Disaster Recovery, IT
Service Management,
IT Job Description, Sarbanes Oxley,
and IT Salary
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May 8th, 2008
Google Addresses Enterprise Security Issues
Google announced the release of Web Security for
Enterprise that protects organizations of all sizes against web malware attacks
in real time and enables the safe, productive use of the web, without incurring
hardware, up-front capital, or IT management costs.
The for purchase product enables organizations to
control how employees use the Internet, and provides easy-to-use tools to
create, enforce, and monitor the right web policy for your organization.
Web virus and spyware
protection
Proactive blocking of web malware before it reaches your
network
Protection from zero-hour threats
Eliminate spyware back-channel communications
Reduce patching and updates
Web filtering and
content control
Protects your network and your staff from undesirable web
content, file types and MIME types
Quota support by surfing time, bytes transferred and
number of connections
Optimizes network resources by reducing bandwidth
congestion
Monitors online activity with comprehensive
reporting
In
order to be a successful Chief Information officer (CIO) an individual must have
excellent management skills have proven processes in place in order to lead the
IT function and the enterprise effectively.
The CIO needs:
Open communication channel to all levels of the enterprise
from CEO to shipping clerk
Information that gives the CIO the real, unadulterated
truth about how the Information Technology group is
performing.
Strategic information which is focused on managing the
business performance of their function.
Information from various sources that are outside of the
CIOs area of control
Relationship between compliance, data protection, business continuity, and theft recovery not understood
What is the relationship between the issues of compliance,
data protection, business continuity, and theft recovery? Enterprises must take
this into account when defining security policies. It is no longer enough to
attempt to address compliance issues without addressing data protection and
business continuity. Protection of data on mobile and remote computers requires
an understanding of the issues surrounding data loss be it computer theft,
hardware failure or some disastrous event. Having a broader understanding of how
these areas inter-relate allows organizations to build a more robust security
policy that can better address the issues of regulatory compliance, data
protection, business continuity and theft recovery.
The worldwide shift from stationary desktop computers to highly-portable
laptop and tablet PC computers offers enterprises increased productivity,
flexible work schedules and greater work/life balance. Driven by the need for
increased productivity and the ability to present up-to-date information at a
moments notice, secure mobile computing can be an enterprises greatest strength.
However, research indicates that lost or stolen laptop computers cause nearly
50% of public data breaches. With recently expanded state data breach
legislation, even a single lost or stolen computer can expose enterprises to the
negative publicity and increased costs associated with public data
breaches.
Today, accepting the loss or theft of one laptop or tablet PC or
Smartphone (PDA) is simply not an option. A missing device can result in
compliance and data protection issues that may be very costly to an
organizationÂ’s reputation and bottom line. Organizations need to be able to
accurately track their computers, know who is using them, what is installed on
them, and be able to prove the actions taken to secure computers remain deployed
and intact until the computer can be located.
In the current business environment, the security stakes are high.
IT security is not just an IT problem, technical security risks can create
business liabilities.
The market is filled with products that promise to
reduce this risk and enhance IT security. These include:
Network and perimeter security (including
firewalls)
Endpoint security and threat mitigation (including anti-virus and patch
management)
Data security
Identity and access management
Wireless security
The Security Manual address each of these issues and provides solutions
which can be implemented immediately.
Users must install and maintain antivirus software. Security policies
must define what applications and configurations are acceptable where, and IT
and business processes must ensure that security policies are monitored, and
exceptions are corrected.
Gaining transparency into risk and security
status with rapid, flexible security assessments can quickly improve risk
management. Assessments should deliver risk-relevant views of IT infrastructure
to track progress towards policy compliance targets and the Security Audit
program does that in compliance with all mandated
requirements.
(Symantec)
To calculate the annual loss expectancy (ALE) of an asset, you use the
quantitative risk analysis method. This calculation is determined by first
figuring the annual ra te of occurrence (ARO) and the single loss expectancy
(SLE).
Once
those values are known, ARO x SLE = ALE. Suppose the SLE is US$35,000, and the
ARO is 12 (i.e., the cost of the server being down for a day is US$35,000, and
this attack happens once every month). In this example, US$35,000 x 12 =
US$420,000 per machine.
To
protect your financial viability, you need to be able to perform data
restoration and bare metal system recoveries more efficiently and faster than
ever.
It
can be a struggle for a company to adhere to new compliance regulations and
responsibilities. The concerns about where do we start? and can we
leverage existing processes to meet these new requirements? are obvious
questions with not-so-obvious answers. What are the vulnerabilities and how can
we manage compliance with SOX section
404.
As guidance and a framework for SOX compliance, the US
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has mandated that affected
organizations use a recognized internal control framework. The SEC makes
specific reference to the recommendations of the Committee of the Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). While there are many sections
within the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the focus here is on section 404, which addresses
internal control over financial reporting. This section requires the management
of public companies to assess the effectiveness of the organizationÂ’s internal
control over financial reporting and annually report the result of that
assessment.
Meeting the COSO objective means compliance with SOX
section 404.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has fundamentally changed the
business and regulatory environment. The Act aims to enhance corporate
governance through measures that will strengthen internal checks and balances
and, ultimately, strengthen corporate accountability. However, it is important
to emphasize that section 404 does not require senior management and business
process owners merely to establish and maintain an adequate internal control
structure, but also to assess its effectiveness on an annual basis. This
distinction is significant.
From spyware and
phishing to intrusion attempts, the threats attacking todayÂ’s computer networks
are more dangerous than ever. Many threats are targeting specific industries
with convincing-looking e-mail and phone calls. The hackers hope to direct
employees to counterfeit Web sites, in order to harvest passwords and private
financial information or steal computer and network resources. The revenue from
cybercrime in the United States now exceeds that of illegal drug
activity.
We are
seeing a change in the threat landscape, from ones that were noisy and targeting
the perimeter of the network, to becoming much more silent, difficult to detect
and highly targeted. These attacks are mostly targeting Web browsers and the
client applications on the computer itself. And while a small business network
may not be as complicated as an enterprise network, they still have desktop and
mobile clients.
Because
small businesses have fewer IT resources at their disposal, they need solutions
that provide comparable protection, at affordable costs and requiring minimal
administration.
REAL ID will not be completely implemented until 12/1/2014
(DHS) - The U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has granted extensions to 49 of 50 states,
the District of Columbia and all five U.S. territories, putting more than 99
percent of U.S. driverÂ’s licenses and ID cards on the path to secure
identification. Congress mandated in the REAL ID Act of 2005 that state-issued
identification must be REAL ID compliant to be acceptable for official
purposes.
Maine is the only jurisdiction that has not yet met
the security requirements needed to obtain an extension. Implementation of the
bar on accepting Maine licenses will require substantial planning and effort,
which will begin immediately in the absence of an agreement. Maine will have
until close of business tomorrow to agree to certain security changes in order
for Maine IDs to be acceptable for purposes of boarding commercial aircraft and
accessing certain federal facilities after May 11, 2008.
DHS recognized earlier this year that states could
not meet the full requirements of the REAL ID Act by May 11, as set by Congress.
The department made extensions available for states that needed additional time
to come into compliance, or to complete ongoing security measures. Initial
extension requests were due by March 31. These extensions are valid until Dec.
31, 2009, when states must upgrade the security of their systems, to include a
check for lawful status of all applicants, for their licenses and ID cards to be
acceptable for official purposes.
The
need for secure documentation was a core 9/11 Commission finding. REAL ID
addresses their finding by setting specific requirements that states must adopt
for compliance in four key areas: (1) information and security features that
must be incorporated into each card; (2) proof of the identity and U.S.
citizenship or legal status of an applicant; (3) verification of the source
documents provided by an applicant; and (4) security standards for the offices
that issue licenses and ID cards.
REAL ID enrollment will be completed for all
individuals 50 years of age and under by Dec. 1, 2014. For all others,
enrollment may be extended three additional years to Dec. 1, 2017. At that time,
all state-issued driverÂ’s licenses and identification cards intended for
official purposes must be REAL ID-compliant.
Companies are under constant pressure to
improve the customer experience, reduce customer churn, optimize internal
resources, and grow revenues. Unfortunately, efforts such as personalization of
services and new business development, which can help in all of these areas, are
often stymied by current information management practices.
What is needed is better information management that cuts
across data silos and encompasses structured and unstructured data.
Compliance and regulatory
pressures
Many companies need
to establish appropriate information management workflow processes to ensure
compliance with regulations.
Many want an easier way to find, retrieve,
and compile information for audits and to monitor the companyÂ’s level of
compliance with regard to specific regulations.
Removing obstacles to new business
initiatives
Companies want to be able to leverage
structured and unstructured data to derive more value from
it.
Many new business initiatives must provide
aggregated information on-demand to employees in branch offices, call center
staffers, and customers checking their accounts using the telephone or the
Web.
Organizations need aggregated information
that spans the silo's in order to more effectively cross-sell offerings and
target customers selectively.
Microsoft Flops and Loses Almost 9% of it Browser Market Share in 12 Months
Janco and the IT Productivity Center have
just released its Browser and Operating System Market Share White Paper.
The major findings are that in the last 12 months Microsoft browser market share
has continued to erode; Firefox has maintained its number 2 browser
position and now is used by almost 20% of all users; Google Desktop is gaining
market share; and Netscape is now in a death spiral as users abandon it.
New in this white paper are recommendations on which browsers to use and not
use.
A summary of the Janco browser market share
data can be found on the Janco web site (http://www.e-janco.com/browser.php) and the IT Productivity Center web site
(http://www.itproductivity.org/browser.php). In addition the full white paper
with excel spread sheets can be purchased at both sites for
$249.
The Internet has fundamentally changed the way
people connect, communicate, and conduct commerce. But as the Internet becomes
more central to consumers' lives, online fraud continues to evolve -- and
consumer concerns about identity theft are pervasive and powerful.
The future of e-commerce depends on the ability to
instill consumer trust and confidence in the Web. Recent developments in
authentication technology have lead to a new kind of SSL Certificate that can
increase visitor confidence in legitimate sites and greatly reduce the
effectiveness of phishing attacks.
Web sites with Extended Validation
SSL have seen how this new technology enables the address bar in high security
browsers to turn green, thus allowing consumers to feel secure that they are on
a legitimate Web site
Consider that the majority of your data, between 80
to 90 percent, resides on file servers. Now think about how you are controlling
access to those shares. Most organizations find themselves with overly
permissive access controls. Employees join and
leave the organization frequently, and roles, responsibilities and project teams
change quickly as well. All this leads to more access permission granted than
revoked, since it is nearly impossible to manually keep up with the changes. The
result is that most folders on file shares are oversubscribed in terms of access
by well over 70%. By fixing broken access control to your file servers, you can
significantly reduce the probability of data misuse in your environment.
Any program to reduce the probability of data loss and misuse has to
start with rightful and warranted access controls. Ensuring that only the right
people can get to the right data at all times not only reduces the odds of
misuse, it also makes any subsequent safeguards and loss prevention techniques
more cost effective and pragmatic to deploy. Consider a folder containing
confidential data. If it is open to everyone or to a large number of individuals
then (1) anyone can access and misuse the data, and (2) access by everyone must
be monitored and audited – which is not a realistic undertaking. Alternatively,
limiting access to those who actually need the data, and reporting on their
access patterns, is realistic and a practical way to ensure that data access
permissions are not abused.
Everybody is talking about bringing wikis,
blogs, content tagging, and social networking into the enterprise and
capitalizing on Web 2.0s collaboration and team-building potential. But
Web 2.0 can also bring an unprecedented and unintended level of access to
corporate networks and assets, inviting exploitation, theft, and misuse. Often,
companies are quick to follow the trend without factoring security into the
equation.
Why is Web 2.0 so dangerous? Because it gives older
exploits—already blocked at the network layer—a second chance at attacking via
the application layer. And the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 opens the door to
malicious behaviors like:
What seems to be a simple approval for a low-cost item may turn
into a series of big headaches when cell phones and USB storage devices are
lost. According to a study by Nokia at least 10% of them will be lost in an
average year. It is notable that most large cities in the U.S.and Europe now
have 10,000 to 15,000 mobile phones left in taxis every month.
Employees with mobile devices are
actually facing at least eight security risks:
Loss of general company data and
files from these increasingly memory-laden devices.
Key sales contacts could go to a
competitor—or be lost altogether.
Physical loss of the
device.
The employees time to recover from
the loss—which can be a few hours or a few days—is usually worth far more
than the replacement costs of the device and software.
The time the network administration
team needs to replace the device and handle the loss.
Introduction of viruses and malware
into the company's installed computer base, usually when synchronising PC and
handset in the office and on a home PC.
Phone fraud of
various types—e.g., employees making unauthorized long-distance personal
calls; this is less of a problem now because many companies accept that
personal calling is going to happen, and corporate rate plans for bulk
long-distance can cut the cost significantly. The co-operation of the mobile
operator is required to control this.
The use of such devices as means of
stealing company information. The "inside job" on data theft can be pulled off
using a wide variety of mobile devices, from PDAs to lowly MP3
players.
IT Service Management is an issue in small and medium sized businesses
Most small and medium businesses do not have the IT staff and
tools to treat desktop management issues with the attention they deserve. IT
shops in small and medium sized companies are generally over-taxed and doing the
best they can to keep the IT infrastructure running smoothly. Budgets are much
smaller than those of their large enterprise counterparts, staffing is limited,
and toolsets are few and far between. Too often manual processes and just enough
to get by scripting is the answer to desktop management in the small and medium
sized company.
Individual users can be left to handle minor issues
for themselves, and pseudo power users often get themselves into trouble and
require IT staff assistance to resolve problems they have created through their
self-help efforts. It is no longer a viable answer for small and medium sized
businesses to treat desktop management casually.
Improving Customer Service Via Information Technology
All
IT functions are under constant pressure to improve the customer
experience, reduce customer churn, optimize internal resources, and grow
revenues. Unfortunately, efforts such as personalization of services and new
business development, which can help in all of these areaa, are often stymied by
current information management practices.
What
is needed is better information management that cuts across data silos and
encompasses structured and unstructured data.
To help navigate through
todayÂ’s information management challenges, Janco has created series of
templates to maximizing ROI through better information management.
Issues that all enterprises face are:
Compliance and
regulatory pressures
Many
companies need to establish appropriate information management workflow
processes to ensure compliance with regulations.
Many want an easier way to find, retrieve, and
compile information for audits and to monitor the companyÂ’s level of
compliance with regard to specific regulations.
Removing obstacles
to new business initiatives
Companies want to be able to leverage structured and unstructured data to
derive more value from it.
Many new business initiatives must provide aggregated information
on-demand to employees in branch offices, call center staffers, and customers
checking their accounts using the telephone or the Web.
Organizations need aggregated information that spans the silo's in order
to more effectively cross-sell offerings and target customers
selectively.
(Computerworld) In an about-face it credited to a renewed
companywide emphasis on
interoperability, Microsoft Corp. said Monday it will make
its upcoming Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) browser default to a new,
standards-compliant method of displaying Web pages, rather than the existing,
more Microsoft-centric one.
The move should make it easier for developers to
create Web pages that render properly on multiple browsers, including IE8,
Firefox,
Apple's Safari and
others, without breaking the pages or requiring extensive recoding.
Thinking about IE8s behavior with these principles in
mind, interpreting Web content in the most standards-compliant way possible is a
better thing to do, an unnamed Microsoft employee wrote on Microsoft's IEBlog.
The move, on the eve of Microsofts MIX developer
conference in Las Vegas that runs tomorrow through Friday, won plaudits from
those who have long complained that Microsoft has used its market dominance to avoid
making IE compatible with other Web browsers in an attempt to force time-pressed
developers to choose to support only the most popular Web browser - IE.
Windows StartKey and USB drives may preclude need to carry laptops
Microsoft has some big plans for
the small-sized storage devices.
Microsoft is working on turning USB-based flash
drives into a Windows companions a new product known as
StartKey that will allow users to carry their Windows
and Windows Live settings with them.
According to Microsoft; tomorrows
mobile computing environment might see a proliferation of public-use (kiosk)
machines where users can simply and easily call up their desktop environments.
This vision offers an alternative to portable computing that does not require
users to carry bulky, fragile, and theft-prone laptops. Microsoft proposes that
kiosk machines would be capable of hosting usersÂ’ desktops as virtual machines
and propose a virtual disk design. The virtual disk design would allow for an
efficient access to per-user state held in the network. StartKey
would use flash-based disks to capture virtual machine memory state and to
act as a cache for the virtual disk. StartKey would also allow static
portions of the virtual disk, e.g., binaries for Windows and Office, to be
served from the kiosk disk.
StartKey is not just for USB sticks; it also
will work on other flash-storage devices, like SD memory cards. Microsoft is
looking to turn these intelligent storage devices portable computing companions
for users in both developed and emerging markets, with availability (at least in
beta form) likely before the end of this year.
Microsofts goal is to build an end-to-end StartKey
environment comprised of everything from system software on the flash devices, a
software development kit to enable third-party developers to create products
that can leverage StartKey, and accompany Microsoft applications and
services.
Apple is still viewed as a PC for schools and home use, not
professional use in the office except for media applications. This is
re-enforced by the latest market share numbers (units shipped) as published by
IDC.
Education 18.3%
Home / Personal Use 10.5%
Government 2.9%
Small businesses (less than 100 employees)
1.9%
Midsize businesses (between 100 and 500 employees)
1.4%
IT Governance Thrives in the West - US and Europe Take the lead
(ZD Net)
More businesses across the globe are stepping up their IT governance efforts,
with North America and Europe leading the way, according to a study.
The IT Governance Global Status Report 2008 claims that 34
percent of respondents, compared to 19 percent in 2005, are implementing
practices that address IT governance--an organization's management, from the
boardroom on down, of the performance and security of its IT system.
Commissioned by the IT Governance Institute (ITGI) and conducted every two
years, the study surveyed about 750 C-level executives from 23 countries between
July and October last year.
The survey
also determined that 24 percent of companies are considering plans to introduce
IT governance practices, compared to 22 percent in 2005 and 18 percent in 2003.
In addition, only 20 percent said their organisations were not considering
implementing such practices, compared to 36 percent in 2005 and 42 percent in
2003.
By region, North America and Europe have the highest
adoption of IT governance initiatives globally, with 50 percent of respondents
from each of these two regions indicating that they have already implemented, or
are in the process of implementing, such processes and practices. Forty-four
percent of executives from Asia and 27 percent of South American respondents
reported similar plans.
The bottom line is that many organizations around the world are
needlessly sacrificing money, productivity, and competitive advantage by not
implementing effective IT governance. Well-governed enterprises have been shown
to provide better returns to stakeholders, and the same goes for governance over
information technology.
The survey also found that the IT Infrastructure
Library (ITIL), with the ISO 20000 standard, is used by 24 percent of
organizations polled and is the preferred framework associated with IT
governance. The ISO 20000 covers the IT service management aspects under
Itil.
The ITGI-developed Control objectives for information and
related technology framework, on the other hand, has doubled its user base. In
addition, over 50 percent of respondents indicated they were aware of the
framework, compared to 27 percent two years ago.
With regards to leading IT governance projects, the
chief information officer was identified as the ideal champion by the majority
of respondents (40 percent). Some 25 percent said the chief executive should be
in charge, while the next-most-frequently cited roles for heading IT governance
were the chief financial officer and IT manager.
Compared to the 2005 survey, more respondents were
able to identify organizations which can help their companies implement IT
governance. Large IT services providers or consultancy companies were the most
frequently cited, followed by audit firms and smaller, niche IT
players.
Service Orient Architecture - SOA - Hot Issue In a Recession
Unless you've been incommunicado for the last few years, you've
doubtless noticed the extensive press that SOA has recently received. Though the
term can be intimidating, the fundamental concept is really quite simple - and
very powerful. It's that to meet your present and projected business needs, you
can turn your software applications into “building blocks” that you can
infinitely rearrange, and usually at great speed. It gives you
a new way not only to “reconfigure” your business, but to connect to suppliers,
partners and customers.
Much like the Internet before it, SOA is
sweeping through companies and industries, upending the competitive order.
Thanks to SOA, companies are fast commissioning new products and services, at
lower cost and with less labor, often with the technology assets they have right
in hand. It's like discovering that with your existing condiments, you can make
an entirely new and unexpected recipe, to the delight of your diners and of
course yourself. Most important, SOA is helping to put IT squarely where it
belongs: in the hands of the business executive, under whose direction it can
create the most value. -
more info
February 15th, 2008
Firefox 3.0 Features Out Shine IE
User
experience
Easier password management. An information bar at the top of
the browser window now appears to allow you to save passwords after a
successful login.
Simplified add-on installation. You can now
install extensions from third-party download sites in fewer clicks, thanks to
the removal of the add-on download site whitelist.
New Download Manager. The download manager
makes it easier to locate your downloaded files.
Resumable downloads. You can now resume
downloads after restarting the browser or resetting your network connection.
Full page zoom. From the View menu and using
keyboard shortcuts, you can now zoom in and out on the content of entire pages
-- this scales not just the text but the layout and images as well.
Tab scrolling and quickmenu. Tabs are easier
to locate with the new tab scrolling and tab quickmenu features.
Save what you were doing. Firefox 3 prompts
you to see if you'd like to save your current tabs when you exit Firefox.
Optimized Open in Tabs behavior. Opening a
folder of bookmarks in tabs now appends the new tabs instead of replacing the
existing ones.
Easier to resize location and search bars.
You can now easily resize the location and search bars using a simple resize
handle between them.
Text selection improvements. You can now
select multiple ranges of text using the Control (Command on Macintosh) key.
Double-clicking and dragging now selects in "word-by-word" mode.
Triple-clicking selects an entire paragraph.
Find toolbar. The Find toolbar now opens
with the current selection.
Plugin management. Users can now disable
individual plugins in the Add-on Manager.
Integration with Windows Vista. Firefox's
menus now display using Vista's native theme.
Integration with Mac OS X. Firefox now uses
the Mac OS X spell checker and supports Growl for notifications
of completed downloads and available updates.
Star button. The new star button in the
location bar lets you quickly add a new bookmark with a single click. A second
click lets you file and tag your new bookmark.
Tags. You can now associate keywords with
your bookmarks to easily sort them by topic.
Location bar and auto-complete. Type the
title or tag of a page in the location bar to quickly find the site you were
looking for in your history and bookmarks. Favicons, bookmark, and tag
indicators help you see where the results are coming from.
Smart Bookmarks folder. Firefox's new Smart
Bookmarks folder offers quick access to your recently bookmarked and tagged
places, as well as pages you visit frequently.
Bookmarks and History Organizer. The new
unified bookmarks and history organizer lets you easily search your history
and bookmarks with multiple views and smart folders for saving your frequent
searches.
Web-based protocol handlers. Web
applications, such as your favorite web mail provider, can now be used instead
of desktop applications for handling mailto: links from other
sites. Similar support is provided for other protocols as well. (Note that web
applications do have to register themselves with Firefox before this will
work.)
Easy to use Download Actions. A new
Applications preferences pane provides an improved user interface for
configuring handlers for various file types and protocol schemes.
Improved look and feel. Graphics and font
handling have been improved to make web sites look better on your screen,
including sharper text rendering and better support for fonts with ligatures
and complex scripts. In addition, Mac and Linux (Gnome) users will find that
Firefox feels more like a native application for their platform than ever,
with a new, native, look and feel.
Color management support. By setting the
gfx.color_management.enabled preference in
[about:config], you can ask Firefox to use the color profiles
embedded in images to adjust the colors to match your computer's display.
Offline support. Web applications can take
advantage of new features to support being used even when you don't have an
Internet connection.
IE Market Share
Security and
privacy
One-click site information. Want to know
more about the site you're visiting? Click the site's icon in the location bar
to see who owns it. Identify information is prominently displayed and easier
than ever to understand.
Malware protection. Firefox 3 warns you if
you arrive at a web site that is known to install viruses, spyware, trojans,
or other dangerous software (known as malware). You can see what the warning
looks like by clicking here.
Web forgery protection enhanced. Now when
you visit a page that's suspected of being a forgery, you're shown a special
page instead of the contents of the page with a warning. Click here to see what it
looks like.
Easier to understand SSL errors. The errors
presented when an invalid SSL certificate is encountered have been clarified
to make it easier to understand what the problem is.
Out-of-date add-on protection. Firefox 3 now
automatically checks add-on and plugin versions and disables older, insecure
versions.
Secure add-on updates. Add-on update
security has been improved by disallowing add-ons that use an insecure update
mechanism.
Anti-virus integration. Firefox 3 now
informs anti-virus software when executable files are downloaded.
Windows Vista parental controls support.
Firefox 3 supports the Vista system-wide parental control setting for
disabling file downloads.
Performance
Reliability. Firefox 3 now stores
bookmarks, history, cookies, and preferences in a transactionally secure
database format. This means your data is protected against loss even if your
system crashes.
Speed. Firefox 3 has gotten a
performance boost by completely replacing the part of the software that
handles drawing to your screen, as well as to how page layout work is handled.
Memory use reduced. Firefox 3 is more
memory efficient than ever, with over 300 memory "leak" bugs fixed and new
features to help automatically locate and dispose of leaked memory
blocks.
(Forrester) The worsening U.S. economic situation
has moved analyst firm Forrester Research Inc. to lower its expectations for
U.S. and global IT spending for the second time in less than two months.
The 28-page Global IT 2008 Market Outlook report released today
by the Cambridge, Mass.-based company, predicts that U.S. business purchases of
IT goods and services will grow by 2.8%, down from an expected 4.6% growth rate
that Forrester predicted in December. The December number was a reduction from
Forrester's original 2008 IT goods and services spending estimate made last
October, when the company predicted 8% spending growth for the nation's
businesses.
2008 Global IT Spending By
Sector
Software investment will do better than average.
Forrester projects that global purchases of software products will grow by
eight percent in 2008, down slightly from 11 percent last year, but still
strong.
Communications equipment investment will grow
below the average. This sector will see 3 percent growth in 2008, down from
much stronger growth of 12 percent in 2007.
Computer equipment investment will see a similar
slowdown in growth. Forrester foresees the growth in purchases of personal
computers, servers, storage devices, and peripheral markets shifting down from
12 percent growth in 2007 to 4 percent this year.
IT consulting and outsourcing services will
expand. While demand for IT consulting and integration services will weaken,
demand for IT outsourcing will increase by 9 percent this year.
2008 Global IT Spending By
Region
Europe grows slowly but steadily. In Western and
Central Europe, growth will be 5
percent in 2008, following 15 percent growth the previous year, which was due
largely to the dollar's drop against the Euro. Measured in Euros, 2008 growth
will be 3 percent.
Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa will see
much stronger growth. The total market in this region is about one-sixth the
size of the Western and Central European market with just $74 billion in IT
purchases of goods and services in 2008. However, in oil and gas producing
countries where the economy is stronger — such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, the
Gulf states, and Nigeria — IT purchases will grow at 12 percent in 2008,
slightly lower than in 2007.
Asia Pacific grows strongly in 2008, but not as
well as 2007. Overall IT purchases in the Asia Pacific market will grow at 9
percent in 2008 (measured in dollars). That impressive growth rate is actually
a slowdown from the 15 percent growth rate in 2007.
How to Implement Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is top of mind with many
businesses as they eagerly anticipate the increased development flexibility it
bring, as well as its promise to speed business innovation.
However,
much less discussed is the importance of IT operations for SOA success. In order
to fully capitalize on the promise of SOA, IT operations must take a leadership
role and team with enterprise architects before they design an SOA environment.
Together, they can dramatically improve the IT environmentÂ’s effectiveness,
security and manageability. When SOA-based applications are modeled, designed,
assembled and tested with the SOA service management best practices throughout
the lifecycle, companies can avoid operational service “surprises” that bring
costs up and drive quality down.
The crucial issues
that IT operations should address before making the leap to a more dynamic,
SOA-based environment:
Designing SOA-based services to improve
service quality and reduce costs
Incorporating security, compliance and audit
controls
Addressing monitoring of the end-to-end SOA
deployment, including this new set of composite applications with
service-to-service dependencies
Addressing reporting on services in a
business context or in terms of SLAs
Ensuring that the right virtualization
infrastructure is in place to support SOA
Ensuring that the environment has the flexibility
to adapt and track changes in case trending shows itÂ’s in
trouble
(Reuters) - U.S. employers cut payrolls for the
first time in 4-1/2 years in January, the Labor Department said on Friday in a
report that showed the slowing economy was at growing risk of sliding into
recession.
A separate report showing a modest revival in
manufacturing at the beginning of 2008 took some sting out of the jobs loss but
financial market participants were betting the Federal Reserve will have to keep
cutting interest rates.
A series of contrasting reports whipsawed financial
markets, leaving stock prices basically unchanged in early afternoon trading and
bond prices mixed. The dollar recovered earlier losses to show modest gains
against the euro.
Uncertainty about U.S. economic prospects was
widespread.
The economy is very weak. It's on the edge of
recession but the data are mixed enough so that you can't say a recession has
begun, said the chief economist for PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh.
It is hanging by a thread but it has not been cut yet.
President George W. Bush acknowledged to a Kansas
City, Missouri, audience there were troubling signs, serious signs that the
economy is weakening and said Congress should speed up work on fiscal measures
to get tax rebates to consumers.
Some 17,000 jobs were cut last month, sharply
contrary to Wall Street analysts forecasts that 80,000 would be created.
Decembers new-job total was revised up to 82,000 from 18,000 but October and
November gains were revised lower.
At midmorning, the Institute for Supply Management
said its index of national factory activity rose to 50.7 in January from 48.4 in
December, a sign of expansion. Consumer sentiment also rose, according to a
Reuters/University of Michigan Survey, though not as much as had been
forecast.
Risk Management is an issue that many need to face
Risk. ItÂ’s something we all struggle with,
four little letters that keep us up at night. Many of us have made a career out
of understanding the potential impacts, and creating mitigation strategies and
response plans for every possible event. The reality is, there are so many
events, so many possibilities that it is utterly unimaginable to prepare your
organization for every risk.
Many of us turn to classic
probability statistics to help determine what the most likely events that may
happen to our facilities, assets and the human beings that work for our
organization. Unfortunately, the world of Risk Management is a different place
today than it was just 20 years ago, and the bad news is that it will be a far
different place in just 5 years than it is today. This alarming truth equates to
the unequivocal fact that global risks and threats are evolving and multiplying
faster than the speed at which Risk Management policies and implementation can
keep pace.
