Features

The idea of cloud computing -- designed around an architecture whose natural state is a shared pool outside the enterprise -- has gained momentum in recent months as a way to reduce cost and improve IT flexibility. But the use of cloud computing also carries with it security risks, including perils related to compliance, availability, and data integrity.

Until recently, many CIOs didn't know how much electricity their IT equipment used, and they didn't care.

The federal government published this week submissions it had invited from industry players, public interest groups and concerned individuals on regulatory issues associated with the National Broadband Network process. The government received no less than 80 submissions from a broad range of participants including major telco providers, ISPs, disability access groups, telecommunications consumer and industry groups, telco experts, academics and individuals. Computerworld explored each submission and here we provide you with the key points outlined in each proposal. In most cases, the views are lifted verbatim from the submission.

Although Google always seems to be up to something, the past few months have seen a flurry of activity in a space long associated with IT: Google has driven its cloud computing applications -- Google Apps -- into businesses.

Cloud computing is fraught with security risks, according to analyst firm Gartner. Smart customers will ask tough questions, and consider getting a security assessment from a neutral third party before committing to a cloud vendor, Gartner says in a June report titled "Assessing the Security Risks of Cloud Computing".

When it comes to laptops, ultrathin is in -- particularly since the launch of Apple's MacBook Air earlier this year. As might be expected, though, the Air isn't the only game in town -- skinny laptops are available from a variety of other vendors.

TiVo will launch in Australia on July 29. It is both a set top box and hard disk recorder allowing users to record in High Definition free to air TV shows. Unlike the similar Foxtel IQ, which requires a monthly subscription fee, TiVo requires a one off $699 purchase price and no ongoing fees.

Despite an outpouring of demand -- including more than 210,000 people who signed InfoWorld's "Save XP" petition, Microsoft held firm and Monday discontinued sales of XP in most cases. So, we bid adieu to Windows XP.

Judging from initial accounts, the next version of the Mac OS X, named Snow Leopard, will be aimed squarely at business and enterprise users, signaling a formal push by Apple to take Windows head on outside the consumer and education markets. "Apple is taking the Mac OS one step closer to the enterprise," says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research.

It's fair to say that David Dicker isn't everybody's cup of tea. His long hair and preference for tracksuits over the pinstriped variety make him about as far from the standard image of a businessman as you can get. He also has a habit of speaking his mind instead of saying what other people think he should. But whether or not you like his style, there's no doubting he's a very smart operator and one of the local IT industry's most colourful figures.

Five, four, three, two, one and it's done. It's certainly no magic trick but that's about as many minutes as it can take to completely backup data from a laptop over an Internet connection through a remote storage service. Whenever the data is needed again, presto - it will reappear on demand. And as large organisations continue breaking storage limits, shipping data to an offsite or Internet-based location in this manner is increasingly viewed as a remedy to painful storage swelling.

Industry proposals to address regulation of the Federal Government's $4.7 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) are reigniting debate over the structural separation of Telstra.

It may look like Windows Vista. It shares the same code base as Vista. It even rolls in Vista's first Service Pack. But in terms of customer adoption plans, Windows Server 2008 is no Vista.

Sun Microsystems is an old hand when it comes to telework. The technology company has been growing its telecommuting ranks through its Open Work program for a decade, and today nearly 19,000 employees (56 per cent of Sun's population) work from home or in a flexible office.

Network executives rake in more than just stock options and big bonuses