyielding devotion. More than half of IT employees are ready and willing to entertain better job offers as they arise, more so than employees from any other sector. Organizations would be well-served loosening the IT salary purse-strings and finding other ways to keep their IT staff satisfied..."

10 Common IT Security Blunders (and How To Avoid Them)

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"No matter how hard we fight, cyber threats are ever on the rise. Microsoft and the federal government are stepping up their war on organizations driving botnets. This is part of the problem. One of the biggest threats comes from within and failure to prepare for those battles is asking for trouble.

Even if you think your shop is doing all it can to avoid common security threats, you'd probably be surprised at how easily an outsider can find common -- even silly -- mistakes..."

IBM: Role of Chief Security Officer Is Evolving

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"An IBM study shows that CISOs are getting more pressure from top executives, but also are gaining a greater voice in their companies.

Senior executives in charge of security are finding their roles changing not only as they deal with the growing rates of data breaches and hacker attacks but also by the increasing interest from CEOs and others in the safety of their companies' most valuable information, according to a survey from IBM..."

Don't Be So Trigger-Happy For a Remote Wipe

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"When I talk to IT pros about the proliferation of user technology, aka consumerization, it doesn't take long before the subject of remote wipe comes up. It's become almost a checklist item in any company that supports BYOD and increasingly for those who supply mobile devices. After all, regardless of who buys the device, it may contain corporate secrets that need to be kept away from prying eyes. As OS X Lion and Windows 8 bring remote-wipe capabilities to desktop computers, I'm sure we'll see IT begin to apply it to employees' home and work PCs as well..."

No Exploit Required: How Attackers Exploit Business Logic Flaws

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Cyberattacks don't always employ exploited vulnerabilities: Sometimes they prey on weaknesses in the business processes of an application -- so-called business-logic flaws.

Web application security software vendor and security-as-a-service provider NT Objectives today released a list of the top 10 business logic attack vectors out there..."

The Difficulties In Sizing Up Botnets

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"The main metric with which security researchers identify how effective and disruptive specific botnets are is the number of computers they consists of.

Estimating their size allows them to assess whether concentrating their efforts on the disruption of one is better than focusing on "attacking" another, and to estimate which resources they will have to dedicate to this task..."

Facebook Privacy: 5 Most Ignored Mistakes

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Facebook no longer represents that it offers privacy as a matter of policy, like some other companies do. It states outright that it will use your data. It has a Data Use Policy instead of a Privacy Policy.

But consider the dictionary definition of privacy: 1) The state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people; 2) The state of being free from public attention..."

Facebook 'Likes' Not Protected As Free Speech, Judge Rules

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"In the social media era, most people likely consider their Facebook "Likes" to be the ultimate in free expression ' a statement that says something fundamental about their values and tastes. But employers may not see it that way, and now ZDNet reports that a judge has ruled that employees who are fired for liking something on Facebook have no legal remedy under the First Amendment..."

Bare-Metal Clouds Trade Virtualization For Performance

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Sometimes, for either performance or security reasons, customers don't want to use a public or a private cloud with virtualized infrastructure. Service providers are increasingly responding to this, and one analyst says there is increasing demand for bare-metal clouds.

Internap, the cloud, managed hosting, and co-location service provider, is the latest to jump into the arena with its Agile Hosting offering announced last week. In a bare-metal cloud offering, customers get automated provisioning of dedicated managed hosting environments, meaning they are not taxed by a hypervisor virtualization platform that can cause performance lag..."

Hostage Crisis In The Cloud: Can You Rescue Your Data Back?

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Outsourcing contracts typically include detailed termination and transition assistance provisions that outline the provider's responsibilities regarding data return. Indeed, in many outsourcing contracts, the vendor agrees to provide the data promptly whenever the customer ask for it in the format that the customer requests-and the provider often covers the cost of doing so..."

Crypto in the Cloud Secures Data In Spite Of Providers

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Many studies have shown a chasm between cloud service providers and their customers regarding who is responsible for the security of the customer's data: Providers put the responsibility in the hands of the customer, but the customer usually disagrees.

According to a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute last year, for example, nearly seven in 10 cloud providers put responsibility for the security of a customer's data with the customer. Only three in 10 customers surveyed by Ponemon agreed...."

Q&A: Cloud Security 101

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"If you're considering a move to the cloud, security is likely a big concern. How is it different from security measures in place for your on-premise data center? What technologies are available, and what best practices should you follow? For answers, we turned to Bill Goodman, senior systems engineer at Vormetric. The company's Vormetric Data Security Manager solution encrypt's files, databases, and applications..."

50% Of Businesses Feel The Cloud Is Too Risky

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Despite the apparent enthusiasm around cloud computing, a Wisegate survey revealed that over 50% believe the cloud is too risky for prime time, and only suitable for commodity applications like CRM or e-mail..."

Cloud Is A Corporate Strategy, Not A Tactical Solution

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"As an IT community we are still stuck in the past relative to the strategic nature of cloud. Many of us are looking at the adoption of cloud as just another technology, and are leaving the decisions on how to adopt, own, and manage the cloud up to engineers. But acquiring a cloud management platform is not an engineering decision ' it's a strategic one. Do engineers need to be involved? ..."

Wide-Open Search

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Twitter, Facebook, the Library of Congress -- all of these institutions have mind-numbing amounts of structured and unstructured data that must be indexed and searched quickly. In Twitter's case, that's about 300 million new pieces of information to index every day.

So it's not surprising that such institutions would venture into the seemingly untamed world of open-source search applications, not just for the cost savings, but also for the ability to customize and modify applications quickly. Plus, open source has an active community that can help solve related problems..."

10 Commandments For Effective Security Training

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Information security people think that simply making users aware of security issues will make them change their behavior. But security pros are learning the hard way that awareness rarely equals change.

One fundamental problem is that most awareness programs are created and run by security professionals, people who were not hired or trained to be educators. These training sessions often consist of long lectures and boring slides--with no thought or research put into what material should be taught and how to teach it. As a result, organizations are not getting their desired results and there's no overall progress..."

5 Tips: Get Strong IT Job References

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"It's never entirely easy for an IT professional to leave a job. Even under the best of circumstances, feelings of anger and resentment can bubble to the surface, negatively impacting a job seeker's ability to later land a positive reference--and future employment...

Here are 5 things every techie needs to know about landing an excellent reference from a previous employer..."

10 Reasons IT Pros Get A Bad Rap

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"It's no secret that IT pros aren't too popular with some clients and end users. Alan Norton considers some of the underlying reasons for the bad press.

Why are IT professionals perceived so poorly by some? I am not going to try to prove or disprove the merits of the reasons listed below. Suffice it to say, the bad rap IT gets is justified if the client believes it to be true..."

Bad Social Media Behavior Can Ruin Your Job Search

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"If you think those wild photos of you and your friends from the last Cinco de Mayo aren't a big deal, you'd better think again: They could cost you a job. A significant percentage of job seekers are passed over because of inappropriate posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, according to a CareerBuilder survey. There's a good chance your next would-be employer is doing social media research along with reading your resume..."

In Tough Times, Compliance Efforts May Seem Optional

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"I have a healthcare-related client for which we develop custom software and database programs. It is a relatively small company, but it has a growing national presence. Nice people.

The CEO is what I consider an accidental entrepreneur. She has a great work ethic, knows her industry, and has innovative services of great value to her clients. But she never prepared to run and grow a business. As with many leaders of small and midsize businesses, knowing how to do something can be very different from knowing how to run a business that does that thing..."

10 Symptoms of Check-Box Compliance

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Security and risk pundits have long lamented the practice of going through the motions just to satisfy security regulations and standards like PCI, SOX, and HIPAA. Phoning it in may keep the auditors in check, but it won't mitigate the risks of attack. According to security and compliance pundits, the following are some of the telltale signs an organization is falling into the trap of check-box compliance..."

Thin Provisioning Block Storage � A Maturing Technology

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Thin provisioning has become prevalent in storage systems today. As a storage system feature, it has become expected to be present when the purchase of new storage is being considered by Information Technology professionals. Product offerings from vendors continue to highlight the economic gains from the improvement in storage efficiency with thin provisioning. Understanding of the value from thin provisioning in storage systems is moving beyond the mere presence of the feature to an evaluation of the implementation and the implications of the characteristics..."

How-To Match Flash Memory Solutions to Application Needs

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"With decades of experience storing data on hard disk drives (HDDs), the IT industry is long overdue for the type of revolutionary advantages offered by flash memory technology. Flash technology is making significant inroads to the modern data center and as those early-adopter solution providers are demonstrating, change can be a challenge without being disruptive..."

How do You Spell "Sesame"?

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

Combining Java JE2 ME and Open Ways' Crypto Acoustic Credential (CAC) is sufficient security for Hinkmond Wong, whose recent post links to a HotelChatter, which announces plans by a Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites property to use guests' smart phones as room keys. "OpenWays uses ... CAC and text messaging to securely deliver a unique acoustic key to the guest anywhere in the world. CAC can be retrofitted to the major electronic locks on the market. It is compatible with all 6 billion mobile phones in the world, ... and ALL Mobile OS standards [including] JAVA J2ME .... "

IOPS, Capacity, Bandwidth: Finding the Right Balance

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

As one of the comments on Joerg Moellenkamp's note concerning IOPS, storage capacity and bandwidth there is more to " ... storage than capacity, particularly IOPS and bandwidth." Moellenkamp pithily explains how the uneven progress among these three aspects of storage makes it essential to consider storage in as wide a context as possible in order not to wind up with massive storage on the other side of a bandwidth bottleneck.

The 24/7 CIO: Are You Really Open For Business?

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"The Web offers cheap and easy access for our clients (internal or external) to access services 24/7. As a result, our Web stores and public facing sites have become 'must be available' on the same basis. But how many of us actually follow through? ..."

BYOD Will Revive Network-Access Control Idea

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Is the BYOD craze going to bring a revival of NAC (network-access control), the policy-based network-access control that was hyped a decade ago but didn't end up widely adopted for endpoint security?

Gartner, for one, is predicting the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon, in which employees are being allowed to use their own personal Apple iPads, iPhones, Google Android devices, and other mobileware for business purposes, will lead to a revival of NAC..."

A Linux Command Line Primer

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

Users new to the command line feature of Linux can find a sympathetic ally in David Cardinal whose post on extremetech.com provides a helpful introduction to their structure and function. He begins with an explanation of the abbreviations commonly used in Linux, which can be fragmentary. One of the most helpful pieces of information Cardinal offers is his explanation of the wildcard as a shortcut in typing a Linux filename. This is a time- and keystroke-saver for sure. He also stresses the utility of the Linux control key sequences that, used improperly, have the potential to undo a user's intentions.

LibreOffice 3.4 Writer Guide

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

Users of LibreOffice (and prospective users) can now purchase "LibreOffice 3.4 Writer Guide," which documents the use of LibreOffice's, a freely-available, full-featured office suite that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. The book is for beginners to advanced users of Writer, the word processing component, which covers setting up Writer to suit the way you work. This book was written by volunteers from the LibreOffice community. Profits from the sale of this book will be used to benefit the community. Free PDFs of this book and its individual chapters are available from the LibreOffice site.

Java Spotlight Episode 81: Henrik St�hl on Java 7 Update 4

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

Host Roger Brinkley welcomes Henrik Stahl to Java Spotlight Episode 81 to discuss Java 7 Update 4. Stahl is Senior Director of Product Management at Oracle and has extensive experience in many aspects of IT, including support, network engineering, systems development, IT security, performance engineering and product strategy. Dalibor Topic and Arun Gupta are the featured members of this episode's Java All Star Developer Panel.

What is WAN Virtualization?

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"I believe that we're at the dawn of a NEW architecture that will revolutionize the enterprise WAN, enabling WAN managers to have much more bandwidth at much lower cost than their private MPLS WANs alone deliver today, with improved reliability and application performance predictability for traditional as well as newer applications, and safely and reliably enable the migration of more and more computing to the cloud - public or private - and do so in an incremental manner without forklift upgrades or breaking the bank on the WAN budget..."

Building An Always-On, Always-Available Enterprise

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Imagine the following: You work in the Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) department of a large retailer with a significant online e-commerce presence, and at noon today, a critical component of your infrastructure failed. While you scramble to find a solution, your company's Website that brings in tens of thousands of dollars a day is greeting all of your potential customers with an error message and the social networks are starting to buzz. But to make matters worse, today is not a normal day -- it's one of the highest volume days of the year..."

8 Priorities for More Effective Mobile Security

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Smartphone shipments are expected to reach 1.7 billion in 2017, forecasts telecommunications analyst Ovum - more evidence that the growth of the mobile channel presents opportunities for insurance companies in areas as diverse as distribution, claims and customer service. However, security remains a huge concern - especially as the bring-your-own-device movement means increasing volumes of sensitive corporate and client information are handled on mobile devices. To help insurers optimize the mobile channel while minimizing risks, here are some words of warning, insights and recommendations about how to address mobile security challenges..."

Why Security Isn't A BYOD Showstopper

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"In a webinar on BYOD that I just did, a survey of the 500-plus participants showed that security is the way-out-in-front, lead concern of IT managers when it comes to implementing a bring-your-own-device program. More than 60% of those people voting reiterated what I hear every day. 'Is it safe? Can we really trust users and their personal handsets with enterprise secrets?' ..."

Going Wireless in the Data Center

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Bouncing information around a data center, via 60GHz Wi-Fi, can speed things up by 30% compared to using traditional cables, a group of researchers found. The technique is still being perfected, but it could yield an interesting approach for enterprises in the not-too-distant future..."

Executive Alignment: Key to Business Success

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"As organizations undertake large transformational programs, there is a critical need to ensure that executives are aligned to the vision, purpose and goals of the proposed change. This is often called executive alignment. While large transformational programs can fail for many reasons, executive alignment'or lack of it'is consistently cited as a major cause of failure..."

How to Size Main Memory for ZFS Deduplication

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

In his post on "How to Size Main Memory for ZFS Deduplication" Dominic Kay explains that, prior to using deduplication, one must first determine whether that operation is worthwhile by finding out the deduplication ratio and the memory requirements. Fortunately, ZFS itself provides a means to assist with this determination: the ZFS debugging tool, which will tell users whether deduplication will result in storage space savings. Establishing the memory available for deduplication can be accomplished by multiplying the number of allocated blocks by 320 bytes (the size of each in-core deduplication table).

Wall Street Firms Are Not Prepared for Big Data

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"New data sources, including social media and mobile devices, can provide valuable information and insights into customer tendencies and trends. But firms do not have the infrastructure or skills to handle the deluge of unstructured data...

With the technology and information economy in full swing, financial firms should be in a good (if not a great) position to capitalize on the growth of digital information. After all, data has been the name of the game for financial services firms for decades ' who better to benefit from the leap in availability and usage of data? ..."

What Works for One Does Not Work For Two

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"My wife, Doris, is the founder and president of a company in the real-estate industry. I once heard her explaining how systems and processes must be rebuilt for each new scale of a business. "What works for one does not work for two. What works for two does not work for three," she said.

What a great concept. Whether you are adding more staff, more locations, more servers, or more processes, we must realize that doing the same things harder or smarter is rarely enough. We must accept that the scale of the business has changed, requiring that all associated tasks and systems maintain the same scale..."

Tight Integration Between Risk Management and Compliance Sounds Great, But .

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"While the idea of integrating risk management and compliance has never been completely discarded, it has yet to be widely accepted. In this article, Kenneth Hardin analyzes this concept and provides his own understandings. Hardin references the expansion overview piece from Thomson Reuters and also the outcomes of the TSAM Europe 2012 Conference ..."

10 Lessons From Leading Government CIOs

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"More than a dozen of the federal government's top IT decision makers talked about the opportunities they see, and they challenges they face, at InformationWeek's Government IT Leadership Forum May 3 in Washington, D.C.

The speakers included federal CIO Steven VanRoekel, federal CTO Todd Park, and Department of Defense CIO Teri Takai. An overarching theme at the Forum was how agencies must "do more with less" on a flat IT budget that stands at $79 billion. Here are 10 lessons I took away from the event..."

Gartner Says Half of Enterprises Are Wasting Money on Social Media

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Getting a positive return on investment from a social media campaign is about more than tracking the number of your Facebook fans and Twitter followers. It's about linking the social strategy to measurable business objectives, according to Gartner, which says most businesses aren't doing this.

A new study released this week from the technology consultancy says that half of Fortune 1000 companies will not receive a worthwhile ROI on their social media strategies this year..."

5 Costliest Deduplication Problems -- And How to Avoid Them

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Deduplication has quickly moved from a hot new technology to a mature essential requirement for most enterprise data centers. In this time, several different approaches to deduplication have emerged to address the specific requirements of today's data center. Some deduplication technologies are best suited to remote/branch offices and data centers protecting smaller data volumes; others are designed for large, data-intensive environments with "big backup" requirements..."

Social Media and Employee Recruitment: A Good Idea or a Waste of Time?

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Social media sites serve many purposes. Your employees go onto sites such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate with friends. Your company may use to the sites for brand promotion and marketing, as well as to gather customer data. Like it or not, social media has become an integral part of our lives. Still, there are some uses for social networks that many companies look past..."

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Drafting Business Proposals

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"CIOs are being asked more often to contribute their unique perspective and expertise in business planning and operations. That likely means helping prepare and evaluate business proposals as you become a key member of your organization's strategic leadership team. In his new book, Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts (Amacom/available now), author Tom Sant offers a roadmap for creating winning business plans. He also points out common mistakes and details what business plans should avoid..."

10 Predictions for What The CIO Role Will Look Like In 2020

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"We tapped industry leaders, analysts and CIOs themselves to discover what the challenges of 2020 for the CIO will be like. Here's what we found out.

At the same time, we also know that technology will change dramatically. Who could have predicted even 10 years ago that the CIO would have to deal with complications such as cloud security and virtualization? To find out how the role will change in eight years, we tapped industry leaders, analysts and CIOs themselves to discover what the challenges of 2020 for the CIO will be like. Here's what we found out..."

12 Critical Insights On The State Of IT In 2012

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"I regularly moderate The Great Debate over on ZDNet and it's always a fun opportunity to get a couple smart commentators together and let them cross swords over a controversial topic. However, this week the debate was especially great, as TechRepublic's Justin James and ZDNet's Dana Gardner clashed on the topic of IT Department: Cost Center or Profit Center? It ended up being about the current trajectory of the IT department and how to change it..."

A New Class of CISO Is Coming

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"A new IBM study reveals a clear evolution in information security organizations and their leaders with 25 percent of security chiefs surveyed shifting from a technology focus to strategic business leadership role.

Overall, all security leaders today are under intense pressure, charged with protecting some of their firm's most valuable assets - money, customer data, intellectual property and brand..."

How Stupid Companies Treat Customers

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

"Memo to senior execs: Your customers have changed greatly over the past decade, but, in many cases, you haven't made the adjustments necessary to accommodate their expectations. At least, this is the message conveyed in the book, 'Smart Customers (Stupid Companies): Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them'. Authors Michael Hinshaw and Bruce Kasanoff present a candid perspective on how organizations are falling far behind in recognizing and responding to the growing sophistication and empowerment of consumers..."

Using MySQL Enterprise Backup with Symantec NetBackup.

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

The paper "MySQL Enterprise Backup and Symantec NetBackup" focuses on how Symantec NetBackup and MEB interact with each other. MySQL Enterprise Backup delivers online "Hot" database backup, whether full, incremental and partial backups, or Point-in-Time Recovery and backup compression. MySQL Enterprise Backup can interface with media management software (MMS) to execute backup and restore operations via System Backup to Tape (SBT) interface. SBT is the Oracle API implemented as shared library (libobk.so in Linux and orasbt.dll in Windows) to backup /restore data via 3rd party software vendors. Registration and log in are required to access the document.

JavaFX 2.1: Update on New Documentation and Tutorials for

2012-05-07T16:00:00+01:00

The Java Tutorials' Weblog brings readers up to date on the documentation and training materials available for JavaFX 2.1. These include the expanded Getting Started Guide; the Tree Animation Example; Working with Layout in JavaFX; Getting Started with FXML; JavaFX for Swing Developers; JavaFX for Mac; and JavaFX Scene Builder 1.0 Developer Release.

Do You Really Need A Social Media Will?

2012-05-05T16:00:00+01:00

"Death is never one of my favorite topics so it was with tepid interest I read an email concerning death and social media from none other than your US government. Seems they say we all need a component of our wills that stipulates how our cyber memory will be handled once we die. I cannot disagree but the idea somehow gives me the willies..."

Where Do Insurers Stand on Mobile Security Today?

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Insurers need to develop their mobile security strategies, as PwC's Chris Potter note earlier this week, and for which he offered suggestions. I asked Novarica partner Chad Hersh where insurers stand in implementing mobile security strategies...."

In-depth look at OpenStorage, Nexenta certification, Top-class Speakers and Exhibitors

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

Nexenta is hosting the second-annual OpenStorage Summit EMEA in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Much like last year's EMEA Conference, this year's event will feature a who's who in the OpenStorage industry participating in panels, case studies and technical vendor presentations.

Three Reasons Why You Should Attend

In-depth look at OpenStorage
Nexenta certification = free conference
Top-class Speakers and Exhibitors

Classes offered include NexentaVSA for View (22nd -23rd), Architecture and Design of Nexenta Solutions (22nd -23rd) and Installing Nexenta Appliances (1 day class on 22nd and 23rd)

Space is limited. Sign up now!

No, Encryption Is Not Enough to Protect Your Data

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

"If you don't think your data is vulnerable, just search Google for 'data breach,' and limit the search to news in the last month. You'll get more than 2,000 results. And while most may be redundant, there are enough unique stories to demonstrate that if your company network is accessible via the Internet, it is potentially under attack..."

Crash Course: Five Ways to Optimise Your Projects and Resources ASAP

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

"In order to be successful in today's economy, it is vital to have the competitive advantage. Having accountability of all your people and how their time is being spent will help you to create this advantage. This is imperative because, according to Mr. Finch, your competitor may have already beaten you to the punch. This article discusses five ways in which an organization can optimize their projects and resources, and in a hurry..."

ZFS feature flags update

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

ZFS on-disk formats are versioned using a single integer. The last OpenSolaris version was 28 for pools. This worked when Sun controlled ZFS versioning, but in Illumos multiple organizations may be working on new ZFS versions in parallel. What happens when Delphix uses ZFS version 30 for a new async destroy feature and Nexenta uses ZFS version 30 for RAID-Z4?

A proposed solution call called "ZFS Feature Flags" was presented at the January 2012 Illiumos Meetup. Slides and video of that talk is available.

Last summer Basil Crow, an intern at Delphix, implemented the core components. Delphix has integrated the "SPA/zpool versioning" part of that work into the next version of their product and they plan to push this work back into Illumos soon.

Standing up SmartDataCenter

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

Joyent SmartDataCenter is a complete cloud infrastructure platform that includes a Cloud Operator Portal for service providers, a Cloud Customer Portal for the customers of service providers and RESTful APIs for system integrators.

Orchestrate data centers
Allocate compute resources
Manage virtual servers
Deploy web applications
Monitor resource utilization
Visualize performance analytics
Integrate with ERP systems
Support customer accounts

It is optimized to run large public clouds, perfect for powering mobile application development, app stores, and machine-to-machine transactions, and enables private and hybrid clouds.

Read Bryan Cantrill's "Standing up SmartDataCenter" blog entry to learn about this illumos-based solution.

Security May Be Too Big a Job for IT

2012-05-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Make way for a new chief in the C-suite: The chief information security officer (CISO) -- who is not necessarily a part of IT.

As the Internet -- and its associated deluge of data, clouds, devices, and sites -- becomes integral to IT success, enterprises are more at risk than ever of having precious information stolen, lost, or compromised by online malfeasance. And according to a new study from IBM, many enterprises are answering the challenge by appointing a CISO..."

The Importance of Storage Virtualization

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"With IT budgets expected to decrease 0.6% in 2012 in North America and data still growing in the 10% to 24% range, storage virtualization has become a necessity, not a luxury.

In the first of a two-part series, Network Computing examines the various places within the IT infrastructure where storage virtualization can take place, including servers and disk arrays, and via physical and virtual appliances..."

Cyber Crime-Fighters: A Model for International Cooperation?

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The United States and the European Union have developed strong operational partnerships for fighting cyber crime despite the lack of formal frameworks for the cooperation, according to a panel of officials from both sides of the Atlantic.

It's amazing in law enforcement channels how well we are able to share information, said Thomas Dukes, a former cyber crime prosecutor in the Justice Department and now a policy adviser to the State Department..."

Anonymous and Hacktivist Attacks Keeping IT Security Pros Up at Night

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Concerns over hacktivism and targeted state-sponsored attacks are at the top of security professionals' minds according to a new survey and research report sponsored by Bit9. The 2012 Cyber Security Survey of nearly 2,000 IT security experts set out to gauge the current state of enterprise security and identify the attack methods and cyber criminal groups that keep IT executives up at night.

According to Bit9's survey, 64% of respondents believe their organization will be the target of a cyber attack in the next six months..."

7 Ways Oracle Puts Database Customers At Risk

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Last week Oracle bumped heads with the database security community in a communications blunder that caused a proof of concept to be released for an unpatched 4-year-old vulnerability in the database's TNS Listener service. This week Oracle released a workaround, but still no patch, reigniting critics' claims that the company is neglecting its database customers with shoddy patching practices..."

CIOs And Legal Officers Must Work Closer, Says Gartner Survey

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Chief legal officers (CLOs) consider their enterprises' CIOs to be important contributors to corporate strategy and policy, but they need more in-depth interaction with their IT department, according to a survey by Gartner and ALM..."

Unassuming IT Hero Saves The Day

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"This is a story back from the early days of my IT career. It was in the '90s, and I'd been out of school a couple of years and working at a VAR that provided hardware, software, and service. Recently, I'd been promoted to senior field support engineer and transferred to the corporate division, which served small business and enterprise customers on a variety of platforms..."

8 Data Center Lessons From Facebook

2012-05-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Facebook has opened the vault to its data center efficiency secrets like no organization before it via its open source Open Compute Project. The OCP provides detailed specs and guidelines for high-efficiency server components -- from motherboards to chassis -- as well as facilities hardware, including electrical and cooling. All the systems are implemented in Facebook's state-of-the-art data center in Prineville, Ore..."

Pick Your Strategy for BYOD

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Two main schools of thought guide the adoption of BYOD in the enterprise. One is to reduce the risk of the devices themselves by managing them closely through policy and software. The other is to reduce the risk to data that may be exposed or lost through mobile devices.

The latter is happening by default in most companies while everyone considers whether the former can be done. All organizations need to decide on which overarching BYOD strategy will guide all their individual BYOD projects -- or agree that different pockets will use different strategies (which usually isn't optimal)..."

Mobile Security and Identity Management in The Cloud

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Executive-level security officers at some of the largest global companies have identified four main concerns for 2012: mobile device security, identity management for cloud computing, threat management and profiling, and increasing regulatory pressures, according to Stonesoft..."

802.11ac 'Gigabit Wi-Fi': What You Need To Know

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"The 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is not yet finalized, but draft 802.11ac equipment will soon be available... Your 802.11n wireless network and devices are about to become passé. Although the official 802.11ac specification won't be finalized until sometime in 2013, wireless equipment will soon appear on store shelves sporting the faster wireless protocol.

It's been almost five years since 802.11n wireless routers and devices became available--also well ahead of the specification actually getting ratified. Now, IEEE is finalizing the 802.11ac standard. 802.11ac is also referred to as "gigabit Wi-Fi" and will be capable of significantly faster data transfer speeds than the current 802.11n..."

We Need More Secure Mobile Devices

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"When you combine the words 'mobile device' and 'security,' you get an oxymoron. That's the state of security in the mobile world, and it's been that way since day one.

That has to change. Smartphones and tablets are increasingly doing heavy lifting in the corporate world, and are ever more likely to be repositories of sensitive data. But where do we start in making them more secure? ..."

Employees, Businesses Divided Over BYOD Programs

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"While employees value consumerization of IT, businesses are hesitant due to perceived risks of BYOD programs... While bring-your-own-device programs continue to grow and find favor among businesses of all sizes, issues like security still remain, according to a survey by Mimecast, a supplier of cloud-based email archiving, continuity and security for Microsoft Exchange and Office 365. ..."

SAN versus Local Storage in VDI Environments: A Conversation with Brian Madden and Gabe Knauth

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"SAN versus Local Storage in VDI Environments," a Nexenta-sponsored discussion with Brian Maddan and Gabe Knuth, is conveniently available as a video, a podcast, and a 22-page transcript. Have it your way and enjoy this exploration of how storage decisions in VDI play out. The conversation offers insight into the pros and cons of using different storage strategies to support VDI, such as SAN or local storage, and provides suggestions on how designing your data center to support desktop virtualization differs from your experiences with server virtualization. Registration and log in are required to view the video.

TLC for Your Backup Tapes

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

Iron Mountain has published 14 TLC tips for your tape storage, an E-Guide from SearchDataBackup.com that alerts users to common tape backup errors and offers suggestions to avoid these shortcomings. Many of the tips are common sense practices, so much so, in fact, that they are often taken for granted and not observed during routine backup operations. In total, they are deserving of a prominent place on the wall of every data center, ideally in large, bold print.

NexentaVSA for VMware View Certified for Deployment

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

Nexenta Systems' NexentaVSA for VMware View has received certification from VMware's Rapid Desktop Program and is now ready for deployment on any industry standard hardware. NexentaVSA for VMware View has been purpose built to simplify the deployment and management of storage for VDI installations by integrating with VMware vSphere, VMware vCenter Server, and NexentaStor virtual storage. The solution provides real-time analytics to troubleshoot, measure and monitor the deployment. Customers are also empowered to optimize the process of sizing, configuring and scaling their storage infrastructure for VDI, Nexenta's press release states.

The Enigma of Benchmarking Clouds

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Like it or not, cloud storage and computation is a consideration for many applications. How appropriate this is, is a question to be addressed in another time and place. The question we will address here is how do you compare various cloud providers? You could, and indeed should, look on the Internet at available offerings, talk to the sales and sales support team, and narrow the field down to a few providers that can meet your operational needs, business requirements for availability, and budget."

Physicist: Moore's Law As We Know It Is On Its Last Legs

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Moore's Law -- the idea that computing power doubles roughly once every 18 months -- has proved to be surprisingly accurate since it was first outlined by Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel.

However, in recent decades, high-profile pronouncements of its impending collapse have become nearly as regular. CCNY theoretical physics professor Michio Kaku has been predicting such a breakdown since at least 2003, and he reiterated his views in a recent video talk for BigThink. He said that the critical point will be reached within a decade..."

IBM Supercomputers: 12 Ways HPC Is Leading to Scientific Breakthroughs

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Earlier this year, IBM announced partnerships with Rice University and Rutgers University to advance supercomputing at their institutions and in their respective home states of Texas and New Jersey. The agreements became the latest of many partnerships IBM has with academic, scientific and research institutions that use IBM supercomputers..."

The NFL Thrives On Big, Except In IT

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"The NFL may have big stadiums, big players and big games, but when it comes to its IT operation, Nancy Galietti, the NFL's vice president of IT, does not use the word big.

The NFL runs three data centers of about 2,000 square feet each, or server rooms, as Galietti refers to them. The IT operation supports business functions, a growing film collection, statistics on players, and a looming foray into big data..."

Social Media and the Enterprise: CIO as Enabler

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"The average day is no longer divided into work time and leisure time. As CIOs, we need to ask ourselves: Are we enabling this anytime/anywhere approach to life, or are we constructing artificial barriers to this new way of living? ..."

Don't Fall Victim to Data Loss, Backup Your Data

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Keeping valuables data safe and secure, tucked inside a bank vault or some other lock-down location is commonplace, say the Personal Technology Experts at Support.com, Inc.

Yet when it comes to keeping data safe and secure, well, common sense seems to go out the window. .."

5 Tips For Surviving A Cloud Outage

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Everything fails, all the time," so says Amazon.com CTO Werner Vogels.

"Amazon Web Services itself experienced a much publicized four-day service disruption last April, another outage in August and it had plenty of company from other cloud service companies last year. Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform in February had downtime problems due after the company failed to account for Leap Day, and despite improvements by cloud providers to minimize future outages, more outages will inevitably happen this year and beyond..."

Ten Things Bad Companies Tell Employees

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"While many companies claim to embrace change, it's hard to get people to move beyond their comfort zones. But enterprises need to embrace dynamic market changes and seek out new ways to grow as customer needs evolve. To help ensure the corporate culture evolves with the times, companies need to continually re-examine policies and procedures..."

BYOD Catches CIOs Off Guard

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"A prize goes to any CIO whose strategic planning document two years ago had "develop security policy for employee-owned mobile devices" as a top priority in 2012.

The truth is that mobile's sudden rise has caught many CIOs off guard, and most agencies lack provisions to manage and secure personal devices' access to government networks and information. But such safeguards in the form of codified bring-your-own device policies are needed ' and soon..."

Troubling Truths About Hiring Practices

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"You've probably sat at your 'esk on more than one occasion and asked yourself, 'How did that person ever get his/her job?' A recent survey from TEKsystems provides one likely answer. The study reveals that a lack of thoroughness during the screening process of IT job applicants may contribute significantly to these problems..."

Are Boy Scouts Prepared for the iPad?

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"When venturing into new terrain, Boy Scouts pride themselves on being prepared for all sorts of dangers. For Clint Andera, IT director for the Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of America in Minnesota, new terrain comes in the form of bring-your-own-device iPads, along with the danger of data loss.

"With more managers working from out of the office than ever before, it's important we provide remote employees with instant access to the network without compromising on security," Andera says...

BYOD Policy Bites Vacationing CEO

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Mimecast CEO Peter Bauer recently found himself at the intersection of consumerization and IT management, falling victim to personal data loss as the result of the internal management policy he himself helped establish.

While on a family vacation in South Africa, Bauer's 5-year-old daughter tried to use his smartphone. After she entered the incorrect PIN code five times, the corporate-installed remote wipe capability kicked in and Bauer lost all of the photos he had taken through the first half of the trip..."

Five Cloud Trends That Will Impact Your Business

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"It's no secret that cloud computing is transforming the technology landscape.

The notion of shifting all or part of a company's IT resources to a cloud provider is forcing CTOs around the country to re-examine their IT shops.

Research firm Gartner has taken a look at the market to determine five key trends in the cloud marketplace..."

Defining Cloud SLAs Is Critical

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Service level agreements have been used by companies for a long time in an effort to ensure they get the right bang for their buck, but industry experts say that with IT functions increasingly being moved to the cloud, it's important to carefully define your goals in SLAs so that corners are not cut in an effort to increase the provider's bottom line..."

Hybrid Cloud Management- Understanding The Landscape

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Hybrid Cloud is defined as a multi-Cloud IT environment composed of traditional IT and multiple Private Clouds and Public Clouds in the same enterprise. The definition by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) states 'A Hybrid Cloud is a combination of Public and Private Clouds bound together by either standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability..."

Hybrid Cloud Model: Challenges and Opportunities

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"In the global marketplace, enterprises must move quickly to capitalize on the latest growth op¬portunities and stay one step ahead of the compe¬tition. IT services play an important role in foster¬ing the innovation required to fuel new business ventures. Today, CIOs need to be in a constant state of readiness to provide their users with the technology services to enable innovative business opportunities and respond to customer demands..."

How to Negotiate A Contract With A Cloud Or SaaS Provider

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud and SaaS services are rapidly gaining traction with enterprises and small businesses. Yet IT, which is usually responsible for negotiating contracts with these service providers, may fall short in critical areas of contract negotiation and legal skills.

The stakes are high. In a worst-case scenario, you can simply realize that you made a mistake and that you must get out of a contract. In less dire cases, you can find yourself relying on a vendor that doesn't execute to your business SLAs as your internal staff would. The best way to set expectations is by laying them out clearly in the contract that you sign with your vendor. This provides a platform for ongoing discussions about service levels..."

IaaS A Bad Deal? Not So Fast

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"A recent column by Art Wittmann arguing that infrastructure-as-a-service is a bad deal attracted significant controversy, largely among promoters of the public cloud. Wittmann presents detailed numbers showing that, from a capital expenditure perspective, buying your own storage hardware is significantly less expensive long term than paying an IaaS vendor to rent its hardware..."

How To Hack The Password Problem

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"The security industry has been predicting the death of the password for at least a decade. In 2004, even Bill Gates said we would rely less and less on passwords over time. But now it's 2012, and even though Google offers two-factor authentication and World of Warcraft fans can use the Blizzard Authenticator, the majority of the world still relies on a single password to protect their email, banking sites, and computers..."

How Would You Architect A New Security Monitoring Product?

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"I came up with a simple survey question earlier this month -- "If you were to develop a new Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) or Log Management product, how would you deliver it?" -- with the hopes that my survey would be short enough to entice people to answer. FluidSurveys was used as the survey platform for this exercise because it was easy to use and, most importantly, free.."

Most Orgs Don't Know What Data Is Leaving Their Systems

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Only 20% of IT executives say they have visibility into files and data moving inside and leaving their organization, and 29% of them perceive moving data back and forth between cloud applications as the biggest risk of data loss, say the result of a survey by Ipswitch File Transfer Division.

With the proliferation of the Bring Your Own Device trend, organizations have to monitor devices such as smartphones, tablets, USB drives and sophisticated MP3 players due to file hosting capabilities..."

VMware's Lost Source Code: Not A Panic Situation

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"VMware has confirmed that some of its source code to its ESX Server has been leaked. Cue the dramatic music and breathlessly worded missives claiming the sky is falling and your VMware environment will be secure only if you buy someone's stuff. There's no need to panic. Clearly, having its source code leaked is bad for VMware, but that doesn't mean it's bad for you..."

Network the 'Next Big Thing' For Virtualization?

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"For the third installment of our examination of the current state of the virtualization market, after licensing and VMware competition, we take a closer look at the new virtualization paradigm in town: software-defined networking, also known as network virtualization. Names aside, it's a technology that promises to be the next big thing for IT organizations, networking vendors and virtualization vendors alike..."

8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"The best managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. See what they get right...

A few years back, I interviewed some of the most successful CEOs in the world in order to discover their management secrets. I learned that the "best of the best" tend to share the following eight core beliefs..."

Virtualization Simplifies Disaster Recovery for Insurance Broker Myron Steves

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"When Hurricane Ike struck Texas in 2008, it became the second costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the U.S. It was also a wake-up call for Houston-based insurance wholesaler Myron Steves & Co., which was not struck directly but nonetheless realized its IT disaster recovery (DR) approach was woefully inadequate.

Supporting some 3,000 independent insurance agencies in the Gulf Coast region, with many insured properties in that active hurricane zone, Myron Steves must have all it resources up and available, if and when severe storms strike..."

iT Engineers Ponder Fix To Dangerous Internet Routing Problem

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"IT engineers are studying what may be an easier way to fix a long-existing weakness in the Internet's routing system that has the potential to cause major service outages and allow hackers to spy on data.

The problem involves the routers used by every organization and company that owns a block of IP addresses. Those routers communicate constantly with other routers, updating their internal information -- often upwards of 400,000 entries -- on the best way to reach other networks using a protocol called Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)..."

Ten Ways to Read Your Colleagues' Minds

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Knowing what your co-workers are thinking doesn't require super powers. Knowing a few things about communication and body language can give you all the information you need to have successful interactions at work based on what your colleagues are "telling" you--no matter what words are coming out of their mouths. In the book, 'Professional Presence: A Four-Part Guide to Building Your Personal Brand", author Peggy Noe Stevens weighs in on soft skills that could help you get ahead at work, as opposed to more concrete skills like knowing C++..."

On The Trail Of NASA's Space Potty

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Leave it to the Smithsonian to get every detail right when laying out new exhibits.

First, as part of the Space Shuttle Discovery's exhibit at its new home in the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia will be the spacecraft's original space toilet or waste containment system as it is more technically known.

And a new exhibit in the Smithsonian's iconic Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC has its own space toilet demonstration, albeit apparently a reproduction..."

IT in A Nutshell: Duct Tape and Sealing Wax

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Many IT projects start with an optimistic air, a feeling that no matter what's occurred in the past, this one will be different. It'll be done right the first time, no shortcuts will be taken, enough time will be available for proper planning and execution, and the result will be a shining example of IT done right. All those involved will be lauded by the rest of the company for a job well done ..."

Project Management Phases and Processes

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"For all but the smallest projects, experienced project managers use well-established project management methodologies. These are often published systems - such as PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) or PRINCE2 - but they can also be in-house methodologies that are specific to the organization.

These approaches have some differences in emphasis, and they tend to use slightly different terminology, but they generally share two key features..."

IT Project Management: Is Experience Overrated?

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Experienced project managers have accumulated a store of shortcuts, workarounds and 'accelerators' that may have served them once or twice in different circumstances. These generally won't add anything to a complex, challenging situation, where attention to detail and sticking with the basics is what builds success..."

Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance Achieves 2-Node World Record SPECsfs2008 NFS Benchmark

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's BestPerf site reports the triumph of the Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance in the SPECsfs2008 NFS Benchmark. The 7420 delivered a world record two-node result of 267,928 SPECsfs2008_nfs.v3 Ops/sec with an Overall Response Time (ORT) of 1.31 msec on the SPECsfs2008 NFS benchmark. The vanquished solutions include NetApp's dual-controller and 4-node high-end FAS6240 storage systems and the EMC VG8 and NS-G8 storage systems. BestPerf notes that the Sun ZFS Storage 7420 appliance delivered 1.4x higher throughput than the dual-controller NetApp FAS6240 and 2.6x higher throughput than the dual-controller NetApp FAS3270 on the benchmark at less than half the price.

Keynote Speaker Line-up for OpenStorage Summit EMEA 2012

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

The Nexenta OpenStorage Summit EMEA 2012, which will be held from May 22-24, 2012, at the Mercure Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, will feature an impressive list of world-class, industry leading keynoters who will participate in panels, present case studies, and provide technical vendor presentations. Focusing on OpenStorage, industry keynote speakers will cover cloud, virtual desktop infrastructure, data corruption, and the storage technologies that are accelerating innovation and how they are poised to replace costly legacy storage technologies. To register and see the full Nexenta OpenStorage Summit EMEA 2012 agenda visit the Nexenta web site.

90 Percent Of 'Secure' HTTPS Sites Are Vulnerable, Study Finds

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"One of the basic security checks when conducting an online transaction to make sure the front of the URL reads "HTTPS," which indicates that the site uses Secure Sockets Layer encryption. But up to 90 percent of those sites, including at least several at U.S. government agencies, are vulnerable to attack, according to a new survey.

The survey by Trustworthy Internet Movement, a nonprofit initiative formed in February to help address Internet security issues, also found that 75 percent of the most popular sites using SSL are vulnerable to a Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS (BEAST) attack and 40 percent support weak ciphers..."

To Win With Cloud Computing, Change IT First

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Most organizations consider the move to cloud-based platforms as simple additions to the existing portfolio of IT systems. However, if internal IT does not change around the usage of most cloud services, enterprise IT won't get the full benefits. Indeed, many initial uses of cloud computing resources in such organizations will end up in failure. The dirty little secret is that most of the change to IT needs to occur before the first implementation to make cloud computing holistically successful..."

Why CISPA Could Kill The Cloud

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Opponents of CISPA such as the ACLU have focused almost exclusively on the bill's potential impact on individual users' privacy, and understandably so. But a close read of CISPA's broad language reveals that Joe Internet's privacy isn't all that would be in jeopardy if the bill makes it through the Senate and past President Obama's veto pen. CISPA poses a threat to the privacy of entire organizations, from nonprofits and small business on up to the enterprise -- and even to the very future of cloud computing..."

Innovation Drives Business

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

Avnet, which has more than 100,000 customers in more than 70 countries, prides itself on continually searching for pioneering ways of doing business.

"We celebrate innovation," said Steve Phillips, senior vice president and CIO of Avnet, a global distributor of information solutions, during a meeting with Baseline. "We have a program that encourages our employees to submit innovative ideas, and we recognize them for the ideas we implement..."

Ten Ways to Enhance Your International Leadership Skills

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"According to a recent survey from Hydrogen Group, 72% of employers worldwide expect their senior executives to have international business experience and take a global approach to meeting business objectives. The book "Being Global: How to Think, Act, and Lead in a Transformed World" can help CIOs develop the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace..."

Millennials at Work: Not My Generation

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"What I found when I moved into the corporate world was a different, diverse mix of ability and motivation. There were plenty of talented people, but their drivers were less well defined (and aligned) than I was accustomed to. The motivational tools I was familiar with didn't always work. In part, that's because there has been an erosion of the connection between effort and reward in much of business..."

Stressed Out IT Teams Can Hurt Your Bottom Line

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Are your IT administrators stressed out, working long hours and dealing with users who are driving them crazy? If so, you're not alone. According to a recent survey from GFI Software, IT admins report having stress levels off the charts, and as CIO, it's your job to pay attention and make sure your best people aren't experiencing burnout. Replacing over-stressed IT workers takes time and money you don't have..."

Nissan Hack A Harsh Reminder About Protecting Data Stores From Spies

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Nissan's disclosure this week of a malware attack in which attackers stole employee user-account credentials was a chilling reminder of the reality of industrial espionage.

While it may be easy to get caught up in toeing the compliance line and focusing solely on the protection of personally identifiable information (PII), at the end of the day security professionals need to remember that protecting business-critical intellectual property (IP) should be their No. 1 concern, security pundits warn..."

WWI 'Dazzle Paint' Fools Face Recognition Scanners

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Although it might seem a little bit like wearing a tinfoil hat to prevent the government from listening in on your thoughts, an artist has discovered a way to prevent computers from recognizing your face, or even to pick it out of a crowd at all.

Oddly enough, the technique used is nothing new, at least to the history buffs out there who study World War I or even World War II. It's called dazzle camouflage..."

The Slow And Steady Evolution Of Cross-Platform Malware

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Malware isn't just for Windows anymore. As the number of Macs rise, the economic incentive for criminals to build cross-platform attacks rises. And so do the stakes.

The rise of the global Internet in the early to mid-2000s made online crime possible and profitable. The sheer size of Microsoft's monopoly made Windows the only target that mattered for malware authors. And so for years all malware was Windows malware, which led some people to conclude that it would always be so..."

Running The "World's Largest Temporary Network" No Easy Task

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Putting on a major convention like Interop Las Vegas requires Herculean efforts on several fronts. Thousands of hotel rooms booked. Millions of miles flown. Goodness knows how many packets of airline peanuts consumed.

But the most critical part of the whole thing could be the network - as some of the companies working on the project are quick to point out..."

Gigabit WiFi Speeds On the Way, But Beware The Draft

2012-05-01T16:00:00+01:00

"Remember back in 2009, when the 'n' was amended to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 wireless networking standard? Over the previous five years it took to go from initial draft to final approval, we were 'treated' to a veritable soap opera of patent disputes and lawsuits. A new revision would come out every other year, but neither manufacturers nor IT departments wanted to wait for the final ratification..."

Building a Virtual Data Center with Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Building a virtual datacenter (vDC) with Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c is the subject that Scott Elvington tackles in a recent post on oracle.com. Elvington's vDC consists of a pair of Oracle Solaris 10 servers, a NAS share and a group of VLAN tagged networks. He shows how to set aside a portion of those resources for a QA Testing group and shows how a user can create a virtual server connected on a virtual private network.

Microsoft Clarifies Licensing Policies for VDI, VDA, and RDS

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

While Brian Madden has a few serious reservations about Microsoft's new FAQ document on VDI, VDA, and RDS licensing, he nevertheless pronounces it a "good document." Had it been published earlier, it might have forestalled much confusion, which it now clarifies though it does nothing to reform the policies about which it tardily offers this clarification, he notes. And there are still some points that call for further clarification, one being the issue of extended roaming rights, which Madden examines heatedly.

Java SE 7 Update 4 and JavaFX 2.1 for Mac OS X

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has released Java SE7 Update 4 and JavaFX 2.1, both for the Mac OS X. Java developers can now download Oracle's JDK, which includes the JavaFX SDK, for Mac OS X from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). Java SE7 Update 4 JDK includes the next-generation Garbage Collection algorithm, Garbage First (G1), which provides predictable garbage collection even for very large applications. Rich client applications using JavaFX 2.1 can be completely developed in Java, allowing users to leverage their existing knowledge of and investments in Java technologies to easily create modern, expressive graphical user interfaces and data visualizations in JavaFX.

Oracle SPARC SuperCluster: An Overview

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Watch "The Oracle SPARC SuperCluster: The First General Purpose Engineered System" with Ganesh Ramamurthy, Oracle Vice President of Engineering, Jennifer Glore, Oracle SuperCluster Engineering Team Lead, and Gary Combs, Oracle Principal Product Manager, who provide an overview of the unique technical and business advantages of Oracle SPARC SuperCluster and the role of engineered systems in developing an IT infrastructure capable of running a variety of applications by design.

Solaris Zones: Virtualization that Speeds up Benchmarks

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Is there a place in the world of IT for Solaris Zones as an alternative to Hypervisor virtualization? Stefan Hinker thinks so, adding that such a use costs very little in overhead. He cites the practices of the Oracle benchmark teams, who are so convinced of the advantages of Solaris Zones that they actually use them in the configurations for public benchmarking. While Solaris resource management will also work in a non-Zones environment, Zones make it just so much easier to handle, especially with some of the more complex benchmark configurations, Hinker asserts, offering benchmarking reports to bolster his argument.

MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.9 Is Released

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

The last release in the MySQL 6.3.x series, MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.9, is now available. This maintenance release contains more than 25 fixes from the 6.3.8 base. Version 6.3.9 can be downloaded in both source and binary form from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html#downloads and mirror sites (not all of which are up to date at this point-if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.) The release is of course also available for download on My Oracle Support (MOS).

How-to Use LiveInstall Solaris 11 from Solaris 10

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

The oracle.com blog "Isaac's musings" features a how-to article that allows customers to follow a LiveUpgrade-like methodology in getting their existing Oracle Solaris 10 system to Oracle Solaris 11 while minimizing risk and still being able to boot back to Oracle Solaris 10 if they so choose. This is particularly of interest to those who have grown to appreciate the value that LiveUpgrade delivers.

Creating and Configuring Virtual Ports Controlled by a Virtual Machine

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Alexandre Chartre explains how to configure a SAN environment (such as zoning, LUN masking or QoS) using virtual (NPIV) instead of physical ports. This provides flexibility as you can then easily transfer a configuration from one physical HBA to another by just configuring a new HBA with the appropriate N_Port ID. In a virtual environment, it can be convenient to associate a virtual port with a virtual machine, and to have all LUNs visible through this virtual port assigned to the virtual machine. You can then manage the association of LUNs and virtual machines through the configuration of your SAN.

CISDI INFO Moves to the Cloud Under Oracle Power

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

CISDI Information Technology (CISDI INFO), a provider of solutions, experience and capabilities for the engineering and construction industries and iron and steel customers, has selected Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud and Oracle Exadata Database Machine for its implementation of cloud computing technology. The implementation will involve three steps: establishment of a private cloud by relocating its existing database to Oracle systems; provision of limited and mixed cloud services to its subsidiaries and partners; and movement to an industry public cloud computing platform designed to provide access to the shared computing resources pool in a self-service, dynamic, elastic and measurable way.

Oracle Introduces Sun ZFS Backup Appliance for Oracle Engineered Systems

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun ZFS Backup Appliance delivers up to 20 Terabytes (TB) per hour full backup and up to 9.4 TB per hour full restore throughputs, the fastest published recovery rates among general purpose storage systems for Oracle engineered systems. This backup throughput of unique data does not require additional host-side software or CPU resources. The Sun ZFS Backup Appliance decreases recovery time by up to 4x, compared to published Oracle Database backup performance rates from NetApp and EMC at a TCO up to 3.9x lower over a three year period than comparable NetApp and EMC Data Domain solutions.

SAP Applications Certified for Oracle SPARC SuperCluster

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has just announced that SAP applications are now certified for use with the Oracle SPARC SuperCluster T4-4. SAP infrastructure and applications based on the SAP NetWeaver technology platform 6.4 and above and certified with Oracle Database 11g Release 2, such as the SAP ERP application and SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse, can now be deployed using the SPARC SuperCluster T4-4, according to Oracle. What this means is that SAP applications, central services and the Oracle Database can be run securely and efficiently on a single engineered system to greatly simplify and speed deployment, management and service of SAP infrastructure.

Just Enough JavaFX for Corporate Desktop Apps

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

Geertjan Wielenga shows how it is possible to pick and choose the relevant components of JavaFX and to combine then with Swing, making it possible to undock a chart from the main frame and, if you wish, move it to a different monitor. Further, he explains, it is possible to include only those Swing J tables that are deemed pertinent to a particular app. This is accomplished, Wielenga explains, by going to Tools | Plugins and installing a new chart provider, which is an implementation of an interface made available by the app for registering new charts.

Connecting MEB and MMS through System Backup to Tape Interface

2012-04-30T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle white paper "Connecting MySQL Enterprise Backup (MEB) and Media Management System (MMS) through System Backup to Tape (SBT) Interface" describes the use of MySQL Enterprise Backup with Media Management software through System Backup to Tape interface. The white paper addresses the numerous potential issues that can arise in the course of planning for backups. Without proper guidance the further complexity inherent in using the Oracle database, MySQL, and other databases can present difficulties that can be resolved by the use of a single tool to ensure consistency of backup policy. Registration and log in are required.

GREE Selects Oracle for Data Analysis

2012-04-27T16:00:00+01:00

GREE, Inc., a global mobile social gaming company, is using Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage 7420 appliance and Sun Fire X4170 M2 server with Oracle Solaris 11 to support their social network data analysis.

GREE currently uses Oracle products to build the data analysis service for its Japanese social network, which combines social mobile games with a variety of social media services, worldwide. GREE collects terabytes of log data every day to analyze traffic and service patterns in its effort to continuously improve customer service.

Support for FOSS Components in Oracle Solaris

2012-04-27T16:00:00+01:00

A post on oracle.com points readers to a My Oracle Support knowledge article that provides background information concerning support of FOSS packages delivered with Oracle Solaris 11 and older Oracle Solaris releases. A subset of FOSS components delivered in Oracle Solaris are supported in terms of Oracle Premier Support for Systems. New version of a FOSS component will be delivered in Oracle Solaris 10 either as a patch or an update release, a new version of a FOSS component will be delivered in Oracle Solaris 11 either as part of a Support Repository Update (SRU) or in an update release.

JavaOne Russia Demo Grounds

2012-04-27T16:00:00+01:00

In this week's podcast on the Java All Star Developer Panel is Dalibor Topic, Java Free and Open Source Software Ambassador. Spotlight Podcast Notes #80

News
JDK8 New Build Infrastructure
Expression Language 3.0/JSR 341 Early Draft Now Available
Websockets and JavaEE 7: JSR 356 starting up
Rolling Upgrades with GlassFish Server
Events

While at JavaOne Russia we were able to talk a number of participants in the demo grounds. Featured in this interview is Emedded Java on both JavaSE and JavaME, Java Card, JavaFX and JavaEE.

Five Unique Ways to Use a Log Management Solution

2012-04-26T16:00:00+01:00

"In today's economy, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are constantly looking for ways to save money, yield maximum potential from deployed technologies and, ultimately, 'do more with less.' One way they can accomplish these goals is by taking advantage of a log management solution..."

VMware Source Code Stolen, Impact Unclear

2012-04-25T16:00:00+01:00

"VMware ESX source code has been stolen and posted online, but the company says its virtualization platform doesn't necessarily pose an increased risk to customers.

The stolen code amounts to a single file from sometime around 2003 or 2004, the company says in a blog post..."

World War II Encryption Tactics: How The Enigma Failed (Video)

2012-04-25T16:00:00+01:00

"The wonderful "ArtOfTheProblem" YouTube channel has a great 10-minute video highlighting the encryption methods used during World War II, specifically focusing on the Enigma machine. While going through why the encryption is so difficult, the video then reveals two mistakes that German operators and the machine's designer made, allowing the Allies to crack the codes created by the device..."

Businesses Fail To Learn From 2011 Data Breaches

2012-04-25T16:00:00+01:00

"While data breaches perpetuated during 2011 clearly demonstrated the need for more comprehensive encryption of business and customer data, a survey of over 170 IT managers with security responsibilities in UK businesses revealed that valuable and sensitive data held inside the perimeter walls of many systems are not necessarily being secured by effective and comprehensive encryption strategies..."

How to Manage Unmanageable Employees

2012-04-25T16:00:00+01:00

"With unemployment still high, it would make sense that only the best and the brightest would be working - but dysfunctional employees abound. IT's not that these so-called professionals don't have the skills they need to do their jobs, whether they're networking experts or mobile app developers. They're not dummies. However, they can have some serious personality problems that no one picked up on during the interview process..."

DD EMC Data Domain Boost - Oracle RMAN Integration

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

Coupling EMC Data Domain's DD Boost with Oracle's native Recovery Manager (RMAN) utility is enabling DBAs to achieve advanced integration between EMC Data Domain deduplication storage systems and Oracle RMAN for faster, more efficient backup and recovery, writes Jerome M. Wendt in dcig.com. Using the solutions together eliminates the isolated storage islands that can result from using Oracle RMAN alone, Wendt contends, adding that, while Oracle RMAN could already backup directly to Data Domain systems using CIFS or NFS protocols, using DD Boost as the transport protocol instead of these protocols results in backups that are up to 50% faster.

Modern Software Packaging For Enterprise Developers (IPS)

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

A replay of Eric Reid's webinar "Modern Software Packaging for Enterprise Developers (IPS)" is available from Oracle University and is free to OTN members. Registration and log in are required. On April 24, Matthew Hosanee presented the webinar "Managing Application Services, Using SMF Manifests in Oracle Solaris 11." Here is a link to the Oracle Solaris 11 Developer Webinar Series.

KyivStar, JSC Reduces Legacy Environment Storage Volumes by 85%, Boosts Performance 300-500%

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

By implementing Oracle Exadata Database Machine and Oracle Active Data Guard 11g KyivStar, JSC, Ukraine's foremost mobile communications and mobile internet provider, reduced storage volume to merely 15% of its legacy environment'from 444 terabytes to 70 terabytes. KyivStar also increased its financial and analytical calculation performance by 300% to 500%. This implementation has enabled the company to effectively monitor revenues and margins, apply taxes correctly and quickly, and detect data losses due to errors or fraud by consolidating all key subsystems, such as financial reporting services or online services for subscribers, all within a year of the implementation.

Apple's Ipv6 Misstep Is A Sign Of The Times

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

"Apple's controversial decision not to support IPv6 on Version 6.0 of AirPort Utility is the latest example of a broader problem plaguing the next-gen Internet Protocol: Many network vendors are lacking the same level of features and performance in products that support IPv6 as those that support IPv4, the original Internet Protocol..."

Oracle Optimized Solution for Oracle Unified Directory

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle Optimized Solution for Oracle Unified Directory implements Oracle Unified Directory software on Oracle's SPARC T4 servers to provide highly available and extremely high performance directory services for the entire enterprise infrastructure and applications, posts Mark Wilcox of Oracle's Optimized Solutions team. This solution, more than a simple generic tuning guide, has been run through the tuning steps and the configuration has been tested, resulting in faster, simpler deployment as a result of the reduced time it takes to run a tuning exercise from scratch.

7420 SPEC SFS Outperforms EMC/Isilon, Netapp, HDS Solutions

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

Comparing the Oracle 7420 ZFSSA against Netapp, EMC/Isilon and HDS solutions, Darius Zanganeh has found the 7420 to be dramatically faster (and at a lower price point) than the competition on the SPEC SFS benchmark. In fact, the 7420 delivered 40% more performance than the Netapp 6240, he writes. Even in terms of latency, Zanganeh explains further, the 7420 demonstrated a response rate over 2X faster than the 6240.

Cloud Clash: Software Vendors Vs. Cloud Providers

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

"Amazon.com has announced a new online marketplace in its Amazon Web Services that lets customers use software and services from a variety of software providers at an hourly metered rate. Software providers like IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and CA offer products for sale on the site as well. There are also free open source applications, such as Drupal and SugarCRM.

Amazon.com's rationale is simple: provide software to run on the AWS site to sell more AWS storage and compute units and, thus, make more money. But the move could put software providers and their customers in a difficult position..."

The Register Reports on Aggressive SPARC Upgrade Program

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

Writing in the The Register, Timothy Prickett Morgan draws attention to Oracle's Trade In, Trade Up offer on the SPARC SuperCluster T4-4, Enterprise M8000, and Enterprise M9000 hardware. Oracle's installed base can receive up to $4,000 per processor as a trade-in on SPARC and SPARC x64 machines that have been in service for the three months prior to accepting the deal. Oracle is also extending the offer to Fujitsu users. Prickett Morgan speculates that Oracle's sales force will concentrate its efforts on the SPARC SuperCluster T4-4 setups running Solaris 11 and able to support application server and database workloads.

Enhanced Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance Beats NetApp Results on SPECsfs2008 NFS Benchmark

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

The enhanced Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance can support up to 64x more memory and up to 10x more cores than a NetApp FAS3270 controller. With the Oracle VM Storage Connect Plug-in, customers can provision and manage Sun ZFS Storage Appliance LUNs, executing advanced data protection features directly from the Oracle VM Storage Connect Console. Using the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Plug-in, customers can pass data on system performance, health and configuration to the Oracle Enterprise Manager console from a single pane of glass. The Sun ZFS Storage Appliances now offer larger three Terabyte (TB) capacity-optimized SAS-2 hard disk drives.

iBridge Selects Oracle�s Pillar Axiom 600 Storage System

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

iBridge, an information management and data services company in the legal, healthcare, manufacturing, government and financial services sectors, has implemented Oracle's Pillar Axiom 600 Storage System as the foundation of its new data center. The implementation has enabled iBridge to reduce administrative overhead costs by up to 70 percent compared to legacy storage environments in its other data centers. Exploiting the ability of the Pillar Axiom 600-based storage environment to scale rapidly and cost effectively to 1.6 Petabytes (PB) of capacity and up to eight controllers for performance, iBridge has also gained the flexibility to rapidly respond to customer needs.

Simplify Software Development with Solaris 11 Zones, ZFS etc

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle University has made a replay available of Matthew Hosanee's webinar "Simplify Software Development with Solaris 11 Zones, ZFS, etc." The replay is free to all OTN members as part of Oracle University's Oracle Solaris 11 Developer Webinar Series.

Are BYOD Workers More Productive?

2012-04-24T16:00:00+01:00

"Bring-your-own-device, or BYOD, is a movement blurring the line between work and personal life. After all, BYOD is all about employees using personal smartphones and tablets for business purposes. So does this mean people check Facebook when they should be working or read job-related emails on weekends? ..."

Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the model of a great 24th Century Starfleet captain. On his watch, the crew of the Enterprise successfully defended humanity against the judgement of the Q-Continuum, defeated the Borg, prevented the Romulans from installing a puppet government in the Klingon Empire, and encountered countless new species..."

Business Process Management: Ten Bold Predictions

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Business Process Management tools enable organizations to enhance innovation, integration and the speed at which they're able to deliver products and services, helping 21st Century businesses gain an edge over the competition. And effective use of BPM tools can help CIOs with other issues like regulatory compliance and keeping up with the global marketplace by leveraging IT..."

CEOs Plan to Invest in IT, Innovation in 2012

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"While CEOs are worried more about cutting costs than they have been in recent years, driving business growth remains a top priority, according to a recent survey of chief executives by research firm Gartner, Inc. The "2012 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey" reveals that even as cost cutting remains a priority, companies still plan to make investments in IT..."

CIOs Still Dismissed As Mere Techies By CEOs

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"CEOs still often dismiss CIOs as too techie and not aligned business activities, according to results from the latest Gartner research...

According to a survey of 220 CEOs across the world, business leaders expect spend on IT to rise, but without a corresponding rise in the importance of the role of the CIO within the organization..."

Weak Passwords Still Subvert IT Security

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"A recent data breach that exposed the Social Security numbers of more than 280,000 people served as yet another reminder of the well-recognized, but often discounted, risks associated with using weak and default passwords.

In the breach of the Medicaid server at the Utah Department of Health late last month, the hackers -- believed to be from Eastern Europe -- exploited a configuration error at the authentication layer of the server hosting the compromised data, according to Utah IT officials..."

Web Apps Create New Security Risks

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"There's no debate that security is growing infinitely more complex by the day. As organizations open their networks to customers, business partners and others, the risks continue to grow. Mobile devices and open-source codes further complicate matters--all while hackers and cyber-crooks become more sophisticated and aggressive..."

Log Standards: Put Up, Shut Up, Give Up, Or Throw Up?

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Syslog was developed in the 1980s, and it probably took roughly five minutes of use before someone started complaining about how it wasn't capable enough. When the IETF drafted RFC3164 in 2001, essentially declaring syslog the de facto standard for log transmission, people immediately started talking about how to make a different and "better" standard..."

Oracle Exadata Database Machine Triples GfK Group Retail and Technology Reporting Performance

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

GfK, whose retail sales tracking solution offers powerful insights into the consumer goods market with data from the world's largest retail network, implemented Oracle Exadata Database Machine, ensuring business intelligence self-service efficiency for customers for the next two years with its highly scalable, reliable, and stable data infrastructure. Oracle Exadata Database Machine has tripled performance while maintaining low TCO by enabling the consolidation of 50 distributed data marts into one Oracle Exadata system. GfK is now able to generate its global reports at an accelerated pace and to implement reporting on mobile internet usage despite extremely large data requirements.

Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter Now

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"The word "etiquette" gets a bad rap. For one thing, it sounds stodgy and pretentious. And rules that are socially or morally prescribed seem intrusive to our sense of individuality and freedom.

But the concept of etiquette is still essential, especially now'and particularly in business. New communication platforms, like Facebook and Linked In, have blurred the lines of appropriateness and we're all left wondering how to navigate unchartered social territory..."

What do Abbott and Costello Have To Do with Good Project Management?

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"a scarce commodity back then and it can still creep up on me even these days but back then, woah! Look out, man. It had a hold on me. I was rich with "don't know how to act without tripping over my own tongue, totally awkward, gangly, bumbling-ness". You could set your clock to it and you could take that to the bank! ..."

Shades of pcAnywhere in VMware Breach

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"This week, virtualization software maker VMware acknowledged that a single file posted online came from the source code to its ESX hypervisor. Dating back to at least 2004, the source code may have come from a third party. The virtualization company assured customers that the public posting of the code did not necessarily pose a security issue..."

7 Programming Myths...Busted!

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"The tools are sharper, but software development remains rife with misconceptions on productivity, code efficiency, offshoring, and more ...

Even among people as logical and rational as software developers, you should never underestimate the power of myth. Some programmers will believe what they choose to believe against all better judgment..."

6 Steps to Project Leadership Success

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Projects undertaken today are generally becoming larger, more complex and increasingly cross-cultural. The need to manage multiple stakeholders and user groups, a dispersed project team, cutting edge technology and a multi-faceted product to tight deadlines is ever-increasing.

For project managers to be successful at navigating and delivering these types of projects, not only must they be good at managing events, processes and resources, they must also be excellent at leading people and at building relationships at all levels..."

What's the Profile of a Good Project Manager?

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"What makes a good project manager? Are they people centric? Business aligned? It's easy to think about the qualities a CIO would want in a project manager, but it can be much harder to determine a set listing of attributes that define a good project manager. Ben Snyder of Systemation has been collecting information on project managers extensively, and provides his findings on pm4girls..."

5 Tips For Negotiating Cloud Software SLAs

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Custom cloud service level agreements aren't the norm, but can be done. Prepare to make a business case to the cloud provider with this expert advice.

While negotiating special contract terms is not standard operating procedure in the world of software-as-a-service (SaaS), experts say companies have a much better shot at custom provisions if they know exactly what they're looking for and can frame their needs in the context of why they're critical for business..."

How To Tackle The Big Data Challenge (Part 1)

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Big data is a term getting bandied about a lot these days. It describes the phenomenon of information that keeps growing in organizations, thanks in part to the growth in social media. According to the InformationWeek Research: The Big Data Management Challenge survey of technology professionals, regardless of industry, the five top data drivers are financial transactions, email, imaging data, Web logs, and Internet text and documents..."

Amazon CTO: 'You Should Be Able To Walk Away' From Cloud Providers

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"At an Amazon Web Services summit event in New York City on Thursday, Amazon.com CTO Werner Vogels said one of the core philosophies related to the company's market-leading suite of infrastructure as a service products is that customers should be able to opt out whenever they want..."

How Cybercriminals Are Infecting Networks

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Research by Websense reveals the trifecta that is driving epidemic levels of data theft:

extremely effective social media lures
evasive and hard-to-detect infiltration of malware
sophisticated exfiltration of confidential data.

Traditional defenses just aren't working any more..."

The BYOD Era May Be Ending Already

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"In 2010, the bring-your-own-device notion was derided; in 2012, it became normal; in 2014, it may be seen as an odd exception ...

Few technology trends have forced their way into business as fast as the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement, which started weakly in 2007 with the release of the iPhone but gathered momentum in mid-2010 when Apple added corporate-class management and security features in iOS 4. A year later, IT's "no way will user devices get into my network" policies were in tatters, with a majority of companies having accepted BYOD for at least a portion of the employee base and for iOS devices..."

Data Security in the BYOD Era: 10 Big Risks Facing Enterprises

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Rogue and shadow IT have been problems for data and network security and compliance officers for a long time, but the rising number of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) proponents is threatening to become a much larger overall issue. Most organizations do not have the tools to ensure security of their data on just any device, especially when those devices will be by definition either partially or totally unmanaged. In addition, organizations are grappling with the challenges these pose for the enterprise network..."

How To Hack Your Own Wi-Fi Network

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Attempting to "hack" into your own wireless network can help you spot potential Wi-Fi security vulnerabilities and figure out ways to protect against them.

Here are some Wi-Fi hacking techniques and the tools ' nearly all free ' you can use for penetration testing. These tools will help you uncover rogue access points, weak Wi-Fi passwords, and spot other weaknesses and security holes before someone else does..."

Warning: Rumors Of Tape's Demise Greatly Exaggerated

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Earlier this year, I would have predicted that 2012 would have been the year tape media made the same transition that film-based picture cameras made a few years ago. At a couple of trade shows I attended, storage vendors offered up analyst stats that further confirmed this hunch, with some claiming '42% of data restores from tape fail' and others claiming that number to be as high as 71%. Further adding to the tape demise theory is the fact that disk-based backup is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 17% per year, according to a recent report from IDC..."

Stop Server Downtime Before It Occurs

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"A Few Simple Steps Can Help Keep Servers Performing At Their Best & Prevent Costly Outages ...

Everyone who owns a car knows that changing the oil and replacing the tires on a regular basis will help the vehicle run better and last longer, protecting your investment. In a similar way, taking a few preventive steps can also help your data center servers run better and last longer. Even more importantly, these activities can help prevent server downtime, which in some cases can quickly lead to thousands or even millions of dollars in losses..."

Cloud Storage Booming, But Trouble Brewing

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"SkyDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and SugarSync have the same feature that got Megaupload shut down, and users still have reason to distrust providers ...

No matter how you slice it, there's only a finite number of people and companies that will put their data in the public cloud, but that hasn't stopped the competition -- for a free service, no less! -- from turning cutthroat. But the market could be in trouble if the same standards that brought down Megaupload are applied or if providers continue to abuse users' trust..."

How To Secure Large Data Warehouses

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"As more businesses consolidate sensitive data in high-capacity warehouses, the question becomes how to properly secure these potential treasure-houses. Here are some tips ...

[Excerpted from "Securing the Data Warehouse," a new report posted this week on Dark Reading's Database Security Tech Center.]

Sony. RSA. Epsilon. Aside from major security breaches, what do these companies have in common? They were all victimized by hackers looking to access large storehouses of corporate data..."

Avoiding 9 Common Threats To Your Company

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"When developing an IT disaster recovery plan, two crucial questions must be answered before considering what establishes the most efficient and cost-effective recovery strategy for your company. So what are those questions? And what high-level potential threats are IT departments exposed to day in and day out? Read this E-Guide to find out those answers and to learn more about the disaster recovery risk assessment process...

Europe's High Court Says ISPs Can Hand Over Alleged Pirate Data

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"The European Court of Justice laid down a law interpretation today that could have a profound impact on the prosecution of alleged pirates in Sweden.

The ECJ said today that Sweden's law does not provide any barriers for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to hand over the data of alleged pirates when rightsholders, trying to prosecute those folks, request it. The move could pave the way for Sweden's highest court to force ISPs to hand over user data upon request whenever a person is suspected of pirating music, movies, e-books, or any other form of entertainment..."

Efforts Afoot To Advance Cloud Standards

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Launching a public cloud deployment is no "plug and play" matter for most business users, says Nicos Vekiarides, CEO of TwinStrata, one of dozens of companies that help manage cloud deployments for businesses.

TwinStrata uses APIs from each of the about a dozen IaaS providers it works with and has made a program that allows users to migrate data or workloads into the cloud.

But it doesn't have to be that way, some say..."

10 Commandments Of Windows Security

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"With the introduction of Windows 7, many PC and notebook users may feel more secure than they did using older versions of the Microsoft operating system. Newer OSs have more security features, offer better out-of-the-box security settings and have closed many of the historical security holes. Windows 7, for example, has changed the default User Account Control level so that it's harder for rogue programs to run without first explicitly gaining the user's permission..."

Cyber Crime Not A Big Deal? Get Real

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Perhaps you've read Bill Snyder's blog post based on a recent Microsoft paper disputing the high cost of cyber crime cited in many industry and vendor surveys. Unfortunately, I think too many people are taking the actuall claims of the paper and expanding the conclusion to cover all cyber crime.

I don't want to debate the validity of the original paper's data or conclusions. I believe my knowledgeable colleagues may even be right that certain surveys radically overstate the costs of cyber crime by relying on overly small sample sizes for a given population..."

82% Of Data Breaches Due To Staff Errors; 4% Of IT Trusts Users; IT Is Still To Blame

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Here are two timely items that seem to go together:

Eight out of 10 enterprise data breaches caused by employee errors
Only 4% of IT staff trust users

The first item is based on preliminary results from an annual survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) designed to identify characteristics major data breaches have in common..."

Anonymous Drives Security Fears, But Not Spending

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Who are the groups voted most likely to lob cyber attacks at companies over the next six months? That would be the hacktivist set, including Anonymous, LulzSec Reborn, and their ilk.

So said 61% of 1,900 IT and information security personnel recently surveyed by endpoint security firm Bit9..."

Damage Mitigation As The New Defense

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Containing the attacker in today's persistent threat environment ...

Any Defense contractor -- and now, a few security vendors -- can tell you that even the best security technology and expertise can't stop a well-funded and determined attacker.

That new reality, which has been building for several years starting in the military sector, has shifted the focus from trying to stop attackers at the door to instead trying to lessen the impact of an inevitable hack ..."

Most IT Admins Considered Switching Careers Due To Stress

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"67% of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to job stress, according to GFI Software. Managers, users (employees), and tight deadlines were cited as the biggest job stressors. Survey results also revealed that IT professionals tend to work long overtime hours, with one third working the equivalent of 10 additional weeks per year..."

Top 10 Ways to Protect Your Privacy and Avoid the Government's Prying Eyes

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Be careful what you do online. The government is proposing web snooping plans to monitor, record and understand every site you visit, every email you send, and even every phone call you make.

These plans have been met with howls of derision and dissension, with everyone from the inventor of the web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and the co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, bemoaning this growing censorship from governments..."

Mission Impossible: A Remote Network Cutover

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Few feats are more rewarding to a network admin than pulling off the seemingly impossible -- which is not exactly a rare request ...

Any network admin who's been around for a while has had this experience. It's not something you look forward to doing, nor is it arguably a good idea. You do it because it's really the only option at the time -- a remote network cutover that relies on the same access path used for the reconfiguration..."

Large Enterprises Handing Off Data Center Builds

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Demand for data center space is on the rise. IT pros responsible for facility planning are juggling physical requirements for secure, power-abundant space with operational considerations, including the need to improve disaster recovery, deploy new applications and services, and handle increasingly large data volumes..."

Boost Energy Efficiency

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Improving your data center's energy efficiency and decreasing power consumption as much as possible are two great ways to increase the greenness of your facility, and it can save you money on energy costs, as well. This double bonus may be enough to entice data center and IT managers to do everything they can to boost their efficiency, but it can be difficult to know where exactly to get started. Here we'll provide you with multiple ways to improve your energy efficiency and ensure you are getting the necessary and expected performance from your data center equipment..."

How To Lose Your Best IT Employees

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Two out of every five IT pros are looking for a new job, our 2012 U.S. IT Salary Survey data shows. Are you counting on high unemployment, or maybe that rickety foosball table in the lunchroom, to keep your best people from leaving?

IT leaders have the advantage here, and not only because of the shaky job market. Most of those IT job seekers are only casually looking, and based on how highly our data shows they value job stability, they'd rather stay where they are. So if IT leaders understand the few, critical job elements that matter to their employees, they have a good shot at retaining them..."

Workers Did Not Exceed Authorization When Data Stolen, Says Appeals Court

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"In a somewhat startling decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last week ruled that several employees at an executive recruitment firm did not exceed their authorized access to their company's database when they logged into the system and stole confidential data from it..."

The Upside Of Shadow IT

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"First, a scary statistic: Gartner predicts that in less than three years, 35% of enterprise IT expenditures will happen outside of the corporate IT budget. Employees will regularly subscribe to collaboration, analytic and other cloud services they want, all with the press of a button. Others will simply build their own applications using readily available cloud-based tools and development platforms..."

FCC's Ruling that Google's WiFi Snooping is Legal Sets Horrible Precedent

2012-04-23T16:00:00+01:00

"Anyone looking for assurance that the privacy of their home wireless networks would be protected from snoopers by government regulators won't find it in the Federal Communication Commission's recent action against Google.

The FCC fined Google $25,000 for impeding the agency's investigation into reports that Google snooped on WiFi networks as its vehicles gathered information for its maps service..."

Top Ten Desktop Virtualization Myths

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Desktop virtualization has continued to make headlines in IT, but despite the focus on the topic, there are a number of myths that remain. The root cause is that there are actually many flavors of desktop virtualization and what's true for one type is not always true for another. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which hosts virtual desktops in a data center, is one of many ways to virtualize desktops, and the one that has sparked a lot of these myths, but VDI is not the only way to virtualize the desktop."

MIT And Others Launch A Tech Education Revolution

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

"MIT's free online course, 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics, is a hit. The course, which began in March and ends on June 8, prompted 120,000 registrations.

This online course is no different than the circuits and electronics course taught to undergrads on campus, said Anant Agarwal, director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, who leads 6.002x. The class is part of an open education program called MITx..."

BYOD Battle: A Tale Of Two Opposing IT Viewpoints

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

"EdSouth is a bank holding company active in the student-loan arena, and Arrow Container Corp. manufactures cartons and containers. Their ideas about letting employees use their own mobile devices at work for business - what's often called "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) - couldn't be more different..."

Best Practices for JavaFX 2.0 Enterprise Applications

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

Best Practices for JavaFX 2.0 Enterprise Applications (Part One), an article by James L. Weaver,has caught the eye of Janice J. Heiss, who explains that Weaver illustrates his points by examining a sample application named TweetBrowser. Especially important, as Heiss notes, is Weaver's recommendation that in 'Implementing techniques such as invoking an application via Java Web Start from the application's home page, [it is important to ensure that]only one instance of the application is started, and binding the UI to the model make life easier for both the user and the developer."

Sun ZFS 7420 Storage Appliance Outdoes IBM on SPC-2 Benchmark Throughput Performance

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage 7420 appliance bested IBM's current highest SPC-2 result, based on throughput performance. The 7420 delivered 10,703.69 SPC-2 MBPS and SPC-2 Price-Performance of $35.24. The 7420's results were:

43 percent higher than IBM's XIV at 7,467.99 SPC-2 MBPS with 4.3x better price-performance at $152.34
242 percent higher than IBM's V7000 at 3,132.87 SPC-2 MBPS with over 2x better price-performance at $71.32
10 percent higher than IBM's DS8800 at 9,705.74 SPC-2 MBPS with 7.7x better price-performance at $270.38

The SPC-2 benchmark comprises three workloads: large file processing, large database queries and video on demand.

Sample Chapter from 'Java EE 6 with GlassFish 3 Application Server'

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

Arun Gupta draws attention to the release by publisher PackPub of a sample chapter from David Heffelfinger's book "Java EE 6 with GlassFish 3 Application Server," which Gupta describes as " ... a user-friendly, practical guide to install and configure the GlassFish 3 Application Server and develop and deploy Java EE 6 applications on this server." The sample chapter explains how to configure JMS and message queues in GlassFish.

Java Spotlight Episode 79: Dr Fujio Maruyama on Japanese Java User Community

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

In Episode 79 of the Java Spotlight, host Roger Brinkley discusses the Japanese Java User Community with Dr. Fujio Maruyama. Seated on the Java All Star Developer Panel is Arun Gupta.

Three Security Snags That Expose the Database

2012-04-19T16:00:00+01:00

" ... database security may be incomplete without database activity monitoring or encryption technology in place. But most security practitioners worth their salt know that more often than not, the effectiveness of a database security program rests just as much outside of a database environment as within ..."

Protect Your Organization from Storage Hyperbole -- Why Vendors Over-Promise and Under-Deliver

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Someone I work with was giving me a hard time about how I write about technology and always talk about how good things are, but I never address the reality of the situation: Often, the actual products we deal with on a daily basis do not work ..."

Compliance Isn't Security, But Companies Still Pretend It Is, According To Survey

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"It has become a cliche in information security: Compliance is not security.

But there is still an unsettling amount of denial out there, based on a recent study from HIMSS Analytics and Kroll Advisory Solutions..."

BYOD Continues To Challenge Agencies Struggling To Develop Policy

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Many federal agencies currently lack policies and procedures to manage personal mobile devices on their networks, which adds to the challenges associated with the growing 'bring your own device' trend in government.

Nearly 60% of public-sector agencies allow all personal mobile devices to connect to the enterprise networks, according to a survey by IT publication Network World and SolarWinds, an IT management software provider. But the same percentage also said their agency didn't have the appropriate tools to handle non agency-issued mobile devices on the network...."

Trust Me, I'm A Consultant

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"That tech expert you hired to advise you on your data center upgrade may have your best interests in mind after all ...

To customers looking to upgrade their technology, a piece of advice: It's OK to be cheap. But if you pay a consultant good money for their expertise, you'll save yourself time and aggravation in the long run by heeding their recommendations..."

7 Top Tools For Taming Big Data

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"The floods that devastated the hard disk industry in Thailand are now half a year old, and the prices per terabyte are finally dropping once again. That means data will start piling up and people around the office will wonder what can be done with it. Perhaps there are some insights in those log files? ..."

What You Can Learn From Southwest Airlines' Culture

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"A consciously developed customer-centered culture is a business advantage that will serve you for years - and inoculate you against competitive inroads. Consider for a minute Southwest Airlines and the lengthy list of would-be category killers that have tried to imitate it ..."

The Benefits Of Top-Down Security

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"While enterprise-level breaches often get the attention of C-level suite executives and the members of their IT staff, industry research shows it actually falls to rank-and-file employees to apply best practices and exercise sound judgment in order to properly contain them ..."

Five Web Application Security Myths

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Protecting your website from hackers is tough. The battle between the good guys (you) and the bad guys (the hackers) is an ever escalating war where a misstep on your part may mean a breached site... Click through for five Web security myths, identified by Alan Wlasuk, managing partner at 403 Web Security, a subsidiary of WDDinc...."

The Sound of Silence: Installing an SSD Drive

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"SSDs are significantly quieter, faster and more stable than standard drives, leaving a system moving faster and quieter without paying a lot for expensive storage space for applications. But there are potential pitfalls. Each individual storage block of an SSD can only be overwritten a certain number of times, meaning they have limited lifespans..."

The Sorry State Of Federal IPv6 Support

2012-04-18T16:00:00+01:00

"U.S. federal government agencies must meet an aggressive deadline of Sept. 30, 2012, to deploy IPv6 on their public-facing websites, under an Obama administration initiative. But with less than five months to go, more than 99% of federal websites aren't supporting the next-gen Internet Protocol on their DNS, email and Web services..."

New MySQL 5.6 Development Milestone Release

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has released MySQL 5.6, focusing on improved availability, performance and manageability for web, cloud and embedded applications. Oracle is simultaneously providing early access to features under development for community testing and feedback. These include online operations for ADD index and NoSQL access to InnoDB via the Memcached protocol. The new MySQL 5.6 delivers enhanced high availability with new replication features; new optimizer features for better throughput of complex queries; and an improved PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA. Oracle also seeks feedback on these features: online Operations for ADD Index; high performance NoSQL access to InnoDB from Memcached; and performance improvements on modern hardware.

The Most Mortifying Moments in IT Security History

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"It might be a data breach or some other failure, but sometimes someone has to stand up and tell it like it is. Here we take a look at some of the most mortifying security gaffes over the past few years..."

The Single UNIX Specification: Keeps UNIX Vital

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

UNIX, now in its 43rd year of existence, has proven itself a durable, reliable OS that has been widely adopted for many purposes. Responsible in large measure for the integrity and popularity of UNIX is the Single UNIX Specification, a standard of The Open Group. This, according to Andrew Josey, Director of Standards at The Open Group, ensures compatibility across all platforms by providing a level of openness and enabling applications written to the standard to be easily moved across a wide range of platforms because the standard establishes a baseline of core functionality above which suppliers can innovate.

Purpose Built for Telco: New Netra x86 Servers

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's new Netra x86 M3 server line expands the company's portfolio for the telco market. The new servers are are up to 2.5 times faster than the previous generation and are designed to support increasing network infrastructure workloads, cloud-based deployments, and help reduce costs with operating system, virtualization, cloud provisioning, and systems management built-in at no additional charge. Oracle's Netra x86 M3 servers are purpose built with NEBS-certification and ETSI compliance in mind for communications companies, including network equipment providers (NEPs) and carriers, as well as military and other application environments requiring uninterrupted system availability under harsh environmental conditions.

MySQL Workbench 5.2.39 Released to GA

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

MySQL Workbench 5.2.39 has been released to General Availability. This is a maintenance release that contains MySQL Utilities 1.0.5, a set of command line Python utilities for helping to perform and script various administration tasks for MySQL. In this release one will find Data Modeling; Query, which replaces the old MySQL Query Browser; and Administration, which replaces the old MySQL Administrator. Version 5.2 also features improved stability and performance - especially in Windows, where OpenGL support has been enhanced and the UI was optimized to offer better responsiveness. The release also includes improvements to the scripting capabilities of the SQL Editor.

Sun Fire X4270 M3 Server Achieved 8,320 SAP SD Benchmark Users

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle Sun Fire X4270 M3 server achieved 8,320 SAP SD Benchmark users running SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 with unicode software using Oracle Database 11g and Oracle Solaris 10. The X4270 beat both IBM Flex System x240 and IBM System x3650 M4 servers. The X4270 also beat the HP ProLiant BL460c Gen8 server by 6%, the Cisco UCS C240 M3 server by 9%, and the Fujitsu PRIMERGY RX300 S7 server by 10%.

Updating Oracle Solaris 11 Systems Using Support Repository Updates

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

In a lengthy, detailed procedure for updating an Oracle Solaris 11 system with software packages provided by an active Oracle support agreement, Glynn Foster also includes information on how to determine whether the update is both successful and safe. Image Packaging System is a new package management system in Oracle Solaris 11 that provides a much-improved and automated way of maintaining system software across the data center. IPS integrates package and patch management into a single interface and provides for safe system upgrades by utilizing boot environments and ZFS snapshot and clone capabilities coupled with a support agreement.

3 Issues the Cloud Can't Solve For You

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud computing is a step in the right direction for many enterprises and government agencies, with strong patterns of success that demonstrate its value. But given the hype these days, you'd think that the cloud can do anything. Clearly, cloud computing can't fix everything, and it's worthwhile to review that "can't fix" list before you begin your journey to the cloud..."

2 Lessons Learned Managing Big Data In Cloud

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"Human language constantly changes. In fact, it changes so quickly that Wordnik has had to push the limits of database and cloud technology just to keep pace. Here are the two key lessons Wordnik learned managing big data with MongoDB and running on Amazon's EC2 cloud..."

6 Ways To Beat IT Career Burnout

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"More and more IT professionals are getting fed up with their jobs and the constant pressure of having to perform miracles with increasingly limited funds, pay, and accolades...

Fortunately, career burnout doesn't have to lead to server room temper tantrums and a one-way ticket to unemployment. Russell offers six tips for IT career rejuvenation and getting yourself back in tip-top shape..."

Swift Transportation Selects Oracle Transportation Management

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

Swift Transportation Company of Arizona is now using Oracle Transportation Management (TMS) in the operations of its Swift Logistics Division. Swift Logistics plans to use Oracle Transportation Management to provide integrated and streamlined transportation planning and execution, as well as freight payment for multiple transportation modes on a single platform. Swift believes that, with the implementation of the new TMS, the company will be better equipped to optimize transportation planning and execution while providing customers and carriers with transparency into each transaction, including the ability to transmit alerts to mobile devices.

NetBeans Podcast #60

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

In the 43 minutes of NetBeans Podcast #60 listeners will hear Tinu and Geertjan discuss the latest news on NetBeans 7.1 and hear Joel Murach, author of Murach's Java Programming, now in its fourth edition, explain his preference for NetBeans IDE as a tool for teaching developers how to create programs in Java. In contrast to most other texts on Java programming, Murach opts for the IDE rather than the CLI because NetBeans itself, he feels, is more intuitive for beginning programmers to use. Guest Martin Janicek also appears to discuss his work on Groovy support in NetBeans IDE.

Ten Ways to Get Positive Customer Feedback

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"There is no greater testimony to a company's worth than honest word-of-mouth feedback from the public. However, unlike paid ads and promotions, you can't control what people say about your products or services. Or can you? While no one can script public sentiment, companies can take steps to increase the likelihood that online comments remain positive..."

Spoiler Alert: Your TV Will Be Hacked

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"Last week you may have read a headline that blared "100 million TVs will be Web-connected by 2016." Regular readers of this blog know I'm always on the lookout for new threats, so the question naturally arises: Will Internet TVs will be hacked as successfully as previous generations of digital devices?

Of course they will!..."

Oracle Broadens Range of Information Centers to Cover Many Products

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has expanded its Oracle Sun System Handbook concept to provide a home page listing all a product's attributes on a single page to a wide range of Oracle Solaris, Systems, and Storage products. The Information Center for each product covers areas such as: Overview, Hot Topics, Patching and Maintenance. The Information Center pages are dynamically generated each night to ensure the latest content is available. Readers can view all the currently listed pages at the link above.

Procter & Gamble Speeds Up Point-of-Sale Data Queries by 30x

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

Proctor and Gamble's Global Business Services (GBS) organization has implemented the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X2-2 and X2-8 machines to consolidate its customer point-of-sale data into one repository, enhancing control over information assets and extending visibility. With Oracle Exadata GBS can complete some queries up to 30 times faster. One periodic end-user query formerly required upwards of 20 hours to complete and sometimes failed to complete the cycle entirely. With Oracle Exadata, that query takes three minutes. The expanded analytical capabilities possible with Oracle Exadata enable P&G to enhance business agility and scalability in support of continued innovation and growth.

7000 appliance VM in VirtualBox

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

In a recent post, Jeremy Uejio outlines the steps he used to set up networking on the 7000 ZFS Storage Appliance VM, for which he used the VirtualBox CLI rather than the GUI. From his starting point, which was to download the VM image, to the end point, which was to discover that, except for hostname and password, the rest of the defaults set by VirtualBox seemed to work fine, Uejio implies that his "very brief" procedure successfully liberated him from having to rely on other willing souls for this outcome.

Dutch Insurer ZLM Verzekeringen Improves Customer Service with Integrated Back-Office Environment

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

The Dutch nonprofit mutual insurance association ZLM Versekeringen has deployed Oracle Exadata Database Machine X2-2 to support its aquila software in operations for customer relations, policies, losses and accounts receivable, making customer information available through an integrated, easy-to-use screen linked to the company's financial system. ZLM Versekeringen has slashed the time necessary by a factor of three to present complete customer information in a single, unified screen view with connections from internal processes to external systems, enabling staff to provide customers complete information and support. Operations can be done within 30 minutes compared to the previous average of three days.

BYOD: 'The Inmates Of The Asylum Have Control'

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"Mobile devices are multiplying and -- sanctioned or unsanctioned -- finding their way onto corporate networks. For IT pros, the influx of personal mobile devices to the corporate network is raising security concerns, creating management challenges, and swamping the help desk with support calls.

In a survey of 400 IT pros jointly conducted by Network World and SolarWinds, respondents shared a wide range of tactics for handling the mobile device management challenge..."

Steer Clear of These BYOD Boondoggles

2012-04-17T16:00:00+01:00

"The carpetbaggers are coming! As most companies have now opened up their environments to mobile devices beyond the BlackBerry -- indeed, the BlackBerry is fast disappearing as the corporate mobile standard -- vendors, consultants, and some media outlets are preying on IT pros not sure how to deal with the heterogeneity of devices and users' insistence that IT not get in their way..."

Get Ready for the Everything-As-A-Service World

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"You might not have Eucalyptus bookmarked. But if you plan on selling software and software services to the federal government, it's the kind of thing with which you need to become familiar. What is it? Eucalyptus is open-source software that lets developers use industry standard application programming interfaces to build private clouds or hybrid clouds that draw from internal and external, or public, cloud resources..."

How To Negotiate A Contract With A Cloud Or SaaS Provider

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud and SaaS services are rapidly gaining traction with enterprises and SMBs -- yet IT, which is usually responsible for negotiating contracts with these service providers, may fall short in critical areas of contract negotiation and legal skills. The stakes are high. In a worst case scenario, you can simply realize that you made a mistake, and that you must get out of a contract..."

Speed, Agility, Not Cost Reduction, Drive Cloud

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Large enterprises that have moved toward a virtualized network infrastructure are now beginning to look at adopting private clouds, a trend that is moving from hype to actual deployments this year, says Tom Bittman, a VP and analyst with Gartner Research..."

Titanic Was High-Tech Marvel Of Its Time

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"When the RMS Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, on April 10, 1912, she was considered the ultimate passenger liner -- unparalleled in luxury, size and technology..."

Virtualization Performance Management: Myths And Realities

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Performance management has become the key element in maximizing any virtualization initiative, but many myths have emerged that, left unchecked, can stall an entire virtualization initiative. Here are the biggest myths and the corresponding realities to enable IT to chart an informed path forward and successfully scale deployments..."

The Fallacy Of Business Social Networking

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"What if you threw a party and nobody came? That's what seems to be happening in the world of business social networking. In our personal lives, nearly everyone is on Facebook, and lots of us are on Twitter and Pinterest. In our professional lives, many of us use LinkedIn to stay in touch with colleagues and associates -- in case we need a new job or are hiring. But the use of social networking within the office appears to be small, despite the constant noise by vendors and management about trial efforts..."

How to Implement Next-Generation Storage Infrastructure for Big Data

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Everyone is talking about Big Data analytics and associated business intelligence marvels these days, but before organizations will be able to leverage the data, they'll have to figure out how to store it. Managing larger data stores--at the petabyte scale and larger--is fundamentally different from managing traditional large-scale data sets. Just ask Shutterfly ..."

What Should Cloud Providers Know About Their Customers?

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"When customers sign up for an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) plan from one of the number of vendors in the market, usually a name and credit card is needed before data is stored in the provider's cloud. But just what are public cloud providers doing with that information? ..."

Your Compliance Is Decaying Every Day

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"As soon as you train staff, implement new technology, and make business process changes to become (or remain) compliant, the next day you are already less compliant. People's habits are hard to break, and what we are taught begins to fade within hours...."

What Makes A Cloud A Cloud? 5 Defining Characteristics

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Let's step through these of these concepts individually.

First, "broad network access." Access to resources in the cloud is available over multiple device types. This not only includes the most common devices (laptops, workstations, etc.) but also this includes mobile phones, thin clients and so on. Contrast "broad network access" with access to compute and network resources during the mainframe era..."

When Big Brother Watches IT

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on how IT departments are coping these days with the biggest threat to data security -- namely, employees in the IT department.

That the "enemy within" is the biggest threat to an enterprise is nothing new, but buried in the article was something that struck me as, well, Orwellian..."

Europe's Data Security Laws Clear Some Clouds, Muddle Others

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"The European Commission (EC)'s plan to rewrite the European Union's data privacy directive and update regulations to account for the increasing amount of personal data online in social networks and cloud services has some U.S. cloud providers on alert.

Critics in the U.S. have charged that the proposed law would throw up competitive road blocks for cloud providers..."

The Next Stop In Outsourcing: Accountability

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"With the nation's focus on the need to create jobs, the habit of outsourcers to cite the traditional value of cheap labor will no longer be of adequate value for an increasingly sophisticated clientele.

This is forcing outsourcers into a new age of value-based solutions and accountability..."

Texting Can Heal Broken Hearts, Raspy Lungs Or Cranky Clients

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Psychologists, sociologists, career advisors and etiquette gurus give short shrift to the dozens of ways the Internet savvy can "talk" and even develop lasting, effective relationships without ever being in the same room or even holding a conversation in real time with the other person..."

How To Nail The Technical Job Interview

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Interviewing for a job is a stressful experience for just about anyone who's not being aggressively recruited, and thus fairly certain about getting an offer.

Technology professionals are no different. No matter how confident you may be about your tech chops, you never know what questions you'll be asked, what skills you'll be required to demonstrate, or how you'll relate to the people conducting the interview. On top of that, you usually have no idea how you stack up against other applicants ..."

Using Reverse Proxies To Secure Databases

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Vendors are bundling in new features that both expand the reach beyond relational databases as well as incorporate new techniques to analyze transactions. But the really interesting stuff is the new methods of security policy enforcement, all of which are predicated on a 'reverse proxy' deployment model..."

Data Discovery: Oft-Forgotten Step Can Save Team Time, Trouble

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"There's one question you should teach your data integration team to always ask business people, says William Sharp, a product manager at Informatica and author of the blog The Data Quality Chronicle.

They should ask it even if the business user has an outline of data they want you to use, and it should certainly be asked before the team writes one line of code for the ETL ..."

Mac OS X Security: 7 Factors Every CIO Should Know

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"There's a common belief out there that if you run Apple's Mac OS X operating system, you won't need to worry as much about security as you would if you were running Windows OS. Apple has reportedly used "sandboxing" and other security techniques to ensure that malicious hackers and cybercriminals don't make their way into the operating system and steal sensitive information. However, some security experts say that Mac OS X is just as vulnerable to exploits as any other OS. In fact, a new Mac OS X Trojan was spotted in the wild in late February. Here's what you need to know about Mac OS X security ..."

Ten Project Management Pitfalls to Avoid

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"Managers often find themselves placed in the role of project managers (PMs), but they don't have the right skills to succeed at the job. Sometimes they miss critical steps because they lack insight into PM methodology. In the book "Project Management for Non-Project Managers", author Jack Ferraro provides insight to guide individuals who are managing projects without PM training find their way ..."

Oracle's StorageTek Tape Analytics Software Automates Tape Management Operations

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

The new Oracle StorageTek Tape Analytics simplifies tape management by eliminating manual intervention, thereby helping improve operational efficiency at a cost as low as half that of IBM's Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance. The StorageTek Tape Analytics software captures library, drive and media performance metrics and presents them in a single pane of glass, enabling the proactive identification of potential problems while providing immediate recommendations to prevent data loss. StorageTek Tape Analytics software can perform rapid drill-down into detailed drive and media health specifics, enabling customers to make decisions about their tape infrastructure and reduce downtime and commitment of data management resources.

SSD IOPS Arms Race: Does It Matter?

2012-04-16T16:00:00+01:00

"If you are running an application and make a system call I/O request, how long does it take to make the request if all the cores are running all the threads that are supported by the core type and are running user applications? What if all the cores are not running user applications and the kernel is running in a core? ..."

Storage's 'Big' Overkill: Truth About The Trend

2012-04-12T16:00:00+01:00

"A new trend has been showing up in our briefing calls lately: practically everything is Big. Big Data, Big Backups, Big Archive, Big Cloud. Being from Texas I'm accustomed to the overuse of the word, but as usual the storage industry is taking this to new extremes. Don't let talk of Big This and Big That lead you down the wrong path, waste your meeting time, and maybe even waste your budget ..."

Top Mistakes CIOs Make

2012-04-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Last month, I did an informal online poll to get feedback on what I believe are the top mistakes CIOs make. I based this list in part on errors I've made during my career, as well as those made by my peers in the field.

The following are what I consider to be the top mistakes made by CIOs ..."

Weak Passwords Still The Downfall Of Enterprise Security

2012-04-12T16:00:00+01:00

"A recent data breach that exposed the Social Security numbers of more than 255,000 people in Utah has once again highlighted the longstanding but often underestimated risks posed to organizations by weak and default passwords.

The breach, involving a Medicaid server at the Utah Department of Health, resulted from a configuration error at the authentication layer of the server hosting the compromised data, according to state IT officials..."

In Data Centers, Ease Vs. Risk In Net-Based Power Management

2012-04-12T16:00:00+01:00

"From the comfort of your couch, maybe via a tablet in hand, you can now turn on and off a data center generator that could be as large as a house.

This capability isn't really surprising. Remote access to data center functions, including server and network operations, are now routine in many facilities. Anyone using a cloud service to manage environments is doing it remotely..."

I/O Virtualization (IOV) Revisited

2012-04-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Like server virtualization, IOV involves servers, storage, network, operating system, and other infrastructure resource management areas and disciplines. The business and technology value proposition or benefits of converged I/O networks and I/O virtualization are similar to those for server and storage virtualization..."

Are You Being Strategic Or Desperate?

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

"A few weeks ago I was moderating a panel of industry executives when a member of the audience turned the tables on me and asked me a question:

What kind of merger and acquisition activity do you think we'll see? What is going to drive the deals? ..."

10 SQL Injection Tools For Database Pwnage

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Black hat hackers and pen testers alike use these tools to dump data, perform privilege escalations, and effectively take over sensitive databases: BSQL Hacker, The Mole, Pangolin, Havij, Enema SQLi, Sqlninja, sqlsus, Safe3 SQL Injector, SQL Poizon

..."

How The Cloud Democratizes And Complicates Disaster Recovery

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud computing is slowly upending the disaster recovery market. Only a few years ago, disaster recovery meant one of two things: For large organizations, it necessitated huge capital investments; for the mid-market on down, it meant backing up only the most important data to tape and shuffling it off to a secure location.

Actually, there's a third thing. For many organizations, even today, disaster recovery (DR) means doing the bare minimum, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best..."

Oracle's New Netra x86 Servers: Perfect for Telco

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's new [url "http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/1583418" Netra x86 M3 servers"] are up to 2.5 times faster than the previous generation and are designed to support increasing network infrastructure workloads, cloud-based deployments, and help reduce costs with operating system, virtualization, cloud provisioning, and systems management built-in at no additional charge. Designed to support long, multi-year deployments with continuous reliable service, Oracle's Netra x86 M3 servers are purpose built with NEBS-certification and ETSI compliance in mind for communications companies, including network equipment providers (NEPs) and carriers, as well as military and other application environments requiring uninterrupted system availability under harsh environmental conditions.

Oracle Launches Five New Sun x86 Servers

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

Timothy Prickett Morgan discusses Oracle's new rack servers and blade servers, based on Intel's Xeon E5-2600 two-socket server processors with three machines in the regular x86 server lineup using AC power and two in the ruggedized Netra line with a DC power option. These are the Sun Fire X4170 M3; the Sun Fire X4270 M3; the Sun Blade X6270 M3; and the ruggedized, DC-powered, carrier grade Netra X4270 M3 and the Netra X6270 M3. Prickett Morgan predicts there will not be any microserver based on the new Intel Xeon E5-2600s, their E5-1600 single-socket offshoots, or the forthcoming "Ivy Bridge" Xeons.

Benchmarking MySQL Replication with Multi-Threaded Slaves

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

In his post "Benchmarking MySQL Replication with Multi-threaded Slaves" Mat Keep measures performance improvements achieved when enabling the Multi-Threaded Slave enhancement feature of MySQL 5.6. His apparatus included two Linux servers, one running the replication master, the other running the replication slave. Multi-threaded slaves deliver ~5x higher replication performance when configured with 10 worker threads, with the load evenly distributed across the 10 x schemas. The configuration does not scale noticeably from 5 to 9 worker threads, but, configured with 10 worker threads, scalability increases significantly, suggesting it is desirable to configure the same number of worker threads as schemas.

Oracle Achieves World Record Two Processor Result with SPECjEnterprise2010 Benchmark

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle WebLogic Server, running on Oracle's Sun Fire x86 servers, together with Oracle Linux and Oracle Database 11g Release 2, set a world record result for a two-processor system with the industry-standard SPECjEnterprise2010 benchmark. This benchmark result -- 8,310.19 SPECjEnterprise2010 EjOPS (Enterprise Operations Per Second -- is the highest EjOPS per core and per processor of any result ever published with the SPECjEnterprise2010 benchmark. This Oracle configuration delivered a 53 percent improvement upon the previous best two processor result, showcasing the performance of Sun Fire x86 servers, based on new Intel Xeon E5 processors, running Oracle software across multiple tiers.

Bring KVM to illumos

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

An interesting account of how KVM came to be part of illumos is available in a post by Brian Cantrill, who credits the efforts of his collaborators Max Bruning and Robert Mustacchi in "porting" the Linux kernel virtual machine (KVM) to the SmartOS. The account covers the many weeks between Bruning's initial copying of KVM bits from the stable Linux 2.6.34 source to the trio's successful booting into KMDB running on a SmartOS.

How To Make Sure That Digital Signature Is Legit

2012-04-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Digital signatures enable paperless contracts and can speed up business transactions. The 2001 E-Sign Act was meant to ease the adoption of electronic signatures, yet the mechanics of what makes up an e-signature were left deliberately wide open. Eleven years later, there is still widespread mistrust of e-signatures, even though they contain more evidence that a particular person signed a document at a particular time than a traditional pen-and-ink contract does..."

Drone Helicopters In Formation (Video)

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Helicopter drones aren't new, but researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have added a neat little trick to theirs. They've made a swarm of mini quadrocopters that fly in perfect formation..."

Ten Questions That Will Reveal Your Character

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Nothing is as important to a professional as his or her reputation, and while it can take a lifetime to build a good one, a few moments can destroy it.

It's important to realize that you and your organization are judged by the quality of your character. In the new book "The Power of Reputation: Strengthen the Asset That Will Make or Break Your Career", author Chris Komisarjevsky contends that a workplace reputation should be treated as an asset with tangible value. And it's not a matter of simply playing nice, he cautions..."

Face It: Cloud Services Improve IT Management

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"One of the issues in the ongoing debate over the pluses and minuses associated with cloud computing is how clouds will impact IT. From an IT management standpoint, many traditionalists believe that the proliferation of cloud services is creating chaos.

But I firmly believe that the alternative management that comes with cloud services offers advantages that can help IT and demonstrate its value to the organization ..."

Screwing Up Network Changes One Of Biggest Causes For Security, Management Failures

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"According to a survey of 182 IT security and operations professionals, one of the biggest security and management challenges they face is ... how they screw up their own networks.

Yes, it's internal IT screw-ups caused by unscheduled out-of-process changes to systems that are in place, especially firewalls, that have resulted in either an outage, a data breach or an audit failure, according to 77% of the survey's respondents..."

How to Tell If an Email Is a Phishing Scam

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Email phishing scams have grown more sophisticated since they first began popping up in corporate inboxes in the 1990s. Early phishing emails were relatively easy to detect as they were characterized by poor grammar and spelling. No legitimate business would send an email to customers chockfull of typos.

As email users grew wary of phishing attempts, cybercriminals have had to change their tactics and their lures ..."

Exponential Bandwidth Growth And Cost Declines

2012-04-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Global Internet traffic is expected to grow 32% per year from 2010 to 2015. In 2010, an average of 46 terabits/second traveled over the Internet and should surpass 199 terabits/second in 2015. But while IP traffic is growing exponentially, the budgets for network equipment are growing at less than 10% ..."

As IT Picks Up The Pace, Can Tech Workers Keep Up?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"There's good news and bad news on the salary front for IT professionals this year. With many businesses enjoying renewed growth following an extended period of economic gloom, IT workers saw another year of modest salary increases, and they reported significantly fewer pay cuts, hiring freezes and layoffs.

That's the good news ..."

Is Legacy Storage Dead?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Every major vendor will bring out a flash-only storage system before the end of the year--and almost every one of these products will fail. Legacy vendors have got to stop treating solid-state storage as if it were just a faster hard drive.

The spring 2012 Storage Networking World conference is all wrapped up and put away. As I mentioned in my last column and as we discussed in the updates on our site, there were a wide variety of discussions ranging from tape to SSD to cloud. In fact, the only topic usually present but missing from this year's show was legacy storage ..."

15 MIT Research Projects That Will Make You Say 'Whoa'

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Researchers at MIT are no strangers to the press, grabbing our attention regularly with new projects. Some in this list are potentially world-changing or life-saving breakthroughs, while others are just fun to look at. Either way, they all appear to be small previews of what life may be like within the next decade or two ..."

The Social Web: Who Owns Your Data?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Opening Statements: It's yours -- until you upload it ...

Emil Protalinski: You own your data. After all, it's your data. You will always own your data, but so will whatever firm, company, or organization you have allowed to also own your data.

You are the exclusive owner of your data right up until the point where you hand it over to a party and agree they also own your data. Facebook is one such service..."

Email Etiquette: Peers, Professors And Professionals

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Summary: How can you email your employers, peers and professors professionally?

The Generation Y. Known for smiley faces, overly-enthusiastic use of exclamation marks, and doubtlessly the odd typographic mistake or two.

It is easy for a less formal style of communication to creep into emails that should reflect a more professional image, however, it can make an individual look unprofessional or lazy ' and may confuse the recipient if they cannot �translate' slang or text-speak.

How can you impress a future employer, professor or professional peer through email, and create a good impression? ..."

Ten Ways Employers Check You Out

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The process of finding a job has changed in the digital age, and human resources managers and other hirers are using new tools to screen potential job candidates, according to recent research from SHL, which specializes in talent-measurement solutions. While résumés and other traditional means of candidate-employer interaction remain standard, many hiring managers want a more complete picture of their applicants ..."

Indian IT Firms Are Heading For A Fall

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Response to visa-related lawsuits indicates that Indian services firms don't fully understand the American system ...

It is the American character not to back down, and to fight for what is right. Our children are taught this from their earliest ages. Even new arrivals, immigrants or people on work visas are quick to grasp this essential truth.

America's institutions reflect the national character. Our political system encourages sharp and hard contests. Our legal system facilitates a fight, as India's IT companies are now learning.

Three of India's largest IT outsourcing firms, Infosys Technologies, Larsen & Toubro InfoTech and Tata Consultancy Services, are involved in lawsuits filed against them by current and former employees ..."

Stupid Tech Support Tricks: IT Calls Of Shame

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Working in tech support is a bit like teaching preschool: You're an educator who provides reassurance in troubling times. You share knowledge and help others overcome their obstacles. And some days, it feels like all you hear is screaming, crying, and incoherent babble.

Tech support is no cakewalk -- there's no question about that -- but boy, does it lead to entertaining anecdotes ..."

Finding Your Way Around Among the IPS Package Groups

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

A post on the Insights from Release Engineering explains the four current IPS system groups in the xml manifest files and used for different types of installations by various Solaris installers. These include the following:

Oracle Solaris Desktop
Oracle Solaris Large Server
Oracle Solaris Small Server
Oracle Solaris Automated Installer Client

The post adds that there are also several "feature" groups such as AMP and GNU Developer Tools that are not used directly by any installers. The post also provides details on retrieving group package information, installing a group, and creating a group of one's own.

DTrace Now Available for Oracle Linux

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

DTrace is now available for Oracle Linux on the Unbreakable Linux Network, Lenz Grimmer posts. He reports the packages are based on the final public release of the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 (2.6.39). There is no new functionality specific to DTrace in this release. Users find that libdtrace is now a shared library although, Grimmer cautions, the API/ABI is not fully stabilized and may be changed. Also, QA testing has resulted in the reorganization of some test cases into their own subdirectories, which enables using the test suite in a more fine-grained manner.

Oravle Virtual Assembly Builder, New Database Assemblies Ease Application Deployment to the Cloud

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Virtual Assembly Builder (OVAB) used in conjunction with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c can graphically model the topology of applications deployed to the cloud, define all dependencies and deployment constraints, and package the entire application as an application assembly that can be uploaded to the centralized software library in Enterprise Manager for self-service deployments, according to Anand Akela. Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c now also has a link to Oracle that will announce the availability of new downloadable assemblies. Customers can create a zone of Oracle VM 3.x servers and deploy these assemblies from the Enterprise Manager 12c Self-Service interface.

10 Most Powerful IaaS Companies

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"We assembled this list with help from analysts at Cloud Technology Partners, Current Analysis, Enterprise Strategy Group, Gartner, IDC and Neovise who watch the public cloud Infrastructure as a Service scene very closely. Each was asked to name the companies they believed have the most influence -- whether that's measured in market share, mind share, revenue, existing enterprise pull or underlying technology links -- in drawing enterprise customers into the realm of public cloud infrastructure..."

Do You Know Your Customers' Top 5 Challenges?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"According to the 2011 Northern Virginia Technology Council-Washington Technology CTO Innovation Award winners, the biggest challenges facing government right now are: Money, Transformation, Oceans of data, Cyber vulnerability, Going mobile ..."

IT Reorgs: Be Sure Of Your Reasons

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"When companies think about an IT reorganization, the first two questions raised are usually "Who?" and "Where?" Wrong on both counts! The first two questions should always be "Why?" and "How?"

Reorganizations encompass far more than moving lines and boxes on an org chart. The process usually has a major impact on personnel and productivity. When rumors of change emerge, productivity often plummets, and it typically remains low long after the reorg ..."

Making Numbers Meaningful: 10 Ways to Improve Your Presentations

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Budgeting and bean counting come with the territory for C-level executives, and often times CIOs have to build their business cases with metrics. But how you communicate that information can have a big impact on your budget and your team's projects. In his new book, "Painting with Numbers: Presenting Financials and Other Numbers so People Will Understand You" , author Randall Bolten contends that the presentation of numbers is nothing more than a communications skill, no more or less difficult than assembling a report or putting together a speech..."

Oracle Makes Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c Free for Existing Customers

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The newest version of Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center, is available free for any organization with an Oracle Premier Support agreement under an initiative called the Ops Center Everywhere Program, writes Joab Jackson in IT World. Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c includes several updated capabilities for managing Oracle Solaris 11, specifically, the ability to use Solaris Image Packaging System (IPS), Automated Installer (AI) and Alternate Boot Environments across multiple servers, and is also the first version to allow administrators to manage both x86- and Oracle SPARC-based servers from a single console--the first commercial product with this capability, Oracle says.

EOL Comes for Linux 2.4

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The news, as reported by Sean Michael Kerner in InternetNews.com is that the end has come after 11 years for Linux 2.4. He writes that the 2.4 kernel has been in maintenance-only mode for the most part for the last six years, ever since the 2.6 kernel was first released. There has long been a subset of vendors that still relied on 2.4, but that's no longer the case, he notes. Although EOL has been officially declared, Kerner avers that, as is often the case in open source, "I suspect this isn't quite the last we've heard of Linux 2.4."

The Linux Foundation Releases Annual Linux Development Report

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The Annual Linux Development Report reveals:

7,800 plus developers from almost 800 different companies have contributed to the Linux kernel since tracking began in 2005.
Paid developers perform 75% of all kernel development.
The top 10 organizations sponsoring Linux kernel development since the last report (or Linux kernel 2.6.36) are Red Hat, Intel, Novell, IBM, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Nokia, Samsung, Oracle and Google.
Microsoft finally appears on list of companies contributing to the Linux kernel.
Since the last report between 8,000 and 12,000 patches have gone into each kernel release every two to three months.

Cloud Computing Done the Netflix Way

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"What can Netflix teach enterprises about data center operations and always-on reliability? Netflix is a consumer-facing Web shop with only a few applications--a completely different infrastructure challenge, right? Wrong. CIO.com's Bernard Golden explains the lessons to be learned from Netflix's data center transformation ..."

Tracking And Measuring Cloud Providers' Security Performance

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The move to cloud computing services is a big one for most IT organizations. But nowhere is the change more profound than in security, where the use of cloud services introduces a whole new array of questions and concerns.

While moving even in part to a cloud model is a big change for many reasons, the most significant difference is a loss of direct control... "

Traffic on Oracle's SPARC Roadmap Is Accelerating

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The driving time to major SPARC milestones has gotten shorter, and with the recent release of the SPARC T4 chip, Oracle is providing better-than-promised performance," writes David A. Kelly in Oracle Magazine Online. One typical company, attracted by the performance the SPARC processor delivers, is Tucson Electric Power Company, whose Senior Systems Administrator, IT Operations Group, Scott Myers, says, 'We went from using more than 20 servers and a bunch of different operating systems to having everything running on Oracle Solaris 10 inside Oracle Solaris Zones. Oracle Solaris Zones allow us to consolidate more operations on a single server .... '

802.11n: A Survival Guide

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

O'Reilly's "802.11n: A Survival Guide," written by Matthew Gast, provides an in-depth look at key parts of 802.11n, showing how to achieve an Ethernet-free wireless office. Topics considered are:

Learn how MIMO's multiple data streams increase wireless speed
Discover how 802.11n modifications improve MAC efficiency
Examine such advanced PHY features as beanforming and space-time code block
Use advanced MAC features to maintain interoperability with older devices
Plan an 802.11n network by determining traffic demand, key applications, power requirements, and security
Choose the architecture, select hardware, and plan coverage to design and build your network

Monsanto Company Implements Multiple Oracle Solutions

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The Monsanto Company has implemented a number of Oracle solutions in its effort to improve farm productivity and food quality. These Oracle solutions include:

Exadata Database Machine X2-2
Sun ZFS Storage Appliance
Oracle Active Data Guard
Oracle WebLogic Server
Oracle Real Application Cluster
Oracle Service Bus
Oracle Coherence
Oracle Consulting Managed Services

David Baum writes in Oracle Magazine Online that, while improving its information capacity and performance with Oracle Exadata, Monsanto has also been improving its disaster recovery and backup capabilities by implementing Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliance.

Trade-in Older SPARC Servers, Get a $4,000 per CPU Allowance

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

Act now and get a trade-in allowance from Oracle on your old SPARC servers for a faster, more efficient SPARC Enterprise M8000, SPARC Enterprise M9000, or SPARC SuperCluster T4-4. The offer, which expires on May 31, 2012, and may not be combined with any other upgrade programs or promotions, includes a trade-in allowance of US$4000 per CPU. To learn more about the Upgrade Advantage Program (UAP) and other trade-ins, visit the UAP website. This is the perfect opportunity for savings and consolidation by reducing the number of systems in a datacenter or the number of datacenters in the organization.

Solving Storage Problems Caused by Server and Desktop Virtualization

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

There are alternatives to using direct-attached storage (DAS) to remedy the storage problems inherent in server and desktop virtualization, argues Jon Toigo, president of Toigo Partners International: hardware-based replication is not the solution, he contends; VMware, on the other hand, may just be the answer. Toigo recommends storage virtualization (putting capacity management, performance management, data protection management into a virtual pool and then create pools of storage that move with the guest machine. Users can create an atomic infrastructure based on building blocks of storage that grow and scale as storage is added to it.

Speculations on the Performance Impact of Zones

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"What is the overhead of using Zones," ponders Joerg Moellenkamp in a recent post. He admits to never having measured any overhead caused by zones but he also contends that additional load introduced by processes wouldn't be there when only one zone is in use but, when additional monitoring daemons -- like additional daemons having a controlling or supervising job for the application that resulted in slightly longer runtimes of processes -- questions of overhead become pertinent. Moellenkamp posts links to a number of benchmarks that provide some evidence of the effect of overhead imposed by the use of zones.

The Untimely Death Of The Advanced Persistent Threat?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Advanced persistent threats were notable by their absence in a recent discussion of new cyberattacks.

Richard Bejtlich, chief security officer of the security firm Mandiant Corp., and RSA's Amit Yoran, former director of the Homeland Security Department's National Cyber Security Division, discussed critical new threats during an April 4 session at the FOSE security conference in Washington, and the familiar term "APT" never came up. They talked about innovative attacks designed to circumvent traditional IT security tools and about long-term campaigns against targeted systems..."

A Brief History of the Enterprise WAN

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Before delving further into the details of the Next-generation Enterprise WAN architecture I think it will be instructive to look first at the history of the Enterprise WAN.

Some would argue that the X.25 networks - the first "cloud" services in widespread use - that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s for remote mainframe terminal access are the beginnings of the Enterprise WAN, but I'll stick to the "modern" era that began with the rise of the personal computers connected via LANs in the 1980s ..."

Estimating The Economics Behind BYOD Security

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Even as bring your own device (BYOD) policies and programs have opened up a world of opportunity for organizations, the risks and additional operational burdens imposed have changed the economic realities of mobility more than many in IT realize. As organizations weigh the costs and opportunities offered by BYOD compared to issuing company devices, they need to be aware of the hidden costs of BYOD -- particularly within high-risk environments ..."

Employees Who BYOD Leave Basic Security Behind, Study Finds

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Eighty-one percent of people surveyed in a new study say they use a personal device for work ' and more than half of them fail to take the most basic steps to secure their devices and data.

And they're using those devices for work whether their employers have officially OK'd it or not. Sixty-six percent of those using a personal device for work say their organization does not have a 'bring your own device' policy.

The survey, conducted online in February by ESET and Harris Interactive, included 1,320 employed U.S. adults, sought to determine the extent of BYOD practices and how well, or poorly, those devices are being secured, according to a by ESET security researcher Cameron Camp ..."

Is Mobile Security A Losing Game?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The surge of network-connected mobile devices has introduced a new kind of threat to an already crowded cyber landscape, and with it a new kind of concern: mobile security. With an increasing number of workers from both the federal and private sectors using their Blackberries, iPhones, Androids and iPads to conduct business, it's a critical threat to address - and one that will require a step away from traditional cyber defense, according to industry insiders ..."

Monitor Data Center Batteries

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"With so many critical components to worry about in a data center, it can be easy to put smaller systems on the back burner. One example is the data center's batteries. Even companies that have implemented battery monitoring systems sometimes do not take the proper precautions to ensure their batteries are working as they should. Mike Daffron, director of sales and marketing at API, says it's not unusual to find companies with monitoring systems that aren't in working order, properly wired, or even turned on..."

How Much Money Do You Need To Lose Before You Start Monitoring?

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"A new blog post by Brian Krebs states that the FBI has released a cyberintelligence bulletin claiming that a series of hacks perpetrated against smart-meter installations over the past several years may cost a Puerto Rican electric utility upward of $400 million annually.

According to the post, the FBI said it believes former employees of the meter manufacturer and employees of the utility were altering the meters in exchange for cash and training others to do so. "These individuals are charging $300 to $1,000 to reprogram residential meters, and about $3,000 to reprogram commercial meters," the alert states...."

Monitoring, Policies Needed To Catch Rogue IPv6 Traffic

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The spotty support of the next-generation Internet routing protocol, IPv6, has left companies with a network security problem that has largely passed unnoticed. While IPv6 is built into many endpoint devices and supported by a majority of networking hardware, enterprise-routing and security features are typically lacking.

The result is that IPv6 traffic is traversing most companies' networks undetected, creating a 'shadow network' where traffic flies under the radar of security devices..."

Summary of the Program at dtrace.conf(12)

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

There is a convenient summary of the events at dtrace.conf(12) in a post by Adam Leventhal. The post is divided into several sections, including:

User-land CTF and Dynamic Translators
The D Language
Work with DTrace
DTrace with Oracle Enterprise Linux
A ZFS DTrace Provider
Whither DTrace

Leventhal includes links to videos dealing with the conference, one of which is Kris van Hees's presentation on the Oracle port to Linux and Eric Schrock on the D language additions in this release.

Using Throughput Latency 'Gaps' to Optimize Performance

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"How the SPARC T4 Processor Optimizes Throughput Capacity: A Case Study," an Oracle technical white paper by Ruud van der Pas and Jared Smolens, examines the architected latency-hiding features of Oracle's UltraSPARC T2+ and SPARC T4 processors, focusing on instruction-level latencies. In instances where neither caching nor prefetching work, the latency-caused "gaps" in a processor's execution pipeline can be employed to execute instructions from another application or a different thread from the same application. The latency hiding engineered into Oracle's SPARC T-series processors has this capability, and van der Pas and Smolens illustrate how this works at the application level.

Oracle Named #1 in RDBMS Market Segment for 2011

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The Gartner 2011 Worldwide RDBMS Market Share Report reveals Oracle #1 in worldwide RDBMS software revenue share at 48.8 percent. Oracle holds more revenue share than its seven closest competitors combined and recorded a growth rate of 18.0 percent, exceeding both the industry average (16.3 percent) and the growth rates of its closest competitors, according to Gartner.

Three Futuristic Products You'll Never Own

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The future isn't what it used to be. Futurists of yesteryear once predicted that by the year 2000 we'd be driving nuclear-powered cars, eating food in pill form and living in domed cities.

It never happened. But why? ..."

New Bill Lets Gov't Collect All Your Private Cyber Info

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) says feds can ask ISPs and others for any info they want, and no restrictions on its use are currently in place...

The bill, like so many bad ideas, has good some intentions: It is supposed to enhance information sharing for cybersecurity purposes between the private sector and the government, and it would authorize Internet service providers and other companies to share customer communications and other personally identifiable information with government agencies ..."

The Document Foundation Releases LibreOffice 3.5.2

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

The Document Foundation has released LibreOffice 3.5.2, which fixes an additional large number of the bugs identified by TDF QA experts and LibreOffice users worldwide. Further TDF news is that LibreOffice has recently been selected as a mentoring organization for Google Summer of Code. Students are invited to look at the GSoC Ideas Wiki Page to get inspired for their next task. One of 2011 GSoC projects, the MS Visio Import Filter, has been integrated in LibreOffice 3.5, and the author, Eilidh McAdam, has already found a LibreOffice development related employer: Lanedo. The increasing popularity of LibreOffice is reflected in the growth of on-board hackers, which now numbers 429.

IT Must Change Security Strategies to Keep Up With Cybercriminals

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"Businesses may have scaled back their security and risk management investments during the economic downturn, but cybercriminals continued to invest. In the coming years, criminal organizations will grow even more sophisticated. To be prepared for what's coming, organizations must adjust their approach to security now..."

Getting Ready For Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

2012-04-09T16:00:00+01:00

"The last thing any organization wants is to make news due to a data breach, but with the evolution of security threats coupled with the unpredictable human factor, the risk of data leakage has intensified.

While technology provides functionality to enforce business conduct, meet regulatory requirements, and safeguard confidential data, it can't stand alone: There must be a well-defined set of policies -- standards, directives, and guidelines -- that outline exactly what data requires protecting, where data security controls will be enforced, and exactly how data will be protected.

That is the case with data loss prevention (DLP)..."

Five Common Website Mistakes That Businesses Need to Avoid

2012-04-08T16:00:00+01:00

"Websites that have been up and running for a while tend to get tinkered with by well-intentioned marketing and technical staffs. Although businesses should encourage innovation, many common website practices can, if implemented in the wrong way, invite legal problems. Here's a rundown on five common website mistakes..."

OmniOS - New Addition to the illumos Familiy

2012-04-06T16:00:00+01:00

At the DTrace Conference, OmniTI announced OmniOS, an open source operating system for application developers in the Solaris community looking for reliable, innovative, data-intensive application deployment.

OmniTI joins a number of other distributions and projects built on the illumos kernel:

illumian
napp-it
NexentaStor
OmniOS
OpenIndiana
SmartOS
StormOS

The key technologies of illumos that bring significant business advantage to customers: Solaris containers, Crossbow, ZFS file system and DTrace

Cloud Can't Substitute For Records Management

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

"A lawyer who represented a medical facility found out during cross-examination that his client had moved its important information into a cloud environment. So far, it sounds like a typical cloud migration.

But it was only later that the client learned the cloud provider was deleting all data every 60 days. Lacking the evidence that would have been in those records, the client had no choice but to settle the case.

John Facciola, a magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court, told that story while speaking at the FOSE Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C., on April 5 ..."

Storage brand leaders according to IT Brand Pulse

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

"IT Brand Pulse, a source of data and analysis about IT infrastructure, announced the results of the March 2012 Brand Leader Awards survey.

In this survey, respondents were asked which vendors they perceive as the leader in eight storage categories: FC HBA, FC Switch, Tape Library, Backup Software, Unified storage, Cloud Backup, HPC storage and IO Virtualization/PCI Sharing.

For each category, respondents chose the brand leader in market, price, performance, reliability, service & support, and innovation..."

Organizations In Dark As Employees Party On With BYOD

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

"Organizations know that employee' personal mobile devices are sometimes getting onto their networks, but the extent of the problem could be worse than they thought.

A new study by the SANS Institute found that only 9 percent of organizations surveyed were 'fully aware' of the devices accessing their networks, and only 50 percent were 'vaguely or fairly' aware.

Meanwhile, organizations are scrambling to manage the risk, pursuing everything from user education and mobile device management to Network Access Control and monitoring, SANS said in announcing the study ..."

Prevent Any Security Breach By Just Following 10 Best Practices

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

"On a daily basis, hundreds of organizations get their networks compromised and their confidential data is leaked. When some of the best names in the industry with formidable security policies have got hacked, what can organizations do to prevent themselves from being hacked? Satish Warrier, CISO, Godrej Industries, shares a list of ten best practices that every organization must follow to minimize their chances of getting hacked ..."

OpenStorage Summit EMEA 2012

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

The second-annual OpenStorage Summit will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Much like last year's EMEA User Conference, this year's event will feature a who's who in the OpenStorage industry participating in panels, case studies and technical vendor presentations. Three Reasons Why You Should Attend

In-depth look at OpenStorage ' See the future of OpenStorage through the eyes of industry leaders from Intel, Arista, Juniper, KT, Nexenta, and more.

Nexenta Certification and Free Conference ' Attendees coming to get certified on Nexenta products will get free admission to OpenStorage Summit.

Top-Class Speakers and Exhibitors

Location: Hotel Mercure Amsterdam aan de Amstel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

dtrace.conf 2012: Brian Cantrill's DTrace State of the Union Keynote

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

The dtrace.conf 2012 opened with a state of the union delivered by Brian Cantrill. He first points out that since dtrace.conf 2008, the development curve for DTrace was essentially flat, as the focus was on integrating DTrace with other solutions. In the last year, however, the development curve began climbing once again. The current focus among DTrace developers is addressing such problems as implementing dynamic translators; instrumenting hardware-virtualized guests from the host; creating support for dynamic USDT providers; integrating with user-level CTF; providing support for user-level postmortem DTrace; creating transparent instrumentation of multiple processes; and developing a better instrumentation up-stack.

MySQL Connect Conference in San Francisco September 29 and 30, 2012

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has scheduled the MySQL Connect Conference for September 29 and 30, 2012, in San Francisco. The conference will include six tracks: Performance and Scalability, High Availability, Cloud Computing, Architecture and Design, Database Administration, and Application Development. Registration and the call for papers will open on April 16, 2012 for approximately three weeks. On June 5, 2012, a MySQL Innovation Day is being hosted at Oracle's Conference Center in Redwood Shores, California that will feature multiple talks by Oracle's MySQL Engineers, providing MySQL users an opportunity to preview some of the content that will be delivered during MySQL Connect.

USC Shoah Foundation Institute Upgrades to StorageTek T10000C

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

The USC Shoah Foundation Institute has selected Oracle's StorageTek T10000C Tape Drives to support its ongoing project to catalogue and preserve visual testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses. At 5 TB uncompressed, the StorageTek T10000C Tape Drive is the world's highest capacity drive and enables customers to boost capacity and performance while maintaining their existing footprint. The Oracle solution, which also includes Oracle's Sun x86 servers with Oracle Solaris and Oracle disk arrays, digitizes approximately 80 TB of data per month and is on track to finish digitization in 2013.

Why CIOs Must Be More Social

2012-04-05T16:00:00+01:00

"Kimberly-Clark CIO Ramon Baez, an enthusiast for social media both internally and externally, thinks that makes perfect sense. "If I wasn't a user of it, I would have a tougher time selling to the business leaders why this was a powerful tool," Baez said.

Baez is personally active on social media and has also embraced Salesforce.com Chatter for corporate collaboration. He ranks #7 on the list of Top 25 Most Social CIOs ..."

Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c Introduced

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has introduced Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c, which delivers complete, centralized management for Oracle Engineered Systems, Oracle's SPARC servers, Oracle's x86 servers, Oracle Solaris, Oracle Linux, Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliance, Sun Server Networking, and Oracle Virtualization (including Oracle VM for SPARC, Oracle VM for x86 and Oracle Solaris Zones). Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c provides the best solution for managing Oracle systems deployed in traditional, virtualized and cloud environments. Oracle also introduced the Ops Center Everywhere Program through which customers can use Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center to manage their Oracle systems at no additional cost.

Configuring an NTP Client in Solaris 11

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Joerg Moellenkamp shows how to configure an NTP client on a plain standard Solaris 11 in a recent blog post. His method includes a certain redundancy as he uses four time servers, thereby ensuring that at least one will be operational at all times. He also uses ntpdate to force a time synchronization rather than the ntp daemon, which does not provide a time synch. At the outset Moellenkamp characterizes the procedure as a simple one: The brevity and relatively uncomplicated nature of his procedure suggest that he is correct.

IT Investments Deliver Profits, Study Finds

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

"Investing in IT departments can have a big impact on a firm's profits, more so than similar spending on R&D and some marketing endeavors, according to a team of university reasearchers.

The researchers reached their conclusions after examining the IT investments and financial data of about 450 companies in an effort to draw a link between IT spending and profits.

The work, published in the journal, MIS Quarterly, led to several key conclusions ..."

BYOD and The Hidden Risk Of IT Security

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

"Ben Franklin made the point, although with more commas than the AP stylebook would endorse: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Over 250 years old, this epigram may still be germane to our ongoing discussion of BYOD (bring your own device): how IT should balance the "liberty" of the BYOD school of thought with the "safety" of needing to minimize corporate exposure to security threats..."

MySQL 5.5 Available on Oracle Linux 6 and RHEL 6

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

MySQL 5.5 is now available on both Oracle Linux 6 with the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel and on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (RHEL 6) and Oracle Linux 6 with the Red Hat compatible kernel Bertrand Matthelié reports. Users can download MySQL 5.5 Community Edition binaries for Oracle Linux and Red Hat Linux 6. Matthelié's post adds that MySQL customers can rely on Oracle Premier Support for MySQL when using the MySQL database on either Oracle Linux or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and confirms that, in addition to offering direct Linux support to customers running RHEL6, Oracle Linux 6, or a combination of both, Oracle also provides Oracle Linux 6 binaries, update and erratas for free from Oracle's Public Yum Server.

Java Spotlight Episode 77: Donald Smith on OpenJDK and Java

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

In Episode 77 of the Java Spotlight Donald Smith discusses Java and OpenJDK with host Roger Brinkley. Smith is Director of Product Management for Oracle and has worldwide enterprise software experience, ranging from small "dot-com" through Fortune 500 companies. Joining the Java All Star Developer Panel for this episode are Dalibor Topic, Java Free and Open Source Software Ambassador and Arun Gupta, Java EE aficionado.

16 Ultimate SSH Hacks

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Carla Schroder challenges her readers to test their mettle against 16 ultimate SSH hacks that she identifies in her IT World article of that title. These are expert tips and tricks, she writes, from identifying monkey-in-the-middle attacks to road warrior security to attaching remote screen sessions. The comments posted make for spirited reading, as one might expect on such a subject.

Oracle Magazine Feature on Enterprise Tape Storage

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Tom Haunert, editor of Oracle Magazine, interviews Jim Cates, vice president of storage technology at Oracle, about the past, present, and future of enterprise tape technology in this webcast. Cates discusses the evolution of tape storage from a mainframe storage technology to its backup role, then to open systems, backup and recovery and a multi-tier storage paradigm. Current uses in long-term digital archiving find a tape solution the method of choice, he says. With the advent of Big Data, tape will come to play an even larger role, he suggests.

Why VDI? (Five Reasons People Really Use VDI)

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

In two earlier posts Brian Madden has argued that VDI is not about saving money nor about making desktops easier to manage. He does find a number of viable uses of VDI, however, which he puts forward to absolve himself of being labeled a "VDI hater." These uses alone, Madden writes, are not in and of themselves sufficient reason to run out and move all your users to VDI but he concedes that every company can use some VDI'just like every company can use some laptops and some desktops.

Gartner Analysts Name Oracle Communications "Very Strong" in Survey

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Gartner has bestowed its highest possible rating, "Very Strong," on Oracle Communications in its Market Insight: Next-Generation Service Delivery Platform Market Overview and Strategic Scorecard for Vendors, 2012 report. The report evaluates capabilities of the leading next-generation (NG) service delivery platform (SDP) vendors on the market and is based on an in-depth study, which explores key issues related to seven SDP criteria: product and service, market understanding, product strategy, sales strategy, geographic strategy, market responsiveness and viability. In addition to its 'Very Strong' overall score, Oracle received 'Very Strong' ratings in the product or service strategy and geographic strategy categories.

Arrogant Admin Exposed By Rogue Routers

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

"A brash IT pro lands a job as a senior network admin, but soon his errors cause problems for the top execs ..

Not that long ago in an enterprise not very far away, I had the displeasure of working with an IT person we will call Eric. For a couple of years, we worked side by side on the desktop support team for the North American world headquarters of this company.

Self-confidence was never a problem for this brash, arrogant young man. More than once, he had been reported to HR for behavior that employees are warned about in those harassment prevention seminars. He was also a compulsive know-it-all. Cooking a steak? His recipe was better than yours. Working out? His routine was better. Trying to fix an issue on a user PC? His solution was best..."

April 25th Online Forum -- Oracle Solaris 11

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Solaris 11 since the launch is the subject of an online forum, featuring Markus Flierl, the VP for Solaris core engineering, as well as engineers, customers and partners. During the forum, Markus and his crew will give an update on the release, recap Oracle's OS strategy, and give you a peek at what the engineers are working on for future updates. Once again, that's April 25, 2012, 9:00 a.m. PDT to 11:30 a.m. PDT. Registration is required.

CIOs To The Cloud: Let's Not Rush Into Things

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

"The federal government's migration to cloud computing is no longer in question. But that doesn't mean agencies will rush into it and treat every situation as a foregone conclusion.

In some ways, the decision-making process has gotten more complicated as federal CIOs learn about the nuances of cloud computing.

For example, in the early days of the cloud, it was a question of go or no-go. Now agencies must decide which model is most appropriate for them: private (government only), public (commercially available) or hybrid..."

3 Reasons To Consider A Private Cloud

2012-04-04T16:00:00+01:00

"Balasubramanian Somasundaram from Microsoft highlights three key business scenarios where private clouds can add significant business value

There have been a wide range of discussions and opinions over private clouds on the blogosphere. Some call the term 'Private Cloud' itself as an Oxymoron, claiming cloud can't be private. If it's private, it's just not cloud. It's a trendy name for optimized data center..."

EU Offers Guide For Ensuring Cloud Security

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Users need to become better at asking cloud providers questions about the finer points of availability and vulnerability management in contracts, according to a new guide from the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA).

ENISA's goal is to improve the public sector's understanding of the security of cloud services and the potential indicators and methods that can be used during service delivery, the authors said..."

Think Through Your Social Policy - Or Live to Regret It

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Every company is affected by social media today -- meaning any sharing of thoughts, ideas, or conversation online via some sort of media sharing site (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, et al.) -- even if management doesn't know it.

A company may block access to many of those sites, yet its employees use them at home and likely refer to company issues. Therefore, I think it's vital to have an internal company conversation about what the potential impact could be and what sort of 'message guidance' you feel is appropriate to give to employees. This may or may not become a formal policy, but it should at least be a company communication..."

The Ten Commandments of BYOD

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"IT departments dealing with the BYOD (bring your own device) challenge are facing tough decisions on how to manage the array of devices and operating systems that employees want. The vast majority of tech managers say the trend is causing 'huge problems' when it comes to network access and lost and stolen devices, and they want new rules to ensure IT security. A new report from Janco Associates explores the BYOD phenomenon and gives IT teams a set of proposed policies and procedures that will help minimize risk and potential operational disruptions..."

WallStreet Scratches Its Head Over Big Data Challenge

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"The data challenge is a juggernaut, and Wall Street firms whose budgets are virtually flat these days, are scrambling to figure out how to deal with it.

An effective strategy will recognize the importance of big data and include an investigation of the requirements to ingest, index and integrate structured and unstructured, streaming and static data from a variety of sources, Robert Desautels, CEO, President and Founder, Harvard Research Group, said at yesterday's High Performance Computing Linux for Wall Street conference..."

5 Annoying Help Desk Calls -- And How To Banish Them

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Despite the average person's growing technical acumen, workers still rely on corporate help when systems crash, applications bewilder and any number of other tech-related mishaps occur.

In fact, reliance on the help desk is actually increasing. HDI, the IT service and technical support association, reported in its 2011 Support Center Practices & Salary Report that 68% of support centers saw an increase in ticket volume in 2011.

What those figures don't show are the number of calls that could be handled better..."

If You Do The Cyber Crime, Expect To Do The Time

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"As I read the latest cyber crime news -- at least 1.5 million Visa and MasterCard accounts have been compromised, perhaps many millions more -- for once I don't feel disheartened. There's a decent chance that the criminals who pulled off this heist will go to jail.

Every public speaker and writer likes a good catchphrase or refrain that will grab the audience's attention. One of mine: Whenever you read that a superhacker has been arrested, it's never the superhacker. Even when we know who the superhackers are, we can't arrest them. They operate with near impunity. Why stop if you can never be caught? ..."

Bad Tech Habits: 8 Things Employees Don't Want You to Know

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"You work overtime making sure that your company's data and networks remain safe and secure. The ugly truth is that your users are probably the weakest link in your defenses. Whether driven by malfeasance or sheer frustration, it's not uncommon for your employees to circumvent or ignore the many safeguards and best practices you've put in place. Based on conversations with IT executives, a review of recent research, and our own observations of workplace behavior, we've compiled this list of the 8 most egregious tech behaviors you'll want to look out for ..."

3 Best Practices For Your Cloud Computing First-Timers

2012-04-03T16:00:00+01:00

"As enterprises continue to move to cloud computing, blunders will occur, but we'll also see success with the cloud. Now is a good time to survey what works -- that is, the best practices around cloud deployment. Here is my initial list, but it will evolve over the next few years.

Note: These are mainly management concepts dealing with the people aspect of cloud computing. The best practices around the use of the technology are emerging, but the most common breakdowns seem to be reside within brains, not servers..."

Cloud Vulnerability a Suspect in Payments Breach

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"There's been a lot of discussion about cloud security, and the conclusion has generally been that we'd see a major exploitation of cloud vulnerabilities sooner rather than later.

It may have already happened.

Last month, Atlanta-based Global Payments Inc., one of the world's largest processors of Mastercard and Visa payments, discovered that up to one and a half million credit card numbers may have been exported by hackers who had access to its network ..."

Cloud-Integrated Enterprise Storage: Real Cloud for Real Data

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"cloud-integrated enterprise storage, or CES ... is a new blend of cloud and primary storage that will create radical simplification in the practice of storage and drastically alter the on going costs of storing every piece of data a business ever creates. It almost sounds too good to be true, but after several years of watching this technology evolve and gain real world use, we have little doubt that cloud-integrated enterprise Storage is a force to be reckoned with. It is here, and it is here to stay..."

Cloud Services Face Taxing Dilemma

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"States are having a hard time keeping up with the cloud, especially when it comes to taxing it.

There have been a bevy of rulings by various states in the past few years related to how cloud services are taxed, but a recent ruling in Utah could be one of the furthest reaching decisions on the topic to date. And experts say it could begin a wave of more states looking to expand their policies of how taxes are collected on the fast-growing adoption of cloud services ..."

Storage Industry Takes Steps to Avoid PCIe SSD Fragmentation

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Fifty industry representatives have signed on to a task force created to address interoperability issues related to a plethora of form factors and connectivity issues for PCIe solid-state drives (SSDs).

The Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI) PCIe SSD Task Force, which is being organised under the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), will deal with current standards, any standards gaps that need to be filled and end user concerns over interoperability between products..."

Why Companies Could Get In Trouble For Accessing Your Facebook Page

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Lately, there's been a lot of buzz on the legality of employers asking prospective employees for their Facebook passwords. According to Lori Adelson, a labor and employment attorney and partner with law firm Arnstein & Lehr, password snooping is legal, although she "would advise employers not to do it."

"From an employers' perspective, they want to check for conducts like disorderly behavior or drunkeness," Adelson, who represents HR, told us. 'But there are better ways of doing this.' ..."

IT-Business Disconnect: Will The Cloud Bridge The Gap, or Widen It?

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"As business technology demands escalate, CIOs and other top-level IT executives often face a disconnect between their infrastructure requirements and the needs of business leaders who are trying to maximize revenue and increase efficiency. The dual trends of IT consumerization and BYOD are adding further pressure to the roles of IT leaders. In a study commissioned by BMC Software and conducted by Forrester Research, the significant divide between IT and business is fully illustrated ..."

The Dangers of Uncoordinated Backup Practices

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"One-third of SMBs allow employees to select their own method of backup for their data at work - essentially passing the buck when it comes to data protection, according to Mozy. This is concerning because companies that don't provide formal policies instead rely on uncoordinated backup practices that can leave business owners susceptible to significant risks in the event of data loss.

World Backup Day is an excellent opportunity for SMBs to reevaluate their company backup policies ..."

5 Things To Know About Big Data

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Big data is to 2012 what the Cloud was in 2010. If you haven't heard the term, you must still be using a dial-up modem. As a matter of fact, Google searches for �big data' have gone up 1200% in the last 12 months, according to Andrew Sheppard at Fountainhead, a consulting firm specializing in HPC and GPU for financial services.

As we prepare our May issue on How Big Data Is Transforming Wall Street, here are the first five things I've gleaned that you have to know about big data: ..."

Big Data: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"While Big Data is a hot topic on Wall Street, most financial firms don't have the right systems in place to manage it and make it actionable, argues Microgen's SVP North America Tom Crawford.

As one industry expert recently observed, on Wall Street, "It's all about the data." But for financial companies to win the "faster, smarter, dirtier" game of Big Data, they must make data more actionable. That is, financial firms have to be able to put data to work in a way that informs smarter business decisions that help the business change and grow ..."

How IBM Manages 80,000 Bring Your Own Devices

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"IBM CIO Jeanette Horan has plenty of IT projects and systems to worry about, but perhaps one of the most pressing and timely is Big Blue's ongoing BYOD (bring your own device) rollout, which is aimed at including all of the company's 440,000 employees over time.

The IBM workforce is "hugely mobile," with many working at client sites, home offices, and other locations outside corporate buildings, Horan said in a recent interview at IBM's office in Cambridge, Mass. IBM has long had a corporate managed mobile phone plan that historically has focused on BlackBerrys, she said ..."

Mobile Device Security Reality

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"You've heard the same things I have: "You can't control mobile device proliferation." "Most large organizations are being forced to create BYOD programs." "You need to let new employees work with their own devices and use social networking sites if you want to recruit them."

Poppycock, Rubbish, Nonsense, I say.

In fact you can reject BYOD (financial services firms do) and if you decide to support BYOD, you can control mobile device use. As for recruiting new employees, let me reply with one word -- Really? ..."

Red Hat Has $1 Billion Plus in BY 2012

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

Red Hat had a billion dollar plus year in FY2012, and that revenue came not just from selling software, argues Simon Phipps in his InfoWorld piece but from selling Software Freedom as well. Red Hat customers are liberated from the bonds imposed on them by vendors of proprietary software, given the freedom to experiment with open source code and to use the product for any purpose. All of this makes for an enriched business atmosphere with community members making improvements to the code even as they use it. Software freedom has put money in the bank for Red Hat.

Millennials Aren't The Villains Or Drivers In Consumerization

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"It's a claim repeated casually in consultant white papers, news stories, and opinion columns: The consumerization-of-IT phenomenon is driven by Gen Y, now entering the workforce in large numbers. More important, the business and tech strategy around the technology you use and allow will be shaped by this new demographic wave.

Baloney -- the millennials certainly bring their own habits and expectations to the workplace and the greater technology realm, but if you plan for the myths about this group, you'll end up with a nonsensical technology portfolio and strategy ..."

IT Departments Stymied by Server Management, Troubleshooting

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The way the cloud and managed hosting market is maturing represents a challenge to users and cloud and managed hosting service providers.

IT teams from midsized U.K. and U.S. businesses polled still spend more than half (56 percent) their time on server management and troubleshooting in a typical month, and only 28 percent on strategic, "value-added" activities, according to a survey released by cloud computing specialist Rackspace Hosting ..."

IT Execs Must Deal Soon With Worker Use of Social Tools

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

Workers push for IT adoption of social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, video and Foursquare ...

IT execs are forever concerned about the growing number of gadgets workers are bringing from home for use in the enterprise.

Now, they must also start dealing with the increasing use of consumer social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and video chat sites on the job ..."

4 Critical Trends In IT Business Continuity

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"In IT, failure is not an option. Not surprisingly, organizations have made it a high priority to develop and implement reliable business continuity plans to ensure that IT services are always available to internal users and outside customers.

But recent technology developments and trends, most notably server and desktop virtualization, cloud computing, the emergence of mobile devices in the workforce and social networks, are having an impact on how enterprises handle IT business continuity planning and testing..."

International Speedway: Where the CIO Runs Marketing

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The ultimate proof that the functions of the CIO increasingly overlap those of the CMO (and vice versa) would be an IT chief who switches careers to marketing. Time will tell if that'll ever happen, but the next best thing can be found at International Speedway Corp ..."

An Offer You Can't Refuse: Leadership Lessons from 'The Godfather'

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather? According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty.

Moore is a serial entrepreneur, early-stage advisor, and angel investor. He's currently at the helm of Axcient, a company he founded that provides backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery services to the small and mid-sized business (SMB) market ..."

What Tech CFOs Expect in 2012

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Given the tightknit relationship you probably have with your company's CFO, having your finger on the financial pulse of your organization as it plots its next moves is key for CIOs. And it's not all smooth sailing ahead. While the vast majority of tech-industry CFOs predicts revenue growth, they're anticipating less of it than they did a year ago, according to the most recent Technology Outlook Survey from BDO USA, LLP. At the same time, mergers and acquisitions, and IPO activity is expected to heat up over the next 12 months..."

53% of Organizations Experience Data Breaches Due to Insecure Mobile Devices

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"A recent study conducted by security firm, Websense, and Ponemon Institute has revealed several interesting insights on why the mobile platform is one of the weakest security links in an enterprise today. The study says that insecure mobile devices'including laptops, smartphones, USB devices, and tablets'increase rates of malware infections ..."

Critics Say FTC, Obama Privacy Plans Would Lead to Major Regulation

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Recent online privacy proposals by the White House and the Federal Trade Commission could lead to new regulations that stifle innovation on the Internet, some lawmakers and other critics said Thursday.

The proposals "would encompass a massive expansion of the government," U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said during a hearing.

Both proposals are largely focused on voluntary steps Web companies can take to protect customers' privacy..."

A Next-Generation Enterprise WAN Architecture

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Enterprise WANs have changed very little in the last 15 or so years. While price/bit for the Enterprise WAN has improved somewhat over that time, it hasn't increased with Moore's Law as has computing, storage, Internet access, LAN switching � and pretty much everything else associated with IT. And while Internet connections have seen Moore's Law bring about quantum improvements in price/bit, the unaided public Internet is still not reliable enough ..."

Cool Old Ethernet Paraphernalia

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

See one of many diagrams sketched by Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe proposing in 1972 a network connecting computers, printers and files over coaxial cable. At the time, Metcalfe called the connectivity scheme an Ether Network. Also see one of Digital's first Ethernet transceivers, using a "vampire clamp" to connect with an Ethernet coaxial cable. Thicknet was eventually supplanted by 10BASE2 "thinnet" cabling then 10BASE-T for twisted pair.

IETF Engineers Re-Engineer Their Hotel's Wi-Fi Network

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"What happens when a bunch of IETF super nerds show up in Paris for a major conference and discover their hotel's Wi-Fi network has imploded? They give it an Extreme Wi-Fi Makeover.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which sets a range of Internet standards, gathers for its 83rd meeting this week in Paris. The jam-packed agenda is filled with reports, presentations, and meetings of working groups, researchers, and birds-of-a-feather confabs. Among the topics: Multiparty Multimedia Session Control; Operational Security Capabilities for IP Network Infrastructure; and Worthwhile Extensible Internet Registration Data Service .."

4G LTE Technology: 10 Things Enterprises Should Consider

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"If you're an IT manager or administrator who follows the mobile space, you know that when it comes to networking, 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is all the rage right now. The ultra-high-speed network, which is capable of up to 100M bps download speeds, is rapidly being rolled out across the United States. In addition, there appears to be a relatively good chance in the coming years that it will be nearly ubiquitous no matter where you go ..."

The Top 9 Most Costly Financial Services Data Breaches

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Data breaches are no joke. Just ask any chief security officer. In addition to the bad headlines, customer churn and regulatory headaches associated with data breaches, the monetary costs can add up quickly. Until the Mastercard and Visa hack, the most recent high-profile data breaches have hit largely outside of the financial services industry, with Sony, Michael's Stores and RSA (which cost parent company EMC close to $66 million) grabbing most of the headlines ..."

Researchers Smash Kelihos Botnet With Dose Of Its Own Medicine

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Security researchers from four different organizations last week brought down a botnet by turning a supposed strength of the criminals' spamming network into a fatal weakness.

Experts from CrowdStrike, Dell SecureWorks, the Honeynet Project and Kaspersky Lab crippled the second-coming of the Kelihos botnet on March 21 by "sinkholing" about 118,000 bot-infected computers using the hackers' own peer-to-peer network ..."

The PCI Effect - For Better or Worse - Following Fresh Breach of Master Card, VISA

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The latest data security breach to strike MasterCard and VISA has security experts focusing anew on the good and bad of PCI DSS. On one hand, the standard offers a clear blueprint on how to handle such a breach. On the other hand, compliance is usually not the cure, as this latest incident demonstrates.

"While the scope and details of the attack are not yet known, it shows three years after the Heartland Payment Systems breach of 130 million credit card numbers that credit card data is still vulnerable," said Neil Roiter, research director at Corero Network Security..."

Threat of Bullet In the Face Keeping Cybercrooks Cautious

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Scott Borg, director of a cybersecurity research institute, kicked off the SecureWorld Expo Boston with an uplifting talk about the end of the cybersecurity world as we know it. Sure, more sophisticated threats are on the way, but those in cybersecurity also have new opportunities to defend threats and even enable economic growth.

But it was the head of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit's take on why cybercriminals are actually more conservative than you might think that got the biggest reaction from the audience of IT security industry professionals. In fact, Borg say his organization has sometimes been off on its predictions because cybercrime trends have taken longer to emerge than expected..."

Keeping Up With Your Network Requires Consistent Care And Feeding

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"As your infrastructure evolves, so should your network and system monitoring. Open source Observium provides a fine example ...

Few items in IT are more critical and less appreciated than network and system monitoring frameworks. These (almost) set-and-forget systems deliver tremendous value to any organization; they're critical to a healthy, stable infrastructure. Yet troubleshooting them may require that you navigate a tangle of legacy configurations and one-off modifications -- a crufty endeavor nobody really wants to endure. That's why it's a good idea to overhaul your monitoring and trending systems every few years ..."

Green IT Projects Struggle For Green Light

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"IT admins charged with cutting energy costs find it easier to buy greener gear than to get high-ROI green initiatives approved

If you're an IT professional, there's a good chance you've been charged by the powers on high to cut energy costs at your organization -- without much in the way of incentive, guidance, budget, or other support. Fortunately, the green IT movement has been around long enough that you can learn from your brethren's experiences regarding not only which green-tech initiatives have the highest return but are the easiest to get approved and be deployed ..."

Update on Oracle Premier Support News for Solaris, Storage and Systems

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

Miriam's Get Proactive Systems Blog provides some helpful corrective advice on using Product (Advanced) search which is driven off the Product Name to find such things as an e 1000g Enternet Driver. The post refers readers to both a 90sec video and a 7 minute Video using Firefox/chrome that shows searching for individual patches, Solaris, Firmware and similar items of interest.

The Radicati Group Ranks Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite Number One

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite has been acclaimed by The Radicati Group as "the leading email platform for service providers," with expectations for strong growth in a market segment that Radicati predicts will grow by a 15 percent compound average annual rate over the next four years. Radicati credits the reliability and scalability of Oracle's solutions for delivering a low total cost of ownership as demonstrated further by the company's significant experience in unified communications, noting successful large deployments at major Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers.

Webinar on MySQL & NoSQL Prompts Fruitful Q&A Session

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

The Q&A prompted by a webinar on the demands of next generation web services and how blending the best of relational and NoSQL technologies enables developers and architects to deliver the agility, performance and availability needed to be successful. Mat Keep posted these Q&As and three resources pertinent to the topic on Oracle's MySQL blog:

Slides used during the webinar
Guide to MySQL and NoSQL whitepaper
MySQL Cluster demo

The exchange between attendees and the MySQL developers was particularly fruitful, Keep observes, dealing as they did with such areas as auto-sharding and cross-shard JOINs, replication, performance, and client libraries.

Talend Enterprise Data Integration Solution, Oracle SPARC T4 Deliver Impressive Performance

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has returned the SPARC T microprocessor to contention in the single-threaded workload market segment with the release of the new SPARC T4 processor, which delivers a 5x better single-thread performance over previous generations Amir Javanshir posts. Testing with the Talend Enterprise Data Integration solution that concentrated on single-thread performance of the new SPARC T4 processor compared to an older SPARC T2+ processor and on overall throughput of the SPARC T4-1 server using multiple threads revealed the T4 is between 5.4 to 7 times faster than the T2+.

Confused about Big Data and Cloud? So's Everyone

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"If you think "big data" and "cloud" are confusing terms, you are not alone.

A new analytical study from an Austin, Texas research firm puts those terms on its 2012 list of "Most confusing technology buzzwords of the decade."

The Global Language Monitor compiled the most recent list of popular yet fuzzy tech terms for a period spanning 2010, 2011 and 2012. The company releases an annual update on the list each spring..."

Big Data's Target: Users

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Government is amassing data at an accelerating rate, and it even has tools available to process and analyze it. But to get real value from all that information, the government must put it into the hands of users, the General Services Administration's Dave McClure told a Washington audience.

'The challenge is, what do we do with all the data that we are using? How do we sort it, analyze it and get value within the business owner's context?' McClure, associate administrator with GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, asked March 28 in a keynote address at AFCEA Bethesda Chapter's Big Data Technology Symposium held in Washington, D.C. ..."

Big Data Poses Big Challenge for Military Intelligence

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The number of sensors deployed on the ground or aloft on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites continues to soar, as does the ability to keep this asset in place for longer periods. As they generate enormous volumes of data, Defense Department planners are struggling with techniques that ensure that the data remains useful for warfighters.

The volume of data being gathered for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) is already huge. In Afghanistan, ISR acquisition systems gather more than 53 terabytes of data every day ..."

Penetration Testing Tips, Tricks And Unusual Situations

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Raul Siles is a senior security analyst with more than 10 years of expertise performing advanced security services. He is a SANS Institute author and instructor of penetration testing courses ... In this interview, Raul talks about unusual and interesting situations he encountered while working as a penetration tester, outlines practical tips for those interested in a penetration testing career, lists his favorite tools, profiles his upcoming training workshop at SANS Secure Europe 2012, and more ..."

More Security Breaches: Denial Not An Option!

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"It has happened again. Another breach. Another report of millions of credit card numbers at risk. Another round of media coverage. Another reminder that despite all the sophisticated technology that enterprises have deployed to protect computer networks, these breaches still happen. But despite the negative publicity that comes from continuing reports of such breaches, the need to be vigilant about thwarting such attacks remains, says Steve Durbin, global vice president of the Information Security Forum (ISF)..."

Complex Security Architectures and Innovation

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"A myriad of new security technologies appeared in the past decade. Regardless, the rapid evolution and increasing sophistication of the threat landscape ensured a never-ending battle with the bad guys, often with millions of dollars as collateral damage. What can the information security industry do to truly innovate, not just follow the tactics of cybercriminals and, ultimately, act as a giant band aid? ..."

Anonymous Vs. DNS System: Lessons For Enterprise IT

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"The Internet didn't go dark on Sunday.

A threat, first made in mid-February, had warned that the chaos-loving hacktivist collective Anonymous would take down the Internet for April Fool's Day under the banner of "Operation Blackout." The stated plan was to overwhelm the world's 13 domain name system (DNS) root servers with junk traffic, preventing Web users from reaching most websites..."

Will Tape Replace the Hard Drive?

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"I'm heading off to California this weekend to participate in the second annual Tape Summit. It may be surprising to many that not only is tape not dead, it even has its own summit! I had a cloud storage startup ask me the other day: Who still uses tape? My quick answer was more organizations than they think and then, to really send them over the edge, I stated: 'Tape will eventually replace the hard drive.' ..."

Emotion vs. Logic: The Modern Role of Tape

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

People love to hate tape. But tape today provides highly cost-effective and reliable answers to certain data storage challenges. ... the passion, deep-seated emotion and even vitriol that surfaces at the mere mention of tape--yes, tape--is a matter of mystery to me. In case you ever needed proof that all-too-often it's the misconceptions, perceptions and emotional biases that rule our superficially pragmatic--staid even--business, just try mentioning these four letters: T.A.P.E. ..."

I'm Your Customer, Not Your QA Department!

2012-04-02T16:00:00+01:00

"Bugs happen. It's a fact of life. We accept them. We plan for them. We find them. We escalate them to vendors. Then we workaround. We hack. We patch. And we hope that we can mitigate the impact. Bugs are operational failures by vendors and that not only wastes company's time tracking down, but has the long term impact of stopping companies from adopting new products and features for the sake of reliability. Here are 4 misconceptions vendors tell themselves, and us, about software bugs ..."

Setting up Oracle Linux 6 with Public-yum for all Updates

2012-04-01T16:00:00+01:00

Ever the evangelist for Oracle Linux, Wim Coekaerts posts on getting started with Version 6 and using the recently released updates. He provides screen shots that illustrate the installation of Oracle Linux from the ISO or DVD image and on downloading the yum repo file. This done, he writes, users can just run yum update and any time there is a release of new security errata or bugfix errata for OL6, you will automatically receive it.

Sun Fire X4800 M2 Posts World Record x86 SPECjEnterprise2010 Result

2012-04-01T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun Fire X4800 M2 using the Intel Xeon E7-8870 processor (running the application tier) and Sun Fire X4470 M2 using the Intel Xeon E7-4870 processor (running the database tier) produced a record single application server benchmark result of 27,150.05 SPECjEnterprise2010 EjOPS. The Sun Fire X4800 M2 server demonstrated 63% better performance than the IBM P780 server at 16,646.34 SPECjEnterprise2010 EjOPS. The Sun Fire X4800 M2 server demonstrated 4% better performance than the Cisco UCS B440 M2 result, using the same number of processors. Oracle WebLogic Server 12c, Java HotSpot() 64-Bit Server 1.7.0_02, and Oracle Database 11g were used.

Oracle Database 11gR2 11.2.0.3 Certified with E-Business Suite on Windows

2012-04-01T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 on several Microsoft Windows operating systems. Blogger John Abraham explains that certain of these OSes are 'database tier only' or 'split tier configuration' platforms where the application tier must be on a fully certified E-Business Suite platform. Others, he adds are 'database tier only' platforms for Release 11i. For 12.1.1 or higher, it is also supported on the application tier via the migration process outlined in My Oracle Support Document 1188535.1. Split Tier Certification on Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit)is in progress.

vBeers West Palm Beach: After the April 3rd VMUG Conference

2012-03-31T16:00:00+01:00

There will be two South Florida vBeers events this April. One will follow the VMUG conference which will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

The second will be on Thursday April 19th in Ft. Lauderdale at Beach Hotel or the Hard Rock. Details to follow.

I expect that many people from the conference will come to this vBeers event. This is a great opportunity to meet with other virtualization enthusiasts and professionals and enjoy discussing all things virtualization, and in fact anything else that comes up in conversation.

Don't rush - arrive and depart at your convenience - people will be networking from 5pm to 9pm.

South Florida VMUG User Conference

2012-03-31T16:00:00+01:00

Join your fellow VMware users at this full-day event for in-depth technical sessions, demonstrations and exhibits. This is a great opportunity to meet with your peers to discuss virtualization trends, best practices, and the latest technology! VMUG is pleased to offer top notch education at our user conferences.

KeyNote from Symantec - The Road to Resilient Storage Starts with the VMware Pluggable Storage Architecture and Multi-Path Plugin

Many vendor sponsors including Nexenta System (stop by their booth to learn how an Open Storage Solution from Nexenta supported the 2012 Vega VMworld hands-on-lab for $400k while the two other vendor solutions cost $1.5m+)

Tape at 60: Long Live the Tape

2012-03-30T16:00:00+01:00

Tape may turn out to be as long-lived as the Galapagos tortoise, though next-generation drives are a good bit speedier, writes Lucas Mearian in Computerworld. Even at 60 tape has encouraging prospects for a considerably longer period of utility in the IT world. According to Mearian, " ... tape is too fast and too cheap to write off. New open file formats are also making it possible to use tape in new markets." With the advent of Big Data and the cloud tape has even more to offer the storage market, he writes.

ZFS Resources

2012-03-30T16:00:00+01:00

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun more than 10 years ago. The features of ZFS include data integrity verification against data corruption modes, support for high storage capacities, integration of the concepts of filesystem and volume management, snapshots and copy-on-write clones, continuous integrity checking and automatic repair, RAID-Z and native NFSv4 ACLs. ZFS is implemented as open-source software, licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL).

The illumos wiki page for ZFS has a useful set of links to documents and videos including on-going illumos ZFS projects.

DTrace: Dynamic Tracing in Oracle Solaris, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD

2012-03-30T16:00:00+01:00

The award winning DTrace is a comprehensive dynamic tracing framework for troubleshooting kernel and application problems on production systems in real time. Originally developed for Solaris, it has since been released under the free Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) and has been ported to several other Unix-like systems.

The DTrace book and website should serve as a cookbook of DTrace scripts and one-liners for topics spanning the entire software stack. It also contains strategies and checklists for these topics, to help the reader develop scripts further.

illumos FAQs

2012-03-30T16:00:00+01:00

illumos is a fully open community project to develop a reliable and scalable operating system. It began as a fork of the former OpenSolaris operating system.

The FAQ section of the illumos.org site features such questions as "What is the objective of the illumos project?", "How do I download the software?", "Is illumos free software (open source)?", etc.

OpenStorage Product NexentaStor 3.1 Runner up in 'New Product of the Year� category

2012-03-30T16:00:00+01:00

Nexenta Systems, a leading provider of OpenStorage solutions for the enterprise, has won "Most Improved Company of the Year" at the Network Computing Awards. It also was runner up in the "New Product of the Year" category with its flagship OpenStorage platform NexentaStor 3.1.

Now in its fifth year, the awards, which are hosted by the UK's Network Computing Magazine, were presented at a ceremony on 22nd March at Hotel Russell, London.The awards recognize the hardware, software, services, and the companies behind them, which have most impressed the readers of the UK's longest established computer networking publication.

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012: Call for Papers

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle has issued a call for papers for two events, The Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012, both scheduled for San Francisco, September 30 - October 4, 2012. Oracle OpenWorld will be held at the Moscone Center, and JavaOne will be held at the Zone (Hilton Union Square, Hotel Nikko, and Parc 55 Wyndham). Details and submission guidelines are available on the Oracle OpenWorld Call for Papers and the JavaOne Call for Papers websites. Registration for both Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012 is now available.

Java Spotlight Episode 76: Pro Java FX2 - A Definitive Guide to Rich Clients with Java Technology

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

In Java Spotlight Episode 76 Host Roger Brinkley discusses "Pro JavaFX2: A Definitive Guide to Rich Clients with Java Technology" with its five co-authors, Jim Weaver, Weiqi Gao, Stephen Chin, Dean Iverson, and Johan Vos. The show notes mention that Angela Caicedo has created three new Java FX screen cast videos on the Java UTube channel: Part 1: Building your First Java FX Application with Netbeans 7.1; Part 2: Building your First Java FX Application with Netbeans 7.1; and Getting Started with Scene Builder.

Optimal Cloud Computing: The Secret Is not to Mix and Match

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

Relying on multiple vendors for a corporation's numerous uses of cloud computing robs that entity of the efficiencies available from a single vendor, Oracle, for example, who can provide the infrastructure required for all the needs of a business and also deliver ample cost savings and efficiencies. This is the argument advanced in the recent Oracle Executive Strategy Brief: Enterprise-Grade Cloud Applications. The brief cites a Symantec survey that found only 47% of corporations enjoying the greater IT agility promised by their several vendors. Optimal use of the cloud, Oracle contends, stems from implementing an infrastructure from a single vendor.

This Interactive Wind Map Is A Big Data Lava Lamp

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

"If you're reading El Reg you're obviously taking a little break from your workday ... and if you want to amuse yourself with how a big data set with proper visualization can not only change your understanding of that data but also turn out to be absolutely hypnotic, then you need to check out the wind map ..."

Top Five Tips for Enabling A Self-Defining Endpoint

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

"In this increasingly mobile world, today's endpoint rarely remains confined in the office and behind the corporate firewall. The modern endpoint is moving. Whether it's a laptop, tablet or a smaller device, they connect to corporate networks after plugging into hotel computers and coffee shop wireless connections. What's more, these very mobile devices generally contain more sensitive, corporate data than ever ..."

As 60th Anniversary Nears , Tape Reinvents Itself

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

"Streaming media, the cloud and Big Data will play important roles in tape's future ...

The 60th anniversary of IBM's digital tape is coming up in May. Oh yeah, and tape is dead. Or so industry pundits have declared, echoing similar prognostications for the mainframe.

But in reality, tape has a long life ahead of it. At 60, in many ways, it's just getting started ..."

7 Habits of Innovative IT Leaders

2012-03-29T16:00:00+01:00

"There's no manual for innovation, but consider these expert best practices and reader lessons learned ...

Writing about innovation is a lot like writing about politics or the environment: The subject matter is so broad and complex that it defies tidy overviews and prescriptions. So with that qualifier in mind, allow me to proceed with a handful of takeaways from the "Innovative CIO" program I attended recently at Stanford University, as well as from readers who responded to my recent column 'Innovation Doesn't Happen By Chance.' ..."

13 Common ERP Mistakes and How to Avoid Making Them

2012-03-28T16:00:00+01:00

"Costing anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars, and requiring hundreds of man hours to implement, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are huge investments of money, resources and time. And while a successful ERP implementation can help your organization streamline workflow and cut costs, a poorly planned and implemented ERP rollout can severely cost organizations, in terms of lost productivity and delays.

To help ensure your ERP implementation is a success, or at least to minimize potential problems, CIO.com surveyed dozens of ERP experts ..."

Plan Ahead To Make Virtualization Work

2012-03-28T16:00:00+01:00

"The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions, and never more so than when it comes to virtualisation. Many companies embark on virtualisation because they think it will make IT better, cheaper and faster. There is no denying that it helps initially, reducing costs through consolidating servers and making other areas such as rebuilds and backup easier.

But our research shows that unless steps are taken early on to manage the shift that accompanies virtualisation, then the outcome can actually be a more complex and fragile infrastructure that doesn't respond well to change."

Internet Security Showing Progress

2012-03-28T16:00:00+01:00

"A new report claims Internet security improvements in spam, plugging application vulnerabilities, and cross-site scripting, but the bad guys are adapting ...

As the cyberwar against malicious online attacks continues, a few bright spots appeared in 2011, according to IBM's annual X-Force Trend and Risk Report. The good news is that email spam is down dramatically ..."

Tips for Creating Strong Passwords

2012-03-28T16:00:00+01:00

"Check Point Software ... announced the findings of a ZoneAlarm survey, which revealed that 79% of consumers use risky password construction practices, such as including personal information and words. The survey also revealed that 26% of respondents reuse the same password for important accounts such as e-mail, banking or shopping and social networking sites ..."

How to Wrangle Your Virtual Machines

2012-03-28T16:00:00+01:00

"Virtualization cuts hardware, power and real estate costs by combining multiple servers, networks and storage arrays into virtual pools. But for users like Pat O'Day, chief technology officer at hosting and managed services provider BlueLock LLC, managing those resource pools means wrestling with multiple applications.

How VM sprawl can be prevented? ..."

Big Data Expertise of San Diego Supercomputer Center

2012-03-27T16:00:00+01:00

"The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, has in the last three years undergone a major reboot, remaking itself into a center of expertise on all aspects of big data research including genomics, one of the fastest growing areas of scientific study... 'Our real expertise is now in all aspects of 'big data', which includes data integration, performance modeling, data mining, software development, workflow automation, and more. We believe that data-enabled science is the beginning of a new scientific era ..."

Can You Handle Big Data?

2012-03-27T16:00:00+01:00

"Big Data is the latest industry buzzword. It's just another way of saying you as a network manager are being inundated with data and you better figure out a way to manage, secure, and analyze it.

A survey by LogLogic showed that 49% of organizations that responded were somewhat or very concerned about managing big data, with another 38 percent not even sure what big data is. One expert said the key to controlling the data is log management ..."

What to Monitor to Stop Hacker and Malware Attacks

2012-03-27T16:00:00+01:00

"Most organizations under attack have no clue they're being targeted. Here are security events to look for in case of a breach ...

The 2012 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report released last week continues to reverberate. The stats that jumped out at me: 96 percent of data breaches were relatively easy for attackers to pull off, and 97 percent of those attacks were easily avoidable.

Want to protect yourself against malicious hackers and malware? ..."

Four Must-Dos for CIOs Networking Online

2012-03-27T16:00:00+01:00

"Executives exploring options outside their current company are often in need of job search etiquette tips. Especially since the immediacy and transparency of today's technology can easily create an uncomfortable situation. So how can you avoid being 'that guy' while still incorporating social networking tools into your job hunt? ..."

European Commission Locks Horns With Germany Over Data Retention Law

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"European Union regulators have warned Germany that it must implement the controversial Data Retention Directive within one month or face legal action and possible fines ..."

Cloud Cost Calculators: Helpful or More Cloud Hype?

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

the vendor booths to hear the marketing and sales pitches. Great, you've figured out that infrastructure as a service has merit, and you've finally overcome the buzzwordiness of "cloud," "public cloud," and "IaaS."

Now what? What cloud vendor or provider do you look at? ..."

Why NIST's Cloud Definition is Fatally Flawed

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"I recently sat through a briefing on cloud security in which the presenter incorrectly defined platform as a service and then asserted that 'PaaS is going away.'

Given that PaaS incarnations such as Hadoop are the mainstay of big data, that would imply that big data is going away -- and that is patently wrong ..."

Private Cloud

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"If you build it, they will come" may be a line from a baseball fantasy, but it describes what really happened in the world of cloud computing. One late summer day in 2006, online bookseller Amazon.com quietly made a portion of its excess data center capacity available to curious developers over the Web.

Within hours, hundreds of developers had jumped at the chance to spin up some servers simply by opening their browsers and typing in their credit card numbers. Today, Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud is the foundation for countless tech startups, and Amazon counts its business customers in the hundreds of thousands ..."

An Inside Look At A State-of-the-Art Green Data Center

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"IT is trying to cut costs any way it can. A popular approach is to outsource data center tasks. From security advantages to cutting floor space and energy consumption (especially when expansion is no longer possible), there are many advantages of moving some of your data center tasks off-site. We spoke Nick Razey, the CEO of Europe's largest data center management provider (and the fourth largest in the world), NGD, to learn what state-of-the-art features enterprises are looking for (and why) in remote data centers and how NGD's investments in renewable resources are paying off ..."

What You Need To Know About 802.11ac

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"A question we're hearing with increasing frequency concerns the upcoming 802.11ac standard, which promises to do to 802.11n what .11n did to .11g. While the IEEE 802.11ac standard likely won't be completely finished before the end of 2013, and, while the Wi-Fi Alliance similarly has issued no interoperability criteria for 802.11ac, consumer-grade products claiming compliance with the aforementioned 802.11ac standard could be on store shelves as soon as the middle of 2012 ..."

Demands of Handling Big Data Whet Appetite for the Cloud Among Western European Utilities

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

An IDC Energy Insights survey of Western European utilities on the nature of current cloud environments, future plans for cloud deployments, industry-specific drivers and inhibitors for cloud investments, and delivery model and cloud service type preferences revealed that 46.2% of the respondents are confident that the cloud will prove equal to meeting their IT demands. The survey discovered a subtle shift in attitude toward acceptance of new technologies, including cloud computing. Roberta Bigliani, head of EMEA, IDC Energy Insights summed up the information by observing, "Cloud computing, together with mobile, Big Data, and analytics, is transforming the utilities IT landscape."

The Prospects for the Big Data Industry

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Big Data was found by IMEX Research.com to present bright prospects for its role in managing complex operational problems and empowering businesses in knowledgeable decision-making to gain a competitive advantage for companies. The report lays out the evolving big data business and technology ecosystem, presenting a 5 year market forecast 2010-15, market shares of leaders, likely M&A scenarios, and examines go-to-market plans of leaders to provide big data solutions for such vertical industries as financial services, healthcare and media. Finally it provides recommendations for vendors, channel players, end users and investors on the opportunities in emerging big data markets.

Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.1.10

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The Fat Bloke announces the release of Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.1.10 at both the was just released at the community or Oracle download sites. FB explains that this release is a maintenance release containing bug fixes and stability improvements. Further information is at the ChangeLog.

Figuring Out the Data Center Fabric Maze

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Despite vendor pledges to support existing or developing industry standards, users are expected to deploy single-vendor data center and cloud switching fabrics from their primary suppliers.

Standards such as Transparent Interconnect of Lots of Links (TRILL), Shortest Path Bridging and Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation will be embraced by those vendors looking to dent Cisco's dominance in data center switching. The standards support will soothe customers looking to avoid vendor lock-in, but it's unlikely IT shops will mix and match multivendor switches within and between data centers ..."

How Consumerization is Changing IT

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"SAP CIO Oliver Bussman has deployed more than 8,000 iPhones, 17,000 BlackBerry handsets and 14,000 iPads. In this exclusive interview with CIO Insight, he talks about how supporting the devices that employees want to use actually creates a more secure enterprise, attracts young talent, and drives innovation, efficiency and employee loyalty ..."

The 2012 State of the Network Report

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"For the past five years, Network Instruments, the network and applications performance monitoring vendor, has surveyed network managers to get a sense of how emerging technologies will impact service delivery and IT operations management. The results were recently published in the Fifth Annual State of the Network Global Study ..."

Tips for Buying A Three-Stream Access Point

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"The decision to buy a three-stream access point (or likely, a whole lot of these) in an enterprise environment is more complex than throughput alone. You need to begin with overall IT requirements, objectives, planning cycles, and operational strategies.

So, starting at the beginning, the greatest value of advanced Wi-Fi technologies is in their ability to handle the increasing number of both users and wireless clients, as well as the increasingly number of applications on the corporate LAN, including those requiring time-bounded services ..."

All You Need to Know About Cloud Data Transfers

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"What is it with data-transfer cloud computing performance? Some people think cloud services provide great performance, and some think they don't perform well at all. The reality is that both beliefs are true, depending on how you use cloud services and the cloud providers themselves.

There are a few basic, core patterns that define data-transfer performance: ..."

Cloud Computing Becoming Pervasive, and IT Needs to Take Control Now

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud computing may be taking the business world by storm, but its success could mean a 'perfect storm' that endangers the role of IT.

As a result, IT needs to step up now and change its approach to cloud services. This includes building trust with the lines of business, beginning to manage public cloud services, and pursuing increased automation for service provisioning and operations ..."

3 Ways to Avoid Cloud Project Failure

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud computing is all the rage within the enterprise. Enterprises are migrating data, systems, and infrastructure to cloud computing services. They are also building private clouds internally. In this torrent of activity, there are cloud projects that will do whatever it takes to succeed, and thus they make common mistakes that will cause them to fail.

Let's try to stop the insanity. Here are three common reasons why cloud computing projects fail, and how to avoid them ..."

Read the Oracle Linux Newsletter

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The March 2012 edition of the Oracle Linux Newsletter is ready for readers. Its contents include articles on:

30-day free trial of Ksplice for Red Hat Enterprise Linux customers
Oracle Linux Online Forum, March 27, 2012
Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 details
Why and how Dell IT migrated from SUSE Linux to Oracle Linux
Technical articles

(registration required to access the Linux newsletter)

JavaMagazine for March/April 2012 Now Online

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The March/April issue of JavaMagazine features articles on the Oracle Academy, an interview with Bruno Souza on the future Java developer and the Java/Brazil connection, a tutorial on creating a toolbar that integrates JavaFX and Swing and many other articles of interest. JavaMagazine is a free bi-monthly publication of Oracle.

COLLABORATE 12 in Las Vegas

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle professionals took over the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas for the only user-driven and user-run Oracle conference, COLLABORATE 12, a week of education sessions, networking opportunities and more, as announced in a post by Anand Akela.

How to Set up a Local Solaris 11 Auto Install Server

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Stefan Hinker posts about setting up a local Solaris 11 Automated Installer, as does Unixman elsewhere in this issue. Hinker's post begins with downloading an OS image from the Oracle Solaris 11 page, a step that has a number of uses other than the installation of Automated Installer. Hinker suggests making a snapshot of the image and adding it as a file-based publisher and activating the repository service. Next, Hinker illustrates the use of the Support Repository Updates Index. The groundwork done, he then proceeds to installing Automated Install itself. Hinker's blog intersperses long stretches of code with explanatory comments.

Minimizing the Attack Surface Area A Key to Security

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"While many security experts lament the death of the network perimeter, the concept of attack surface area is still very much alive ...

Attackers looking for way into a company's network have a lot of options: Port scans, phishing attacks, and SQL injection have all been used to identify security weaknesses that can be exploited ..."

Keep Your Friends Close, Especially If They Anonymous

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Hindsight is 20/20. It must be, since it seems no one was surprised by the big reveal that a main player in LulzSec and Anonymous, a fellow code-named 'Sabu,' had been working with the FBI and ratted on some of his partners in crime -- except maybe those said partners, as they were being led out of their hovels by federal agents.

Sabu acted to save himself, as it seems someone who outwardly cared about no one did care ..."

How To Make Information Security Everyone's Problem

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Use self-interest and propaganda to change employees' attitudes about endpoint security ...

IT pros tend to focus solely on technology to solve endpoint security problems. After all, if malicious software is the poison, it's logical to look to signatures, heuristics, and cutting-edge detection for the antidote. But that's a mistake. Human vulnerabilities -- ignorance, inattention, gullibility -- are just as exploitable as software vulnerabilities, if not more so ..."

Deploy Oracle RAC in Minutes with Oracle VM Templates

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Ronen Kofman and Markus Michalewicz team up for an on-demand webcast on Simplify Oracle RAC Deployment with Oracle VM that shows how to use Oracle VM to accelerate the enterprise application deployment and management of virtualized enterprise workloads. Using Oracle VM pre-built templates shortens complex application deployments, updates and upgrades dramatically, including the deployment of Oracle (Real Application Clusters (RAC)) Database environments. Objectives of the webcast are:

Deploy an Oracle (RAC) Database environment in minutes
Create, deploy or convert existing systems into highly available cluster environments
Respond instantly to changing demand by relocating resources between servers

How to Install Solaris 11 Automated Install Server

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Unixman has written a post that reviews the methods available for installing Solaris 11 Automated Install Server. These include:

A Text installer
A LiveMedia installer
An Automated Installer (successor to JumpStart

The post focuses on the last method. In the most basic of scenarios the roles required to complete the elements needed for the setup of an Automated Install server would be performed by the following services: a DHCP server; an Automated Install server; and an Image Packaging System (IPS) repository server. When creating Automated Install services, a bundled ISC DHCP server is instantiated automatically

10 Ways to Elevate Your Professional Presence

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Steve Jobs had it. Bill Gates has it. What is it? Charisma. That intangible quality that makes people take notice. And the greater your personal presence in the workplace, the greater the impact you'll have. As mysterious as this quality remains, it's commonly boosted by your communications style, appearance, relationship skills, overall performance and other factors. Two recent books explore the charisma question and offer advice ..."

Putting the Excellence in Operations

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Operational excellence gives managers the ability to continuously improve an organization's decision, investment and asset performance; its service delivery; and its human resources capabilities.

Historically, operational excellence has been associated mainly with optimizing business processes, generally related to production and manufacturing. Gauging its success was based predominantly on an ability to satisfy customer demand, improve quality, and bolster overall productivity and efficiency ..."

16 Ultimate SSH Hacks

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"So you think you know OpenSSH inside and out? Test your chops against this hit parade of 16 expert tips and tricks, from identifying monkey-in-the-middle attacks to road warrior security to attaching remote screen sessions. Follow the countdown to the all-time best OpenSSH command!"

Space Weather: What Emergency Managers Need to Know

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"When FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate tweets about space weather warnings, people sometimes reply and ask if they should don aluminum hats. Although the thought of severe weather in space might sound like a plot from a science fiction novel, the threat is real ' and could potentially cause widespread blackouts and shut down the electric power grid for an extended period of time ..."

The Good and Bad About Internet Security

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"IT security professionals are doing a better job than in the past at dealing with the numerous Internet threats that are out there, according to IBM's 'X-Force 2011 Trend and Risk Report,' which the company officially released March 22. The amount of spam email dropped in 2011 from 2010, and Big Blue saw significant improvements in vulnerability patching and software application code ..."

Disaster Recovery on Double Duty

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"At Ingram Micro, executive president and CIO Mario Leone doesn't think about how much he will spend on disaster recovery.

That's because the global electronics distributor weaves its disaster recovery requirements into its broader business objectives and its service-level agreements (SLA) with its 15,000 users ..."

It's A Matter of Record

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Can you remember what you agreed on the phone at 10:30am on Wednesday November 9th last year? Probably not, but there's a growing demand for precise, detailed records of work-related phone conversations; especially calls that relate to any type of transaction.

Organisations such as call centres, recruitment consultants, insurance brokers, stockbrokers, lawyers, even betting shops are under increasing pressure to deploy call recording technology ..."

Who Holds the Encryption Keys?

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Encryption isn't bulletproof if keys and digital rights are left out in the open. Here's how to lock down stored data ..

Encryption can make up for a litany of security snafus -- from a bad firewall to an unrelenting hacker to a lost laptop. Once data is encrypted, criminals can't use or sell it. Plus, if encrypted data goes missing, companies are protected from disclosure requirements in most states ..."

IBM Watson to Assist Cancer Doctors

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"IBM's Watson supercomputer is gathering a working resume that any oncologist would envy. In its latest project, the supercomputer will be used to to assist physicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital cancer centre in diagnosing and treating patients ..."

Tape Density, LTO and Enterprises

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"It has been over a year since Oracle announced T10000C, and not many months later IBM announced TS-1140. Both have huge densities over LTO-5. (Uncompressed density of 5TB for T10000C and 4 TB for TS-1140.) LTO-5 is still at 1.5 TB, and LTO-6 is still unannounced as far as I know. My understanding based on official statementsis that LTO-6 will offer a storage capacity of up to 8.0 terabytes compressed, or 3.2 TB native.

Let's assume LTO-6 comes out at 3.2 TB, and let's assume this happens in 2013, as there have been no official announcements about LTO-6 so far in 2012 ..."

Sun Fire X4800 M2 Delivers World Record TPC-C for x86 Systems

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun Fire X4800 M2 server equipped with eight 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon Processor E7-8870 chips set a world record for x86 servers of 4,803,718 tpmC on the TPC-C benchmark with a price performance of $0.98/tpmC. The server was running Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Enterprise Edition with Partitioning and the Oracle Linux OS. This configuration will become available on June 26, 2012. This is the first TPC-C result on any system using eight Intel Xeon Processor E7-8800 Series chips, and the Sun Fire X4800 M2 server is the first x86 system to get over 4 million tpmC.

MySQL Enterprise Backup 3.7.1

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The MySQL Enterprise Backup (MEB) Team announces the release of MEB 3.7.1, a maintenance release version that includes bug fixes and enhancements to some of the existing features. Team member Hema Sridharan writes that Automatic Incremental Backup is the most important feature introduced in this release, making the performance of automatic incremental backups easier than before. Binaries for the release are available in My Oracle Support, under the Patches & Updates tab, which takes one to the Product or Family (Advanced Search) feature.

World Record x86 Performance on Industry Standard Java Middleware and Transactional Database Benchmarks

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun Fire X4800 M2 server running Oracle Linux with the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 and Oracle Tuxedo set an x86 world record result on the SPECjEnterprise2010 benchmark with Oracle WebLogic Server 12c and Oracle Database 11g Release 2. This single node world record outstrips the best IBM System x3850 X5 single node result, delivering 1.63 times more performance and HP ProLiant DL580 G7 by 2.8 times. Server hardware had a calculated price/performance advantage of 14 times over IBM Power 780. Oracle achieved 5,055,888 transactions per minute (tpmC) with a price/performance of $.89/tpmC.

TDF Announces LibreOffice 3.4.6

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The Document Foundation has released LibreOffice 3.4.6, the last planned release in the 3.4 series. TDF intends to concentrate its future efforts on the development of LibreOffice 3.5. Interested parties may download 3.4.6 immediately. LibreOffice 3.4.6 solves a potential security problem and a number of program bugs.

News About Oracle Linux 6 and the Unbreakable Kenel: Wim Coekaerts Reports

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

In a recent post Wim Coekaerts brings attention to three significant news items announced by Oracle concerning Linux 6 and its Unbreakable Kernel. The items are:

Certification of Linux 6 with the Unbreakable Kernel with Oracle Database 11gR2 and Oracle Fusion Middleware
Imminent certification of Oracle Linux 6 with the Red Hat Compatible Kernel
Free access to OL6 binaries and source code is now augmented by the release of all bugfix and security updates

The errata streams (both binary and source code) for OL4, 5 and 6 are now free for download and use, Coekaerts reports.

Managing Power Consumption (and Costs) on SPARC Servers

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The SPARC T-Series systems have power-saving features designed into the hardware and software that allow users to reduce server power consumption, resulting in a cost reduction for environmental cooling and reduced power usage by other infrastructure components. The SPARC T-Series power management (PM) interfaces make it easy to manage these PM features. Bruce Evans, Julia Harper and Terry Whatley have produced an article that shows how to manage power policies, power capping, and the power of idle devices on SPARC CMT Servers with the firmware CLI and BUI, as well as SNMP and IPMI tools.

WW Disk Systems in 2011 Up 8% to $31 Billion

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

Storage.com Newsletter reports on the results of an IDC Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker survey that has found the total disk storage systems market grew to just over $8.5 billion in revenues, representing 3.5% growth from the prior year's fourth quarter. "Total disk storage systems capacity shipped reach 6,279 petabytes," the report continues, "growing 22.4% year over year." IDC found further that worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues posted year-over-year growth of 7.7%, totaling just under $6.6 billion, in 4Q11. The winner here: EMC; the loser: HP.

Facebook Warn Employers Not To Ask Job Applicants for Log-In Credentials

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"In recent months, Facebook has seen a 'distressing increase' of reports about employers trying to access user accounts in the U.S., Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer, said in a post. 'The most alarming of these practices is the reported incidences of employers asking prospective or actual employees to reveal their passwords.' ... A user should never be forced to share private information just to get a job, she added ..."

DLP: Magic Pill or Myth?

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Data Loss Prevention Software Suites or DLP as it's commonly called, hit the global markets in a big way much less than a decade back with a few niche vendors like Vontu, Websense, Vericept leading the market. Global organizations especially Fortune 500 organizations have implemented Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Digital Rights Management (DRM/IRM), Identity and Access Management (IAM) in some form or other due to their innate continental spread and increased legal / regulatory risk position ..."

Ten Ways to Get the Most Out of Social Networking

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"We know that networking plays a critical role in our future success. But how often do we invest hours at live events or social sites such as LinkedIn, and end up with little to show for it? How can we make our professional networking pay off? The book 'Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman' ... takes a look at what kind of networking activities pay off - and what kinds don't ..."

Management Tips, Traps and Trends: How to Stay Current

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Old habits die hard, but amid morale problems, pay freezes and anti-government rhetoric, Bruce Tulgan has a suggestion for government managers: Skip the chitchat already.

'Have an ongoing dialog, spend time with your employees but don't just shoot the breeze,' said Tulgan, a management and workplace expert who's written several best-selling books on leadership and management. 'You don't have to be their best friend or therapist, but what you have to do is provide them support, guidance and direction and set them up for success ..."

How To Collaborate Effectively With Lawyers During a Crisis

2012-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

"Stafford Act disasters, like other forms of crises, place inhumanly difficult demands on people. Leaders are forced to make some of the most critical choices of their careers, all too often with lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance, under the most difficult imaginable circumstances.

Traditionally journalists and scholars alike have tended to put leaders in the spotlight and examine the extent to which they rise to the challenge, or crash and burn, in the decisive moment. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing realization that a key determinant of success or failure in crisis stems from the interdependent relationship between leaders and their advisers ..."

illumos and the Google Summer of Code

2012-03-24T16:00:00+01:00

The illumos project has been accepted as a 'mentoring organization' for the Google Summer of Code program (GSoC 2012). The illumos project is a community-driven open source operating system development project derived from the former OpenSolaris project.

The GSoC program promotes open source by sponsoring summer internships for students interested in working on open source projects like illumos. Members of the illumos community (including Nexenta and Joyent) support this program by offering experienced staff members willing to mentor student projects.

If you might like to apply for one of these internships, or just want to learn more about our involvement in this program, please see the illumos GSoC page.

SP: Storing 25 Petabytes of Megaupload Costs US $9,000 A Day

2012-03-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Until January, Megaupload was a major customer of Carpathia Hosting. Now Megaupload is facing a federal indictment, and its servers have become a major burden for Carpathia.

Carpathia is the proud owners of 1,103 servers with approximately 25 petabytes of Megaupload data on them. The government seized Megaupload's assets, so the firm can't pay its bills and Carpathia has cancelled Megaupload's service contract. But Carpathia hasn't been able to reuse the servers for other customers because doing so might interfere with the Megaupload court case or invite lawsuits from Megaupload customers who lose data as a result ..."

The Pros and Cons of Desktop Virtualization Infrastructure

2012-03-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Many organizations continue to run Windows XP on many or all of their desktop PCs, either because migration typically requires costly hardware upgrades, time-consuming transfers of settings, and user retraining, or because there's simply no compelling reason to move users to a new OS and the new application software that goes along with it. In some cases, both justifications apply ..."

Download the ZFS Storage Appliance Simulator

2012-03-22T16:00:00+01:00

If you'd like to have a idea of just how the ZFS Storage Appliance works, Steen Schmidt suggests having a look at Oracle's ZFS Storage Appliance Simulator, and he helpfully provides a link to a download of the simulator. The simulator is said to deliver the following information:

A graphical interface that guides your choice of replication profile

Oracle's Solaris DTrace analytics

Support for various data protocols, including CIFS, NFS, iSCSI

Users can install and manage a virtual storage system on any laptop or desktop and experience the power of NAS Storage.

Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware Certified on Oracle Linux 6

2012-03-22T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (R2) and Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (R1) are certified on and immediately available on Oracle Linux 6 with the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel. In 90 days, Oracle Database 11g R2 and Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g R1 will be available on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (RHEL6) and Oracle Linux 6 with the Red Hat Compatible Kernel, according to an Oracle press release. Oracle offers direct Linux support to customers running RHEL6, Oracle Linux 6, or a combination of both, and Oracle Linux will continue to maintain compatibility with Red Hat Linux, the company reports.

Most 2011 Attacks Were Avoidable

2012-03-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Despite rising concern that cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, hackers used relatively simple methods 97% of data breaches in 2011, according to a report compiled by Verizon.

The annual Verizon report on data breaches, released Thursday, also found that in a vast majority of attacks (80%), hackers hit victims of opportunity rather than companies they sought out ..."

Use A Tiered Cloud Strategy to Skirt Outages

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"Two seemingly unrelated events in the cloud computing space should make you think about taking a different approach to your sourcing strategy for the cloud. The first event: Cloud outages, such as the recent Microsoft Azure failure, have shown us that no single cloud is infallible. The second event: Google, Amazon.com, and Microsoft have all dropped their cloud services' prices ..."

ISP Group Warns Olympics Could Cause ;Massive Hit on nfrastructure

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has warned the London Olympics could cause a "massive hit on infrastructure" because of the unprecedented amount of content that will be shared over the internet.

Many Olympics' spectators will be using their smartphones while watching the event to share details on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile the internet will be used to stream huge amounts of video, with the BBC providing live coverage from 24 locations during the event, the most live video it has ever streamed ..."

Why You Might Want to Start Hiring Big Data Experts

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"You know Big Data has arrived. You know Big Data is revolutionizing business from marketing to risk compliance. But do you know it may be very hard to find people with the required expertise, people who understand the business drivers as well as the technologies propelling Big Data forward?

Here's the bad news first: The skills required for good return on investment aren't simple and they're not just tech-centric. It's not a matter of calling up that trusted consulting firm either, as they're likely in the same boat as most companies today in trying to find the experts to make Big Data pay off ..."

Outsourcing Shrinks Number of IT Jobs, Study Says

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"The number of IT jobs at large corporations is declining significantly, but within 10 years, this exodus may end as companies run out of jobs suitable for moving to low-cost countries, a new study says.

The Hackett Group, a management consulting firm, examined services occupations in the bull's-eye of offshoring -- finance, human resources, procurement and IT. What it found is that only about 4.5 million of the 8.2 million jobs in these fields that existed in the U.S. and Europe at the start of 2002 will still exist in 2016 .."

DARPA: Dump Passwords for Always-On Biometrics

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to eliminate passwords and use an individual's typing style and other behavioral traits for user authentication.

Creating, remembering and managing long, complex passwords is 'inherently unnatural,' the agency said on its Active Authentication site. And most active sessions don't have mechanisms to identify that the current user is still the one originally authenticated ..."

$1.5 Million Fine Marks A New Era in HITECH Enforcement

2012-03-21T16:00:00+01:00

"Enforcement actions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) just reached a new level of reality last week when the department announced a $1.5 million settlement with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee over a 2010 data breach, making the organization the first to pay out penalties since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) went live in 2009. The question now is whether such tangible examples of financial fallout will convince healthcare IT to invest in better security measures ..."

With Tech Breakthrough, Seagate Promises 60TB Drives This Decade

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"Seagate announced it is the first hard drive maker to achieve a density of 1 terabit (1 trillion bits) per square inch on a disk drive platter.

The technology used to achieve the benchmark, which Seagate said it would introduce in products later this decade, will also lead to the production of 3.5-in. hard drives with up to 60TB of capacity ..."

Ten Ways To Build Repeatable Success

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change" (Harvard Business Review Press/Available in March) ... "offers an alternative perspective. According to authors Chris Zook and James Allen, the majority of new growth initiatives fail - at best 25% are successful ..."

Business Analyst: Why the CIOs Future Depends On Them

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"Business analysis is the absolute most important competency for an IT organization. It is the very heart and soul of the value IT is meant to bring to the business. Despite the best intentions, many CIOs have lost this critical skill in their organization and they are quickly forgetting what it really entails ..."

6 Tips for Secure Cloud Shopping

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud service providers are taking advantage of buyer ignorance about cloud security, pushing tantalizingly low-cost service contracts that don't meet prospective customers' security needs. The result, according to recent reports from HfS Research: Organizations unknowingly leave themselves exposed to a host of threats, while unable to easily escape their service provider's grasp ..."

When Online Attacks Are Beneficial

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"Although hacking attacks threaten company data and expose confidential information, they also reveal weaknesses in IT security and help businesses better prepare for future attacks. Recent hacking events have highlighted how companies can use hacking incidents to their advantage ..."

Seven Ways To Free Up Drive Space

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

For most of the past decade, many people had more drive space than they knew what to do with. Hard drives got bigger and bigger while prices went lower and lower. So it probably comes as a surprise, as you prepare for spring cleaning, to realize your drive may be getting full ...

So how can you give your data some breathing room? ..."

'NoOps' Debate Grows Heated

2012-03-20T16:00:00+01:00

"The dust-up over the term 'NoOps' escalated this week, with high-profile IT executives from Netflix and Etsy issuing dueling blog posts about the evolution of IT organizations.

The debate often has been heated, which some experts say may reflect the reactions of people whose jobs are threatened by a shift in the way IT groups work.

In his blog post, Adrian Cockcroft, director of cloud systems architecture for Netflix, described his IT organization as having little need for operations staff, partly because the company has shifted to the cloud, where it can automate many former functions of the staff ..."

Is It Possible to Manufacture HDDs In USA?

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"President Obama made a campaign last year in selling Made in the USA t-shirts. Like many other countries in America, Europe, and Japan, USA is trying to push consumers to buy products made in their homeland to help the local industry and to diminish unemployment. Is it possible to manufacture hard disk drives in USA? ..."

How Much Traffic Does Streaming Video Streaming Generate?

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Do you know how much traffic the act of streaming video to a user's device generates? Chances are you don't, and you don't particularly care. But you should, because lively video surfing by lots of users can affect your work and home life. When you multiply the traffic that video surfing generates over the course of a month by the number of users doing the surfing, it can add up to a helluva lot! This can congest your corporate WAN ..."

MDM: Part of the Mobile Security Solution?

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"The good news for enterprises: Mobile devices are packed with power. A new iPhone is 100 times lighter, 100 times faster, and 10 times less expensive than the luggable notebooks of the early 1980s.

What's good news for enterprises is also bad news for CISOs. Mobile devices can store substantial quantities of data, the applications are powerful, and their network speeds are forever increasing. And, oh yeah, users are bringing their own devices, downloading their own apps, surfing the Web from whatever connections they choose'all with little to no direct control by the enterprise ..."

Top 10 Tips to Accelerate Oracle VM Deployments

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Server virtualization deployments need not be difficult to get up and running quickly, particularly with Oracle VM. The webcast Top 10 Tips to Accelerate Oracle VM Deployments, hosted by Adam Hawley, Senior Director for Oracle Desktop and Server Virtualization Product Management and Greg King, Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Oracle VM Best Practices Engineering, demonstrates how to deploy an Oracle VM server virtualization environment rapidly and reliably to provide an agile infrastructure for making your enterprise applications easier to deploy, easier to manage, and easier to support. Registration and log-in are required.

Virtualization at the Desktop Level: Webcast

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

On this webcast Chris Martin, Product Manager, Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Use Case Solutions, and Andy Hall, Director Product Management, Oracle Desktop Virtualization, explain how Oracle's solution -- based on Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliance -- can radically reduce desktop infrastructure costs while delivering unmatched protection of desktop data. They cover Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and the problems it solves; the key role storage plays in a VDI deployment; and how the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance meets the challenge of supporting a virtual desktop infrastructure.

From Coca-Cola: How To Empower IT

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"As the CIO of the Coca-Cola's Bottling Investments Group, Javier Polit has strong ideas about how to ensure that IT is in sync with the company's business needs.

Polit brings a particularly aggressive style of IT leadership to one of the most globally recognized U.S. companies.

He has mandated that business unit general managers bring IT leaders into the broader decision-making process. In other words, he wants IT to have a proverbial seat at the table ..."

5 Reasons You'll Have A Personal Cloud by 2014

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Are you ready for the era of the personal cloud? You might have to be, because by 2014, the personal cloud will replace the personal computer at the center of users' digital lives, according to Gartner Inc.

'Emerging cloud services will become the glue that connects the web of devices that users choose to access during the different aspects of their daily life,' said Steve Kleynhans, a research vice president at Gartner ..."

Who Should the CISO Report To?

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"It seems like a simple question. After all, there seems to be little debate about where other C-suite officers should report. While there have been some discussions about the reporting structure for such C-level executives as the chief privacy officer and the chief compliance officer, these are relatively tame compared to the heated debate that I have witnessed and been a part of over the past few years.

The fact that this question is asked at all is an indication of the growing acceptance of the CISO role and function ..."

Are You Paying Too Much for Cloud Services?

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Experts say over-provisioning cloud resources is a widespread corporate problem ...

Knowing exactly how much and what type of cloud service a company needs is one of the more challenging aspects of deploying a cloud strategy, and most enterprises are getting it wrong, according to experts ..."

Quantum Computing No Longer A 'Distant Dream'

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Mark Ketchen, manager of the Physics Information Group at IBM's Watson Center in Yorktown, N.Y., doesn't even try to hide his excitement. 'It's not going to be tomorrow, but it's not going to be 50 years,' he told me this morning.

He was talking about the quantum computer, that fabled nonpareil of reckoning machines, first described by theoretical physicists in the 1980s, but highly resistant to physical development.

The basic principles of quantum computing are relatively easy to understand ... Classic computer bits have a binary function: They can be flipped either to 0 or 1. Quantum bits (or "qubits"), thanks to a phenomenon of quantum mechanics called 'superpositioning,' can be in more than one state at the same time ..."

Java Spotlight Episode 75: Greg Luck on JSR 107 Java Temporary Caching API

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Java Spotlight Episode 75 was recorded at Jfokus 2012 and features an interview by host Roger Brinkley with Greg Luck discussing JSR 107, Java Temporary Caching APL. Greg Luck founded Ehcache in 2003 and has also founded and maintains the JPam and Spnego open source projects, which are security focused. Prior to joining Terracotta in 2009, Greg was Chief Architect at Wotif.com where he provided technical leadership as the company went from a single product startup to a billion dollar public company with multiple product lines.

Solaris 10 Features in Common with Solaris 11 Ease Migration

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

By way of facilitating customer migrations from Oracle Solaris 10 to Solaris 11 Karoly Vegh has posted a number of features the two versions have in common. Users of Solaris 10 will find the migration less intimidating (and time consuming) when they realize the commonality that Vegh outlines, and the listed features should improve the administration experience. The post recommends Joerg Moellenkamp's PDF "Less Known Solaris Features" and provides a link to the document.

dtrace.conf 2012 in San Francisco, Tuesday, April 3rd

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Users of DTrace for whom San Francisco is a convenient destination should reserve Tuesday, April 3, 2012, because that is the date for dtrace.conf, first held in 2008. The program is already filled with luminaries from such companies as Nexenta, Joyent, Oracle, Sony, Juniper Networks, and many others. For those unable to attend in person, the proceedings will be streamed live. The conference venue is the Children's Creativity Museum at 4th and Howard in downtown San Francisco. The entrance is behind the carousel.

Joerg Moellenkamp's Oracle Solaris 11 Cheatsheet

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Joerg Moellenkamp's Oracle Solaris 11 Cheat Sheet covers a lot of ground. Among the categories for which he provides guidance are:

Installation
System Configuration
Users and Groups
Boot Environments
Packaging
File Systems: Basic ZFS Administration
Service Management Facility
Oracle Solaris Zones
Networking and Manual Administration
Networking and Automatic and Advanced Administration

Look out for updates!

Java Spotlight Episode 74: Marek Potociar on JAX-RS

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle Principal Software Engineer Marek Potociar discusses JAX-RS with host Roger Brinkley on Episode 74 of the Java Spotlight. Potociar has been involved with web services development for the last eight years. At present, he is a specification lead of Java EE RESTful web services API (JAX-RS) and the development lead of Jersey RESTful web services framework, which also delivers the reference implementation for the upcoming JAX-RS 2.0 API release. Previously Marek was leading development on Metro - The open-source SOAP web services framework for Java. Joining the Java All Star Developer Panel are Dalibor Topic and Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine.

How Memory Allocation Affects Performance in Multithreaded Programs

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

If your new server has an alarmingly lower transaction rate than you had anticipated, Rickey C. Weisner suggests that you look first at lock contention in the memory allocator. His article demonstrates the use of prstat to determine whether there is lock contention. Demonstrated as well is the use of Professor Emery Berger's MT-hot allocator named Hoard, and of the mtmalloc (both old and new), and the libumem memory allocators. The question of which is best is answered by Weisner's use of a test harness, which appears to give the edge to the new mtmalloc.

Video Series Shows How to Build a JavaFX Application Using Netbeans 7.1

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

In her series of videos demonstrating how to build a simple JavaFX application using NetBeans 7.1 Angela Caicedo, Oracle Technology Evangelist for JavaFX, provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. The first video provides an introduction to the application and shows viewers the end result of the exercises that will be demonstrated throughout the series. The second video (Part 1) demonstrates how to get started creating the application from an empty project to build your first JavaFX application in NetBeans 7.1. The third video (Part 2) demonstrates how to handle events and binding in the sample application using JavaFX.

'Insatiable Demand' for Streaming Video Puts Pressure on Providers

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Just as enterprise network managers brace for the flood of bandwidth-consuming content stemming from the NCAA men's basketball tournament, content delivery providers put in a significant amount of time preparing to meet the meteoric rise in demand.

This kind of preparation is something that many believe content delivery providers will need to get used to, as demand for live streaming of major events is growing far beyond the confides of March Madness ..."

GlassFish 3.1.2 Screencasts & Video

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

If you have not already done so, download GlassFish 3.1.2 and then enjoy the various screencasts and videos available from the GlassFish Video Channel. These include:

"GlassFish Server 3.1.2 Overview" presentation by John Clingan (Product Manager)
"GlassFish 3.1.2 Overview by Sathyan Catari", interview by Arun Gupta
"Cluster Management with GlassFish 3.1.2 Console (SSH & DCOM)", a screencast by Anissa
"Managing Application Scoped Resources from the 3.1.2 Console", a screencast by Anissa
"5-minute screencast", screencast by Adam Bien showing Java EE 6 with NetBeans 7.1.1 and GlassFish 3.1.2

All GlassFish Videos and Screencasts are available from our YouTube channel.

Updating Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

In his post on Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 Lenz Grimmer describes two methods for updating Oracle Linux systems to the latest version of the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel. With the help of Ksplice, applying future updates can even be performed without having to schedule any downtime or reboots. Switching to the latest Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel, Grimmer asserts, provides the latest innovations in mainline Linux. Switching is easy'applications and the operating system remain unchanged. There is no need to perform a full re-install; only the relevant RPM packages are replaced. The article features code samples and numerous screen shots.

Transitioning Existing Oracle Solaris 10 Applications to Oracle Solaris 11

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

In his post on how to transition existing Oracle Solaris 10 applications to Oracle Solaris 11 using a standard process and tools from Oracle, Stefan Schneider notes that most applications will not cause issues to be reported by the scanning tools such as Oracle Solaris Preflight Applications Checker, and they most likely will not face the issues discussed in the "Oracle Solaris 11 ISV Adoption Guide" or the Oracle Solaris 11 EOF page. While most applications will likely work out of the box on Oracle Solaris 11, some will report problems because they use outdated and deprecated frameworks and APIs.

Pocket Guide to Routing and Switching

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Go beyond layer 2 broadcast domains with this in-depth tour of advanced link and internetwork layer protocols, and learn how they enable you to expand to larger topologies. The Packet Guide to Routing and Switching dissects several of these protocols to explain their structure and operation.

This isn't a book on packet theory. Author Bruce Hartpence built topologies in a lab as he wrote this guide, and each chapter includes several packet captures ..."

Five Enterprise Project Management Mistakes to Avoid

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"It's all about 'faster, cheaper, better' to survive competitively in today's economy. This puts much pressure on CIOs and their teams when undertaking high-profile enterprise projects. The book 'Enterprise Project Governance: A Guide to the Successful Management of Projects Across the Organization' (Amacom/available in March), takes an in-depth look at a number of classic pitfalls of project execution and establishes best practices to circumvent them ..."

Release of LibreOffice 3.5.1 Provides Additional Security and Stability

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

The majority of the most-important bugs identified by users have been fixed in the release of LibreOffice 3.5.1 which includes improvements in security and stability. LibreOffice 3.5.1 is available for immediate download. According to Italo Vignoli, member of The Document Foundation Board of Directors, 'During the last month, the number of TDF hackers has overtaken the threshold of 400 code developers, with a large majority of independent volunteers and several companies paying full time hackers. In any case, the project is independent, as none of these companies employs more than 7% of the developers."

Oracle Reports Q3 GAAP EPS Up 20% to 49 Cents

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle had a positive Q32012 with GAAP total revenues up 3% to $9.0 billion, and non-GAAP total revenues up 3% to $9.1 billion. Both GAAP and non-GAAP new software license revenues rose 7% to $2.4 billion, and both GAAP and non-GAAP software license updates and product support revenues were up 8% to $4.1 billion. Oracle's Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share of outstanding common stock that will be paid on May 2, 2012 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 11, 2012.

Survey Results on Use of JavaFX on Mac and Linux Platforms

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

A recent poll on whether developers would turn to JavaFX once it is fully ported to Mac and Linux platforms is interpreted by Nicolas Lorain, Java Client Product Manager at Oracle. His finding is that some 63% are already using JavaFX in this manner or intend to while some 22% register a "maybe" or "don't know" response. Since interpolation was involved in deriving these conclusions, Lorain concedes that the only indisputable conclusion is that less than 10% of developers who have taken this poll plan to stick to another toolkit (presumably Swing or SWT).

Judge Stands Up for Commonsense Privacy Laws in Cellphone Case

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Bravo to the Texas judge who ruled that if the government wants 60 days of cellphone location records in a criminal investigation it must first obtain a warrant after showing probable cause.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has details ...

'The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year in United States v. Jones that the GPS tracking of a vehicle without a warrant violates the reasonable expectation of privacy guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. This is a very similar situation, ...'"

IT Proposals: Getting Your Plans Past the 'Kitchen Cabinet'

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"You might think you know the senior management team that's judging and approving or denying your IT proposals. But do you really? There's an additional 'shadow' group that has a hand in decision-making in many corporations'the CEO's highly-trusted advisors, or 'kitchen cabinet.' In the book 'Who's in the Room?: How Great Leaders Structure and Manage the Teams Around Them', author Bob Frisch depicts how easily organizations can unravel because of the lack of transparency and clarity that this dynamic often creates ..."

10 Reasons Actions Speak Louder Than Words

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"If you ever wondered if you're paid to talk about doing things rather than actually do them, you're not alone. Many businesses suffer from the same ailment - stifling innovation by running good ideas through the ringer. Hours of meetings about the same topics and endless email chains can kill good ideas before they ever get off the ground ..."

10 Hottest Tech Certifications

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Your next round of hiring should include IT professionals who know their way around project management, tech-support, network oversight and security. The longstanding proof of expertise in these and other areas, of course, remains certification programs. To find out which certifications are most in demand, check out this list from Dice.com. Hiring talent with the right credentials requires significant compensation upgrades ..."

Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine Draws Partners' Praise

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

A number of Oracle partners have high praise for the Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine, chiefly for the insights into corporate operations that the solution provides. The comments of David Wheeler, VP, Business Intelligence & Performance Management, Apps Associates LLC, are typical: "Our customers will now realize robust, real-time reporting coupled with proactive, forward-looking planning, modeling and predictive analysis. With Oracle Exalytics, complexity and TCO are reduced.'

Catalog of Proactive Support Presentations from OpenWorld 2011

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

Readers will find a comprehensive catalog of hardware and software proactive support presentations and best practices from OpenWorld 2011 compiled in a post by Chris Warticki. Among the titles he lists are best practices for maintaining and upgrading Oracle Solaris, JD Edwards, Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Exalogic, and Oracle Exadata, as well as many others.

Nobody Cares About HIPPA

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Compliance in many organizations is seen as only a costly inconvenience ...

Sometimes clarity comes out of the blue, including clarity about compliance issues. Recently I was meeting with friend and business associate Ben Drake. His company works with networking and data protection technology for a number of businesses.

I mentioned how some organizations with obvious HIPAA compliance issues seem uninterested in putting forth the effort to resolve them. Some won't even acknowledge they have issues. Ben shrugged and matter-of-factly said, 'Nobody cares about HIPAA.' ..."

Security's New Reality: Assume the Worst

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"A more fatalistic view that attackers have already infiltrated the organization presents a different way of looking at -- and marketing -- security ...

Tucked away on the sprawling show floor at the recent RSA Conference was a newly commercialized appliance that sits inside the network and spies on attacks already in progress. Its mission isn't to stop the attacker from getting in, but instead to stealthily observe the attacker's moves while gathering intelligence and ultimately containing any damage ..."

Privacy Regulators: U.S. and EU Will Take Different Approaches

2012-03-19T16:00:00+01:00

"Both governments push for new online privacy standards, but EU officials question US enforcement efforts ...

The development of online privacy protections is at a critical moment as policy makers in both the U.S. and European Union push for changes to their privacy rules, but coordination of enforcement across the Atlantic Ocean may be tricky, several privacy experts said Monday.

The U.S. and the E.U. have very different approaches to privacy enforcement, with the U.S. focused on enforcing privacy promises that companies make and the E.U. enforcing privacy rights even when companies make no promises ..."

vBeers Miami: Doral Golf Resort & SPA

2012-03-18T16:00:00+01:00

Meet with local Virtualization enthusiasts and talk about technology, theory, politics of the industry or whatever else gets your propeller spinning. This month's meeting will be a the world-famous Doral Resort.

The March vBeers networking event is being held in conjunction with the South Florida Chapter of HDI.

A group of people involving with starting a South Florida chapter of the Cloud Security Alliance will be meeting at 5pm.

This is a great opportunity to meet with other senior IT professionals and enjoy discussing all things virtualization, and in fact anything else that comes up in conversation� Come and network with your peers!

Don't rush - arrive and depart at your convenience - people will be networking from 6pm to 9pm.

The Business Value of Engineered Systems

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

In a recent blog Constantin Gonzalez posts about exactly how customers can learn to appreciate the value intrinsic in Oracle's solutions. Because as much as three-quarters of a corporate IT budget goes to implementing and operating the infrastructure -- as opposed to acquiring it -- Gonzalez asserts that purchasing an Oracle system that has been engineered from the ground up to work as a single entity is easily a better purchase than a system that involves solutions from multiple vendors and then requires staff time to get all these elements to operate harmoniously.

Solaris Automated Install and Repository on One Image

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

Andrew Watkins shares the steps and the code he used to enable Solaris 11 Automated Install with no network (Standalone), along with his subsequent creation of a new 6.7GB ISO that can boot a VirtualBox client and install Solaris 11 with NO network. With Solaris Automated Install and Repository now combined on one image, he writes, the next effort is to get it all onto an 8GB USB stick.

Java Tutorials Now Available as eBooks

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

Most of the JavaTutorials are now available as eBooks in two new formats:

mobi ebook files for Kindle

ePub ebook files for iPad, Nook, and other eReaders that support the ePub format

Each ebook contains a single trail that can be downloaded via the link in the "In Book Form" box on the tutorial's front page. The Preparation for Java Programmer Language Certification lesson has been completely reworked. Now the objectives for each Java SE 7 certification exam are listed and links are provided to tutorial pages. The Internationalization of Network Resources lesson has also been updated.

NetBeans 7.1.1 - Made for GlassFish 3.1.2

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

The release of GlassFish 3.1.2 and NetBeans 7.1.1 presents users with a powerful combination, given that NetBeans probably has the best Java EE 6 out-of-the-box support and this 7.1.1 release fully supports GlassFish 3.1.2, posts Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine, adding that since this NetBeans release is also available as a patch update to 7.1, you need to either download GlassFish 3.1.2 separately or do a fresh install of a 7.1.1 bundle which includes GlassFish ("Java" or "All").

Create Solaris 10 Branded Zones on Exalogic

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

Because users often find it desirable to run more than one version of Solaris, and, further, because Solaris 11 Express enables the creation of branded zones on Exalogic inside which one might run different versions of Solaris simultaneously, the how-to Leo Yuen has written for creating a Solaris 10 branded zone on Exalogic should have wide appeal. The procedure is relatively straightforward (nine steps only), well worth the effort if the result is being able to continue running applications that only certified on older versions of the OS.

Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Widens User Choice

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

The analogy is a humble one but it might fairly be said that Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c has the capability to turn an IT department into something resembling a cafeteria, if not in terms of food, at least in terms of services. Oracle's executive brief on Enterprise Manager 12c explains its capabilities. According to the brief, Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c delivers a unique foundation for a truly self-service IT organization, enabling your business users to satisfy whatever IT needs they have immediately, on demand, improving the overall quality of an experience that the IT department itself controls.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 Now Available

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 is now available, reports Lenz Grimmer in a recent blog post. This kernel can be installed on both Oracle Linux 5.8 and newer as well as Oracle Linux 6.2 and newer. By simply updating the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel, Oracle Linux customers can benefit from the latest improvements that have taken place in mainline Linux, without having to re-install their distribution or applications. The RPM packages are now available from the Unbreakable Linux Network and the public yum repositories, he continues.

Sun Storage 7320 Appliance Outperforms NetApp in Midrange Systems on SPECsfs2008 NFS Benchmark

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle's Sun Storage 7320 Appliance has beaten the NetApp FAS3270 on the SPECsfs2008_nfs benchmark with 32 percent higher throughput and 9 percent faster Overall Response Time (ORT). The 7320 achieved this record -- delivering 134,140 SPEC SFS2008_nfs ops/sec at an Overall Response Time of 1.51 milliseconds for file serving in a mixed workload environment -- using less than half the rack space and at less than one-fifth the list price of the NetApp FAS3270 test configuration.

Java technology roadmap

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

The whereabouts of Java technology on the Java Roadmap is updated in the link Hinkmond Wong provides to Oracle's Java tech roadmap. Wong says to expect the merger of Java ME CDC with Java SE on schedule as the Java SE 8 Embedded plan emerges. He also provides a quote from the site: "This release is set to feature convergence of Java SE and Java CDC (Connected Device Configuration) technology, which is geared to devices. Oracle also plans a subsequent release of Java ME, now termed release 8."

Mobile Tornado Adopts Oracle Solaris Cluster, ZFS File System, Solaris Zones

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

The adoption by Mobile Tornado, a provider of instant communication services for mobile devices of Oracle Solaris Cluster, the ZFS file system and Solaris Zones enabled the company to improve the high availability of its application, provide better workload distribution for scaling the application and reduce its application's TCO on the Oracle hardware and software stack, Frederic Pariente posts. "The usage of Solaris Zones in combination with advanced SPARC T4 CPUs allows Mobile Tornado to consolidate its IPRS PTT server and Oracle database in same machines, reducing TCO with higher level of performance," says Mobile Tornado R&D Manager Shlomo Birman.

Compilation of Links to Solaris 11 Resources

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

In addition to links to several aspects of the release of Oracle Solaris 11, readers will also find links to Oracle Solaris 11 Developer Resources, as of March 2012, all of which Eric Reid has assembled in a single post.

Two Dozen Papers and Links for the ZFSSA

2012-03-16T16:00:00+01:00

There is an even two dozen papers and links for the ZFSSA conveniently collected in a single post by Steve Tunstall. For good measure he throws in a couple links dealing with ZFS in general rather than the ZFSSA that he nevertheless finds useful for the light they shed on how ZFS functions.

Five Tips for Easier Data Governance

2012-03-15T16:00:00+01:00

"Recently, Loraine Lawson wrote why she believes data governance is key to self-serve IT. But to be honest, she says she can see why you'd be tempted to procrastinate on data governance. It sounds intimidating. "Governance" conjures up all kinds of images, from guys in white wigs using Old English pronouns, to a room full of exhausted business people debating data minutiae ala '12 Angry Men.'

Data or information governance ' the difference seems to be that information governance focuses more on legal compliance ' may not involve balloons and cupcakes, but it doesn't have to be a punishing ordeal, either. Here are five steps you can take to ease the trauma of starting data governance �"

The Promise of Big Data

2012-03-15T16:00:00+01:00

"Organizations are finding that big data technologies can find the needle in the haystack, fast �

For Twitter, making sense of its mountains of user data was big enough of a problem that it purchased another company just to help get the job done.

Twitter's success is dependent entirely on how well it exploits the data its users generate. And it has a lot of data to work with: It hosts more than 200 million accounts, which generate 230 million Twitter messages a day.

Last July, the social networking giant purchased BackType, a company with software called Storm that could parse live data streams, such as millions of Twitter feeds. After the acquisition, Twitter released the source code of Storm, having no interest in commercializing the product itself �"

Tape vs. Disk: Clipper Group Studies the TCO

2012-03-14T16:00:00+01:00

Oracle provides a link to downloads of two Clipper Group white papers on the subject of tape storage.

In Search of the Long-Term Archiving Solution -- Tape Delivers Significant TCO Advantage over Disk

Ten Reasons Why You Should Consider Enterprise-Class Tape for Open Systems

Registration is required to download these papers.

March Madness: Will IT Bother to Block NCAA Tournament Traffic?

2012-03-14T16:00:00+01:00

"Survey shows 65% of IT pros take some sort of action to block, throttle, or ban streaming of non-work content � Every year when March rolls around, so, too do the dire predictions of network-clogging effects from employees who stream NCAA tournament games at work. But do CIOs and IT managers really care if college basketball lovers sneak a peek using company resources?

It turns out they do, according to survey data from IT staffing firm Modis �"

How to Turn Awful Meetings Into Awesome Meetings

2012-03-14T16:00:00+01:00

"We're spending too much of our time at meetings, and many of us feel like that's not time well spent, recent studies show. Workers today spend an average of 5.6 hours a week attending meetings, and a whopping 71 percent of them feel like it's not a productive use of their time, a Microsoft report indicates.

To address the root causes of ineffective meetings, GiveMore.com recently surveyed 1,600 people with a simple question: 'What frustrates you most about meetings at work?' You may recognize some of their answers �"

Security Managers Split on BYOD, Skeptical of Android Devices

2012-03-14T16:00:00+01:00

"CSOs, CISOs and other security managers are not embracing the bring-your-own-device movement set into motion by demanding employees, but they aren't refusing to allow user-owned smartphones and tablets into the work place either.

Results of a polled conducted by Wisegate, a private, invitation-only community of senior information technology professionals, found their members are divided on what strategies to employ when it comes to securing user-owned technology, and even whether or not to allow the devices at all ..."

What Is the Next Big Thing in Storage

2012-03-13T16:00:00+01:00

"The next big thing: It's a subject that keeps analysts, entrepreneurs and computer science majors up at night. But what on earth is it going to be? For every one that captures the popular imagination and generates a new crop of billionaires, hundreds of others fall by the wayside.

Yet the folks quoted below have gone out on a limb and shared their thoughts on that elusive next big thing. Don't be too hard on them �"

Why CFOs and Cloud Computing Have A Love-Hate Relationship

2012-03-13T16:00:00+01:00

"Cloud computing offers a value proposition that can be both appealing and unsettling to the CFO. However, CIO.com columnist Bernard Golden explains why freeing up capital investment should more than make up for the uncertainty of variable monthly pricing � cloud computing promises both greater IT agility and reduced costs. No one disputes the agility issue. Compared to traditional resource deployment that can drag on for weeks or months, cloud computing offers the enormous improvement of a timetable measured in minutes �"

5 Big Security Mistakes You're Probably Making

2012-03-13T16:00:00+01:00

"Companies get hacked so often you'd think it was magic, but it really stems from chronic inability to follow basic security �

How vulnerable are most companies to hacking? So vulnerable that hackers claim they can point their systems at pretty much any target and be guaranteed of breaking in fairly quickly. Most run-of-the-mill vulnerability testers I know can break into a company in a few hours or less. It must be child's play for professional criminals.

It doesn't have to be this way �"

Can an Employer Ask for Your Facebook Login and Password?

2012-03-13T16:00:00+01:00

"Another case that is attempting to define privacy in a world that is enamored of social media.

The next time you're asked in an interview to name your greatest weakness, remember that it could be worse: Job seekers applying to Maryland's Department of Corrections were asked for their Facebook logins and passwords �"

The Truth About SLC vs. MLC

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"This tip will compare single-level cell and multi-level cell flash memory, or SLC vs. MLC. Before the comparison starts, it helps to start with a little background. SSDs should be part of any storage acquisition discussion in 2012 for some very compelling reasons that are shared by SLC and MLC flash storage -- performance, power efficiency, and reliability �"

Robot Cars Get the Green Light in Nevada

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Nevada residents may see robot cars on their streets in a couple of days. On March 1, self-driving ' aka 'autonomous' ' cars will be able to drive on the state's roads.

The state's Legislative Commission approved the new regulations Feb. 15, Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles said �"

Solaris Fingerprint Database Returns to Solaris

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

Users who lamented the demise of the Solaris Fingerprint Database along with sunsolve can now be encouraged by the inclusion of an improved version in Solaris 11, Stefan Hinker posts. There are now both automatic and manual means in the IPS for verifying the integrity of installed software. Hinker outlines the procedure for using the command "pkg verify", which enables users to employ the IPS to verify each and every installed package against the repository it was installed from. The capability of the IPS to fix individual packages is one of the most important improvements that Hinker identifies.

Keeping Compliance Costs Down with Data Classification

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"As organizations develop their data management policies, IT departments need to improve practices to properly classify data not just for operations' sake but to also better manage risk and keep compliance costs in check. According to security experts, enterprises are still only doing a middling job at discovering, classifying and managing their data so they can apply risk-centric protections according to data sensitivity and regulatory requirements �"

Think You're Not Using the Cloudproduct=Your Sys Admin May Know Differently

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"CIOs who think they aren't using cloud computing might want to check out their team's corporate credit cards

There are plenty of reasons why a CIO might think they don't want to use the cloud, such as security and reliability, or simply because they like to be able to go down to the basement and chat to the servers every so often.

Despite much discussion over the past couple of years, most cloud computing is still in the early-adopter phase, with many CIOs limiting themselves to using the cloud for non-critical applications. Or so they think �"

Cloud Storage Prices Drop, but Experts and Users Say Hidden Fees Exist

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Even if your company has policies against using personal devices on the corporate network, chances are several of your colleagues are doing it anyway, according to a recent survey from Cisco Systems. The bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon has caught on at all levels of the enterprise, and tech managers say its raising serious concerns when it comes to network and information security. They also say that managing these mobile devices and the issues BYOD employees cause is distracting them from their 'real jobs'.

However, those that are able to meet the challenge successfully will position their companies - and themselves - to continue to thrive. 'Mobile workers and virtual workspaces are here to stay,' says Tom Puorro, director of product management, IPCBU, Cisco Systems. 'But so are the demands on IT to continue to ensure enterprise-grade security, manageability and interoperability. IT leaders are a critical component in unleashing innovation and enabling organizations to take advantage of the next wave of business growth and opportunity.' �"

10 Ways to Avoid Organizational Dysfunction

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"If you're lucky, you already work for a healthy organization. If you don't, here's what you need to look for in your next gig. In a healthy organization, goals are clearly communicated and efficiently executed. Personal agendas and resentments are put aside for the good of the collective whole. People work there because they really believe in a unified set of core values, as opposed to simply earning a paycheck ..."

Is Your Outsourcer Agile Enough?

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"More companies are choosing agile development to create user-friendly, quickly evolving enterprise apps. Here's how to decide if your outsourcer is up to the task �

�experts believe that the best way to create a pure agile methodology is to keep all development work in-house �"

Network Security Breaches: 10 Things to Do Immediately After

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"No enterprise is immune to data security breaches. Governments and corporations alike need to have contingency plans in place to perform network forensics once a breach occurs. Network security is mostly designed to prevent attacks, said Jay Botelho, director of product marketing at WildPackets, which makes network performance management, application, and voice over IP (VOIP) analysis products �"

Oracle Big Data Online Forum Replay and Q&As

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle Big Data Online Forum presentations are now available for on-demand replay and download. During the Forum, Oracle experts fielded a lot of good questions. Many were answered live, but they just couldn't get to all of them so the transcripts of the Q&A chat and uploads of all the chats are now available.

EnerNOC Gains 5X Performance Factor on Exadata

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

This Oracle Database podcast features an interview with host Levi Norman and Per Gilstrom, Chief Product Manager at EnerNOC, and Stephanie Smith, Senior Manager of DB Architecture at EnerNOC, who discuss how EnerNOC uses Oracle Exadata Database Machine to boost OLTP and data warehouse performance, maximize I/O efficiency, consolidate mixed workloads onto a single platform, and create storage cost controls. EnerNOC has been able to realize a 5x boost in performance of its real-time demand response database, while lowering I/O resource utilization by 50 percent. EnerNOC sees Oracle Exadata as the strategic component to its growth formula and TCO equation.

Oracle Academy Augments Curriculum with New Java Offerings

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle Academy will shortly include in its expanded curriculum a Java technology offering designed to provide graduates with a competitive advantage as they prepare to enter the workforce. Oracle Academy institutions may integrate Oracle technology, curriculum, and certification resources into their computer science and business curricula. The Oracle Academy's Java offerings will include Java Fundamentals and Java Programming courses; a comprehensive portfolio of Java courses for four-year colleges and universities; training that supports teachers/faculty to deliver the Oracle Academy's Java curriculum; and Java competitions that help students develop and showcase their technology skills.

White Paper An Architect�s Guide to Big Data

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

The Oracle white paper "Oracle Information Architecture: An Architect's Guide to Big Data focuses on providing an understanding of the nature of big data both in terms of how it differs from past practices and also in how it can be efficiently integrated into such legacy systems as database and BI architecture to IT tools and end user applications. The paper includes sections on big data architecture and how best to make decisions around big data architecture. A section on best practices is also included.

IDC Analysts Find Midrange Server Market Shrinking

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

Basing his conclusion on a recent IDC report, Timothy Prickett Morgan contends that the midrange server is endangered, increasingly outpaced in terms of adoption and revenue by both volume and high-end servers. IDC recorded revenue declines in all three segments of the server market for the last quarter of 2011, Prickett Morgan notes, but these were most pronounced in the midrange sector. For example, according to IDC's findings IBM whose market share was 64 percent high-end and 36 percent midrange some 21 years ago, has now shifted to 26 percent high-end, 62 percent volume, and less than 13 percent midrange.

5 Signs That You've Lost Control Over Your Cloud Apps

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"CIOs are waking up to the reality that they've lost control over access to data stored in software-as-a-service applications purchased by other departments.

'By the time an organization buys its sixth or eighth SaaS application, it's in trouble,' says Jackie Gilbert, vice president and cofounder of SailPoint, which sells software for bringing these applications back into compliance with company policy. 'We're poised to see more auditor attention and more security directed at this problem.' �"

Getting A Good Metrics Program Off the Ground

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Metrics experts say that motivating a company with data requires getting away from the planning and collecting the information as soon as possible �

To see why a good metrics program is essential, Andrew Jaquith, chief technology officer of Perimeter e-Security, points to a recent meeting with a major -- and, of course, unnamed -- client �"

ISPs and Mobile Operators Regularly Throttle Traffic, Report Finds

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile operators regularly use traffic management policies such as blocking or throttling to restrict access to certain services, according to a new report by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).

The European ISP watchdog announced the findings after a three-month investigation in conjunction with the European Commission (EC) that involved discussions with some 400 operators on how they handle large demands placed on their networks �"

Ron Was Wrong, Whit is Right, And What You Need to Know

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Clarifying the technical findings on a weakness in RSA crypto keys and some recommendations on how to prepare and protect your assets from the next inevitable crypto weakness discovery �"

PCI Compliance: The Risks Banks Can Miss

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Banks that outsource merchant services typically have given little thought to PCI compliance -- but times are changing, and all banks need to start taking action now to manage their risks related to payment cards �

When it comes to safeguarding credit cardholders' data, some financial institutions have fallen down on the job and failed to implement and maintain effective risk programs that comply with the data security standards of the Payment Card Industry (PCI). This failure often stems from the institutions' lack of understanding of how their operations fall within the scope of the standards �"

Mobile's Cryptography Conundrums

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Two RSA presentations -- one by NSA and the other by Cryptography Research experts -- show lack of maturity in mobile ecosystem

Immaturity in mobile-device hardware and operating-system environments is holding back organizations' deployments of strong cryptographic protections around mobile applications, according to a pair of unrelated presentations at last week's RSA Conference �"

BYOD Movement Challenges IT

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

Controlling Your March Madness Traffic Outbreak

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"As the NCAA men's college basketball tournament begins to unfold, March Madness takes on a more literal meaning for those tasked with controlling activity on the enterprise network.

With 68 teams playing 36 games in the first seven days of the tournament, the NCAA is forced to schedule many of its most attractive broadcasts between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on workdays. To the lament of the NCAA and some of its most passionate fans, this has long meant that many who are stuck in a cubicle during those hours miss out on the live action. Then the advent of online streaming came along and made everyone happy �"

What's Up With These Solar Storms?

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"The Sun has received and will likely get even more attention in the coming weeks as one of the busiest solar weather patterns blasts away at Earth. While the geomagnetic and radiation storms bombard space, little if any major problems have bothered us here on the ground so far. Of course there is always that chance that one of these solar flares could damage electrical grids or satellites, experts warn �"

3 Key Issues for Secure Virtualization

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Deal with these three main security concerns to improve your virtualized IT environment, says Bernard Golden � Virtualization represents a sea change in IT practices. Bound for years by the 'one application, one server' rule, IT infrastructure was over capacity, underused and not cost-effective.

With the advent of virtualization and the associated move to hosting multiple virtual machines on a single server, many of these problems disappeared.

Because multiple virtual machines can be placed on a single server, IT organizations can ensure that the machine's processing power is portioned out to many applications. Utilization, often measured in single digits, can be increased to 70 percent or more, ensuring that far less capital is wasted on high-cost, little-used servers �"

The Myth of Big Data

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"McKinsey has just written a 143-page report, 'Big Data: The Next Frontier.'/ Oracle has a long white paper on the subject. So does IBM. These people are going to strain something jumping on a moving bandwagon � We're going to have a feeding frenzy. Every group is going to get into the act, and we'll buy two of everything. Then we'll have three years of chaos and people tripping over one another. Then �"

Does My Company Need Business Continuity Software?

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Should your organization build its own business continuity tools from existing resources, or invest in an outside software package? Business continuity expert Stieven Weidner explains the pros and cons from personal experience. � it might first be helpful to ask, what exactly is business continuity software? It can be many things actually. Some packages are very integrated and provide solutions for a multitude of business continuity objectives, while others are very subject-matter or industry specific. Likewise, some programs are easier to use than others, while several collect information that might be excessive for an emergency, but advantageous during audits �"

5 Ways to Prepare for Big Data with Scale-Out NAS

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"As enterprises seek to move into the big data world--digitizing paper documents and saving email communications, Word docs, Excel files and all sorts of other unstructured data with the hopes of mining them for actionable business intelligence--they need to address a big problem up front: storage.

One possibility is to scale vertically (scale up). The idea is to make your existing storage nodes larger, faster and/or more powerful by replacing your existing storage devices with new, higher-capacity devices. Consolidating storage infrastructure in such a way is attractive, since it simplifies management and reduces the amount of floor space and power consumed. But it's not without problems �"

ISACA Sets Six Principles for Cloud Rollout

2012-03-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Global information security managers' association ISACA has announced the six key considerations it feels are necessary when rolling out enterprise cloud computing strategies.

ISACA says the growing shift to cloud computing can deliver "significant value" but that most enterprises have little knowledge of the "perils" of transferring IT decision-making away from technology specialists to business unit leaders.

It says eliminating oversight and governance from cloud computing decisions can create 'significant risk' to organisations, effectively undermining any benefits of moving to the cloud and, at the same time, potentially creating 'serious issues' for organisations �"

vBeers Miami: Doral Golf Resort & SPA

2012-03-11T16:00:00+01:00

The March vBeers networking event is being held in conjunction with the South Florida Chapter of HDI.

A group of people involving with starting a South Florida chapter of the Cloud Security Alliance will be meeting at 5pm.

Don't rush - arrive and depart at your convenience - people will be networking from 6pm to 9pm.

9 Powerful Business Uses for Tablet Computers

2012-03-10T17:00:00+01:00

"From the warehouse to the sales floor, see how companies creatively use iPads and other tablets to save time and money, sell more, and delight customers. Tablets may even find a home on garbage trucks ... There are now three hardware platforms for personal business computing: PCs, smartphones, and tablets. The tablet's still a newcomer, but the iPad's popularity kicked off a wave of experiments in companies to learn where tablets can make employees more efficient or customers happier ..."

New Hardware for the Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

Improvements to the Sun ZFS Storage 7420 Appliance that Steve Tunstall highlights include 10-core CPUs enabling users to have 40 cores in each controller. Also, users can now also go to a huge 1TB of DRAM for the L1ARC in each controller. Oracle plans to discontinue the 2 x CPU models and the 6-core CPUs, leaving customers the choice between 4 x 8-core or 4 x 10-core models. It is also possible to order either 8GB or 16GB modules, meaning that the minimum amount of memory is now 128GB, and can go to 1TB in each controller.

Java Spotlight Episode 73: Akka 2.0 and Play 2.0, Live at #Jfokus

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

Jonas Boner and Peter Hilton are the guests of Host Roger Brinkley on Episode 73 of the Java Spotlight, where Akka 2.0 and Play 2.0 are under discussion. The Java All Star Developer Panel for this episode comprises Dalibor Topic, Java Free and Open Source Software Ambassador, and Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine, Java EE Developer Advocate.

Java SE 6 EOL Announced; JavaFX 2.x Available

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

The EOL date for Java SE 6 (November 2012) and the the EOLing of JavaFX 1.x are reported in Tori Wieldt's post on The Java Source. As Weildt points out, EOL doesn't mean you can't use a Java release, merely that public support has come to an end. Users are encouraged to update to the latest stable release (Java SE 7 has great features and enhancements, Weildt avers), and JavaFX 2 is capably taking its place among supported solutions from Oracle. If you need support after the EOL, you can get Java SE Support from Oracle, Weildt notes.

New Commercial License for Oracle VM VirtualBox

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle has introduced commercial licenses and support for Oracle VM VirtualBox designed for customers interested in using a fully supported version that can be rolled out across their enterprises. Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise - Named User Plus includes standard Named User Plus licensing, $50 per named user with a minimum of 100 users. Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise - Per Socket offers standard processing at $1,000 per socket with a minimum of one socket. Support for both schemes is available at Oracle's standard support pricing rates. Oracle VM VirtualBox continues to be free for personal use.

Patching Solaris Systems with Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

Using Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center to patch Solaris Systems is covered in a recent post by Anand Akela that cites the work done on that exercise by Juergen Fleischer. The post addresses several scenarios:

Applying a single patch to an asset
Applying multiple patches to several systems
Regular baseline patching
Using the "Latest and Greatest Patchset"

Akela points out that in all of these scenarios, patches can be applied on a running system or by using LiveUpgrade (LU) and reminds readers always to use the parallel zone patching feature.

Oracle Linux 5.8 Released to General Availability

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle Linux 5 Update 8 is in general availability. This distribution includes the latest release of the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 1 (version 2.6.32-300.10.1, based on mainline Linux 2.6.32), which includes a number of important bug fixes and driver updates. RPM packages for direct installation/upgrade are available for Oracle Linux Support Customers from the Unbreakable Linux Network, and individual packages of the initial release are also available for download from the public yum repository, Lenz Grimmer posts. ISO installation images of the distribution will be available for download from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud shortly or through external mirror sites.

A New and Improved Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software Released as Version 2.0

2012-03-09T17:00:00+01:00

There are several important improvements featured in Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software Version 2 that Cristobal Soto draws attention to in his post. These include:

Layer 7 application traffic management software component called Oracle Traffic Director
Support for secure application isolation using InfiniBand Partitions
Improved Exabus implementation

Soto observes that, as of February 16, 2012, customers running existing Exalogic X2-2 systems at any previous EECS patch level will also be able to update their systems to EECS 2.0 via an upgrade kit expected to be released shortly.

Cheatsheet for Configuring the Networking in Solaris 11

2012-03-08T17:00:00+01:00

Joerg Moellenkamp shares a cheatsheet for configuring the networking in Solaris 11 in a recent post. In doing so he remarks that improvements in Solaris 11 have made network configuration easier since one need no longer edit files but instead can use CLI-based tools to change file parameters. Further, he writes, the use of SMF makes determining when changes become active clear. Step by step, then, he shows the code involved in configuring networking in the OS, and he shows how it can be done both manually and automatically.

Why IT Shouldn't Buy Into the 'Subscription Economy'

2012-03-07T17:00:00+01:00

"In case you hadn't heard, ownership is out. Instead, it's all about the 'subscription economy' -- if the latest in a long line of extrapolations from a very small number of data points is to be believed.

The theory is simple. Whereas before we liked to own things, we don't anymore. What we want instead is to pay less money right now in exchange for the right to pay again next month -- or not, at which point whatever it was we used to need goes away ..."

Can Big Data Nab Network Invaders?

2012-03-07T17:00:00+01:00

"The buzz in security circles about "big data" goes something like this: If the enterprise could only unite its security-related event data with a warehouse of business information, it could analyze this Big Data to catch intruders trying to steal sensitive information ..."

E-Discovery In the Cloud? Not So Easy

2012-03-06T17:00:00+01:00

"Your company is embroiled in a lawsuit, and your general counsel has come to IT for help in conducting e-discovery on a batch of data. You easily gather some of the information from storage in your data center, but some of it is sitting in the cloud. Easy enough, you think, to get that data as well.

You may be in for a rude awakening ..."

BYOD: A World of Pain Awaits IT

2012-03-06T17:00:00+01:00

"Seasoned IT pros discuss the slings and arrows IT must endure to embrace bring-your-own-device policies ... Want to let your employees use the device of their own choice for business duties? Then be prepared for risks and pain, says a prominent IT official steeped in the practice of supporting BYOD (bring your own device) policies in the enterprise ..."

15 New Rules For IT to Live By

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"No one's going to complain about winning new business, but a recent deal to do contract unit repair work from more than 2,000 locations across North America posed a huge challenge for Flextronics' IT team. The customer was in a hurry to get started, and Flextronics had to first set up its IT systems that track products as they move through the product-repair process ..."

Are Community Cloud Services the Next Hot Thing?

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"When Matthew Lodge, senior director of cloud services for VMware, looks out over the cloud landscape and envisions how it will continue to evolve, he sees community clouds playing a big role. And he's not the only one.

Community clouds can be thought of as subset of public clouds that are tailored to a specific vertical industry, such as government, healthcare or finance, offering a range of services, including infrastructure, software, or platform as a service ..."

Moral Leadership By Example

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Today's market environment is based on meeting short-term expectations rather than long-term performance. Shareholders, investors and boards often have unrealistic expectations for executives, sending company leaders into survival mode... This behavior manifests itself as a focus on short-term financial gain'rather than the company's long -- term health'as the executives strive to increase company value and preserve their own careers ..."

Five Leadership Lessons From James T. Kirk

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Captain James T. Kirk is one of the most famous Captains in the history of Starfleet. There's a good reason for that. He saved the planet Earth several times, stopped the Doomsday Machine, helped negotiate peace with the Klingon Empire, kept the balance of power between the Federation and the Romulan Empire, and even managed to fight Nazis ... Kirk's success was no fluke, either. His style of command demonstrates a keen understanding of leadership and how to maintain a team that succeeds time and time again, regardless of the dangers faced ..."

One Enterprise Architecture to Rule Them All

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Chubb's 10-year journey toward the use of enterprise architecture has been predicated on common sense and built thoughtfully to ensure business and IT buy-in at each step of the process ...

Like many large financial services organizations, Chubb Insurance, the 11th largest property and casualty insurer in the United States, was quick to leverage enterprise technologies as they came to prominence in the early part of the 21st century. Yet, also like many enterprises at the time, the approach was more ad hoc than guided by an overall vision ..."

GlassFish 3.1.2

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

After five release candidates, fixing hundreds of bug, and implementing some neat new features Oracle reports that GlassFish 3.1.2 has now officially shipped !

This is a highly-compatible release with previous GlassFish 3.x releases and as such is recommended for any current GlassFish user and more generally to anyone looking at a production-ready, fully-supported, and developer-friendly Java EE 6 server.

Bug fixing, compatibility: hundreds of bugs were fixed in GlassFish itself and hundreds more by the integration of more recent versions of its components (mojarra, weld, grizzly, jersey, etc...)

New Features: improved admin console (startup time, CLI parity, RFEs, ...), DCOM as an alternative to remote node SSH admin on Windows platforms, non-multicast Clustering/GMS, WebSocket support and more...

You can download the bits from the usual glassfish.org page.

MySQL Performance

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Dimitri Kravtchuk talks to us about MySQL Performance. He covers improvements made over the past few years, including in MySQL 5.5, as well as MySQL Enterprise Scalability, the new MySQL 5.6 features improving performance and more.

Java 7 New Features Cookbook

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Packt has just published Richard M. Reese and Jennifer L. Reese's "Java 7 New Features Cookbook," aimed at understanding all the new exciting features Java 7 has to offer with a very practical recipe-based approach. This guide enables readers to use the new Java language improvements across a variety of tasks including monitoring directory events, as well as incorporating numerous development techniques. The book covers using the numerous Graphical User Interface improvements. It enables developers to manage threads using the join/fork paradigm and use new data structures.

Should You Allow Inbound E-Mail Over IPv6?

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Federal organizations are aiming for September 2012 mandate to IPv6-enable their Internet perimeter applications. This not only includes IPv6-enabling web servers, but also IPv6-enabling e-mail servers. Therefore e-mail servers would be allowing inbound SMTP (TCP port 25) connections over IPv4 and IPv6. However, most e-mail content filtering companies only have defensive capabilities for IPv4. Do organizations really want to allow IPv6 e-mail if it is less secure than IPv4? ..."

The Top 10 People Success Factors For IT Service Management

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"In a previous blog (The ABC Of ICT - The Top 10 People Issues), Paul Wilkinson of GamingWorks and I shared how the 'ABC of ICT' (the Attitude, Behavior, and Culture issues), or the 'people factor,' is a critical success or fail factor in IT, and particularly IT service management (ITSM), operational and improvement initiatives.

In this blog, we want to move on from the 'resistance areas' and share the top 10 critical success factors for dealing with the ABC of ICT ..."

Happy First Birthday, GlassFish 3.1

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

GlassFish 3.1 has now attained the respectable age of one, Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine reminds readers of his Aquarium b blog. The more salient aspects of this version, as Moussine-Pouchkine points out, were that the release conformed to the roadmap announced at the time of Sun's acquisition by Oracle; that it added key enhancements in centralized admin (SSH-based) and integrated much-improved high-availability cluster technology, thus making it a production-ready product; and that it introduced GlassFish Server Control, a set of tools to improve the production experience. The release of GlassFish 3.1.2 is imminent, he notes.

Insider Security Threats: 10 Tactics To Stop These Data Breaches

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"The full version of 2012 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report is being released soon. However, the report's preliminary findings show that a vast majority of data breaches in 2011 were the result of outsiders trying to break in for malicious purposes. With those kinds of numbers, it is very easy to forget that insider attacks are often as equally devastating as, if not more devastating than, external threats. Insider attacks are very common and can happen to anyone ..."

How to Catch an Internet Cyber Thief

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"They're out there, says security researchers: the Chinese hackers attempting to break into U.S. enterprises, and jihadist terrorists that brazenly post videos of sniper killings, while stealing credit-cards to launder money for funding nefarious campaigns in Mideast or Caucasus hot spots ... It's just a matter of finding them, and Dell SecureWorks researcher Joe Stewart described at the RSA Conference this week how he caught one by laboriously collecting information related to a Chinese hacker ..."

Protect Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Who will figure out how to provide food and clean water for a world population that soon will reach 7 billion people? Who will develop drugs to treat devastating diseases? Who will market the next generation of energy-saving solutions? And who will introduce the next big thing in information technology?

These questions spur on governments, entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers'all hoping to strike it big or advance the cause of humankind ..."

Why Are My Projects Struggling? Six Basics You Must Never Forget

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Lately, I've noticed that my projects are getting more complicated and status review meetings are focusing mostly on issues and complaints. In fact, all projects on the dashboard are struggling, which made me ask myself, 'What is going wrong in an otherwise well-oiled project management machine?' After reviewing the projects and reflecting on our project management practices of late, I gained some valuable insight into what has changed ..."

40% of Uk Businesses Breached Due To Spam

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Businesses are still struggling to deal with the problems caused by spam, and nearly half of them have experienced a data breach as a result of employees clicking on malicious links or files within spam emails ... The independent blind survey of 201 IT decision makers in UK organizations with between 5 and 1,000 employees commissioned by GFI Software reveals their opinions about the level of spam entering their organization's network ..."

Oracle Communications Converged Application Server Proves Its Mettle in Performance Test

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

In a performance test Oracle Communications Converged Application Server running on Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud, and using the Oracle Linux operating system, executed a SIP scenario based on a 13 message back-to-back user agent (B2BUA) - the standard industry SIP call-controlling component that maintains complete call state and controls call set up, management and termination. Running on an eight-node Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2 quarter rack and in high availability mode with full state replication, Oracle Communications Converged Application Server achieved peak capacity of approximately 180 million busy hour call attempts (BHCA) and a peak capacity of approximately 62 million BHCA.

How to Use FC Storage with Sun ZFS Appliance

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

In his oracle.com post Andrew Ness provides a procedure for configuring Fibre Channel LUNs in Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliance and integrating them into an Oracle Solaris 10 or Oracle Solaris 11 environment. Ness demonstrates -- with code samples and screen shots -- how one can employ the browser user interface and the Fibre Channel initiator stack that comes with Oracle Solaris 10 and 11 to accomplish this configuration.

Benchmarks Using Oracle Solaris 11

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle's list of benchmarks involving Solaris 11 and the SPARC T4, T4-2, and T4-4 processors includes:

SPARC T4-4 Beats 8-CPU IBM POWER7 on TPC-H @3000GB Benchmark
SPARC T4-2 Record SPECjvm2008 with Solaris 11
SPARC T4-2 Server Beats Intel* on ZFS Encryption
SPARC T4 Processor Beats Intel* on AES Encryption
SPARC T4 Processor Outperforms IBM POWER7 and Intel* on OpenSSL AES Encryption
SPARC T4-1 Server Outperforms Intel* on IPsec Encryption
SPARC T4-2 Server Beats Intel* on SSL Network
SPARC T4-2 Server Beats Intel* on Oracle Database Tablespace Encryption Queries

* All Westmere AES-NI

Considering Oracle Solaris 11?

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

It would require some effort to argue, in the face of the numerous points Marius Sholtz catalogs (most of them in links) for implementing Oracle Solaris 11. The synergistic combination of Solaris 11 and Oracle's SPARC systems is but one of the several reasons Sholtz offers, which range from ROI to investment protection, to virtualization in support of his contention that Solaris 11 is a solution that is entirely deserving of serious attention from CTOs and other IT professionals.

Oracle Announces Exalytics In-Memory Machine, Business Intelligence Foundation Suite

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine and Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite are now available. Oracle Exalytics features Oracle's Sun Fire server with 1 Terabyte of RAM, powered by the Intel Xeon processor E7-4800 with 40 processing cores, 40 Gb/s InfiniBand, 10 Gb/s Ethernet connectivity, and Integrated Lights Out Management. BI Foundation Suite features 87 new product capabilities and enhancements including visualizations, contextual interactions, performance and scale improvements, optimizations for Oracle Exalytics, and simplification for end users, developers and administrators. Oracle Exalytics is suited for use in heterogeneous IT environments, and can access and analyze data from Oracle or third-party data sources.

Calling BS on Cloud Hype: Prediction That Cloud Will Create 14 Million New Jobs is Misleading

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"More than half will be overseas; few will be in IT or even in cloud services ... Microsoft and IDC teamed up this morning to announce a miracle: Cloud computing, by automating much of the manual work of maintaining large computing infrastructures and making more efficient use of existing resources, will actually increase the number of IT jobs in the U.S. rather than reduce it, as every other successful effort to automate human labor has done ..."

Virtualizing Demanding Applications, Part I

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"While many organizations have gone down the route of server virtualization, many have also shied away from tier-1 applications for many reasons. Some still have pre-conceived opinions dating back to the early days of server virtualization where the technology was not ready to tackle these types of workloads. And then there are those organizations that have attempted to virtualize tier-1 applications and have been unsuccessful for the simple reason of not possessing the right knowledge to do so ..."

Java Spotlight Episode 72: Paul Perrone on Robotics and Automation

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

In Episode 72 of the Java Spotlight, host Roger Brinkley discusses robotics and automation with Paul Perrone, founder and CEO of Perrone Robotics. The regular members of the Java All Star Developer Panel, Dalibor Topic, Java Free and Open Source Software Amabassador, and Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine, take their customary seats. Paul Perrone architected the Java-based general-purpose robotics and automation software platform known as 'MAX' and has overseen MAX's application to the rapidly developing field of self-driving robotic cars, unmanned air vehicles, factory and road-side automation applications, and a wide range of advanced robots and automaton applications.

IDC Analyzes Oracle's All Out Assault on the Big Data Market

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

The IDC analysis called "Oracle's All-Out Assault on the Big Data Market: Offering Hadoop, R, Cubes, and Scalable IMDB in Familiar Packages," describes the evolution of the market and the increasing demand for off-the-shelf solutions. The pdf considers Oracle's recent release of Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine, Oracle Big Data Appliance, and Oracle TimesTen in-Memory Database 11g Release 2, along with an analysis of Oracle's approach to the developing big data market. IDC describes how Oracle solutions facilitate the user through the four step process (acquire, organize, analyze, and decide) it has identified as key in adopting big data solutions.

Don't Let Data Drive Your Compliance Efforts

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Compliance continues to be a driver for many security programs, but not necessarily for the right reason, says former NSA analyst and current Accuvant GRC guru Doug Landoll in an interview at the RSA Conference ... Last week Dark Reading had a chance to catch up with governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) expert Doug Landoll at the RSA Conference to talk about trends he's seeing from customers, partners, and prospects as they navigate new challenges in 2012 ..."

4 BYOD Security Strategies

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Your network might be hosting a BYOD (bring your own device) party even if you don't realize it. It doesn't matter whether your company actually allows employees to use their personal mobile devices for business purposes: Those smartphones and tablets are still inside the corporate walls ..."

Securing Data In the Cloud

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"When it comes to data security and cloud computing, many companies indulge in magical thinking: They envision the cloud as a single type of computing platform guarded by service providers that secure the data and think through the tough issues. In fact, while cloud computing may reduce costs, it introduces new layers of complexity that must be managed by your company's IT, legal and executive personnel ..."

Tips for a Successful PaaS Rollout

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Any corporate application developer hoping to make the journey to the cloud with the help of a Platform as a Service implementation is wise to listen to those who have already ventured down that path.

Be prepared to clearly articulate where you want to go and why you want to go there to the decision makers in your company ..."

Big Data Meets Virtualization

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Cloud is no longer the biggest buzz around the IT water cooler, at least not directly. The tech term that is all the rage now is Big Data. What is Big Data and what does that have to do with virtualization and private clouds? The best place to start is with some definitions ..."

IBM Takes Watson Supercomputer to the Bank

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"With health care as the first major vertical market IBM has taken its Watson question-answering technology to, Big Blue has now entered into an agreement with Citigroup to explore the use of Watson in financial services, particularly the banking industry.

On March 5, Citigroup announced it had entered into an agreement with IBM to explore possible uses for IBM Watson ..."

6 Data Recovery Tools for SD Cards, USB Drives and More

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"As USB thumb drives and memory cards get larger and cheaper, it's getting easier to trust much more of your data to them. It's also much easier to mistakenly erase data or have them hiccup on you. And if you're in the habit of holding on to that data for too long -- for example, not transferring photos from your camera's memory card -- disaster is almost guaranteed to strike at some point. What happens then? ..."

Securing Data In the Cloud

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"While cloud computing may reduce costs, it introduces new layers of complexity that must be managed by your company's IT, legal and executive personnel.

When it comes to data security and cloud computing, many companies indulge in magical thinking: They envision the cloud as a single type of computing platform guarded by service providers that secure the data and think through the tough issues. In fact, while cloud computing may reduce costs, it introduces new layers of complexity that must be managed by your company's IT, legal and executive personnel ..."

Security Budgets Increase Due To EU Data Protection Laws

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Tufin announced the results of a survey assessing how the recently announced updates to EU Data Protection legislation will impact IT compliance efforts ... 42% of the 100 network security managers sampled by the firewall management software provider said the proposed changes led to increased risk awareness within their organization ..."

Hard Drive Shortage: Lessons Learned

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Any infrastructure administrator takes pride in introducing as many separation layers and failure domains as possible into a design. As we have learned from the recent hard-drive shortage due to the flooding in Thailand, we cannot design or plan for a redundant supply chain.

It is difficult to buy any storage at all right now, and even if one is lucky enough to find some hardware for sale, it will be very expensive. Recent reports from Western Digital, for example, state that hard-drive unit sales are down by 51 percent and that their selling prices for those that have shipped is up 50 percent. As IT professionals, we need to be ready to go with new solutions to tackle this challenge ..."

Storage Sales Growth Slows, Perhaps Because of Cloud, Dedupe

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Although storage systems revenue grew during the fourth quarter of 2011 and for the entire year, that growth slowed compared to previous periods.

According to IDC's worldwide quarterly disk storage systems tracker, external disk systems (networked storage) increased 7.7% year-over-year to $6.6 billion in the last quarter of 2011. That compares to 16.2% year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter of 2010, and 10.8% growth in the third quarter of 2011.

For the full year, external disk storage revenue increased 10.6% in 2011 compared to 18.3% growth in 2010 ..."

Elegance and Security: Sparse Encrypted ZFS Pools

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Sparse Encrypted ZFS Pools are beautifully simple creations, Constantin Gonzalez contends in a recent post. Sparse encrypted disk images show up just like any other hard drive, except on the back end, where they translate into a bunch of flat files that store all the data in an encrypted manner, he writes. By rsyncing the backing store, sparse encrypted disk images can be easily backed up across the net, while ensuring privacy and convenience. Gonzalez outlines a procedure for producing a solution that is encrypted, robust, convenient, and fine-grained, cautioning that it has not yet been blessed by Solaris engineering.

New illumos-Based Distro, illumian, Is Available

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

Illumian, an illumos-based distro, is available, differing principally in its packaging system from the OpenIndiana and the first iso, and also featuring a very simple text-mode installer developed by Nexenta for the NCP distribution. Subscribers are invited.

Networks Offer Best Security for BYOD, Consumerization of IT

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"Christopher Young, head of security at Cisco, emphasized the importance and power of the network in his keynote speech on the second day of the RSA Conference.

Information security professionals are faced with two difficult questions when trying to secure the network. They can either lock down the network, or free up the technology, according to Cisco's newly appointed head of security.

The Bring Your Own Device trend and the consumerization of IT pose significant challenges to the enterprise ..."

IT's 6-Step Guide to Adopting Consumerization

2012-03-05T17:00:00+01:00

"If your IT department is resisting the 'consumerization' trend, it's in the minority. Recent research shows that most enterprises are proactively addressing this trend and the new relationship between IT and users that often accompanies a consumer IT strategy. What do they know that you don't? ..."

Destination: SPARC

2012-03-02T17:00:00+01:00

From the March/April 2012 Issue, "In 2010 Oracle committed to delivering new SPARC chips and server hardware every 12 to 18 months. Over a five-year period, this SPARC roadmap called for improvement of 4 times the cores, 32 times the threads, 16 times the memory capacity, 40 times the database transactions, and 10 times the Java operations per second. So far, on-the-ground results exceed those commitments.

Instead of what was promised on the SPARC and Oracle Solaris roadmap, Oracle is delivering more. The driving time to major SPARC milestones has gotten shorter, and with the recent release of the SPARC T4 chip, Oracle is providing better-than-promised performance."

It's True: Compliance Can Be Good For Your Business

2012-03-01T17:00:00+01:00

"The best insurance for your organization is often the processes required for compliance ...

I've often thought that many businesses not subject to compliance requirements should still pick one or two compliance standards and become at least informally compliant. While that may seem like a lot of extra, expensive work, if done with thought and prudence, it can be better insurance than anything a company can buy ..."

The bright future of LibreOffice

2012-02-29T17:00:00+01:00

February 2012 was a coming-of-age for the LibreOffice open source productivity suite. Multiple announcements show the project is well-supported and thriving. But what of the future?

Formed out of Oracle's neglect of the OpenOffice.org project by a community uprising in 2010, LibreOffice quickly gathered a critical mass of developers to work on it, drawn from a diverse set of backgrounds and motivations. They hunkered down on the tasks that had been hard to address while the project was in the hands of Sun Microsystems (where I was once employed), such as removing unused code from the project's two-decade legacy or making it possible for a beginner to get involved through Easy Hacks. A year and a half later, there's much to show for their efforts, yet so much more to do.

Going Green Does Pay for Itself

2012-02-29T17:00:00+01:00

"Savings from server virtualization alone practically pay for document management, storage virtualization, and cloud computing ...

If there's any silver lining to the past few years of a tough economy, it's that organizations have learned firsthand the benefits of embracing greener, more efficient practices to cut costs, rather than outright eliminating valuable services. In fact, a new study conducted by O'Keefe and Company and sponsored by CDW-G has found that organizations can reap even greater returns on their sustainable IT investments by reinvesting savings into additional green-tech implementations ..."

CIOs Must Be Aware Private Cloud Plan Hijackers

2012-02-29T17:00:00+01:00

"Employees with something to lose will try to thwart your private cloud plans. The boss needs to take charge ... Private cloud is inevitable, but that doesn't mean the road is going to be smooth. One of the major roadblocks is going to be your own staff, so we can expect the same tar-pitted demise of traditional server and storage infrastructures as we experienced with the decline of mainframe computing.

Why not get out ahead of the curve, rip off the Band-Aid, and start to realize the substantial benefits of private clouds? We should all be so lucky. Truth is, substantial change is hard and is met with resistance ..."

Tracking Down Advanced Threats In Your Network

2012-02-29T17:00:00+01:00

"The lion's share of attacks that target companies will be opportunistic scams and cybercrime, but companies that want to protect their customer information and corporate intellectual property need to also worry about the more persistent attackers.

While the term 'advanced persistent threat' (APT) has become a marketing buzzword, persistent attackers do pose a real threat for companies, Greg Hoglund, founder and chief technology officer of HBGary, told attendees here today at the RSA Conference. As attackers learn the benefits of quietly establishing a beachhead inside corporate networks, corporate IT security teams need to assume that the bad guys have already made it past their defenses and actively hunt down the intruders in their networks ..."

Who Do You Blame When IT Breaks?

2012-02-29T17:00:00+01:00

"There's always a reason why things break in IT, and the powers-that-be can usually find someone to blame -- be it a data center operations staff member, an OEM, a systems integrator or a third party service provider.

An offender often leaves clear fingerprints showing that a component was mislabeled or a process wasn't updated. In other cases, an incident may be the result of oversights by multiple parties.

But with the possible exception of a meteor strike, there's always someone to blame for a data center problem ..."

4 Cloud Computing Pain Points That Still Hurt

2012-02-28T17:00:00+01:00

"At this month's Cloud Connect event, David Linthicum, CTO of Blue Mountain Labs, gave an informative one-hour talk on cloud architecture and design. It concluded with a list of 17 steps to getting it right ..."

"'Most of this is just common sense,' he told the crowd. To a practiced architect it may be common sense, but to some first-time implementers, it's clearly a challenge. The fact that 17 steps are involved may indicate that when it comes to cloud computing, common sense may be less common than some imagine ..."

A CIO's Evolved Take On Social Media

2012-02-28T17:00:00+01:00

"Whether you call it social media, social networking, or social business (I prefer the latter), the end goal, for business users, is to improve the bottom line. The dotcom era taught us that the models may change but the fundamentals of business remain constant. I have realized, as a CIO, that I've had to let go of my fears and embrace social media, for the betterment of my organization ..."

Coverity Study Find Open Source Holds Its Own Against Proprietary Code

2012-02-28T17:00:00+01:00

In its third annual report, Coverity concludes that the quality of open source code is equal to, or even better than that of proprietary software. Coverity analyzed more than 37 million lines of open source code from 45 major open source projects and over 300 million lines of proprietary software code. The open source projects were found to have an average defect density of 0.45, based on the number of defects per 1,000 lines of code, and the proprietary code was found to have 0.64 defects in every 1,000 lines of proprietary software code.

Single-Atom Computer Gives Moore's Law the Cold Shoulder

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Transistors and integrated circuits, while not thought of daily in the enterprise, nevertheless have a profound and direct effect on what can be accomplished with computing technology.

One of the tenets of computing has long been Moore's Law, named for Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, who, in a 1965 paper, posited that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. Moore was uncannily correct, for the law has been used, successfully, in semiconductor and computer industry planning for half a century.

But has Moore's Law's time come to an end? ..."

BYOD Strains Corporate Wireless Network Bandwidth

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"It used to be that enterprises could plan for a one-device-per-user ratio. But with BYOD, each employee uses multiple devices, putting significant strain on traditional wireless network bandwidth infrastructures.

In the bring your own device (BYOD) era, a corporate wireless network that scales to 50 devices is no longer enough, said Rob Shaughnessy, CTO of Circadence, a WAN optimization company based in Boulder, Colo ..."

The BYOD Struggle: From Writing Apps to Defining Security

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Companies are grappling with the question of whether and how to let employees use their own smartphones and tablets at work even as a huge push is being made to set up internal "app stores" of approved and custom-built corporate mobile apps.

'We identified our needs, and we're planning on custom mobile apps,' says Lincoln Cannon, director of sales and marketing technology at Utah-based Merit Medical Systems, a maker of medical equipment. The company has few reservations about allowing employees to use Apple iPads, including their own, to present information to business customers and allow access to cloud-based services, such as Google Docs, where product-related documents and videos are placed ..."

FCC Offers Advice to ISPs for Boosting Network Security

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency of the US government whose goals include public safety, says that Internet service providers should come up with a voluntary code of conduct aimed at keeping their customers and the Internet infrastructure safe from various threats.

As the danger of getting cut off the Internet looms over around 400,000 users still compromised by the DNS Changer malware, it seems clear that users should not be wholly counted upon keeping their machines from falling into botnet masters' hands ..."

14 Compatible Java EE 6 Implementations Now Available

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

With addition of JBoss's Java EE 6 Full Platform product, there are now 14 compatible servers available, writes Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine. The choices are between vendor (open source or not) and platform (web or full). He predicts that, with all the new JSR's following the JCP 2.8 modus operandi, such public pages of compatible implementations should become the rule. This will of course apply to Java EE 7, but also to individual specifications.

Ten Reasons To Trash Your Risk Management Plan

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Do you have a Risk Management Plan (RMP)? If you do not, then this article is not for you. If you are managing a project of any size and you have not developed a Risk Management Plan, then your project is most likely already in trouble.

If your answer is yes, then you may want to continue reading this article. Many people talk about and also attempt to develop a Risk Management Plan but either give up on it or place the effort in the low-priority to-do list ..."

Best Practices when Evaluating Cloud Computing Services

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"With the endless amount of cloud computing options to choose from selecting the right service for your company can be overwhelming. Do you go with public versus private cloud computing? Technology stacks or service-level agreements? This expert e-guide from SearchCloudComputing.com explains how to uncover the best cloud solution for your company. Find out how to evaluate cloud computing services and discover how to focus on your IT departments strategy around two service delivery approaches ..."

EAL4+ Certification Process Underway for Solaris 11

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

Solaris 11 has been submitted for certification by the Canadian Common Criteria Scheme in Level EAL4+. Certification will be against the protection profile "Operating System Protection Profile (OS PP)" as well as the extensions Advanced Management (AM); Extended Identification and Authentication (EIA); Labeled Security (LS); and Virtualization (VIRT). According to Oracle, EAL4+ is the highest level typically achievable for commercial software. Completion of the certification lies in the hands of the certification authority. Readers can follow the status of this certification (as well as other certified Oracle software) on the page Oracle Security Evaluations.

Shall I Use Zones or LDOMs?

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

A user asked, "We are running/migrating to T2/T3/T4 servers, and considering for our setup the virtualization possibilities. What shall we go for, zones or ldoms?" and Karoly Vegh writes, "Zones and LDOMs are not rivalling, but complementary technologies. If you need kernelspace separation, use ldoms. But run your applications in zones within those ldoms anyway!" Especially with Solaris 11, with Crossbow, the new network virtualization technology and the possibility to run Solaris 11 native zones and Solaris10 branded zones on top of Solaris 11, you have two quite powerful technologies to really get your server's worth.

MIT Takes Aim at Secure, Self-Healing Cloud

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"What if a cloud computing infrastructure could recognize a cyberattack, eliminate it, and never stop working while all that is being done? That's what researchers at MIT, with help from the federal government, are investigating the feasibility of.

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have received funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to bring about a cloud infrastructure that could identify cyberattacks and heal itself from any damages ..."

Six Principles for Effective Cloud Computing

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"The growing shift to cloud computing can deliver significant value -- but most enterprises have little knowledge of the perils of transferring IT decision making away from technology specialists to business unit leaders.

Eliminating oversight and governance from cloud computing decisions can create significant risk to organizations, effectively undermining any benefits of moving to the cloud and, at the same time, potentially creating serious issues for organizations ..."

Too Many Connections Weakens Networks

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Administrators and network engineers have long assumed that the more connections they insert between multiple networks the more resilient the communications between these networks will be. The Internet, for example, derives much of its resiliency from multiple, redundant links. But this is true only up to a point. Too many connections can actually be dangerous, because failures in one network can easily cascade to the other, noted Charles Brummitt, a mathematics researcher at the University of California, Davis, who led a team that looked into this issue ..."

Securing Flat Networks

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"There's a debate emerging in the IT community about the use of flat networks vs. traditional tiered networks. In a flat network, hosts on the same subnet don't require the use of a Layer 3 switch or router to communicate. This reduction in L3 activity can make flat networks more efficient and increase network performance. Flat networks can also support highly virtualized environments and key virtualization features such as virtual machine migration.

However, by moving to a flat network, common L3 filtering controls such as firewalls and access control lists won't necessarily be available because more devices will sit on the same subnet ..."

Enterprise Single Sign-on ROI Calculator

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

A post by Naresh Persaud demonstrates the use of an Enterprise Single Sign-on ROI Calculator, that uses aspects of end-user information and help desk information to calculate the actual ROI of employing ESSO. The post has a link to the ROI calculator the enables readers to plug in their own data for a demonstration of their respective costs.

New Docs and Updates with JavaFX 2.0.3

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

Along with the update for JavaFX 2.0.3 are both articles and improvements in the documentation. Among these are:

Concurrency in JavaFX
JavaFX Interoperability with SWT
Tree View, a new chapter of the JavaFX UI Controls tutorial
Handling JavaFX Events
Getting Started with FXML In addition, the PDF downloads that are linked from each JavaFX article have a new book-like appearance.

Choose A Colocation Provider

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Getting it right the first time is crucial when selecting a colocation provider, says Darin Stahl, Info-Tech Research Group lead analyst. For example, SMEs that move equipment into a provider's space only to have to switch providers shortly after due to lack of foresight will pay a heavy price.

'When you get into a colocation, switching costs are enormous,' he says. 'This isn't like buying a bunch of photocopiers, being unhappy with them, and putting them to the curb and getting new Xeroxes in. It's a big deal to go through switching.' To find a good fit with a colocation provider, consider the following ..."

Troubleshooting VPNs

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"VPNs have emerged as a safe way for users to exchange information from beyond the enterprise's firewall. In addition to doing a good job of keeping bad guys from being able to intercept data, VPN connections are easy to use'once they are up and running. The problem is that a number of things, including IP address conflicts and firewall configuration problems, can break the links.

Troubleshooting VPN connections can cause a lot of headaches, and with overstretched IT staff, fixing problems can eat up hours, if not days, of time. But keeping a cool head and methodically applying troubleshooting processes can spare you and your users a lot of grief ..."

CIO vs. CFO: Five Ways to Ensure the IT Leader Role Wins Out

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Even though many finance chiefs seem to think the days of the CIO role may be numbered, IT leaders still have a number of options to strengthen their hand.

The headline figures make grim reading for IT professionals hoping to build a long-term career as a CIO. Almost one in five CFOs thinks the CIO role will disappear within five years, according to new research.

Worse, the survey of 203 key financial decision-makers by IT specialist Getronics and consultancy Loudhouse suggests 43 per cent of CFOs believe the IT leadership role will inevitably merge with the top finance position.

So, how can CIOs ensure their role does not become redundant? ..."

Developing Seamless Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"The development of recovery times for both the business organization's business continuity plan and the IT department's disaster recovery plan need to be developed through the collaboration of both parties for either plan to provide the proper protection. However in my thirty-five years in the business continuity and resiliency field I have found in many situations they are not.

The reasons for this can be timing or a lack of knowledge of the overall business continuity and/or disaster recovery planning process coupled with a lack of understanding of each other's real recovery timing needs ..."

CFO Horror Story: Can You Trust Your Spreadsheets?

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"What are some of the key security concerns that CIOs need to address, with the development of a BYOD environment in the enterprises? ...

Consumerization of IT provides many opportunities, but it also creates some security challenges. Much of these challenges are rooted in the fact that the mobility of these devices introduces security management issues around access control, data protection and compliance, as well as the fact that employee-owned devices used for work introduce added IT complexity -- it's not always clear who owns the device, and furthermore, who owns what data on the device ..."

NAND Flash in the Data Center: 10 Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Perhaps the most consistent trend (for more than eight years now) in data storage, covering both the enterprise and consumer markets, is the continued development and improvement of solid-state disk NAND flash media. All the major storage and device companies offer solid-state drive (SSD) options for be servers, laptops and other devices. Tablet PCs have been using NAND flash all along, and their skyrocketing sales have been a huge validation of the media's market value. In the data center environment, however, there are some precautions and limitations in NAND flash that should be discussed and evaluated ahead of a major investment ..."

How To Sneak Into A Security Conference

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"When I checked in at the RSA 2012 conference, I was directed to wear my badge at all times.

'You won't be able to go anywhere without it,' a registration official informed me.

But this does not seem to be an obstacle for my anonymous source, whom I met on the first day of the conference. A risk management and physical security expert, he is in the business of 'pen-testing humans' via social engineering, he said, and he also has an expertise in event security. I met him while I was covering the event, and he agreed to give me details of how he snuck into RSA in a matter of minutes without any credentials'and then went back and got credentials under a fake name to boot ..."

Data Protection Basics

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Protecting your data should be the No. 1 priority on your company's agenda. Once all of your other equipment and systems are in place, you have to be able to protect them and the information they store. After all, without this data, most companies wouldn't be able to function. 'If you lose your data, you are likely to lose your company,' says Pierluigi Stella, CTO at Network Box USA. 'That to me seems reason enough to protect your data.'

Stella says that encryption is the key because if hackers 'can't see it, they can't steal it,' but there are also other factors to consider. We'll show you a few simple ways to protect your data and help prevent outside threats from getting through ..."

Employees are Deliberately Disabling Security Controls

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Corporate mobile devices and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phenomenon are rapidly circumventing enterprise security and policies, say the results of a new global study sponsored by Websense.

Speaking with Help Net Security at the RSA Conference 2012 today, Tom Clare Senior Director of Product Marketing at Websense introduced the results to our readers ..."

Five Strategic Security Metrics to Watch

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Information security specialists like to argue over a lengthy list of possible metrics to measure their systems' security posture.

For managers and executives, however, the picture needs to be simplified to a less controversial collection of measurements. While security administrators focus on technical metrics, managers and chief security officers have to focus on how IT security interacts with business, says Kevin Lawrence, senior security associate with IT security consultancy Stach & Liu ..."

Social Media: Seven Ways to Make it Work at Work

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"If your company is like many others, you're already exploring social media. But are these efforts providing real value? Or is social media perceived as more like a novelty -- interesting enough, occasionally amusing but ultimately disconnected from the delivery of business-focused outcomes? The book, 'The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees', reveals what CIOs and other senior executives must understand about social media to maximize its potential ..."

85% of Hospitals Embracing BYOD, Survey Show

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"A survey of the networking priorities of 130 hospitals found that about 85% support the use of personal devices like iPads, Blackberries and Android smartphones at work.

The survey, performed by Aruba Networks, focused mainly on network issues and showed varying levels of access to business apps through employees' devices ..."

Your Quick Guide to a Successful Cloud Architecture

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"There is no guarantee for cloud deployment success -- but there's a path that can strongly increase the odds ...

Technology vendors like to sell "guaranteed" success for building your own cloud computing service, whether public, private, or hybrid. Don't believe them. In my consulting work, I find the path to success is not that straightforward.

But there is a path to success, and based on my experience, here's my set of guidelines for the definition, design, and implementation of cloud computing solutions. It should at least push you in the right direction ... "

Chief Mobility Officer: The Next Big Job

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"The idea of having a chief mobility officer (CMO) isn't new in the enterprise world. But as companies now scramble to establish mobile strategies, a CMO could be one key to success, according to a new Forrester Research report.

Smartphones and tablets are "the manifestation of a much broader shift to new systems of engagement" with customers, partners and employees, Forrester said in the 30-page report ..."

Procedure for an Automated Install without Network Boot for Solaris 11

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

In a post on Solaris 11 Automated Install without a Boot Andrew Watkins explains that one need not boot the client with DHCP but can instead boot it from a local device (CD or USB). On the download page for Solaris, he writes, you will see Automated Installer can be downloaded as an ISO or USB version. He then cites the various options that come up on the boot and notes that one can choose between Solaris 11 Automated Install Custom and Solaris 11 Automated Install (plain and simple). His post covers the install procedure step by step.

Virtualization and Cloud Deployments of Oracle E-Business Suite

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

A replay is now available of "Virtualization and Cloud Deployments of Oracle E-Business Suite." The webcast features Ivo Dujmović, Director, Applications Development, who discusses virtualization and cloud deployments of Oracle E-Business Suite, covering topics such as why clouds and virtualization matter to you; Oracle Cloud and Virtualization technology; E-Business Suite cloud capabilities; and your cloud action plan.

Solaris 11 Automated Installer Quick Setup Guide in a Zone

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

Andrew Watkins presents a how-to for a quick setup guide to automated installation of Solaris 11 in a zone. Watkins writes that this automated install is a "very easy" procedure.

What's Missing From DLP

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"In most organizations today, there is sensitive data that is overexposed and vulnerable to misuse or theft, leaving IT in an ongoing race to prevent data loss. Packet sniffers, firewalls, virus scanners, and spam filters are doing a good job securing the borders, but what about insider threats? The threat of legitimate, authorized users unwittingly (or wittingly) leaking critical data just by accessing data that is available to them is all too real. Analyst firms such as IDC estimate that in 5 years, unstructured data, which makes up 80 percent of organizational data, will grow by 650 percent ..."

IBM Touts Quantum Computing Breakthrough

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Scientists at IBM Research today said they have achieved a major advance in quantum computing that will allow engineers to begin work on creating a full-scale quantum computer.

The breakthrough allowed scientists to reduce data error rates in elementary computations while maintaining the integrity of quantum mechanical properties in quantum bits of data, known as qubits.

The creation of a quantum computer would mean data processing power would be exponentially increased over what is possible with today's conventional CPUs, according to Mark Ketchen, the manager of physics of information at the IBM's TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY ..."

SSD, Scale-Out Architecture to Grow

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"As SSD capacity continues to increase and prices drop, use of SSD for enterprise tier 1 applications is going to become more and more common. At the same time, enterprises are adopting scale-out architectures. It's an exciting time to be involved in enterprise storage.

Moore's Law is definitely in effect when it comes to solid state storage, and as the technology and market mature, the storage world is moving towards a place where SSDs are not just silicon disks, but full solid state systems, says Kurt Marko ..."

Robots that Fly and Cooperate (16 min video, very cool technology)

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"In his lab at Penn, Vijay Kumar and his team build flying quadrotors, small, agile robots that swarm, sense each other, and form ad hoc teams -- for construction, surveying disasters and far more.

At the University of Pennsylvania, Vijay Kumar studies the control and coordination of multi-robot formations ..."

When Reality Hits - Project Managers Roll With It

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"One of the top challenges new PM types face is facing, and then dealing, with reality. That point in the project when things just aren't going as planned�

At the beginning of the project your Gantt view is a work of art - each dependency perfectly linked, all tasks accounted for, the ideal project team fully secured, plus your project will be ready to launch a full week before the deadline. All is good in the world.

But then�a team member is out sick for days on end, the key-art has been delayed a week, the client demands another design round ..."

Companies Should Secure Their Websites Before Worrying about DDoS Attacks from Anonymous

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Organizations that look to protect themselves against attacks launched by the Anonymous hacktivist collective should make sure that their Web applications are secure before deploying anti-DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) solutions, says security firm Imperva in a new report.

The report analyzes a 2011 Anonymous attack against an organization that Imperva declined to name, but claims is well-known. 'This is the first time we're aware of someone chronicling, from cradle to grave, a full Anonymous attack,' said Rob Rachwald ..."

10 Signs That You Aren't Cut Out for IT

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"It's a tough world out there. Anyone who's ever worked in IT knows just how tough it is. And if you're not totally up for the challenge, there will always be someone else who is. But for anyone considering getting into the world of IT, or for those considering getting out of IT ... how do you know? How do you know whether you are really cut out for the career that chews up and spits out its young? ..."

Your Online History Jeopardizes Your Career

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

"Your reputation precedes you, and it may not be pretty. What we post online -- or what our friends post on our social-media pages -- can tarnish our professional and personal images. A survey from Microsoft says we're not dealing very well with this reality (most people won't even conduct a simple search for their own names). Ultimately, though, your chances for success depend on getting proactive ..."

CIFS Sharing on Solaris 11 to Enable Windows Clients to Access Files

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

Blogger Paul Johnson posts on how to properly set up a CIFS server on your Solaris 11 machine so that Windows clients can access files. He provides a like to documentation but, as well, shares the necessary instructions for the procedure from beginning to end.

Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Newsletter

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

The February edition of the Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Newsletter is now available. Contents include:

Oracle Database Lifecycle Management
Enterprise Management Online Forum
Database as a Service

Subscribe to receive the Oracle Enterprise Manager Newsletter.

Java Spotlight Episode 71 Features Alex Buckley on the Java Language and VM Specifications

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

Java Spotlight Episode 71 features an interview with Alex Buckley on the Java Language and VM Specifications. Dalibor Topic, Java Free and Open Source Software Ambassador, takes his customary chair on the Java All Star Developer Panel.

ZFS Shadow Migration: Migrating Files in the Background

2012-02-27T17:00:00+01:00

In his recent post on Less known Solaris 11 features, Joerg Moellenkamp discusses the shadow migration feature of the ZFS Storage Appliance, which enables users to do migrations of data in the background. For example, Moellenkamp writes, imagine you want to replace a RAIDZ with RAID10. Shadow Migration is the perfect tool for this procedure, as Moellenkamp illustrates in his how-to. With the Shadow Migration feature, he writes, you can migrate the data from one local or remote filesystem to another, while you are already accessing the new one to get the data on the old ZFS filesystem.

Oracle Posts SPEC SFS Benchmark

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle scored another triumph in its campaign to dominate OpenStorage with its SPC-1 benchmark result that was 2X faster at half the cost of NetApp. The systems involved were Oracle's 7320 and two NetApp systems, 3270 and 3160. Blogger Darius Zanganeh attributes this level of performance to Oracle's superior engineering and its use of the Hybrid Storage Pool in the ZFS Storage Appliance.

Resizing a Mirror with ZFS

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

Doubling the capacity of the four 250GB disks in his VDI setup running Solaris 10 proved relatively easy, Daniel Cifuentes posts. It came to be that 11 Windows XP desktops, 5 Ubuntu desktops and 3 Windows 7 desktops were a bit too much for the 250GB capacity. So, in spite of cautions that his goals was not attainable, Cifuentes proceeded with the series of commands (which he includes in the post) required to realize this doubling of capacity. Summing up his experience, Cifuentes writes, " ... mirrored, replaced and upgraded, disk capacity expanded, downtime required: ZERO.

Oracle Linux Support Lifecycle Extended to 10 Years

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

Oracle has not only covered the extension of Ksplice support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux but also extended the Oracle Linux Support lifecycle to cover a time frame of 10 years. With this announcement, Oracle is bringing its Linux support policy in line with the already existing support periods for Oracle Solaris. Existing customers can continue to run the same release of Oracle Linux 5 and 6 for two additional years.

LibreOffice Foundation Symbolises Maturity

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

Simon Phipps celebrates the evolution of both LibreOffice and The Document Foundation in his post LibreOffice Foundation Symbolizes Maturity. He points to several indications of advancing stages in this evolution, including:

Release of LibreOffice 3.5
Survey results showing increasing diversity in the participant community
Announcement of the next LibreOffice Conference
Opening of Ask LibreOffice, a StackOverflow-style community support site To Phipps' eye, all of these developments clearly reveal " ... a refreshing story of community triumphing over adversity."

Java Spotlight Episode 70: Kotlin, Live at #Jfokus

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

In Java Spotlight Episode 70, host Roger Brinkley interviews Andrey Breslev, lead language designer at JetBrains on Project Kotlin, a statically typed programming language compiled to JVM byte code and JavaScript.

The Distinction Between a Standard and a Preferred Vendor

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

In his post on "The Difference Between a Standard and a Preferred Vendor" Constantin Gonzalez makes some important distinctions between the two terms. A standard is not, he contends, a processor architecture, a hypervisor implementation, nor an operating system. x86, VMware, and Linux are not standards; J2EE is. Gonzalez includes some recommendations concerning building clouds and establishing standards:

Standardize on one thing only: the interface between you and your service suppliers, customers, and service consumers
Do not accept any standardization below the level of the interface you provide
Distinguish between standardization and choosing a preferred vendor

InfiniBand Building Blocks

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

The InfiniBand technology underlying Oracle's Engineered Systems prompts a post from Neeraj Gupta, who focuses on the configuration inside a rack involving two servers interconnected by InfiniBand leaf switches. He also discusses the IB software, especially Subnet Manager, that the configuration calls for. Gupta illustrates his post with screen shots and code samples.

JavaFX 2 Gains in Popularity with the Developer Community

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

Based on a number of considerations, JavaFX is growing in popularity. Such metrics as the number of JavaFX SDK downloads, the number of JavaFX session attendees at JavaOne, or even the results of informal polls, such as the one posted by Kevin Farrell on java.net (Will you use JavaFX for development once it's fully ported to Mac and Linux platforms?) strongly suggest the increasing favor JavaFX is finding in the developer community.

'Murbach's Java Programming' Gets Thumbs Up from Geertjan

2012-02-24T17:00:00+01:00

There is high praise for "Murach's Java Programming" in Geertjan Wielenga's recent post, where he writes, "The book is really driven via NetBeans IDE 7 and uses Java 7, so you'll be using the latest version of Java, together with the tools created to support it. With 23 chapters, 802 pages, 340 illustrations... it seems like a very worthwhile book to buy. I know I'm going to get it and will report back on my findings soon!"

12 Tips On Acing Your Next Phone Interview

2012-02-22T17:00:00+01:00

"Phone interviews can be nerve-racking, but you have to get through them if you want to get to the next level. Since the interviewer can't actually see you, they are judging you solely on your voice, answers and any other sounds that come through during the conversation.

According to Bailo, the stakes are higher today than ever before. More job candidates make initial contact with prospective employers via the telephone and the first 15 seconds either make or break the interview ..."

Building A SOC, From Outsourcing to DIY

2012-02-22T17:00:00+01:00

"Building blocks for developing the most effective security operations center ...

Today's security professionals need to have accurate information accessible to them at a moment's notice. That accessibility is critical in order for them to respond to security incidents efficiently and effectively. Pulling all of that information together can be difficult since it has to be collected from all corners of the enterprise. Yet, difficult or not, it's necessary so that triage can be performed quickly ..."

Strengthening Third-Party Contracts to Lower Breach Risk

2012-02-22T17:00:00+01:00

"FTC breach, contract deficiencies highlight importance of including security provisions within technology contracts

Details emerged this week that showed that recent Anonymous hacks of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) websites could potentially have been prevented had the FTC not dispensed with security provisions in a contract with the third-party vendors who hosted the sites. As organizations continue to divide labor in IT'particularly in development of public-facing websites'the incident could prove a good lesson in the importance of shoring up contract language and SLAs to ensure third parties are not adding undue risks of data breaches in the future ..."

7 Ways to Toughen Enterprise Mobile Device Security

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Smartphones extend the network perimeter like never before, but also give potential attackers new entry routes. Consider these get-tough strategies. What's the best way to secure mobile devices used in the enterprise?

Start by realizing that employee-owned mobile devices, in the wrong hands, could provide anytime, anywhere access to corporate secrets. Accordingly, they must be secured, and your business secured against their potential misuse. Here's where to start ..."

One Simple Step To Better Network Security

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"If you're like most companies that hire security consultants, you're reading this blog for advice you'll never use. You'll tell me that security is a priority, but your inaction will say otherwise. You'll be like the guy who joins the gym in January and quits by March, or the woman who consults with her nutritionist in the morning, then has pizza for lunch. Or like the recent college grad I've been mentoring, who tells me she has done 'everything' to get a better job. Everything? ..."

What Your CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"The cloud services agreement is a complex issue in today's environment. Many such agreements are effectively nonnegotiable, and you should use caution trusting vendors with mission-critical functions or sensitive company data ... most CEOs already know quite a bit about the potential benefits and pitfalls of cloud services. Consider an application service provider (ASP) transaction circa 2000. Even back then, cost, flexibility and the promise of eliminating at least some of a company's IT infrastructure argued in favor of the ASP solution. Service level agreements (SLAs) were entering our lexicon. Information security was nascent. One of the overarching concerns was relinquishing control to the vendor, especially for mission-critical applications. That general concern, however, probably found its genesis in the mid-1980s, with the advent of outsourcing arrangements ..."

Cloud Computing Is Still In Its Adolescence

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"The cloud is one of those amorphous technologies that gets trotted out as the answer to all of our woes, usually by people who don't think all that deeply about IT and its challenges. We hate to puncture anyone's bubble with a dose of reality, but at a macro level, adoption of all public cloud services except software as a service is going pretty darned slow.

For the past five years as part of our annual cloud survey, InformationWeek Reports has asked a simple question: What are your company's plans for cloud computing? The response we watch most closely is: We're receiving services today from a cloud provider. In 2008, 16% of survey respondents chose that option. In 2009, it was 21%, then 22% in 2010. It jumped to 31% last year, and to 33% this year ..."

When is a Cybercrime and Act of Cyberwar?

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"With no consensus on clearly defining the terms, it's easy to get confused by the array of labels available for a given cyber attack ... There is growing talk of cyberwar, as opposed to run-of-the-mill cybercrime. There are also terms that lies somewhere in the middle called cyber espionage, and cyber hacktivism -- which is sort of like cyber terrorism for good guys. At the heart of the debate is an attempt to define the scope of an appropriate response to each type of threat ..."

Virtual Backup Challenges Enterprise IT

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Organizations remain challenged when it comes to ensuring data is adequately protected and recoverable, even though advances have been made in backup and data protection technology, industry observers say. Among the reasons cited are that data protection processes don't get reviewed frequently enough, there are few SLA requirements, and there is a lack of visibility into the results of data protection activities ..."

'Big Data' Analytics Projects Easier Said Than Done - But Doable

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Big data has become one of the most talked-about trends -- and yes, buzzwords -- within the business intelligence (BI), analytics and data management markets. A growing number of organizations are looking to BI and analytics vendors to help them answer business questions in big data environments. Unfortunately, gaining visibility into pools of big data is easier said than done. And with vendors marketing a wide variety of technology offerings aimed at addressing the challenges of big data analytics projects, businesses may be hard-pressed to identify the one that best meets their needs ..."

Storage Challenges in Virtualized Server Environments

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Managing storage in a virtual server environment comes with challenges in the areas of efficiency, deployment time and complexity. You have to navigate your way through virtual server sprawl, end user expectations and storage networking choices.

In this podcast interview, Andrew Reichman, principal analyst for Forrester Research, talks about the processes and tools to use to overcome these storage challenges ..."

Toigo: Keep Tape In Your Disaster Recovery Policy

2012-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Jon Toigo, founder and CEO of Toigo Partners International, is a frequent speaker at our Storage Decisions seminars and conferences -- and he's also a big proponent of keeping tape in your organization's disaster recovery policy. This week, we discussed tape's role in backup and DR today, how tape is evolving, and whether cloud storage will replace tape for long-term data retention.

'The most compelling development in tape is growing capacities,' he said. 'It won't be long before you are going to be looking at LTO cartridges that can store up to 32 terabytes of data,' said Toigo, referring to the published LTO roadmap.

Currently, LTO-5 tapes offer native capacity of 1.5 TB (3.0 TB compressed). However, the LTO Ultrium roadmap indicates that LTO-6, which will be released later this year, will offer 3.2 TB (8.0 TB compressed) ..."

System News for Sun Users

Top Ten Articles for last few Issues

WebLogic World Record Two-processor Result with SPECjEnterprise2010 Benchmark

Solaris and IPv6: Is Solaris Compliant?

Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

PHP & MySQL: Novice to Ninja, 5th Edition

Oracle VM 3.1

How to Deploy Oracle RAC On Zone Clusters

Updating Your Oracle Solaris 11 System from the Oracle Support Repository

Price Comparison for Big Data Appliances

A Highlights Review of ZFS

MySQL Workbench 5.2 GA; Includes 28 Bug Fixes

illumos Developers' Council Meeting, May 16, 2012

Read Java Magazine - May/June 2012 -

NexentaVSA for VMware View Automates Deployment of VDI

Making Hybrid PDFs with Libre Office

How to Set Up a Cluster of x86 Servers with Oracle VM 3

Oracle Solaris Zones Preflight System Checker

Top Ten Articles for last few Issues

Second-annual OpenStorage Summit EMEA

T4 Crypto Cheat Sheet

Oracle Offers SPARC T4 Servers Interactive e-Book.

Accelerate Linux Deployments with Oracle Validated Configurations

Will Your Next Car Steal Itself?

What Does 'Big Data' Really Mean?

This Just In: Cloud Computing Is Hard And Takes A Long Time

Oracle Improves Its Desktop Virtualization Portfolio

Building an Appliance? Oracle Enterpise Linux is the OS of Choice

Meet The MySQL Experts Podcast: Managing Scalability of MySQL Enterprise Edition

illumos Hardware Compatibility List

Oracle Updates Its Publication on Oracle Solutions Certified for SAP

Your Biggest Security Threat? Your People

Move Over, VDI: It's Time for IDV

Public-Sector Cloud Computing: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Cloud-Oriented Architecture and the Internet of Things

Be a Winner by Asking Power Questions

Forklift vs. Incremental Upgrades -- Weighing All the Factors

Next-Generation IT Has Big Shoes to Fill

Half of IT Workers Eyeing Greener Pastures

10 Common IT Security Blunders (and How To Avoid Them)

IBM: Role of Chief Security Officer Is Evolving

Don't Be So Trigger-Happy For a Remote Wipe

No Exploit Required: How Attackers Exploit Business Logic Flaws

The Difficulties In Sizing Up Botnets

Facebook Privacy: 5 Most Ignored Mistakes

Facebook 'Likes' Not Protected As Free Speech, Judge Rules

Bare-Metal Clouds Trade Virtualization For Performance

Hostage Crisis In The Cloud: Can You Rescue Your Data Back?

Crypto in the Cloud Secures Data In Spite Of Providers

Q&A: Cloud Security 101

50% Of Businesses Feel The Cloud Is Too Risky

Cloud Is A Corporate Strategy, Not A Tactical Solution

Wide-Open Search

10 Commandments For Effective Security Training

5 Tips: Get Strong IT Job References

10 Reasons IT Pros Get A Bad Rap

Bad Social Media Behavior Can Ruin Your Job Search

In Tough Times, Compliance Efforts May Seem Optional

10 Symptoms of Check-Box Compliance

Thin Provisioning Block Storage � A Maturing Technology

How-To Match Flash Memory Solutions to Application Needs

How do You Spell "Sesame"?

IOPS, Capacity, Bandwidth: Finding the Right Balance

The 24/7 CIO: Are You Really Open For Business?

BYOD Will Revive Network-Access Control Idea

A Linux Command Line Primer

LibreOffice 3.4 Writer Guide

Java Spotlight Episode 81: Henrik St�hl on Java 7 Update 4

What is WAN Virtualization?

Building An Always-On, Always-Available Enterprise

8 Priorities for More Effective Mobile Security

Why Security Isn't A BYOD Showstopper

Going Wireless in the Data Center

Executive Alignment: Key to Business Success

How to Size Main Memory for ZFS Deduplication

Wall Street Firms Are Not Prepared for Big Data

What Works for One Does Not Work For Two

Tight Integration Between Risk Management and Compliance Sounds Great, But .

10 Lessons From Leading Government CIOs

Gartner Says Half of Enterprises Are Wasting Money on Social Media