News, Analysis and Opinion for IT Channel

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

AWS shops welcome beefy C4 instances

Amazon's latest line of compute-optimized instances offers built-in Elastic Block Store integration and boosted performance over previous generations.

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

Patch Tuesday rolls out fix for critical Telnet vulnerability

January saw a light Patch Tuesday, but Microsoft's move to discontinue its advance notification service has rankled security researchers.

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

Cybersecurity awareness reduces threat risk

A new study from Wombat Security and Aberdeen Group shows that boosting cybersecurity awareness and education among employees can reduce enterprise security risks and cost.

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

Dell flash storage includes two new cheaper entry models

Dell ships two entry-level all-flash storage arrays with advertised street prices of $25,000 and $35,000 to address customer concerns about cost.

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

Asigra to bulk up Cloud Backup with Docker support

Asigra will add Docker support for its container backup and recovery in version 13. Although early adoption rates may be limited, the company preps for an expected uptick.

January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

Use latest Android if possible, urge security professionals

Android users advised to upgrade to latest version of OS as Google stops security updates for version 4.3 and earlier.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

Citrix partner program updated with specializations, sales collaboration rules

Citrix is adding specializations to its partner program and instituting new rules around how its field sales team interacts with channel partners.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

Obama calls for single U.S. data breach notification law

The president is calling for a single U.S. data breach notification law as part of proposed legislation to improve data security.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

FBI investigates hacked military social media accounts

The FBI investigates the hacking of the U.S. Central Command's Twitter and YouTube accounts by a group claiming to back Islamic State.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

HP gunning for Lenovo in slowing PC market

A picture of a global PC market slowing down along with a battle for the top vendor position has been drawn by both Gartner and IDC.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

Citrix scoops up storage software startup Sanbolic

Desktop virtualization firm Citrix acquired software startup Sanbolic to create a new storage division and compete in hyper-converged markets.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

Azure cloud progresses with massive VMs, key management

Microsoft continues to build its Azure cloud platform with new features around security, massive VMs and Docker support.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

SDN could make landfall in the enterprise thanks to UC

Software-defined networks could be what enterprises need to ensure the performance and reliability of their UC applications and services.

January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

Cisco patches WebEx CSRF flaw

The most important of the seven fixes for the WebEx Meeting Server platform remedy a flaw that could allow a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Sony Pictures admits it was unprepared for cyber attack

Sony Pictures admits it was not prepared for the nature and extent of the cyberattack that hit the company last November.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Box finally files for IPO

After nearly a year of delays, cloud storage provider Box is finally ready to go public.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Attackers bypass conventional security, says FireEye study

Hackers breach most conventional, signature-based security technologies, with 27% involving advanced threats.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Cost of CRM set to fall 25% due to price war

The cost of customer relationship management (CRM) software is set to drop by 25%, according to the latest forecast from Gartner.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Citrix aims to expand virtual storage options with Sanbolic buy

Citrix has started the year with an acquisition, picking up workload orientated virtualization storage player Sanbolic.

January 12, 2015 12 Jan'15

Hacker threatens Swiss bank

A hacker has threatened to reveal personal customer details of a Swiss bank unless it pays €10,000.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Lenovo adds Avnet to enterprise server line-up

Lenovo has added Avnet to its enterprise distribution mix as it looks for growth post the IBM x86 acquisition.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Independent Oracle Users Group responds to CCL open letter

Following an open letter calling for reforms to licensing practices, the IOUG has responded with varying degrees of skepticism.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Docker containers to move slowly into enterprise

Docker containers and the ecosystem around them grew exponentially in 2014, but don't expect mass adoption by the enterprise class in 2015.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

CSA: Enterprises struggling to control cloud services

Cloud Security Alliance findings show many enterprises struggle to identify and control shadow cloud apps and services; half of those surveyed told the CSA they have no program in place manage cloud apps and services.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

SanDisk spins out NexGen, ioControl hybrid arrays

NexGen Storage said it's revamped the hybrid storage array and will release product details later this month after getting spun out from SanDisk.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Verizon Cloud outage looms, but impact already felt

Verizon Cloud will be down for up to 48 hours this weekend. But with a relatively small customer base, the biggest impact could be on future customers.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Gogo flap opens Pandora's Box of certificate threats

Experts say the security industry's 'blind trust' may result in a new wave of security threats caused by fake SSL certificates, including man-in-the-middle and DNS attacks.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Retooling could solve the mainframe generation gap

IT shops have tried a number of ways to attract Millennials to IBM mainframes. Maybe a new generation of tools is the best way to bridge the IT generation gap.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Microsoft to broaden Windows app development in 2015

Trying to catch up with archrivals Apple and Android, Microsoft launches an initiative to lure new developers for its Windows, cloud and mobile platforms.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

New M.2 enterprise SSDs from OCZ, Lite-On debut at CES

New enterprise M.2 SSDs from OCZ, Lite-On appeal to hyperscale companies and general enterprise IT for booting servers, caching and storing primary data.

January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

Citrix Summit 2015 preview: Marketing tools, sneak peek at Citrix Solution Advisor

With Citrix Summit 2015 just days away, the vendor launched the latest Citrix MarketingIQ platform for partners and offered partners a sneak peak at its new Citrix Solution Advisor partner program.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

FBI reiterates claims North Korea is behind Sony cyber attack

The FBI says it is confident North Korea is behind the recent cyberattack on Sony Entertainment Pictures.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

New devices could threaten corporate security

Employees bringing newly acquired smartphones and tablets into the office could be a new year gift for hackers, warns Ernst & Young.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

IT maintenance saps budget as tech spending increases

Technology spending is set to rise modestly, but the majority of IT spending will still go on maintaining existing systems.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

CES 2015: Samsung CEO talks Internet of Things

Samsung president and CEP BK Yoon told audiences at CES that the Internet of Things is not as distant as we think.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

Cloud backup services gain interest, features

A busy year in the cloud backup and recovery services market ends with CloudBerry Lab, Axcient and iland making upgrades to their lineup.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

Global tablet user base to hit $1B this year

Even though there are signs that the market is not growing as fast as it once did the global user base will go through $1 billion this year.

January 08, 2015 08 Jan'15

Cyberattack is primary weapon for countries, says ViaSat UK

Cyber attacks are becoming the first weapon of choice for countries in conflict, says ViaSat UK.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Will real-time collaboration tools go mainstream in 2015?

Emerging real-time collaboration tools are becoming integrated into business processes, giving employees one place to go to get their work done.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Intel positioning for the wearables revolution

Intel has used its CES appearance to position itself as a leader in the development of wearable technology.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

SocialPath privacy tool steals data, researchers warn

The SocialPath mobile privacy tool is really a piece of mobile malware that steals users’ data, warn researchers.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Sony CEO speaks out for first time since hack

Speaking at CES 2015, Kazuo Hirai addresses the 'most vicious and malicious cyber-attack in recent history.’

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

AWS tweaks Spot Instances, management console

The new two-minute warning is a positive move for IT pros using Spot Instances, but some would like to see more changes to the bidding system.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

IoT: Industry must put safeguards in place, says FTC chief

Speaking at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez has spoken of the potential privacy issues surrounding the Internet of Things.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Moonpig under fire for slow response to security flaw

Online greeting card firm Moonpig has finally suspended its mobile apps 17 months after being warned of serious security flaws.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Will IBM’s simplified cloud contract suit everybody?

IBM has announced its intention to simplify contracts for cloud computing services, but will this standardized two-page document suit all customers?

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Internet of Things requires customer services rethink

The growth of the Internet of Things will see devices begin to initiate customer service requests on behalf of humans, says Gartner.

January 07, 2015 07 Jan'15

Millions of Indian IT staff could unionize

Trade union organizations in India are calling on millions of Indian IT workers to unionize, as fears spread over mass redundancies.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

CES 2015: LG’s G Flex 2 launch and an IoT-driven future

LG’s vision of a "better" and "more beautiful" future will be driven by innovation in the home-centric sector of the Internet of Things.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

CCL publishes open letter to Oracle

The Campaign for Clear Licensing has published an open letter calling on Oracle to clean up its act when it comes to licensing and auditing practices.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

Samsung boss argues now is the time for IoT

The possibilities of the Internet of Things changing society depends is something that has already started, according to the CEO of Samsung.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

Google under fire over Windows zero-day disclosure

Google has come under fire for publishing a proof-of-concept attack exploiting a flaw in Windows 8.1 before Microsoft had released a security update.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

Battle between Huawei and Xiaomi is too close to call

Huawei has borrowed one or two moves from Xiaomi's playbook in order to keep pace with the most valuable tech start-up on the planet.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

Retailers facing fewer, more effective cyberattacks

Research from IBM indicates cyberattackers are going after retailers with surgical precision, using fewer attack attempts yet frequently compromising vulnerable databases.

January 06, 2015 06 Jan'15

How will IoT services affect wireless networks?

IoT services will become more widespread in 2015 and enterprises will need to ensure their Wi-Fi networks are up for the challenge.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Extreme Networks appoints new channel VP

Cisco man Bob Gault heads up the channel at Extreme Networks with Theresa Caragol moving over to strategic sales initiatives.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Google criticized for releasing unpatched Windows bug

Google's Project Zero team have publicly released details of a Windows vulnerability, but many are asking if it was the responsible thing to do.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Hackers can exploit free mobile apps to steal data, study shows

Hackers can access private data by exploiting vulnerabilities mainly in free mobile apps, according to security researchers.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Get cracking on DevOps, flash storage in the new year

These six data center trends will move from leading edge to mass adoption in 2015. Experts and IT organizations that already took the plunge explain why.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Zammit steps into Gallagher's shoes at Avnet

Avnet Technology Solutions has unveiled a global president to replace outgoing Phil Gallagher promoting an internal candidate.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

North Korea slams 'hostile' U.S. sanctions over Sony cyber attack

North Korea has denounced fresh U.S. sanctions in response to the November cyber attack on Sony as “hostile” and “repressive.”

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Apple patches iCloud password vulnerability

A hacking tool released on New Year's Day highlighted a security hole in Apple's public cloud service that left user accounts vulnerable.

January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

Storage 2014: Cloud, flash main acquisition targets

Cloud storage acquisitions were common in 2014 with EMC, NetApp and Microsoft getting into the act, but flash brought in the big bucks.

January 02, 2015 02 Jan'15

Microsoft to provide more Windows 10 details

Microsoft is hosting an event later this month to provide even more details of what will come with Windows 10.

December 31, 2014 31 Dec'14

Top storage news in 2014 centers on flash, cloud

Hyper-converged, all-flash and cloud storage formed a three-legged stool of dominant storage news in 2014; Symantec stunner added an element of surprise.

December 31, 2014 31 Dec'14

Chick-Fil-A breach compromises thousands of payment cards

The popular fast-food chain has suffered what may be a massive, months-long payment card data breach that likely dates back as far as December 2013.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

Tick tock: Jan. 1 marks PCI 3.0 deadline

As PCI DSS 3.0 becomes mandatory on Jan. 1, QSAs say struggling merchants will find that a continuous approach to PCI compliance eases the long-term compliance burden.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

IT resolutions for 2015

In this #CIOChat, participants shared their IT resolutions for 2015, focusing on security, app dev, big data and cloud -- all while keeping their users in mind.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

CHIME and healthcare CIOs look to 2015

CHIME was hoping to insert its Flex-IT meaningful use slowdown bill into a congressional budget bill, but the measure failed to make it in.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

Why cloud data privacy will be a major issue in 2015

The Cloud Security Alliance says cloud data privacy has emerged as a top issue for industry amid Microsoft's battle with the U.S. government over customer emails stored in Ireland.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

GE solves performance issues with testing appliances

Load DynamiX appliances enable GE's IT team to pre-test application workloads and validate performance to ensure storage arrays perform as expected.

December 30, 2014 30 Dec'14

Causation vs. correlation in big data

Atti Riazi, chief information technology officer and Assistant Secretary-General at the U.N., chats with SearchCIO's Linda Tucci about drawing inferences from big data.

December 29, 2014 29 Dec'14

Cloud, mobile and analytics dominate HR and financials

Companies discovered new cloud computing advantages in 2014, but analysts say there is still plenty of room for growth.

December 29, 2014 29 Dec'14

Top 10 2014: The most popular GRC articles of the year

In our "Top 10 of 2014," find the most popular SearchCompliance articles from the past year offering advice on deploying a cutting-edge GRC strategy.

December 29, 2014 29 Dec'14

Top SDN trends of 2014

In 2014, SDN trends were largely defined by the transition from theory to action as vendors productized the technology and engineers sought out SDN skills to prepare for change.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

White box switching, .11ac pace networking in '14

The top networking stories of 2014 include bare-metal switching, security scares and Gigabit wireless.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

Oracle CloudWorld sheds light on Oracle's cloud plans

At Oracle CloudWorld in Boston, Oracle exec Shawn Price and consultant R "Ray" Wang discussed cloud computing trends that the vendor is looking to capitalize on as user adoption grows.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

Network managers share their 2015 IT wishlists

As 2014 comes to a close, network managers share their IT wishlists for what they'd like to see from their vendors, as well as the technology, in 2015.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

Russian hacker group Anunak targets banks and payment systems

A hacker group based in Russia and Ukraine is gaining access to the internal payment systems of banks and payments providers.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

IBM simplifies its cloud contract to two-page document

IBM has created a standard two-page contract for customers using its cloud computing services to replace long and complex contracts and negotiations.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

PanTerra offers cloud communications-enabled analytics platform

PanTerra's Unified Business Analytics platform for contact centers moves analytics beyond monitoring to communication and collaboration.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

U.S. announces Cuba telecom plan; cable preps for Gigabit broadband

In telecom news, U.S. telecom providers will be able to expand to Cuba, while the cable industry tests Gigabit broadband services.

December 23, 2014 23 Dec'14

10 data storage startups to watch in 2015

These storage startups tackle surging demand for cloud disaster recovery, cold storage, application acceleration and hybrid flash.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

VoIP hardware is hot-ticket item among IT pros

More IT pros are shopping for VoIP hardware than for software-based telephony clients for the PC and mobile devices, a TechTarget survey shows.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

Staples says breach larger than initially reported

An update from the office-supply giant shows that 1.16 million cards and point-of-sale systems at more than 1,400 stores may have been affected.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

Enterprise file sync and share expands in 2014

The crowded enterprise file sync-and-share market is poised for change, as functionality increasingly becomes a feature of larger products, analysts predict.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

Researchers uncover serious NTP security flaws

According to researchers, the most severe of several newly discovered Network Time Protocol security flaws can be exploited remotely with a single packet.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

Cisco SDN training is exactly where it should be, execs say

Cisco would like to set the record straight -- it is taking SDN training seriously. SDN is not yet part of the core CCIE curriculum, but Cisco says SDN and programmability specialty courses will prepare certified engineers.

December 22, 2014 22 Dec'14

IBM expands cloud services globally

IBM has stretched the global reach of its cloud computing services by adding 12 locations to its network of cloud centers.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Atos targets US growth with billion-dollar Xerox acquisition

Atos is to spend over $1 billion and take over the IT outsourcing operations of Xerox.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Red Hat delivers growth as CFO calls time at firm

Open source player Red Hat has delivered a solid set of Q3 numbers and revealed its CFO is opting to retire.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Top virtual storage news of 2014

We take a look back at the most-read content on SearchVirtualStorage during 2014 to see what trends are shaping the industry.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Backup 2014: Acquisitions, spinoffs and cloud-to-cloud emerge

Backup 2014 included breakups as Symantec divorced itself, acquisition as EMC picked up cloud-to-cloud backup and additions as Hitachi Data Systems got into disk backup.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

2014 flash highlights included all-flash arrays and NAND engineer

Startups and legacy vendors alike rolled out all-flash platforms to highlight 2014 in flash, underscoring solid-state's steadily increasing footprint in the enterprise.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

VMware pushes public cloud in hybrid strategy

VMware added a number of new features to its public cloud and rebranded it as vCloud Air in 2014, but the focus will still remain on hybrid in 2015.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Top DaaS and VDI news of the year

Desktop as a service, GPU and application publishing dominated virtualization news in 2014. Take a look back and catch up on what happened with Microsoft, Citrix and VMware.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Misfortune Cookie flaw puts 12 million home routers at risk

Check Point has uncovered a widespread home router security vulnerability, dubbed Misfortune Cookie, that could allow attackers to gain control over millions of devices.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

FBI officially blames North Korea government for Sony breach

The investigative U.S. government agency said it found overlap between the malware and infrastructure used in the Sony Pictures hack and other North Korean operations.

December 19, 2014 19 Dec'14

Microsoft embarks on Skype real-time translation

Microsoft's preview of Skype Translator promises real-time translation and Skype for Business users are starting to envision its benefits.