Those wacky requests from end users and more

EDITORS’ CHOICE

Editor’s Note: On Feb. 27, we’ll be hosting a weeklong online forum on application acceleration across the WAN. But you don’t have to wait until then to submit questions. E-mail me (at agaffin@nww.com) with any questions and I’ll forward them to the participating vendors for answering the day the forum starts.

The front page

Security titans ready for showdown at RSA

Network-access control and security-policy enforcement are expected to grab much of the limelight at this week’s RSA Conference 2006, which organizers estimate will draw 14,000 attendees and more than 300 exhibitors.

They’ve heard ’em all

Apparently that urban legend about the clueless end user putting his coffee in the CD tray is real – we find one user who says it really happened in his shop. Read their tales of clueless-userdom and add your stories in the forum we’ve set up to add to the collection.

How do the feds tap phone lines?

Senate hearings in Washington last week focused on whether the National Security Agency needs a warrant before it conducts domestic surveillance, but from a technology perspective, the lawful wiretap process is pretty straightforward.

Software vendors improve ID products

CA and HP this week separately plan to announce better integration within their respective identity management suites so that customers can more easily secure application access and enforce compliance policies.

New blogs, forums, oh my!

Buzzblog

‘Net Buzzer Paul McNamara takes to the blogosphere: “It may not cut your taxes, save Social Security or support your family values, but neither will it kiss your baby or listen in on your private phone conversations – at least not without a warrant. What I am hoping is that Buzzblog will provide information, both important and silly, as well as opinion and entertainment value roughly akin to what you’ve gotten (in ‘Net Buzz) – for better or for worse.”

Tech Exec Blog

Longtime Network World columnist and newsletter writer Linda Musthaler also has a new Weblog. Check out her initial posts on e-mail privacy policies – and how it hit close to home when a co-worker’s computer was discovered laden with the sort of stuff you wouldn’t want to show to your kids.

Face-off: Security in the cloud

Brad Miller, CEO of Perimeter Internetworking, argues in favor of ‘security in the cloud.’ Bruce Schneier, CTO of Counterpane Internet Security, argues that security in the cloud should not replace more-traditional network and desktop security. What do you think?

In depth

The future of software

The application is dead, say experts, who share their vision of the future of software, as they describe the new ways in which applications will be written, sold, deployed and managed.

Model offers measure for SOA success

Service-oriented architecture has emerged as the most significant shift in how applications are designed, developed and implemented in the last 10 years.

How to

Getting a handle on mystery bandwidth use

Ron Nutter helps a user figure out why his network is seeing more traffic than he’d expect.

Management Strategies

How to make the most of your IT budget

Nonprofit organizations offer tips about how to make the most of an IT budget.

More news

HP readying storage upgrades

HP next week is expected to announce enhancements to its high-end and midrange storage arrays and software designed to help customers more easily manage heterogeneous storage systems.

Whaleback touts VoIP service for SMB market

VoIP start-up Whaleback Systems is offering a flat-fee phone service that includes phones, an IP PBX and unlimited calling to any phone in the United States.

NetApp dives into virtual tape pool

Network Appliance last week joined companies offering virtual-tape library appliances, seeking to differentiate itself with load balancing and tape optimization.

Tools address security concerns

Faced with regulatory compliance requirements and grueling audits, network managers are turning increasingly to security-event management systems to detect when policies have been breached.

Cisco launches security mgmt. platform

Cisco this week at the RSA Conference is expected to roll out a security management platform that lets users define policies via a graphic interface, then distribute them to network devices that will enforce them.

IBM raises bar with new blades

Users can expect systems vendors over the next few months to step up the capabilities of their thin blade servers to run more-demanding, critical business applications with enhancements such as support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, better management tools and faster processing platforms, analysts say.

IronPort, others shine at Demo ’06our complete rundown.

Demo 2006 showcased a wide variety of new offerings designed for consumer and business use, ranging from vertical search engines to identity theft protection – and even a high-tech ice-cream machine. Plus, see what else happened at the show with

But wait, there’s more

Our This Week page will also link you to: Feds: Go-slow approach on IPv6; HP readying storage upgrades; HP to bolster ProCurve switch family; Verizon extends business VoIP services; ‘Certified e-mail’ plans draw mixed reactions; Borland to jettison legacy wares; SWsoft virtualization targets high availability; Anti-virus vendors target network-access control; Symantec to offer online protection; Deciding the future of Ethernet; Scalix, Gordano to boost messaging servers; IBM develops fast wireless chip for content sharing; ‘Analytics’ buzzword needs careful definition; IBM touts higher clock speeds in Power6.