IT for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Mobile data services development trends in 2007

Darrell Jordan-Smith takes a look at new data services architectures and development tools emerging in 2007 and the ongoing development efforts of the Java Community and others. Continue Reading

By

• Darrell Jordan-Smith

Cisco stamps on Brocade in Q4, Dell'Oro says

For the second quarter in a row Cisco is gaining SAN switch market share on Brocade, according to the latest report by the Dell'Oro Group. But the numbers are causing a firestorm. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

Cisco buys WebEx for $3.2 billion

Cisco plans to buy WebEx, maker of hosted, on-demand collaboration applications. Continue Reading

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• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

NEC reveals HydraStor grid storage

NEC announces its HydraStor array for secondary storage, touting its grid storage architecture, automated policies for data management and scalable deduplication. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

Review: eGuardPost a B+ overall

eGuardPost is a well-designed and highly capable product that meets an important need. It has strong security and great forensics capabilities. Continue Reading

By

• Steven Weil, Point B

Symantec acquires automated risk assessment firm

Symantec has acquired Reston, Va.-based 4FrontSecurity, a maker of automated risk analysis and security management tools. An expert says it's the latest sign that the security risk assessment market is heating up. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

Microsoft outlines software-centric VoIP, UC

Microsoft unveils its vision of a software-based VoIP system to enable unified communications. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Buzz builds around data reduction for primary storage

Analysts predict that in-band compression offerings from StoreWiz, newly updated this week, are the first step toward a new wave of primary storage deduplication products. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Linksys, Gateway launch low-end NAS

Cisco subsidiary Linksys and PC maker Gateway launch new NAS products for small businesses and consumers. Continue Reading

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• SearchStorage.com

RFID dispute: Vendors still hostile toward full disclosure

Many vendors still believe that security by obscurity is still the best policy and make it a priority to silence vulnerability researchers. Continue Reading

Storage switch startup burns out, turns to security

The company formerly known as Maxxan has been rechristened CipherMax and is now marketing a storage switch/encryption appliance with one point of management. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

HP announces iSCSI VTL for SMBs

HP's new iSCSI VTL devices include automated backup capabilities for users with fewer than four servers. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

When security firms merge, some users are losers

Some users see their services improve when IT security vendors merge with other companies or get acquired. Others say they've been left out in the cold. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Questions fly as EMC Retrospect fades

All signs point to the end of life for EMC's Retrospect backup software for small businesses. Sources say the company cannot support an SMB software channel. Continue Reading

VoIP complexities stall implementation for SMBs

VoIP sales in the SMB market are predicted to lead revenue in the next several years, but most SMBs are confused by the number of different solutions. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart, Associate Editor

New storage IPOs report losses

Of the 2006 "graduating class" of storage IPOs, two reported losses this week in their first quarter as public companies. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

VoIP security, unified communications need questioned

VoIP security issues and questions about the business need for unified communications have stalled adoption of both technologies, according to CompTIA's recent survey. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart, Associate Editor

Are there any differences in operations between unified storage and my existing storage systems?

Normally, a block storage system is handled by a storage professional or storage administrator... Continue Reading

Email security buying decisions

Email security can be a daunting task for SMBs -- how do you go about finding the right product? This tip delves into three approaches to email security and the products available. Continue Reading

By

• Joel Dubin, CISSP, Contributor

HDS to acquire Archivas for up to $120M

HDS will acquire archiving software partner, Archivas for close to $120 million stepping up its effort to compete with EMC in this market. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

HP fills in gaps with product updates

HP announced updates to several of its products, but analysts are wondering what its ultimate strategy will be for storage virtualisation. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Intrusion detection systems are alive and kicking

IPS hasn't overtaken intrusion detection systems just yet. Senior News Writer Bill Brenner reveals what customers want when they're shopping for IDS products. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

New security vendors take on sophisticated attackers

IT Security vendors are developing technologies that show promise in preventing unknown attacks and protecting machines with zero-day vulnerabilities. Continue Reading

Hybrid drives hit NAS boxes

DNF will be making hybrid drives available in all of its storage products, but it doesn't recommend them for IP SANs. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Managed VoIP -- 10 tips for a smooth migration

Migrating to managed VoIP doesn't have to be a headache. Here, Verizon Business offers 10 top tips to ensure you get what you need. Continue Reading

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• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Symantec makes major update to Enterprise Vault

Symantec adds automated data classification and integration with security products in Version 7.0 of its Enterprise Vault archiving tool; EMC reports record earnings for the fourth quarter. Continue Reading

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• SearchStorage.com Staff

iSCSI SANs grow in midmarket, enterprise

Because transporting "SCSI over IP" leverages ubiquitous Ethernet networks, that translates to lower cost, easier maintenance and simpler management, which makes SAN deployment more attractive for SMEs. Continue Reading

Companies take IM threats seriously

Wesabe is a brand new money management community. It takes threats to IM as seriously as those targeting email and web applications Continue Reading

By

• Mark Baard

EMC, NetApp execs debate future of iSCSI

A discussion between an EMC and NetApp executive, via their blogs, has users and analysts debating: Will the "Year of iSCSI" ever really happen? Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

WiMax clearing path to mainstream

A number of industry moves have made WiMax almost ready for the mainstream. But there's good news and bad news to consider before making the move. Continue Reading

EMC restructures SMB storage division

EMC's Insignia group, originally a separate business unit, has seen layoffs and a restructuring, but EMC says it has no plans to discontinue its SMB products. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Is an SMB environment too small for a SAN?

Almost any size business can benefit from some type of SAN -- or "network storage"; whether it's NAS, iSCSI-based IP storage or FC storage... Continue Reading

Asterisk releases new software appliance

Asterisk, the open source PBX, yesterday released a new software appliance that it says can be implemented in 30 minutes or less. Continue Reading

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• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Top 10 storage stories of 2006

SAN and NAS converged and shook up the industry, iSCSI went mission-critical, users conquered tiered storage and more. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Top 10 storage acquisitions of 2006

Industry consolidation was fast and furious this year. We rank the deals by quality, not quantity. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, News Director and Beth Pariseau, News Writer

Seagate to acquire EVault for $185M

The disk drive maker has plans to tuck the online backup and archiving service provider into its services group. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Top storage tips 2006

What's on the minds of storage techies. What's hot, what's not, what works, what doesn't work. These expert tips cover the storage issues that take top honours when it comes to disaster recovery, NAS, SAN, backup and storage management. Continue Reading

Review: Prevx1 not ready for prime time

Prevx1 will require significant improvement in management and detection capabilities before it can be considered a serious contender for enterprise deployments. Continue Reading

By

• Peter Gianocoupoulous, Contributing Writer

Hosted VoIP eliminates cost, complexity

Hosted VoIP is being adopted at increasing rates as more and more companies look to avoid the excess costs and complexities of on-premise solutions. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart, Associate Editor

Infrastructure security: Remote access DMZ

An excerpt from Chapter 7: Infrastructure security from "How to Cheat at Managing Information Security," by Mark Osborne. Continue Reading

Vendors to crank up SaaS offerings to SMBs next year

SMBs will outpace enterprises when it comes to IT spending in 2007 -- and vendors will delve deeper into SaaS to reach them. Continue Reading

By

• Shamus McGillicuddy, Enterprise Management Associates

SIP desktop phone blends functionality, style

VoIP desktop phones are no longer the clunky hunks of plastic that take up space on your desk. Siemens yesterday launched a new family of SIP phones that are as slick as they are functional. Continue Reading

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• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Dell, Microsoft tout joint NAS product

The new NX1950 product is vastly more expensive than its counterparts from HP and NetApp, but it scales higher, supports clusters and has redundant controllers. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Symantec blames piracy for Veritas licensing snafu

Weekly compilation of storage news: Symantec says that software counterfeiting is throwing a wrench in tech support ; FRCP rules take effect. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Editors

Recordless email: magical or menacing?

A new startup promises recordless email. Is this a stroke of genius that will reward the company with billions of Internet bucks, or is it the end of the world as we know it? Continue Reading

BakBone NetVault upsets in Quality Awards, page 5

About the authors and the backup software survey. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

Backup software: BakBone upsets in Quality Awards, page 3

Evaluating backup software products over the long haul: product reliability and repurchasing intentions. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

Backup software: BakBone upsets in Quality Awards, page 4

The results for tech support and salesforce competence in backup software. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

Backup software: BakBone upsets in Quality Awards, page 2

BakBone was the overall winner, but beaten out by CommVault in the product features category of our backup software Quality Awards. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

E-vaulting's many faces can confuse IT efforts

E-vaulting is the process that describes how enterprise IT departments ship backup tapes and replicate data to remote disk arrays and VTLs. E-vaulting is not a new concept, but more recently it has grown to mean remote backups and replication for SMBs/SMEs using third-party services. This article examines e-vaulting, highlights the major considerations and roadblocks in implementation, examines the impact of e-vaulting on real-life users and looks ahead at future e-vaulting trends. Continue Reading

In IT security, vendor size does not compute

With consolidation gripping the security industry, companies are seeking out the most stable security vendors, but analysts and experts say the biggest firms aren't necessarily the most prudent investment. Continue Reading

By

• Jon Boroshok, Contributor

What storage managers are buying and why, page 3

What storage managers are buying and why Continue Reading

What storage managers are buying and why, page 2

 Continue Reading

What storage managers are buying and why, page 4

What storage managers are buying and why Continue Reading

Boston Celtics face off against spyware

One of the Boston Celtics' toughest opponents was spyware until the IT shop fought back. The team's IT chief explains how he gained the upper hand. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Ray Noorda, the pioneer behind rise of Novell, dies

Network computing pioneer and former Novell chief executive Ray Noorda has died aged 82. Continue Reading

By

• Tash Shifrin

Sprint spin-off struggles with mainframe tape migration

Telecom firm Embarq touched a nerve with mainframe users at StorageTek Forum -- huge tape migrations are forcing them to reconsider their historic loyalty to tape. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

School district expels outsourced backup, enrolls CDP

Revere School District dumps tape and outsourced backup, and deploys SonicWall's continuous data protection product. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Barrett, News Director, Data Center Media Group

ZERT rekindles third-party patching debate

This week in Security Blog Log: IT security pros express more reservations about third-party patching, including the CEO of a company that released one a few months ago. Continue Reading

Top tech tips from SearchStorage.com

Check out the top tips on backup, SAN, NAS and storage management from SearchStorage.com. Continue Reading

Users say keeping it simple means keeping one vendor

Despite some potential benefits of heterogeneous shops, users at Storage Decisions say they find sticking with one vendor a better way to survive the storage sprawl. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

NetApp operations chief talks growth

Tom Georgens, executive vice president and general manager at NetApp -- also rumoured to be in the running as next CEO -- discusses what's driving its growth. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

Three ways to create clustered storage, page 3

Clustered storage systems run on storage servers, NAS gateways and hosts. Here's how to determine which clustered file-system architecture is best for your needs and storage environment. Continue Reading

Dell and EMC: Five more years

Dell leans on EMC for support in the face of an SEC investigation and possible delisting from NASDAQ. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Barrett, News Director, Datacenter Media Group

VoIP still a confusing area for SMBs

A study released at today's VON conference in Boston suggests that SMBs -- despite their growing use of VoIP -- are still confused about VoIP technology. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Storage IPOs bode well for competition

Analysts say new public players could breathe competitive life into the market, but it all hinges on how well execs can balance the needs of users and shareholders. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

VoIP startup untethers would-be mobile workers from wireline office phones

VoIP startup DiVitas Networks has voice-over-WiFi-to-cellular technology in the works that gives endusers access to enterprise apps and puts dual-mode handset management in the hands of network administrators. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

ControlGuard targets rogue devices

ControlGuard Access Manager is an effective tool for controlling what devices users can add to their workstations and how they are used. Continue Reading

By

• Harris Weisman, Contributing Writer

Emulex acquisition could cloud future of FC-SATA spec

New Emulex subsidiary Sierra Logic's strength is in FC-SATA bridging technology. Meanwhile, ONStor launches midrange clustered NAS, and Quantum shareholders withhold votes. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

An era ends as Tandberg buys Exabyte

The once-dominant player in the tape market has ended a long downward spiral by selling off its assets. At least customers can now count on continued support, analysts say. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Riverbed update offers users more bandwidth, better reporting

Riverbed announced a package of hardware and software updates, which some customers say they've been waiting for. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

3PAR adds midrange array for secondary sites

3PAR has introduced a smaller version of its InServ Storage Server, which it describes as a product-line extension into its existing customer base. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

Security Blog Log: Opinions abound on IBM/ISS deal

Bloggers ponder what IBM's acquisition of ISS says about the industry as a whole. Is the end in sight for independent security vendors? Continue Reading

Weekly compilation of storage news

Symantec peddles enterprise vault toolT and the new features developed because of a recent update to the US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

IBM spruces up storage line

IBM floated a raft of announcements across its storage line, but analysts say they are still waiting for the updates stuck in the research phase. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Preparing for 'little disasters' often neglected

Tom Dugan, CTO of Recovery Networks, says it's common for users to prepare to lose an entire building -- but aren't ready for small-scale losses – like losing a server. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Security blog log: Fear and loathing in MS06-040's wake

This week, security bloggers wonder if some of the MS06-040 warnings have gone too far. Meanwhile, Symantec uses its blog to warn about the timed release of exploits. Continue Reading

Briefs: VoIP in the news

Asterisk maker Digium gets major funding; Quintum's VoIP switch offers backup option for branch office; The Cisco Store makes the case for unified communications. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell

Qualcomm to halve storage growth in 2007

Wireless chipmaker Qualcomm expects to slow down its storage growth by at least 50% next year using a capacity utilisation tool from MonoSphere. Continue Reading

By

• Jo Maitland, TechTarget

EMC updates SAN Advisor design tool

EMC's SAN design tool now recognises zones and allows users to customise rules; HP and EMC sign five-year cross-licensing deal. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

Akonix A-Series offers complex, best-of-breed IM security

Product review: Information Security magazine's Sandra Kay Miller says The Akonix A-Series instant messaging security appliances works well but needs better documentation. Continue Reading

By

• Sandra Kay Miller

Mobile security begins with policy

Mobile security can no longer be an afterthought. Mobile experts say security starts, but doesn't end, with policy. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Are smaller companies storage-stupid?

Storage guru Jon Toigo questions the buying process of storage in SMBs . Continue Reading

EqualLogic updates storage provisioning software

Users have more options when it comes to pooling storage with version 3.0 of EqualLogic's array software, but some are wondering whatever happened to the SAS disks. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Midsized firms reach out to backup service providers

Data growth and ever-tightening compliance rules are among the factors driving some organizations to turn to service providers for help with backups. Continue Reading

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• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Inside MSRC: Debunking Excel exploits

Microsoft's Christopher Budd puts the magnifying glass to Microsoft's July bulletinsand says one alleged Excel exploit isn't what it seems. Continue Reading

By

• Eric Parizo, Senior Analyst

Looking ahead to life without passwords

Security pros know that passwords are nothing but trouble. For them, single-sign on, two-factor authentication and federated ID represent the path to stronger authentication. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Strong authentication for businesses large and small

Product review: Customer service could return calls more quickly when there's a problem. But overall, RSA SecurID Appliance 2.0 delivers robust, scalable protection. Continue Reading

By

• Phoram Mehta, Contributing Writer

Microsoft offers SMBs all-in-one security and protection

Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are among the key targets of Microsoft's latest solution, Windows Live OneCare. Continue Reading

FullArmor lives up to its name

PolicyPortal provides an Internet interface to easily configure, monitor and enforce near real-time Active Directory-based policy compliance through client agents. Continue Reading

By

• James Foster, CSC

SMB finds the perfect host

When All3Media, a medium-sized TV programming producer, inherited an inflexible communications system, it turned to a more appealing, hosted alternative. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Large

Outsourced way to hire contract staff

IT services company FDM has launched a "straight through" recruitment service to help IT departments in the finance sector recruit contract staff. Continue Reading

By

• Tash Shifrin

Lenovo goes for gold with SMBs

When Shelley Rudman unexpectedly won a silver medal for her valiant efforts in the skeleton at this year’s Winter Olympics, the world knew she’d gained her unprecedented achievement for the UK in a matter of seconds. In fact, the world expected to know the results in that space of time. Continue Reading

Networks news in brief

Short takes from this week's network news Continue Reading

Not just a big switch

Fibre Channel directors don't just provide lots of ports, they also offer ways to connect disparate SANs, isolate data and devices within a fabric, and configure throughput for specific applications. We look at how the big three directors match up. Continue Reading

By

• Jerome Wendt

Be careful you don't get more than you pay for with VoIP

Implementing VoIP is attractive for all companies in particular SMBs. However, there are issues to address that may cost you more than what you save Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Wireless security: Public Wi-Fi could open security holes

A Michigan county is working to give everyone within its borders wireless Internet access. But when it comes to security, users are on their own. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Demand for development skills soars as firms seek business edge

Computer Weekly salary survey shows IT departments eager to secure skills for the future. Continue Reading

IBM targets SMEs with storage products

IBM has launched the first in a range of new storage products aimed at the SME market, following its link-up with Network Appliance. Continue Reading

By

• Tash Shifrin

Sony takes second stab at DRM patch

But a top executive's response to criticism over the company's use of rootkit technology has added fuel to the backlash. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner