Outsourcing
The Wall Street Journal, 8/31/04: CEOs of Firms That Outsource The Most Jobs Got Bigger Pay
WASHINGTON -- Chief executives of U.S. companies that outsourced the greatest number of jobs reaped bigger pay and benefits last year, according to a new study of executive compensation being released Tuesday.
Average CEO compensation at the 50 companies outsourcing the most service jobs rose by 46% in 2003 from a year earlier, compared with a 9% increase for CEOs at 365 big companies overall, the study by the left-leaning Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy found.
[more]
Support
USA Today, 8/27/04: Have you tried to get tech support lately? Arrgh! #*!!
By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
Tech support once meant wrestling with the lingo of personal computers. These days, it may also involve grappling with a different kind of language barrier, as James R. Barr Sr. discovered.
Barr called Dell seeking help formatting, partitioning and reloading Windows XP. "I got a tech in India who spoke British English. I am 73, speak Alabama English and use two hearing aids. We both experienced some understanding problems."
…
Now that good, free help is becoming an oxymoron, companies are stepping in to fix problems — at a price. Take Geek Squad, a service owned by Best Buy. "Easy" problems that can be handled over the phone (for example, helping create a "restore disk") cost $29.95. Harder phone problems fetch $79.95.
[more]
Infoworld, 8/30/04: Dell expands SMB desktop services
Companies with overstretched IT staffs eyed
By Juan Carlos Perez
Dell Inc. introduced on Monday a new suite of desktop support services for small and medium size businesses (SMBs) designed for companies with overstretched IT staffs.
Called PC Workspace Services, the suite includes asset tracking, a support Web portal and on-site visits from field technicians, as well as around-the-clock help desk functions, such as remote support and routing of calls, Dell announced Monday.
[more]
Security
Computerworld, 8/30/04: McAfee releases VirusScan with intrusion prevention
The goal: protect computers from attacks such as buffer overflows
News Story by Paul Roberts
AUGUST 30, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Antivirus software company McAfee Inc. said today that a new version of its VirusScan Enterprise software contains so-called intrusion-prevention features that can protect computers from attacks such as buffer overflows, which are often used by viruses and worms to compromise vulnerable Microsoft Corp. Windows machines.
VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i integrates intrusion-prevention services (IPS) and firewall technology with antivirus software to protect PCs and file servers from new malicious code outbreaks automatically. The new version of VirusScan also has features to manage new malicious code outbreaks, limiting the damage they cause, McAfee said.
[more]
9:04:22 AM 
|
