Network World

IPO dry spell could hurt tech start-ups

There were zero venture capital-backed IPOs in the second quarter of 2008 -- the first time that’s happened in 30 years.

IBM opens beta for Bluehouse online social networking and collaboration service

IBM is expanding the free beta trial for Bluehouse, a Web-hosted social networking and collaboration service based on Lotus software.

Clearwire CEO Wolff talks WiMAX strengths, killer enterprise apps

At the WiMAX World convention in Chicago this week, Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff discussed his company’s plans to deploy WiMAX in the United States, what benefits WiMAX services...

CA set to roll out data center automation package

CA organically develops data center automation software that appeals to customers with tight budgets and limited IT staff and that industry watchers say brings the software...

T-Mobile lost disk containing data on 17 million customers

Deutsche Telekom's German mobile phone subsidiary T-Mobile lost a disk containing personal information about 17 million of its customers in early 2006, the company said...

Microsoft grants Windows XP yet another reprieve

Microsoft has extended the availability of Windows XP on new PCs by six months, the company confirmed Friday. 1

HP puts more automation into SOA governance

HP updates SOA governance suite with new features that automate the service life cycle, create reusable business processes and control unauthorized services.

Microsoft denies hiring freeze

Microsoft denies that it has instituted a hiring freeze, despite an internal memo described by an employee indicating the move.

Credit-card security standard issued after much debate

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, the organization that sets technical requirements for processing credit- and debit-cards, today issued revised security... 3

Ballmer says Microsoft will soon release 'Windows Cloud' OS

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed a few details on Wednesday of a forthcoming operating system that will help developers write Internet-based applications. 4

Cisco, Microsoft roll out server, networking appliance

Enterprises can now buy a networking appliance from Cisco Systems that runs basic Windows Server 2008 functions, a product designed for use in branch offices, Cisco and...

TriCipher launches hosted identity federation service

Identity management vendor TriCipher this week rolled out a hosted service that lets companies pass-on the complexity of sharing identities with partners.

At WiMAX World, a technology in search of its niche

WiMAX has always been something of an oddball technology in the mobile data world.

Three indicted in Boston hospital procurement scandal

An IT consultant and two employees of a Boston hospital holding company face bribery charges in connection with the way the health-care concern funneled software, hardware... 3

Network World's Products of the Week

Tandberg uncorks telepresence package

Tandberg is introducing a room-based telepresence package it says can integrate with existing videoconferencing gear so businesses can upgrade with out dumping the equipment... 1

Baidu puts $15M into video streaming company

China is investing $15 million in UiTV, which will then manage the search leader's video channel, the companies said Sunday.

Verizon lights up U.S.-China cable

Verizon Business' submarine cable connecting the United States to China is now fully operational and ready to deliver IP, data and voice services. 1

AT&T demos TV, videoconferencing, telemedicine technologies

Engineers at AT&T Labs demonstrated dozens of emerging communications technologies at an event in New York Monday. The company also defended its 3G network in light of...

Agito encrypts cellular/Wi-Fi voice

The ability to encrypt VoIP calls for mobile workers talking over Wi-Fi links is one of several new features in Agito Networks' cellular-WLAN convergence appliance.

Beware of UC security threats

Unified communications opens up your VoIP network new avenues of collaboration, including instant messaging, video, business applications and e-mail. And that opens up your... 2

Former VoIP exec sentenced on bribery charges

A former managing director of VoIP provider ITXC was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation, including three months of home confinement and three months in a community...

Unified communications takes center field at ballpark

The New York Mets will have new networking and unified communications systems in their new home, Citi Field, when they start playing baseball there next spring. 1

Microsoft invests in Move Networks

Microsoft made an undisclosed investment in Move Networks, a company that supplies streaming video technology, in an attempt to boost its online video presence.

Moves show telepresence's stellar progress

It's no great surprise that Tandberg is the subject of acquisition attempts. Any company that has made inroads in to the market for telepresence should be looked at by stock...

YouTube to carry Olympic videos in some countries

The International Olympic Committee is launching its own video channel for the games in cooperation with YouTube, to territories in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the IOC...

AT&T launches voice for U-Verse

AT&T is testing out its new U-Verse voice services by making them available to all current U-Verse customers in the San Antonio area. 1

Unified comms boost for customer satisfaction

Early users of unified communications systems have found that improved customer satisfaction scores higher than cost savings when it comes to assessing the benefits. That's... 1

What are critical issues with VoIP service?

A look at the VoIP industry's most pressing issues, including SIP interoperability, TDM-to-SIP transition services and VoIP security issues. 1

Enterasys users should welcome Siemens deal -- for now, analysts say

Enterasys Networks customers should be encouraged that the joint venture between Enterasys owner Gores Group and Siemens strengthens the vendor's product portfolio and... 6

Offshore outsourcing: what role will recession play?

The ongoing credit crisis is a concern for everyone in nearly every industry-fear of lost jobs, foreclosed homes and bankrupt businesses. But those lost jobs are likely to...

IPO dry spell could hurt tech start-ups

There were zero venture capital-backed IPOs in the second quarter of 2008 -- the first time that’s happened in 30 years.

What CEOs want from their next IT leaders

The question of what CEOs want from CIOs has been asked for as long as chief information officers have existed. On the face of it, the granting of a C-level role would appear...

IT workers: How that desk job wears your body down

Let's say you're a young IT manager, in your 20s, 30s or even early 40s. It's not unheard of for you to put in 10-hour workdays in front of your computer, or some other...

Can the Internet have a heart?

What if there were a way for you to directly help the neediest families in your community and the world -- or for help to find you, after a fire, flood or some personal...

Stock smackdown hits tech harder than most

Worries about consumer spending, advertising and the ability of IT companies to raise money appear to have hit many tech stocks harder even than the overall market on Monday,...

Investing to grow: Railroads move forward with IT

Railroads are romantic. My own brother took a perfectly good education from Northwestern University and parlayed it into a job as a brakeman on the Chicago North Western...

Technology contracts: Lawsuits waiting to happen

Got a technology contract to cover your latest deal, like an acquisition, merger or commercial transaction? It may not protect your interests the way you think it does....

Wall Street's collapse may be computer science's gain

The collapse of Wall Street may help make computer science and IT careers attractive to students who abandoned these fields in droves after the pop of the last big bubble,...

MGM Mirage seeks to expand IT project management office

Two years ago, Myrna Soto established an IT project management office at MGM Mirage, the $7.7 billion casino entertainment company. Now Soto, who is the chief information... 1

OpTier raises $63 million in funding

OpTier this week landed more than $63 million in new funds to augment development of its business transaction management software and promote company growth, potentially via... 1

Fannie Mae CIO among execs leaving firm after fed takeover

The federal takeover of Fannie Mae earlier this month has resulted in several upper management changes at the mortgage financing firm, including the exit of its CIO.

How do tech terms become legit?

Podcast is in. PL/1 is out. Mashup is on the short list. But pity the poor 8-track : It came and went without ever making it into The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary . 1

H-1B foes argue student-visa extension hurts U.S. tech workers

A federal lawsuit pitting H-1B opponents against the Bush administration is hinging on one question: Do tech workers have a right to challenge the federal government in court... 2

What $700 billion could buy your company

Late last week, the Bush administration unveiled a staggering plan to bail out the financial industry by having the federal government purchase $700 billion in unwanted...

Imperva tailors Web app firewall for midsize businesses

Imperva is introducing a scaled-down version of its Web application firewall designed for quick installation in midsize businesses.

Militants send terror messages in India by 'wardriving'

Citizens need to be vigilant and patch poorly secured wireless networks, the Indian police said Monday after announcing the arrest of technology-savvy members of a militant...

Classic Closeouts retailer booted from TRUSTe program

Online retailer Classic Closeouts has been expelled from the TRUSTe consumer-protection program due to inappropriate handling of unauthorized credit-card charges.

Schwarzenegger again terminates California data breach bill

For the second time in 12 months, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed proposed legislation that would have required retailers and other businesses operating in... 1

Laptop stolen from McCain campaign in Missouri

Republican campaigners in Missouri are beefing up security after a laptop containing "strategic information" was stolen from a campaign field office of presidential contender... 6

Is it a virus?

I get a lot of e-mail from people who believe their computer is infected by a virus. In most cases, it's not infected at all - evil software designers are still outnumbered... 2

Money meltdown, Ozzie's cloud, security worries

At least those of us who are fans of professional baseball have the playoffs to take our minds off the grim news this week (at least that's the case for fans of the teams...

TriCipher launches hosted identity federation service

Identity management vendor TriCipher this week rolled out a hosted service that lets companies pass-on the complexity of sharing identities with partners.

SonicWall launches UTM security box

SonicWall is adding a branch-office box to its NSA family of unified threat management appliances for sites where it might not otherwise be cost-effective to install one. 1

Encrypted image backups open to new attack

Bitmaps stored inside encrypted backup files could be vulnerable to a sophisticated 'comparison' attack, a German security researcher has discovered.

Symantec tests a 'Net watchdog for kids

Symantec has developed a new online service to protect children from Internet dangers.

Vendors fixing bug that could crash Internet systems

Internet infrastructure vendors are working on patches for a set of security flaws that could help hackers knock servers offline with very little effort. 2

Researcher finds evidence of massive site compromise

Several criminal gangs have acquired administrative log-in credentials for more than 200,000 Web sites -- including the one used by the U.S. Postal Service -- and have used...

Two Europeans charged in U.S. over DDoS attacks

Two European men have been indicted for allegedly orchestrating cyberattacks against two Web sites, a continuation of the first successful U.S. investigation ever into...

Sysadmin admits stealing computers, office equipment from Navy

Most often when systems administrators abuse their access to corporate networks and systems, the end result is either data theft or network sabotage on a massive scale. 1

Sharp slashes profit forecast on phones, LCD TVs

Sharp has revised sharply down its profit forecast after seeing poor sales of cell phones in Japan and lower profits in the flat-panel TV business during the last six months.

T-Mobile lost disk containing data on 17 million customers

Deutsche Telekom's German mobile phone subsidiary T-Mobile lost a disk containing personal information about 17 million of its customers in early 2006, the company said...

Technology companies honored as Kenya’s top 100 SMEs

Technology companies won accolades at the inaugural awards for Kenya's top 100 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), showing a shift in emphasis away from the country's...

802.11n: How best to use it and when

If your company has traveling employees, bandwidth-hogging applications, a need for speed or just a desire to keep pace with technology, you're probably thinking about moving...

WiMAX' troubles with in-building wireless a boon to MobileAccess

Even as WiMax promises faster average network speeds than other wireless networks, one company is banking on making money off one of WiMax's downsides -- a difficulty in...

U.S. mobile users unplugging landlines

More than one-quarter of mobile-phone users in the U.S. have effectively stopped using their fixed-line phones for voice calls, according to a survey by research company J.D....

App Store successful, but shows flaws

By all accounts Apple's App Store, which offers add-on software for the iPhone and iPod touch through iTunes, has been a success. Despite the ongoing low-intensity warfare...

Korea Telecom to build Rwanda national backbone

Korea Telecom (KT) has signed a US$40 million deal with Rwanda's government to construct a national backbone project expected to connect the country on a fiber-optic network.

Microsoft discontinues mobile browser project

Microsoft this week stopped supporting Deepfish, its mobile browser research project that was an example of the company's software plus services strategy.

Two African mobile providers look to grow with mergers

Battle lines have been drawn in the fight to acquire African telecom service providers as mobile operators MTN and Zain seek to expand across the continent.

Orange to rate environmental impact of mobile phones

Network operator Orange will rate the environmental impact of the fixed-line and mobile phones it sells, it said Friday.

Telkom SA rolls out WCDMA, appoints Huawei

Telkom South Africa has signaled its intention to compete in cellular service provision and the small- and medium-business sector with the rollout of W-CDMA from Chinese...

At ACU, students navigate college life via iPhone

A class of chatty college freshman sits in a large lecture hall at a small-town-Texas university, debating the merits of presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposed...

Clearwire CEO Wolff talks WiMAX strengths, killer enterprise apps

At the WiMAX World convention in Chicago this week, Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff discussed his company’s plans to deploy WiMAX in the United States, what benefits WiMAX services...

Save Benjis for iPhone

In any economy, comparison-shopping is merely prudent. In a tough economy, it's a must. In an era of US$4-a-gallon gas, driving from store-to-store is stupid. In an age of...