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CIO Tools - Disaster Planning - Security
Infrastructure - Job Descriptions

Pricing for Office 2010 favors electronic versions

01/05/2010 

Microsoft released its pricing for Office 2010, and the most intriguing part is how much less money you'll pay for the non-boxed versions --- up to 30 percent less. This pricing scheme will ultimately help turn boxed software into an endangered species.

With Office 2010, Microsoft introduces what it calls Product Key Card pricing, which essentially means unlocking an electronic version of Office, rather than buying Ofice as boxed software. The Product Key Card version of Office Professional is $349, compared to $499 for the boxed version. Office Professional includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010, Publisher 2010, Access 2010, premium technical support, and Office Web Apps.

The Product Key Card version of Office Home and Business is $199, compared to $279 for the boxed version. Office Home and Business includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010, and Office Web Apps.

- more info

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Windows 7 set to take off in 2010

12/29/2009 

After kicking the tires of Windows 7 in 2009, enterprises will be ready to adopt the new operating system in 2010. However, much-ballyhooed enterprise features may not make as big of an impact as Microsoft expected (or hoped), and IT managers will lean on trusty old technologies to aid in migration. Now that the standard has been ratified and competition is growing stiffer, the time is right for enterprise adoption of 802.11n. And you can expect to see bold moves in the mobile app space.

- more info

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Is Windows 7 the new legacy system

12/17/2009 

Microsoft Windows 7 may represent the last ever, large in-mass upgrade of the Windows client environment and define the line where the desktop PC was no longer the center of the end-user universe, according to IDC.

"We have come to the conclusion that Windows 7 represents a really important demarcation line in the evolution of client devices," says  IDC. "We think Windows 7 is going to be the last really big refresh, in-mass, of the Windows client environment as we have known it for the last decade plus."

- more info

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What is missing from Windows 7

12/09/2009 

Windows 7 is great but it still is missing some features.

• Custom installer - Look, it’s the 21st century. Installing the OS on one drive and setting it up so that the data is stored on another drive should be a trivial matter that’s handled during setup.
• Better support for compressed file formats - There are are a number of very good, free, open source tools for handling compressed files out there. Apart from supporting .ZIP archives, Windows still cannot handle any other commonly used compressed file format.
• Combined antivirus/antispyware/firewall.
• Updated Task Manager - The Windows Task Manager is a very useful tool. However, it’s very long in the tooth and overdue for a revamp (apart from some minor additions, it's the same Task Manager that was present in NT4).
• Software install center - Microsoft has a lot of cool, free software on offer but unless you know where to look for it, you’ll never find it. Linux distros such as Ubuntu have a Software Center where users can download new stuff from. Microsoft needs something similar, along the lines of how it delivered Ultimate Extras to users.
• End to 16-bit  support - There a time and a place for dumping legacy support and moving on. Windows 8 should be that time.
• Reboot-free updates - If you can already update certain Linux distros without requiring a reboot, we should be able to do the exact same thing in the next version of Windows.
• .ISO support - Windows 7 allows me to natively burn .ISO files to disc, but why do I have to scrabble around like a raccoon in a dumpster looking for a tool in order to be able to create and mount these files?

- more info

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Google continues on the open source path with hardware vendors

12/01/2009 

It is rumored that Google along with Dell plan to release Chrome OS to consumers next year as a lightweight Web-centric operating system for netbooks. Google has not disclosed its marketing plans other than to state that it is working with hardware partners. Google and Dell have a long history of working together. Dell's PowerEdge servers, for example, form the basis of the Google Search Appliance for enterprises.

A Google spokesperson  said that Chrome OS is open source and that it's exciting to see developers experimenting with it.

In July, Google said that its Chrome OS team was working with Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard , Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba.

Moblin is another open source Linux-based operating system for mobile devices and netbooks that is said to be working with Google.

- more info

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Windows 7 beating all sales records at Microsoft

11/19/2009 

Windows 7 isn't just getting good reviews, it's also selling well, CEO Steve Ballmer told shareholders. Delivering opening remarks at Microsoft's shareholder meeting, Ballmer said that Windows 7 was off to a "fantastic start."

"We've already sold twice as many units as any OS in a comparable time frame," Ballmer said. "Windows 7 is simply the best PC operating system that we or anyone else has ever built."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivers a point at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference in July. By last week, Windows 7 accounted for 4 percent of Web-accessing devices, according to Net Applications; it took Vista more than seven months to reach that level.

- more info

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Disaster recovery plans depend on working backups

11/10/2009 

Disaster recovery plans are impacted by data encryption.  Encryption continues to be the topic on every CIO and IT person's lips nowadays. No one wants to end up in the news as the next victim of a privacy breach or the next company that did not protect its customers' information. If you conduct a news search using the words personal data breach, you will be alarmed at the number of instances where personal information such as social security and credit-card numbers have been exposed to possible theft. In a recent breach, a state government site allowed access to hundreds of thousands of records, including names, addresses, social security numbers and documents with signatures.

Whether it is government agencies, research facilities, banking institutions, credit card processing companies, hospitals–or your company's computers – the risk of compromising private information is very high.  The relationship business has with technology. -- business relies so heavily on technology today, business risk becomes technology dependent. The possibility of litigation is part of business. It has always been a risk of doing business, but because technology and today's business are so intertwined, business risk has a higher threat level. This has prompted many to encrypt workstations and mobile computers in order to protect critical business data.

If you have rolled out encryption, how do you maintain your IT service quality when the hard disk drive fails? How do you plan and prepare for a data loss when the user’s computer is encrypted?  These are all issues that should be considered when putting together a data disaster plan. In addition, data recovery, one of the more common missing elements of a disaster recovery plan, should also be factored in because it can serve as the "Hail Mary" attempt when all other options have been exhausted.

IT organizations of all sizes contend with a growing data footprint with more data to manage, protect, and preserve for longer periods of time. Online primary storage, has focus a on fast low latency, reliable access to data while near-line secondary storage has a focus on low cost and high capacity. Long-term data retention requires a combination of ultra-low cost, good performance during storage and retrieval, and reduced footprint in terms of power, cooling, floor-space and economics (PCFE) - also known as a small green footprint - for inactive data.

- more info

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Droid phones not viable for business use

11/10/2009 The two new Google Android phones, Motorola Droid and HTC available from Verizon, lack basic security capabilities that make them unusable in many business environments. Their lack of management features mean that even where businesses can acept their security limitations, they won't be able to deploy them in large numbers. Worse, it appears that the Droids do not support Exchange ActiveSync policies, so many Exchange servers will not grant them access. When it comes to Exchange, Droid is not a viable option. - more info

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Maybe Apple's Ads are Correct

10/26/2009 

In some recent blog posts it seems that Windows 7 is not perfect and maybe closser to what Apple says in its most recent add campaign. 

Microsoft is offering students the option of buying a downloadable upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29--a significant savings off the full boxed copy of the new operating system. However, a number of students have reported problems when trying to download and install the new version of Windows.

In a blog posting, Microsoft says it is aware of several issues that folks have encountered. Most common is the fact that folks can't easily go from the 32-bit version of Vista to the 64-bit version of Windows 7. That requires a clean installation.

Those in that camp can either get a refund or contact Digital River, the company managing the digital downloads, to try to get a disc with the operating system.

In addition to that issue, Microsoft notes that it is investigating two other errors that folks have been encountering. For some folks, the download hangs at a certain percentage and won't continue or resume.

"This appears to be a series of isolated issues that are often related to the user's Internet provider or installed third-party software," Microsoft said.

In other cases, users get a generic unspecified error message. "While not widespread, this issue appears to be caused when one of the downloaded files is incomplete or has become corrupted on the user's computer."   Students in that camp should try re-downloading the operating system, Microsoft said.

- more info

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Many do not want net neutrality

10/17/2009 

Almost fifty companies sent a letter to the FCC saying new regulations could hinder the development of the Internet.

"Until now, the innovators who are building the Internet and creating the advancements in telemedicine, education and the vast array of other online products and services have done so in an environment driven by competition and innovation," said the letter, signed by Cisco Systems, Alcatel-Lucent, Corning, Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia. "We believe government's role in the Internet should be to support investment, jobs, and new technologies, especially if they increase the opportunity for all Americans to connect online."

Instead, new Net neutrality rules could prohibit broadband providers from offering advanced and well-managed networks, the companies said.

"Public policy should encourage more investment to expand access to the Internet, whether it is access through a cell phone, a laptop, a PC or any new device that we have yet to imagine," the letter said. "If the FCC takes a prescriptive approach to new regulations, then it could place itself in the position of being the final arbiter of what products and services will be allowed on the Internet."

With the explosion of technology into every facet of the day-to-day business environment there is a need to define an effective infrastructure to support operating environment; have a strategy for the deployment and technology; and clearly define responsibilities and accountabilities for the use and application of technology.

- more info

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