But in a May 2 filing with the FCC, Google contends Verizon has no such intentions. Instead, Google claims, Verizon plans to institute a two-door policy: one door for open access devices and applications and another door for closed devices that only support Verizon's proprietary applications.

In the filing, Google urged the FCC to deny Verizon a license to use the spectrum until it fully commits to an open network.

Verizon has taken the public position that it may exclude its handsets from the open access condition, Google states in the filing. Verizon believes it may force customers who want to access the open platform using a device not purchased from Verizon to go through Door No. 1, while allowing customers who obtain their device from Verizon access through Door No. 2.

It is door No. 2 that troubles Google, which is heavily invested in promoting its own Android open-source mobile platform. As the search giant sees it, Verizon plans to deny Verizon customers full open access to competing devices and applications.

Accourding to Google, the FCCmandates opening the C Block network for the use of any device, and for the use of any application on any device, regardless of whether an end user obtains the device from the licensee, another service provider, a manufacturer or other third party.

Verizon promptly dismissed the Google concerns.

The Google  filing has no legal basis.  It is really no surprise that despite not winning spectrum, they continue to try to change the rules and further their own business interests through the regulatory process, Verizon spokesman said in a statement, adding that Verizon plans an FCC filing in next several days to counter the Google claims.  

Last summer, Google lobbied the FCC into adopting open access standards for the prime C Block of spectrum, a notion Verizon initially opposed in a lawsuit, contending that the spectrum should go the highest bidder with no restrictions. Verizon eventually dropped the legal challenge.

Verizon Wireless Â… understood the FCC rules for using that spectrum in advance of the auction, a Verizon spokesman said. Of course Verizon will abide by those rules.  As Verizon works to put the spectrum we won to good use, if Google or anybody else has evidence that we aren't playing by the rules, there are legitimate and expedited ways to address that.

Such a discount could cause a surge in demand. At last count, Apple had sold some 5.4 million units, the vast majority of them for AT&Ts network, even with price tags of $400 to $600—essentially unheard of in the U.S. cellular market. Impressively, AT&T says 40% of its iPhone users are new customers. Yet with rival smartphones like Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry and a new Palm (PALM) Treo selling for as little at $99 at some carriers, competitive pressures are building.

But a price cut might be about more than nabbing new customers. AT&Ts goal may also be to boost monthly revenues from existing subscribers who switch to the iPhone, as the big colorful screen and robust Web browser on the Apple device tends to make iPhone owners heavier users of AT&Ts wireless data services. AT&T brings in about $90 a month from each iPhone user, reckons an analyst with UBS Investment Research (UBS). When Apple cut the price on the iPhone by 33% earlier this year, it stimulated demand, he says. If this new price turns out to be true, it would do it again. It's like déjà vu all over again.

For AT&T, eager to generate returns on its multibillion-dollar investments in a next-generation data network, a $200 subsidy on a device with a proven success record may be a no-brainer. This is not unexpected at all. The $200 is a small fraction of the revenue that AT&T makes over a two-year contract.

The topics covered in this issue are:

• IT Service Management (ITSM) is impacted by the recession
• Technology Investments Approaching the Point of Diminishing Returns
• Productivity Tools

In addition the newletter has links to:

• Metrics HandiGuide
• ITSM Template
• CIO Productivity Toolkit
• IT Job Descriptions
• 2008 Salary Survey

There are a number of steps that your company can follow to minimize the exposure to the security breaches.  These include:

• Monitor financial databases directly
• Test access to databases and fix all weakness found
• Audit user access
• Limit downloading of more than 5% of the data to a single source and validate the destruction of that data within a reasonable period of time
• Validate if the way users use the data to see that it complies with company policies
• Validate transactions are authentic
• Conduct an audit with independent auditors
• Automate the system of internal controls with a clear audit trail that is reviewed in real time
• Encrypt data

The need for continued focus and investment is clear, especially when you consider that data-at-rest in enterprises is growing at a compounded rate of 55 percent a year.

Moving all that data is a mounting challenge, and business simply cannot wait.

To meet these growing demands at a reasonable cost, organizations are moving to IP-based networks; 70 percent of North American and 79 percent of European organizations use some combination of the Internet, MPLS or Ethernet to connect to their primary backup datacenter. Bandwidth prices may be in decline, but that doesnÂ’t mean it comes cheap. Bandwidth, on average, is 29 percent of the total cost of replication, backup and recovery solutions, and is often constrained by the effects of latency.

End-to-end plans for turning disaster recovery into full business continuity are very complex, but from an IP-network perspective it can be reduced to three main challenges.

The first is to accomplish backups in a timely yet accurate manner. Given organic data growth, and that each logical data object has between four and eight copies somewhere in the network, even differential backups can be tough to fit into assigned windows. Synchronous or live-to-live data models are even more bandwidth intensive and latency intolerant.

The second challenge is minimizing downtime. In the event of a failure or disaster, how quickly can backed-up data be restored? Considering a differential backup can take 8 hours or more to complete, and only represents 10-20 percent of the total data set, a full restore can be daunting. According to Ziff Davis Research, the average organization has 94TB of managed storage, and getting that data across the network only begins after the systems have been physically restored.

Finally, because of how long full data recovery can take, most organizations are moving from disaster recovery to disaster tolerance, where some level of service can be quickly restored in the name of business continuity. To do this effectively requires both warm – or even hot – standby servers and the ability to quickly re-route users, customers and partners to the secondary location. Beyond the clear routing and networking challenges, there are additional application performance concerns. Users may have to cross physically or logically longer networks with higher latency to reach the redundant datacenter, and do so over links whose bandwidth is typically provisioned as sparingly as possible.

The first is to accomplish backups in a timely yet accurate manner. Given organic data growth, and that each logical data object has between four and eight copies somewhere in the network, even differential backups can be tough to fit into assigned windows. Synchronous or live-to-live data models are even more bandwidth intensive and latency intolerant.

The second challenge is minimizing downtime. In the event of a failure or disaster, how quickly can backed-up data be restored? Considering a differential backup can take 8 hours or more to complete, and only represents 10-20 percent of the total data set, a full restore can be daunting. According to Ziff Davis Research, the average organization has 94TB of managed storage, and getting that data across the network only begins after the systems have been physically restored.

Rather than add more bandwidth, or invest in expensive, dedicated storage networks, WAN optimization can improve IP network performance sufficient to turn recovery into continuity. To help meet the objectives outlined above, a WAN optimization solution must be able to do three separate tasks for true business continuity: restrict bandwidth to backup applications during the allowed window and allocate it to critical applications in the event of a disaster, overcome latency and bandwidth limitations on the wire, and provide acceleration to roaming or displaced users redirected to alternative data sources.

Since then, more states have become tax-inclined. In 2008 alone, Indiana, Utah, and South Dakota have enacted laws reiterating their commitments to collect taxes on digital downloads, while Nebraska recently voted to send its governor a bill (PDF) that would tax downloads of books, movies, and music starting October 1. Others, including Wisconsin and Massachusetts, have formed groups to study new iTunes taxes.

I would not be surprised to see other states attempting to impose taxes on digital goods, said an attorney who represents a group of Fortune 500 digital goods vendors opposed to new taxes. He could not name the companies because irked tax administrators might retaliate by singling out his clients for audits.

One reason that music and movie downloads have partially escaped the notice of tax collectors is that, until a few years ago, the market was relatively small and state tax laws sometimes apply only to tangible goods. But their attitude has changed now that iTunes, Amazon.com, eMusic, Rhapsody, Wal-Mart Music, Yahoo Music Unlimited, and others have demonstrated that there is plenty of untapped revenue for tax-hungry politicians--underscored by reports like one in February stating that iTunes has sold more than 4 billion songs.

Arguably the most heated showdown is looming in California, home to an $8 billion deficit and lawmakers who are scrambling to do something about it. The state legislature is considering a bill proposed earlier this year by Democratic Assemblyman, who represents a district east of Los Angeles. The bill calls for new taxes to sweep in digital property, which includes, but is not limited to, products like music, movies, and books.

Some opponents fear that broad definition could sweep up everything from electronic tax-preparation services to video games to advertising, causing new headaches for online retailers and their customers.

Backers of the new taxes--which, in the California case, include the AFL-CIO and associations that represent state, county, and municipal employees, teachers, firefighters, and county governments--contend they're necessary to offset budget deficits and to create parity with the physical versions of those products that would otherwise be taxed.

• Quickly resolve technical problems and save time;
• Rapidly resolve complex, mission-critical incidents; and
• Handle increasing call volume without increasing budgets.

Wireless Network Options
No Server	Server
Best suited for small office/home office environments.	Smart choice for small to medium businesses, especially those with aggressive growth plans.
Relatively easy for a novice to set up.	Does not require significant technical knowledge to set up, but novices may need outside technical support/help desk.
Requires a wireless gateway or wireless router.	Requires one or more wireless gateways that support 802.11X network.
Does not provide centralized management of user accounts or user authentication.	Enables centralized management of user accounts and user authentication.
Provides limited methods to control or manage workgroup members.	Provides robust methods to manage domain member accounts. Controls can be fine-tuned.