Q&A: Cisco’s plans for WebEx
Cisco’s plan to acquire WebEx for $3.2 billion brings the router/switch vendor into a whole new market, and is indicative of the overall direction the company wants to take – towards software, collaboration and services. Ned Hooper, Cisco’s vice president of corporate business development, spoke with Network World about the deal, where WebEx fits into Cisco’s collaboration strategy, as well as how the deal relates to its overall acquisition strategy going forward.
Skype connects with the enterprise
Skype says business users grab 30% of its downloads, but is the enterprise ready for wider use?
Data centers breathe easier with less oxygen
As data centers become hotter and more dense with servers, a greater chance for fire exists. But there’s equipment on the market that applies a well-known method of halting fire: starving it of oxygen.
Symantec CEO: Vendor has ‘conflict of interest’
It’s a “huge conflict of interest” for one company to provide both an operating platform and a security platform, Symantec CEO John Thompson said during a keynote speech at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany. Although Thompson didn’t mention Microsoft Corp. by name, that company’s introduction of consumer and enterprise security products to complement its operating systems could hurt Symantec, which currently tops the security software industry by market share.
Sophos details NAC security plans
By this time next year, Sophos says it will have its desktop security software fully integrated with the network access control technology it acquired when it bought Endforce in January.
Timeline for blockbuster government telecom contract
Like many massive government programs, the estimated $20 billion Networx contracts have been a long time comin’.
Microsoft concedes: OneCare AV software ‘not stellar’
Microsoft Thursday acknowledged poor test results of its OneCare antivirus software, but promised it would do better by paying more attention to malware actually in the wild.
Ex-Qwest CEO trial starts Monday
Jury selection starts Monday in federal court in the insider trading trial of former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio.
Tech Update
IETF pushes for interoperable NAC
Network access control has come to refer to technology that enables enterprises to enforce security policies on endpoints connected to their networks. An enterprise security policy, for example, might require endpoints to have up-to-date security …
Blogs
Scoble: Microsoft ‘sucks’ at most everything
Microsoft may have made Robert Scoble a bloghold name, but he doesn’t work there anymore and isn’t mincing words in reacting to recent chest-thumping from the software giant, including CEO Steve Ballmer’s dissing of Google. Scoble’s broadside is starting to gain worldwide press attention and is sure to fuel anti-Microsoft forces for awhile.
From Cisco Subnet: Bloggers dissect Cisco/WebEx dealThe blogosphere is abuzz with Cisco’s surprise $3.2 billion bid for WebEx, with conferencing rivals, industry analysts and tech observers offering up mostly positive views. Many pundits conclude that Cisco will reap rewards as long as it doesn’t screw things up.Today on Layer 8, where we’ll keep both our feet on Earth, thanks:If the idea of somehow deflecting a giant asteroid headed for earth smacks of a science fiction movie, you’d be right – it was called Armageddon. And if you think NASA would like to make such a mission reality, you’d be right again.
