IT Management
eWeek, 4/29/04: IT Managers Struggle with Data-Retention Rules
By John S. McCright
NEW YORK—Corporate IT managers have their work cut out for them trying to get their data-storage practices in line with myriad corporate regulations.
Three IT professionals at financial services companies told a packed crowd at the Storage Decisions Conference here this week how they are perplexed and overwhelmed by the spate of new regulations that require their companies to make daily judgments on which data to keep and which to get rid of.
Jay Cohen, chief compliance officer at New York-based The MONY Group Inc., said he spends a great deal of time with his company's CIO and chief financial officer trying to balance regulatory compliance demands.
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Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, 4/28/04: Managing IT for Business Value
I spend a lot of time talking with Microsoft customers around the world, and one thing I consistently hear is that the growing complexity of today's computing systems is driving up costs and limiting the potential of information technology to work on the toughest business problems. In fact, a study by the consulting firm Accenture reported that IT professionals spend up to 70 percent of their time maintaining existing systems.
The IT world of today is dramatically different than it was just a decade ago. IT systems are much more complex, with computers and software distributed throughout the organization and often around the world. Employees rely on laptops, mobile phones and smart handheld devices to stay in touch with the people and information they care about. Security technologies and policies are required to keep company data safe and ensure that critical systems can run without disruption. Partners and suppliers use powerful Web services to connect their business processes and work more efficiently. And customers have come to expect real-time information about inventory, billing and shipping delivered securely over the Web.
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Vertical Markets
eWeek, 5/1/04: Looking for the Key to SMB
By Renee Boucher Ferguson
Some of the biggest names in the software business—SAP AG, PeopleSoft Inc. and Microsoft Corp.—are chasing SMB customers with offerings that provide capabilities configured for specific vertical industries.
But to win over a substantial number of those potential small- and midsize-business customers, each will have to work out its relationship with channel partners, which are usually the face of IT for smaller companies.
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Security
C|net, 5/3/04: New worm's got sass, but not much else
By Robert Lemos
The security researchers at eEye Digital Security are not impressed with the Sasser worm.
The company, which found the flaws that were exploited by both the MSBlast worm and the Witty worm, on Saturday started analyzing the latest piece of attack code that takes advantage of a Microsoft Windows vulnerability discovered by its researchers. So far, eEye's analysts are surprised that the worm has spread so far.
"It's so poorly written," said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer for the Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based company. "This could still have a lot of impact, but it's written by someone that could barely get the code working."
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Otherwise
The Register, 4/30/04: Dell donates 100 clunkers to Operation Homelink
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Dell today made an unprecedented move to keep US soldiers deployed abroad in touch with their stateside families by donating 100 used laptops for use at Fort Hood.
Dell teamed with non-profit group Operation Homelink to provide systems for the parents and spouses of junior enlisted, deployed service men and women.
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