Here is this week's Editors' Choice; look for Readers' Choice later this week.
EDITORS’ CHOICE
From the front page of Network World
Federal security rules fueling energy company anxiety
The nation’s energy companies are scrambling to meet government regulations going into effect as soon as January that in part are designed to safeguard the computer-based control systems for electricity and gas distribution from cyberattacks.
For Ebbers, Oakdale is no place like home
Oakdale, La., population 8,137, is a small town where residents say everyone knows everyone else. Though it’s unlikely most of them will ever get to meet one of their newest and most famous neighbors: Disgraced telecom tycoon Bernard Ebbers.
Here’s a taste of what was seen and heard last week by DemoFall 2006 attendees, even those who lost half their hearing on the flight to San Diego (I’m fine now, thanks).
In depth
For Ed Albrigo, vice president of enterprise programs at Freddie Mac, the talk of a coming shortage in IT workers is more than idle chitchat. It’s already here.
UTM thwarts blended attacks
Unified threat-management appliances provide increased intelligence to detect network threat activity through the correlation and analysis of data from various security engines. This approach provides an alternative to a piecemeal implementation of separate systems.
Records management has always been technology intensive, says Virginia Jones, certified records manager for the 400,000-customer Department of Public Utilities in Newport News, Va.
Review
Stratus ftServer 5700 takes a licking, keeps on ticking
It’s hard to kill Stratus Technologies’ ftServer 5700. We tried. We tested the highly fault-tolerant system in a number of very hostile ways, and at worst it took about 6 minutes to recover to full synchronization – while continuing to run.
From the blogs and forums
Murphy pays Mark Gibbs a visit and takes out his RAID hardware. Also, Gibbs ponders e-mail from a user who wonders about size competitions and IT. Linda Musthaler explains why the security market is ripe for consolidation. No less than three Network World bloggers explain last week’s DEMOfall show. James Gaskin tells you where he’ll be this fall. Layer 8 posts the winner in the latest caption contest and wonders who asked Mark Cuban about YouTube, anyway.
How to
Reasons to set up a test network
Ron Nutter explains why the benefits outweigh the initial costs.
ITVideo
Desktop support without a client
Most remote support products are delivered through an ASP model or require a desktop client, but NetworkStreaming felt an appliance approach was a better option. Founder Joel Bomgaars explains the benefits on this week’s Network World Hot Seat.
More news
Fortinet, Juniper bolster multifunction security
Fortinet and Juniper plan to introduce this week new models of their multifunction security devices that break new ground for each company – Fortinet for protecting data centers and Juniper for defending smaller offices.
3Com melds Gigabit Ethernet, WLAN switching
3Com this week is expected to launch a combined wired/wireless LAN switch for small businesses or offices that want one box to control all network-access methods.
VMware adds support for 64-bit servers
VMware this week is expected to announce formal support for 64-bit platforms, letting customers run both 32- and 64-bit virtual environments on single physical servers.
Blue Coat SSL VPN protects data on remote machines
Blue Coat Networks this week is announcing a single SSL-VPN appliance that helps customers with lots of remote access users protect application traffic as it crosses the Internet.
Ecora giving away system audit tool
Configuration-management vendor Ecora this summer quietly made a scaled-down version of its enterprise Auditor Professional software, called Auditor Lite, available at no cost from its Web site. The company next week plans to announce it has extended the availability of the free version through year-end.
Microsoft to offer no-strings attached access to Windows Datacenter Server
Microsoft for the first time will begin selling directly to volume licensing customers the Datacenter version of its Windows server and also offer those users the right to run an unlimited number of virtualized servers.
Overcoming hurdles to open source adoption
As open source applications become increasingly stable, companies must learn to view the software as just another piece in a comprehensive application architecture that will include open source as well as closed source components.
Google’s energy savings push may power larger industry initiative
While Google made a big splash this week over its willingness to share its power efficiency secrets, the online giant actually is wading into a larger industry-wide power saving movement.
Open source Alfresco enters Web content-management arena
Alfresco Software is readying the final piece of its open source enterprise content-management software suite with the unveiling of a preview of its Web content-management product.
Customers applaud IBM services’ face-lift
IBM is revamping the way it packages and sells global services to take greater advantage of project similarities and give a boost to its slow-growing services business.
CA makes buyout to boost application management
CA Wednesday previewed the next release of its configuration management database that will incorporate technologies obtained earlier this month via the acquisition of Cendura, whose software maps how applications relate to one another.
Q&A: How Indiana cleaned up its big IT mess
In 18 months, the state of Indiana has gone from disarray to discipline in its IT infrastructure. Brought in by Governor Mitch Daniels, an experienced IT management team has cut 230 jobs, consolidated hardware and services, renegotiated contracts and saved the state $25 million in annual costs.
SOA driving interest in virtual data warehouses
When the Minnesota Department of Agriculture needed to marry data from the state’s financial systems with its own laboratory management system for billing purposes, Kurt Wood considered using a data warehouse but balked at the manpower required to create and maintain multiple copies of the data sets. He found an alternative in data federation.
Verizon provides FiOS update
Verizon this week provided an update on its fiber-based FiOS service rollout in an effort to appease squeamish investors and analysts on the project’s return on investment.
Research project targets radio tag security, privacy
A group of university computer scientists are launching a research project to better protect data stored in radio-based smart tags.
US Open gets the edge with IBM virtualization technology
Despite rolling out new, interactive technologies and experiencing a 43% increase in online traffic, the US Open reduced the number of servers it needed to power its Web site from 60 to nine during the 14-day event this year.
Websense to integrate PortAuthority’s information leak-prevention technology
Web security company Websense on Wednesday announced plans to integrate PortAuthority Technologies’ information leak- prevention technology into its product line.
The business of network behavior analysis
When it comes to network security, what you don’t know can definitely hurt you.
Cisco unveils video-publishing gear for businesses
Cisco wants to bring the YouTube phenomenon to enterprises with the launch this week of its Digital Media System – a product set designed to let businesses create, manage and publish IP video content.
