Get full ITIL v3 ITSM functionality over the Web

09/08/08

Imagine getting the full functionality of recommended ITIL v3 applications like configuration management, service desk, CMDB and so on without installing any software in your data center. Service-now.com has a complete suite of ITIL applications that are all delivered as a service over the web. The company is gaining lots of converts from big monolithic enterprise ITSM applications.

'It's the data, stupid' so you'd better vote to protect it

09/01/08

"It's the data, stupid." OK, the phrase is not quite catchy enough to become a must-have bumper sticker, but it's a mantra for every organization with sensitive information. Today's article looks at two enterprise security platforms designed to protect corporate data. Guardium focuses on securing the data and actions involving databases, and Symantec's Vontu platform provides data loss prevention on the network, at the endpoint, and in storage devices.

Best practices for securing telecommuters' PCs

08/25/08

Is the exorbitant price of gasoline leading to an increase in telecommuting at your company? This will have a dramatic impact on IT as more people drag their laptops home or boot up the home PC to access office applications. Managing a PC that's not continuously connected to the corporate network can be a challenge. Follow these guidelines to make sure all the bases are covered.

Endpoint virtualization is all coming together at Symantec

08/18/08

Following a series of technology acquisitions, Symantec has built a strategy to deliver endpoint virtualization. Applications and information can be streamed on-demand to almost any kind of endpoint to improve the end user experience while also providing better management and security of what matters most - your information.

TriCipher offers strong authentication as a service

08/11/08

TriCipher has long been known for its strong layered approach to user authentication. Many businesses such as financial institutions have implemented a TriCipher solution to authenticate customers accessing their accounts over the Internet. Until now, a TriCipher security implementation meant installing an ID Vault appliance within the business' infrastructure. Now the vendor is delivering the power of its authentication solutions to a broader range of businesses by delivering them as a service called myOneLogin.

A big SIEM solution designed for small companies

08/04/08

In this day and age of escalating complexity of IT solutions and skyrocketing tech support costs, it's unusual to find a vendor that truly caters to the needs of small and midsized companies. But George Krupica, Director of Information Technology for Main Street Bank of Wheeling, West Virginia, has met the IT vendor of his dreams.

Web governance monitors Web sites for trouble signs

07/28/08

Over the years, your company's Web site has gotten larger and more complex. Depending on the size of your organization, the site might have hundreds if not thousands of individual pages comprising the whole web site. At the same time, public-facing Web sites are coming under an increasing amount of scrutiny, including online legislation and regulations as well as brand guidelines. New "Web governance" services monitor your Web site for site quality, accessibility, privacy assurance and other important attributes.

Low cost data protection in a virtual environment

07/21/08

Data management VAR Champion Solutions Group is getting more bang for its customers' bucks by using Acronis True Image Virtual Edition for data backup and recovery. The flat fee software license covers an unlimited number of virtual machines on a single physical server, lowering the cost of data protection.

States require a license to conduct data forensics

07/14/08

To prepare for your job as a computer technologist, you've gotten your college degree and earned your technical IT certifications. But do you have your private investigator (PI) license in hand? If you live or conduct work in Texas or a handful of other states, you may need one if you plan to retrieve forensics data from a computer, analyze it and provide a report to a customer.

Products to help detect insider threats

07/07/08

One of CERT's 13 best practices for preventing and detecting insider threats recommends that you should "log, monitor, and audit employee online actions." Last week we looked at some of the operational challenges of implementing this best practice. This week we look at three log-management products that are well suited to detecting insider threats as they are emerging.

Using log event management to combat insider threats

06/30/08

Previously we wrote about CERT and the "13 best practices for preventing and detecting insider threats." Now we'll dig deeper into best practice No. 5: "Log, monitor, and audit employee online actions," and we'll look at the operational challenges you might face when implementing this best practice.

Free accessibility training for Web developers with a heart

06/23/08

The Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) program provides free accessibility training to Web developers who volunteer one day of their time to develop a Web site for a nonprofit organization. What better way to learn the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 standards and techniques for accessible Web sites?

Trusteer protects transactions from desktop to Web site

06/16/08

With malware infecting nearly 50% of all PCs, the thought of conducting sensitive transactions over the Web is frightening. Even antivirus and antispyware vendors say it's impossible to prevent attacks from phishing, pharming, man-in-the-middle, keystroke logging, and other means. Going online to pay bills or make a purchase means a person could be giving away his user ID, password or account information without even knowing it. Now, Trusteer offers a unique solution to protect transactions between the desktop and a specific Web site. ING Direct is one of the first banks to make the solution available to its customers.

What the consumerization of IT means to you

06/09/08

It's called the consumerization of IT - using consumer-oriented devices and applications for business use. Google apps, iPhones, LinkedIn, Gmail, AIM, Facebook, and so on. Like it or not, they're here and they're not going to go away. Should you ban them? Embrace them? Close your eyes and ignore them? Experts weigh in on the topic.

13 best practices for preventing and detecting insider threats

06/02/08

When you think of IT security, you probably think of keeping the bad guys out of your IT systems. But what if the "bad guy" is fully authorized to use those IT systems? Insider threats are real and not so uncommon. That's why the CERT Coordination Center offers a report called Commonsense Guide to Prevention and Detection of Insider Threats. There's plenty you can do to lessen your risk of harm perpetrated by a trusted insider.

IT governance best practices are critical for business success

05/26/08

The Society for Information Management conducts an annual survey to determine what keeps a CIO up at night. In recent years, one of the top 10 causes for worry has been "IT governance." Just what is this nagging nightmare, and what can be done to push it off the list? The IT Policy Compliance Group offers some best practices for IT governance that were discovered through a recent in-depth survey.

Girl Scout cookie money to support a major SharePoint implementation

05/19/08

Just after John Fontana's article "Microsoft SharePoint taking business by storm" ran at the end of March, I had the opportunity to spend a few days at a Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), learning about Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS). Fontana says that MOSS could be the next "must-have technology, offering companies tools for building everything from collaborative applications to Internet sites." After my in-depth working session at the MTC, I have to agree; SharePoint 2007 is an exciting platform.

Trusted Computing Group extends standards for endpoint security

05/12/08

The Trusted Computing Group made a big splash at Interop Las Vegas by announcing and demonstrating an extension to its set of standards for network access control. When the new IF-MAP standard makes its way into real networking products in the next six to twelve months, it should become a lot easier to manage a wider range of endpoint devices - especially those that have been unmanageable in the past.

Wanted for dead or alive PCs: Intel vPro technology

05/05/08

Sometimes it takes a few years for a new technology to reach critical mass - that point where there are enough customers and third party supporters for the product to show real value to the general market place. Intel's vPro processor technology is just such an example. Gartner analysts now recommend the technology to buyers of new business PCs. Are you on the bandwagon yet?

Consolidate your logs and find golden nuggets

04/28/08

Unless you are a real geek (or trying to cure your insomnia), you probably don't spend much time pouring through log data. I mean, what could be more boring under ordinary circumstances, looking at line after line of cryptic time-stamped crumbs of information? Of course, if there's a problem on your network, that log data is pretty useful in helping to discover and resolve the problem. It gets even better when all your log data from all your sources is consolidated and analyzed to give you deep insight on what’s really happening.

Symantec is definitely a company to watch

04/21/08

I'm just back from Symantec's ManageFusion event in Las Vegas. You may recall that ManageFusion was started by Altiris, the systems management company acquired by Symantec just about a year ago. Needless to say, the Symantec executives spent a lot of time talking about the progress in integrating the two companies, and how the synergies are beginning to pay big dividends for customers. Let me share some of my notes with you.

Get a holistic view of your security and compliance posture

04/14/08

Enterprise security and regulatory compliance are joined at the hip. Now there's a tool that yields a holistic view of both, and it's all based on one true set of data.

Virtual 3D modeling is embedded with intelligence

04/07/08

When I started my career almost three decades ago, I worked in the project control department of a major engineering firm. One of my company's projects was the revamp of a huge petrochemical plant in Texas. The building I worked in had an entire floor full of 3D scale models of every unit of the industrial plant. In order to retrofit the new facilities into the old, the engineers had to know precisely what existed already, and that's what the models represented. If this project were to be done today, it's likely that those space-hogging physical models would be replaced by a few ordinary PCs hosting virtual 3D models embedded with intelligence.

It slices! It dices! It stores your data securely

03/31/08

Previously identified by Network World as "One of 10 Open Source Companies to Watch," Cleversafe has just released a commercial version of its Dispersed Storage Network (dsNet). In 2007, Network World called dsNet one of six advanced-technology open source projects likely to become the "Best of the New Data Center." With glowing reviews like that, how can you not be curious about what Cleversafe now has to offer?

Go 'green' when you retire old equipment

03/24/08

Does your Green IT initiative include a plan for recycling all your old computer equipment? It should, and it's easier than you think. A few months ago I wrote about options for getting rid of old computers piling up around your office. Since then I have learned about a high volume company that can take those computers off your hands in a safe (i.e., data compliant) and green (i.e., environmentally friendly) way. Even if you have hundreds or thousands of computers ready for disposal (i.e., recycling), this company can handle the load.

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Linda Musthaler is a principal analyst with Essential Solutions Corporation.