Is Microsoft's projectile-vomiting IE8 ad a bid for viral infamy?
From the blog: Varbose Written by: On: 2009-07-03 08:52:11The old adage there’s no such thing as bad publicity comes to mind with the controversy around a Microsoft video ad for its new Internet Explorer 8 Web browser that has left some viewers queasy. The ad is designed to promote the InPrivate browsing feature of IE8, and features a typical suburban couple eating breakfast, while the husband browses the Web on his laptop. As he gets up she pops on the laptop herself, and after a quick peak at his browsing history, she quickly, well, you can watch the video for yourself. Which is, of course, the point. While Microsoft has pulled the video from its YouTube channel and its BrowseForTheBetter.com site, it’s still available elsewhere and is already ...Read this article.
Isn't MDM about the enterprise?
From the blog: Ahead of the curve Written by: On: 2009-07-02 14:36:15Recently at the MDM Summit in Toronto, one speaker used the term “enterprise master data management” as opposed to just “master data management.” (MDM is the idea that data should exist within a business as a single version of the truth). The speaker said the term "enterprise MDM" is meant to emphasize that MDM is not just a department-level initiative, but one for the enterprise as a whole where data reliability and availability, among others, are key pillars. But I wondered if using the word “enterprise” isn’t somewhat redundant given that MDM is meant to make organizations take a holistic view of their data by ridding of the scattered silos of data that often persist. The speaker also said that ...Read this article.
Updates for FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer announced
From the blog: Industry Watch Written by: On: 2009-07-02 09:05:27Fortinet has issued new software releases of FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, which the company says significantly improve the enterprise management capabilities of it’s FortiGate multi-threat security appliances. The new releases correspond to the FortiGate FortiOS 4.0 operating system introduced earlier this year. FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer appliances provide a single hub for network and security administrators to define, deploy, monitor and manage Fortinet security devices. They also provide the means to oversee security events, perform forensic analysis and generate fully customizable graphical reports that detail the security posture of an enterprise network. The FortiManager 4.0 software releases include -- improvements in the performance and scalability, allowing administrators to deploy and manage thousands of FortiGate devices within the network and from a single ...Read this article.
IT Project Cost-Benefit Analysis
From the blog: Enterprise Insights Written by: On: 2009-06-30 23:36:20Assuming you got through the rough stuff of defining costs and benefits, the analysis should be simple. What you want to know is if the benefits of the project will exceed the costs, and by how much. Since costs and benefits may be spread over long periods of time, Present Values of these amounts are also usually calculated to compare the amounts in “today’s” dollars. When I did my first Cost-Benefit Analysis for a major project, I had to work with an spreadsheet expert to to do these calculations; now you can probably download something for free or a nominal fee that will do basic and advanced calculations. The key things these tools need is the two dollar values, cost ...Read this article.
No, really, I like vanilla.
From the blog: Security Insider Written by: On: 2009-06-30 17:05:27Vanilla. I've just spent the last few minutes trying to think of the right one-word description of my impression of the Gartner Information Security Summit (or at least so far). And that word is "vanilla". Not "vanilla" in a bad way, but "vanilla" as in delicious and satisfying, yet without any sprinkles on top. I came to this Gartner event expecting chocolate chip cookie dough, but I like vanilla too. Everything at this conference has been about practical advice - since Gartner's objective is to provide information and advice to their customers, they've been very successful. What I'm missing is a little pizazz: I want someone to go crazy and tell me that cloud computing is all hype, or that ...Read this article.
5 Canadians who make this a great country to work in IT
From the blog: Shane Schick\'s Computerworld Written by: On: 2009-06-30 15:31:31With Canada Day coming up tomorrow, I thought it’s an appropriate time to celebrate some of the individuals that I see making a difference in this sector. Yes, I’m leaving lots of people out and this list could probably have been a lot longer, but how many role models do you need anyway? Aspire to match the achievements of this handful of all-stars and you’ll be far ahead of anyone else in your field: 1. Reuven Cohen: Cloud computing has been the biggest trend of the last two years, and Reuven has been at the forefront of developing standards, community and a greater understanding of both the technology and the business issues. 2. Catherine Boivie: She helped found the CIO ...Read this article.
CIO Canada Links: The changing roles of CFOs and CIOs
From the blog: CIO Canada Written by: On: 2009-06-30 08:47:34The changing roles of CFOs and CIOs for greater business agility in a turbulent economy: Enterprise Management Quarterly Obama's cybersecurity push: What it means for CIOs: ComputerWorld IT staff salaries and benefits shrink: The Register Economic stimulus: Government CIOs play a role in health-care IT: Government Technology CIO seeks open government in sprawling New York Senate: Information Week Jeff Stewart joins Decision Resources as Chief information officer: Decision Resources ...Read this article.