‘Benefits of having Project Management Professional Credential’ a scenario based hypothesis
The scenarios are worked out with the following assumptions;
The PM is handling a project of this nature(size, complexity, distribution) for the first time
The project is critical
No special training on professional project management is provided to the project manager
The organization do not […]
This is a very comon question asked by many PM aspirants. Techies want to become project managers fast, mostly becuase that is the only career path defined for them in most organizations. If some one asked me, about some thing I miss in my professional life very badly is ‘technical skills’. When I was […]
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Google Inc. pulled away from Yahoo Inc. in search
engine usage during November in a major way, according to comScore Networks Inc.
Google nabbed almost 40% of all searches in the U.S.,
a commanding lead of more than 10 percentage points over Yahoo, which took
second place, comScore said.
Google also increased its share of searches by 5.2%
compared with […]
Job descriptions contained within the Internet and
Information Technology Position Descriptions HandiGuide were
just updated. The Job Description HandiGuide contains 635 pages; including
sample organization charts, a job progression matrix, over 202 job
descriptions. The book also addresses Fair Labor Standards and the
ADA, and is in a new easier to read format. Each job description meets ADA
standards and the position description […]
The preliminary results of Janco’s January 2006 IT
Salary Survey shows that 93% of IT Professionals have some form of company paid
health insurance. Download a copy of the study summary at http://www.e-janco.com/SalaryBenefits.htm. more…
Incident Management
China surpasses U.S. in global IT sales, report says
China sold more IT and communications gear than the U.S. in
2004
China surpassed the U.S. to become the
world’s No. 1 exporter of IT goods in 2004, according to a report released today
by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD).
China exported $180 billion worth
of information and communications technology […]
Approximately 2.3 million domain names have been
registered with obviously false information, such as (999) 999-999 for a
telephone number or “XXXXX” for a postal zip code, and another 1.6 million were
registered with incomplete information, according to a report released yesterday
by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (download PDF).
The GAO said
individuals or organizations registering the names of […]
Build Your Disaster Recovery Plan Before
Disaster Strikes. Hurricane season is still with us and earthquakes happen
at un-predictable times.
Now you can apply industry recognized best
practices without spending thousands on consultants. The Disaster
Recovery Planning Template has everything that you need.
Go to http://www.e-janco.com/drp.htm
more…
Incident Management
Microsoft is breaking from its traditional testing
practices in an effort to create more stability and security for its Vista
operating system than for previous versions of Windows. The company will include
all of the planned features in versions that will go to testers early next year,
giving developers more time to offer feedback. This effectively shifts the focus
from […]
Recent research by the Economist
Intelligence Unit revealed a few unsettling security trends in the corporate
world. First, it seems that the growth in network security spending is set to
level off. According to the director of global technology research at the EIU,
that means companies have finished playing catch-up on security and are
comfortable with their current security levels. […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s cyber
division has won $20 million from Senate lawmakers for the fiscal 2006 budget.
The Senate authorized the funding, calling cyber investigations a top priority,
after learning that the FBI decreased its funding for the program. The cyber
division investigates hundreds of cases involving digital and electronic
evidence and develops special tools to carry them […]
The Convention on
Cybercrime will endanger Americans’ privacy
and civil liberties–and place the FBI’s massive surveillance apparatus at the
disposal of nations with much less respect for individual liberties.
For instance, if the U.S. and Russia ratify it, President
Vladimir Putin would be able to invoke the treaty’s powers to unmask anonymous
critics on U.S.-based Web sites and perhaps even […]
Cyberinsurance is increasingly being offered to
cover an enterprise’s digital assets. Conventional business insurance covers
only physical assets. First-party cyberinsurance covers losses of data owned by
the insured. Third-party insurance covers losses by outsiders who claim harm
from a cyber incident suffered by the insured party. Companies that can
demonstrate compliance with information security regulations get breaks on their
cyberinsurance premiums. […]
The multimillion-dollar cost of complying with the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act is diverting spending away from protecting against other
security threats, according to a new report.
The Information Security Forum, an international security association, said
Monday that it calculates that many of its members expect to spend more than $10
million on information security controls to comply with regulations laid down […]
Managing IT costs and the
service delivery process was just made easier with the release of The Metrics,
IT Service Management and Service Level Agreement bundle.
Delivering quality IT
Service and measuring IT’s performance is a difficult and time consuming
exercise. Many enterprises believe that they do not have the time, money, or
resources to initiate and monitor the processes necessary […]
The search giant launched a free Web analytics service that lets companies see exactly how visitors interact
with their Web site and how advertising campaigns are faring. The hosted service
relies on technology from San Diego-based Urchin, which Google acquired in
March. The Urchin product had formerly been priced at $200 a month.
A number of users were […]
The best security advice for people using Bluetooth,
the writer says, is to stay at least 30 feet away from everybody. The good news
is that businesses appear to be awakening to the dangers posed by Bluetooth.
Along with the awareness is the emergence of tools.
See the
Security Template for policies to implement
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Victor Janulaitis, (Janco
CEO) today cautioned his clients on the ramifications on security with the new
focus that Microsoft has. He said, ‘With all of the historical security
lapses and breaches that have occurred in the Windows and IE, enterprises must
be alarmed. If the processes that Microsoft uses to develop and release
new products to the market do not […]
It seemed a reasonable approach at the time.
Whenever a server went down, the IT operations people tried to figure out why.
They did root-cause analysis in order to discover the origin of the problem and
fix it. Then they brought the server back up.
Trouble was, users had to cool their heels in the
meantime, losing e-mail service […]
The Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) can be used as a
template for any enterprise. Download instructions for the DRP are
sent to you via e-mail. Janco also offers an update service to help enterprises
keep track of the latest DRP Developments.
Before Katrina one Janco client used the plan
activation process which said that if a category 5 storm was […]
Blog Policy, Procedure and Guidleine
Template was released. It is 8 pages long and covers everything
needed by any size enterprise to manage the eveloution of its blogs. Go
to:
http://www.itproductivity.org/blog.htm
more…
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The new Janco RSS to HTML program (Php2Html) was
tested by Softpedia labs on October 27, 2005 and found to be clean of malware
including spyware, trojans and backdoors.
See award
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Janco has just released PHP2HTML
which gnereates HTML web pages from PHP and publishes RSS news
feeds which are search engine and spider friendly. The program has user interface that is
intuitive and interfaces with a Windows service which generates the HTML pages
on a user defined schedule.
To learn more click
here
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Incident Management
Federal guidance, which replaces the FFIECA
Authentication in an Electronic Banking Environment issued in 2001,
does not endorse any particular technology. This guidance specifically addresses
the need for risk-based assessment, customer awareness, and financial
institutions implementation of appropriate risk mitigation strategies including
security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing their financial
institutions Internet-based services.
The guidance is divided into two
parts. The […]
The IT Productivity Center has just released its 3rd quarter
Browser Market Share White Paper. The major findings include that Firefox
maintained its number 2 browser position but has lost momentum. Netscape
version 8 flops as it continues to lose market share and dropped from
5th place to 7th place. New in this white paper are
recommendations on which browsers to […]
Sarbanes
Oxley compliance efforts are eating up CIO time and budgets as they assume a
posture of delivering tactical solutions.
CFOs are using SOX to get control of IT back. See article at http://www.cio.com/archive/070104/sarbox.html. more…
Incident Management
IT departments should not be calling the shots on
security, according to a GAO Report. Instead, companies need to take a
business-oriented, risk management approach.
Get a free copy of the General Accounting Office
Social Security Number Use report
Go to http://www.itproductivity.org/Security.htm
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Janco has just released another in
its series of Sarbanes-Oxley Tools, the Sensitive Information Policy. This
new tool is a detailed 15 page policy that directly addresses the protection of
personal data, confidential data and enterprise sensitive information. A
full description can be found on the Information Technology Productivity Center
(ITPC) web site (http://www.itproductivity.org/sensitive.htm).
The policy
contains a definition of standards and […]
Median Compensation for IT Executives
in large enterprises is reported at $140,760 in the Janco 2005 mid-year IT
Salary Survey. The survey was released on the Information Technology
Productivity Center (ITPC) web site (http://www.itproductivity.org ).
The study reports that the
median compensation for enterprises with revenues over $500 million for IT
middle managers is $76,981 and for technical staff members is […]
The IT Hiring Resource Kit
combines the 2005 Salary Survey and detail jobdescriptions as a bundle that
every Information Technology and Human Resource function need to
have.
Each of the job descriptions is at least 3 pages
long and has been updated to meet the requirements of HIPPA and Sarbanes Oxley.
The kit comes in three versions. Detail infmation can be found […]
Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requires that:
Enterprises have an enterprise wide security
policy;
Enterprises have enterprise wide classification of
data for security, risk, and business impact;
Enterprises have security related standards and
procedures;
Enterprises have formal security based
documentation, auditing, and testing in place;
Enterprise enforce separation […]
This Security Manual for the Internet and Information
Technology is 178 pages in length. All versions of the Security Manual
template include both the Business & IT Impact Questionnaire and the Threat
& Vulnerability Assessment Tool (both were redesigned to address Sarbanes
Oxley compliance). In the premium edition the template contains 15
detail job descriptions that apply specifically to security […]
The Practical Guide for IT Outsourcing is delivered
electronically in WORD and/or PDF format. Included is a 3 page Job Description for the Manager Outsourcing.
Sarbanes-Oxley issues addressed directly.
The guide is 113 packed pages and includes
everything needed to plan for, negotiate, and manage an outsourcing process
within an enterprise. The […]
The Information Technology Service Management Policy Template (IT service management) contains policies, standards, procedures and metrics for Change Control, Help Desk and Service Request processing. ITSM template also contains the Business and IT Impact Questionnaire, a Change Control Request Form and an Internet Use Approval Form. more…
Incident Management
It is becoming increasing clear to me that while I love my career as a medical librarian I am at a dead-end career-wise. I’ll never make any money to be comfortable as a medical (hospital) librarian. Besides, the job market is so small that jobs rarely open up and even when they do […]
I would kill for a nap right now.
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Critter has a new favorite hobby - knitting. Not traditional knitting but Knifty Knitter knitting. Apparently this is all the rage in Prime Time (a.k.a. after-school) Care. After Thanksgiving Critter was as Michael’s with Mom and I and asked for a set of looms. He’s currently working on a hat for […]
Tomorrow I go back to work after a 10-day vacation. While I love my job I really, really have enjoyed spending time at home. I really wouldn’t mind a few more days off but alas, the real world calls. This is the first time in a very LONG time that I haven’t […]
I rang in the new year by knitting and watching Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Rings (the extended version). I am a bit introspective right now…2006 is going to be the year I will be completely true to myself. I will live my life as it was meant to be […]
Technically, at least in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Christmas doesn’t exist. We celebrate the Nativity of Christ, which is so much more than just Chirstmas trees, presents and more baked goods than anyone should be allowed to eat in any lifetime. And, contrary to the impression given by the “Christmas season”, the Nativity […]
I’ve always had a nagging feeling that I watch, and allow my son to watch, too much television. I’ve been trying to cut that down. I don’t automatically turn on the TV when I first come home and when the TV is on and there is nothing I want to watch I’ll turn […]
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.”
– Rita Mae Brown
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When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
– Helen Keller
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Friday is the Holiday pack meeting for Critter’s cub scout troup. We each were asked to bring a traditional ethnic holiday dish to pass. Think a bunch of cub scouts will like pickled herring? Me neither…
Why is Critter’s last day of school before the holiday break a Friday? That makes my […]
A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the word you first thought of.
Burt Bacharach
I thought I was the only one who did that!
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It appears as though Critter’s school district are a bunch of “he men”. The southern portion of the Lower Penninsular in Michigan received anywhere from 3-8 inches of snow last night. Most of the school districts surrounding ours closed. All, in fact, except Critters. I was looking forward to a snow […]
Over the course of the week I’ve found out more about the murder at my complex. I don’t care to go into details. Suffice it to say, the incident was horrific but in all likelihood it was targeted and isolated. What I have learned is that bad things can happen anywhere, even […]
Last night someone was murdered near my apartment complex. The victim was not a tenant and the crime did not take place in the complex. The body was found on the side of a major road near our apartment complex. It is believed to not be a random murder.
I knew something was […]
Tim Bray has two new posts:
Don’t Invent XML Languages,
and if you must,
On XML Language Design.
I have a couple of quick thoughts about them. (more..) more…
Incident Management
I have a Tecra M3 laptop. It has an nVidia graphics adapter,
“GeForce Go 6200 TE 64M/6600 TE 128M” to be exact.
I have a Dell 2005fpw flat panel display, with a native resolution of 16801050.
The graphics adapter does an ungodly number of tricks I don’t need (who needs software keystoning on an LCD?),
but does not […]
Cleaning out my cubicle on Friday, I found a number of sheets of doodles I had made during meetings.
I’m not a big note taker, and I need something to occupy myself instead of just sitting and listening.
Even when I’m engaged in the discussion around the table, I’ll often be doodling away.
I tend to typographic or […]
OK, so I’m a liar. (more..) more…
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Revenge of the Tattooed Nerds starts
innocently enough, with Apple logos tattooed discreetly on a wrist or the small of a back.
The transistor symbols are kind of cool, and the eight-bit video game sprites are a great example of
one lo-fi art form mimicking another. But when I got to the guy with the circuit board […]
Window, Mac, or Linux, what’s your pick?
It doesn’t matter: learn musically why
Every OS Sucks. more…
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Last year was really a breakout year for the Ruby programming language,
for example with the over-hyped news that
Ruby books outsold Python.
It seems like everywhere you look, Ruby is the next big thing, especially in web applications.
(more..) more…
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I’m just putting these here so I’ll be able to find them later:
Two online network speed testers are at
speakeasy.net and
internetfrog.com. more…
Incident Management
Naturally, fixing a bug in my comment system and mentioning it here yesterday merely encouraged
the quiet malcontents to bring up their petty annoyances! I’m kidding: keep the bug reports coming.
Platypus
pointed out that the email validation didn’t deal properly with his domain name.
(more..) more…
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In a comment on a recent post,
Bob pointed out that the title (which has an apostrophe)
acquired a backslash in the comment form. He politely asked,
(more..) more…
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Reddit is a bookmarking service, kind of like
del.icio.us, but with voting and comments thrown into the mix.
I first heard of it in the list of demos at the
Boston Web Innovators Meetup.
Then it made news when the developers scrapped their Lisp implementation (newsworthy in and of itself),
and
rewrote the whole thing in Python,
which led to much Lisp […]
Joel Spolsky’s latest essay is
The Perils of Java Schools.
He explains in detail why he thinks teaching computer science with Java is a bad thing.
It basically comes down to not learning about pointers or recursion.
He laments the state of computer science education, and fears for the entire industry as a result.
(more..) more…
Incident Management
For a variety of reasons, 2005 was a very interesting year, and its close finds me and my family happy.
We’re looking forward to 2006 and all that it may bring.
For 2006, my wish for all my readers is a classic: may you live in interesting times. more…
Incident Management
A few days ago I moaned about the difficulty of getting a new machine set up.
Since then, I’ve been working through the process, trying to document it fully.
At this point I have a usable laptop, in fact, I’m producing this blog post with it.
Here’s what I did (so far): (more..) more…
Incident Management
I took my autistic son Nat to the dentist today, and then we were going to the bank.
The dentist went fine, but he was kind of agitated at the bank. This happens
quite a bit these days, and I can usually calm him down by reminding him of the schedule,
and where we’re going next, and […]
Jan 3, 2006: Commander announced a hostile takeover bid for services company Volante in late December. Since then, much has been made of the financial virtues of the A$130 million offer. The truth is that the match makes sense in a market where the Business Technographics® December 2005 Asia Pacific IT Budgets And Spending Survey […]
Jan 6, 2006: Yesterday, CA announced its purchase of Wily Technology for $375 million in cash. This gives CA both the leading application performance management (APM) product, Wily Introscope, and several key technologies for the management of transactions, Web servers, and portals. It confirms two important changes in the enterprise management landscape: 1) the end […]
Jan 6, 2006: Symantec’s recent acquisition of instant messaging (IM) gateway vendor IMlogic enables the company to expand its strong base in email security to multiple communication channels. With its IM Manager product, IMlogic brings IM security — across 13 private and public IM protocols — to the Symantec table. The addition of IMlogic gives […]
Dec 6, 2005: Integration of enterprise applications is the new direction of application development. Rather than create new, separate programs, vendors are starting to integrate existing applications to better use, share, and allocate resources within an organization. Together with business process management (BPM) and business-to-business integration (B2Bi), IT departments around the globe are linking business […]
Dec 5, 2005: IBM announced that it will acquire Micromuse for $865 million, which provides IBM Tivoli with a carrier-class network and performance management product, as well as several technology components in application and service management. Because IBM also recently acquired Micromuse partner Collation, Micromuse will have easy integration with the IBM Tivoli Change and […]
Dec 5, 2005: Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a style of design, deployment, and management of software infrastructure and applications to create a more flexible digital embodiment of your business. Characteristics of SOA include a standards-based environment, loosely coupled connections to ease change, shared services, and federated control. SOA evolved as a solution for complex and […]
Dec 4, 2005: In a surprise announcement yesterday, Stephen Ward — CEO of Lenovo since its acquisition of IBM’s PC business a year ago — resigned. Stepping into the President and CEO role is William Amelio, recently Dell’s senior vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan. Lenovo’s message to IBM customers over the past 12 […]
Dec 5, 2005: Over the past 10 years, US online retail has evolved from a fledgling industry to a mature, mainstream, and multichannel one. The second phase of eCommerce, typified by slower growth and multichannel integration, will require retailers to innovate and invest in technologies that optimize the connection between online and offline activity for […]
Dec 2, 2005: New consumer behaviors, interactive channels, pressure to improve the ROI of marketing spending, and the challenges of integrating marketing programs require that companies rethink marketing’s role, redefine the marketing organization, and build new processes. Forrester’s marketing automation technology research helps marketers understand the crucial role that technology plays in enabling this transformation […]
Dec 5, 2005: Innovation remains a key focus for companies seeking to spur growth. Competitors, consumers, and new government regulations compel firms to accelerate their rates of innovation in products, services, and business models. The growing demand for innovation has initiated the creation of a new global market ecosystem that Forrester calls “Innovation Networks.” Through […]
Nov 6, 2005: Cisco’s acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta (S-A) will propel cable operators more quickly into an IP-based infrastructure. Look for S-A to use Cisco’s Linksys brand to get into retail, while the combined company will create a full-on push on US telcos that are planning IPTV deployments. Motorola must now leverage its brand strength and […]
Nov 5, 2005: With the purchases of Thor Technologies and OctetString, Oracle takes a big position in the identity management market. This long-awaited move poses challenges for Oracle: The apps giant must differentiate itself in a crowded market that includes software titans like BMC Software, Computer Associates (CA), IBM, and Sun Microsystems, all of which […]
Nov 5, 2005: IBM announced yesterday that it would acquire application discovery and dependency mapping specialist Collation, although the financial terms were not disclosed. Collation is one of a few firms with products that focus on the discovery of complex configuration data; other such firms include BMC Software, Cendura, Computer Associates (CA), nLayers, Relicore, and […]
Nov 2, 2005: Serena Software, the software change management vendor, announced on November 11 that it will be acquired by a private equity firm. This will let Serena move forward with its aggressive plans to change its licensing model, acquire products in adjacent areas, and drive open integration standards. The sum of Serena’s plans? A […]
Nov 3, 2005: As we predicted, TV distribution has been cracked wide open. For $0.99, you’ll now be able to watch CBS hit shows on Comcast ON DEMAND and NBC Universal programs on DirecTV pay-per-view. The result: Digital cable and on-demand usage will surge. And the TV schedule will soon be as irrelevant as last […]
Nov 2, 2005: The iPod video player doesn’t matter. Downloading episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives to computers barely matters. What does matter is the crack in the traditional television business model opened by the Apple/ABC deal to allow consumers on-demand access to current hit TV shows. Unwittingly, Apple is building the proof of concept […]
Nov 4, 2005: Microsoft has embraced a new way to do business — a mindset that is based on software-as-a service, open platforms, and continuous innovation; a model previously mastered by Google. Ad-supported software for consumers and very small businesses is only the beginning. Microsoft’s real aim is to build and host a service platform […]
Oct 2, 2005: Google will define the future of software. more…
Incident Management
Oct 6, 2005: E*TRADE chiefs Mitchell Caplan and R. Jarrett Lilien believe that cross-sell works best when it is embedded in a tool like E*TRADE Complete’s Cash Optimizer. To drive even deeper relationships with investors, E*TRADE is adding advisory capacity — pitting it squarely against the full-service firms. How will the contest end? Forrester believes […]
Oct 5, 2005: Faced with changes in Medicare regulations and an aging US population, healthcare marketers are placing increasing emphasis on age differences to define customers and prospects. Companies characterizing consumers across age groups regularly start and stop with fundamental differences in socioeconomics, epidemiology, or healthcare utilization and costs. Generational differences, however, extend to lifestyle, […]
Oct 3, 2005: Yesterday, Cendant announced its intention to divide itself into four independent, publicly traded, “pure-play” businesses. Three of the four businesses will be in travel: vehicle rental, hospitality, and travel distribution. While this move will benefit all of the divisions, it will be particularly helpful to Cendant’s travel distribution unit. As a freestanding […]
Oct 5, 2005: In this overview of healthcare consumerism, Forrester delivers trending information and forecasts of how consumerism will shape the industry through the next 10 years, consumer data to best pinpoint which segments of the population are most interested in consumer-directed products, insight on how health plans and providers should become advocates for consumers […]
Oct 6, 2005: MSN and Yahoo! agreed to build interoperability between their instant messaging (IM) networks by the middle of 2006, enabling their respective users to significantly expand the number of people they can reach. By taking this step, the providers acknowledge that IM penetration is slowing in the US and that IM does not […]
Oct 5, 2005: Apple’s new iPod with video, video-enhanced iTunes, and living room-ready computer will create a legal market for video downloads. In addition to music videos and TV shows from ABC, look for independent film producers, individuals with video podcasts, and content owners seeking a legal download channel to jump into Apple’s video marketplace. […]
Oct 4, 2005: Check Point Software Technologies recently announced that it would pay a whopping $225 million for open source maven Sourcefire. This will give Check Point a much-improved offering around internal network security, as Sourcefire has had a lot of good press for its emerging commercial offerings. However, internal network security is still a […]
Sep 6, 2005: For the second time in as many months, E*TRADE has agree d to purchase a direct brokerage firm from a big bank. The acquisition of BrownCo from JPMorgan Chase gives E*TRADE access to another fresh crop of active and high-asset investors — segments the firm has been particularly successful with to date. […]
Sep 3, 2005: Yesterday, HP announced its intent to acquire storage management startup AppIQ, whose software HP will rebrand as HP Storage Essentials. AppIQ has become well-known for its standards-based management of multivendor storage area networks (SAN), and it previously inked a large number of partnerships and OEM agreements with major storage vendors that included […]
Sep 4, 2005: Intel’s Viiv platform is the chip giant’s strategy to use silicon to step up interoperability and copy protection standards in the digital home — and sell more Intel chips in the process. This strategy worked well with Centrino: The resulting adoption of Wi-Fi chipsets in laptops and buildout of hotspots is testament […]