News

How the Cloud Brings Developers into Business Process

The disruptive innovation that is the cloud has given developers significantly more influence than they, and their organizations, are used to having. This means the agile, sometimes unstructured world of the developer is increasingly coming into cont

DSL Connection Too Slow? Here’s How to Speed It Up

Old wiring and interference from other devices can slow your DSL connection to a crawl. Spending a bit of time and money to improve your wiring can make a huge difference.

RIM: We STILL Can’t Access Encrypted BlackBerry Data (We Pinky Swear!)

BlackBerry-maker RIM released a statement last week to refute recent reports that suggest the company granted access to encrypted corporate data to the Indian government. RIM has repeatedly stated that it simply cannot grant such access, but some med

Moshi iVisor XT: An Easy-to-Apply, Bubble-Free iPhone Screen Protector

Moshi's iVisor XT iPhone screen protector is easy to apply, it doesn't require the use of a messy liquid application solution, and it's reasonably priced at just $25.

Press the Blue Button for Improved Customer Service

The Blue Button began as a Department of Veterans Affairs initiative in response to an executive order but has grown into a driving force behind the patient-centered care movement. By placing people before software, the Blue Button offers lessons in

How the Cloud Keeps Fuel and Cash Flowing When the Power Goes Out

Diesel Direct worried about storms causing extended power outages, which would essentially bring its business to a halt. The company didn't want or need an enterprise infrastructure, but it did want the security and reliability of a redundant IT

Windows 8 Beats Out iOS and Android at Seton Hall

In a world where iPads and Android devices are the rage, Seton Hall University bucked the BYOD trend and opted for Windows 8 tablets and ultrabooks for students and faculty, even though the OS doesn't ship officially until October. Why did the u

CA Technologies Bridges Big Data Gap with Federation, Indexing

A Coveo implementation at CA Technologies shows that federation of dozens of data sources proves to be an efficient method of dealing with big data, with employees and customers alike reaping the benefits of data availability.

Kensington Presentair: A Sleek, 3-in-1 Presenter

Designed in the shape of a thick ballpoint pen, the Kensington Presentair is a Bluetooth presenter, laser pointer and touch stylus all rolled into one.

X-Ray App Identifies Android Vulnerabilities But Doesn’t Fix Them

X-Ray, Duo Security’s free app, sets off Android security fire alarms but doesn't put out the fire. For that you'll need to arm yourself. Here are some suggestions.

Consumer Alert! The Porn Trolls Are After You

Porn makers are accusing people of illegally downloading their sleazy content. They'll tell you that you're responsible even if someone else is doing it using your Wi-Fi network. But it's not true.

Three E-commerce Pitfalls You Need to Avoid

Security News Round-Up: Cybersecurity Bill Likely Dead, Dropbox Confirms Breach, and More

The Senate voted to end debate on the revised Cybersecurity Act and move toward a final vote; Dropbox officials have confirmed a rumored security breach; and in an apparent bid to find out how good its computer security is, a French company is trying

Government Seeks Guidance on Cloud-Brokerage Services

Next phase of government IT migration to the cloud could bring opportunity to businesses that can serve as liaisons between federal agencies and cloud service providers.

How to Secure Sensitive Files and Documents

Much of an organization's most sensitive information resides in unstructured files and documents that are commonly subject to data loss and leakage–especially in today's mobile, Web-based world. IT pros must develop an approach to securing

Are Enterprise App Stores the Future?

Enterprise app stores like the SAP Store can change the way enterprise software is bought and sold. Like any revolution, though, it won't be an easy process.

EMC Partners With Lenovo to Create ‘Virtual Company’

Rather than pay lip service to its partners, EMC actually works with them, in effect creating a virtual company of sorts. The company's most recent partnership, with Lenovo, points to a consortium that's just as powerful, but friendlier, th

How to Stop the Facebook Baby Invasion

If your Facebook news feed is overrun with your friends' babies, this Google Chrome extension replaces their photos with something equally adorable but slightly less annoying. Like cats. Or dogs. Or bacon.

Cybercrime Statistics: Most of Them Are Pure Marketing Crap

Cybercrime costs the world $1 trillion? It costs American companies $250 billion a year? Who comes up with these numbers? Pro Publica proves that these frequently cited costs are indeed made up out of thin air.

Why Microsoft Really Bought Yammer

What made Microsoft want to spend more than $1 billion for the social networking company? It could be because Yammer successfully marketed its business virally, offering a basic service for free and then convincing customers to pay for additional fea

India’s Massive Blackout Tests Outsourcing Providers

IT service providers in north and west India were largely unaffected by blackouts that hit 600 million people. But the threat of global power shortages means you should take steps to ensure you're protected — regardless of where your outsourcin

Internet Sales Tax Bill Gains Traction, Consideration

The Senate Commerce Committee is considering a bill, the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would grant states the authority to require Internet retailers to remit sales taxes on purchases shipped to their residents, even if the seller has no physical o

Why CRM Implementation Is So Political

If CRM systems are just IT systems, why are the projects so political? It's the people, processes and policies that are affected. Here are five warning signs that mudslinging may begin, as well as some tips for reaching across the aisles.

Microsoft Delivers Windows 8 RTM: What to Expect Before Launch

Microsoft has released Windows 8 to the wild. Here are some important dates in the final stretch before Windows 8 general availability.

B&W P3 Headphones a Sight and Sound for the Senses

The newly-released $200 Bowers & Wilkins P3 is a portable headphone that sounds as good as it looks.

Social Media’s Slumping Stock: It’s Not Just Facebook

Facebook's turbulent stock is getting a lot of attention, but it's faring better than other social companies who have recently gone public. Here's a look at how FriendFinder, Groupon, Yelp and Zynga stack up.

Dropbox Finally Admits It was Hacked, Blames Careless Users

Dropbox got hacked and there's plenty of blame to go around in this debacle. Dropbox dropped the ball, but users made it worse.

Global IT Trade Barriers Threaten Cloud, Software Providers

Trade protectionism is hurting the tech sector. The Business Software Alliance is trying to raise awareness among policymakers about the restrictive policies some foreign nations have adopted that limit market access for software and cloud providers.

Different Cloud Survey, Same Cloud Adoption Concerns

The Uptime Institute's 2012 Data Center Survey is the latest to show that companies remain reluctant to use the cloud because of security concerns. These firms seem to be waiting for an 'all clear' from some higher authority–but with

Efforts to Update Outdated Privacy Act Gain Momentum

Subcommittee chairman Daniel Akaka is calling for an overhaul of the Privacy Act as he warns that current privacy statutes governing how federal agencies use citizens' personal information have failed to keep pace with the way government authori

Apple’s iCloud Finally Syncs Docs Across Macs and iOS Devices

Launched nine months ago, Apple’s cloud service has at last fulfilled the promise of automatically syncing documents between Macs and iOS devices, thanks to the release of Mountain Lion.

Employee Education Is Key to Social Business Adoption

TD Bank's solid business-IT partnership helped it successfully deploy its enterprise collaboration tools to more than 65,000 users. When it came to adopting the tools–a step that many businesses struggle with– the company enlisted a team of &a

Greatest Tech Battles Ever Told

In honor of the patent war heating up between Apple and Samsung, we're looking back at epic tech battles. The one thing they all have in common: the future of the universe hung in the balance. (Okay, not the universe but a really big market.)

Can Big Data Help Universities Tackle Security, BYOD?

Universities have some of the most complex IT infrastructures around, and BYOD is a reality they can't escape. Chief Security Officers at universities are increasingly turning to Big Data analytics technologies to mine the data in their logs and

5 Ways to Optimize Public Cloud Applications

Moving to the public cloud can be as easy as migrating your applications and paying your monthly bill. But are you spending more than you should? These five public cloud application optimization techniques will help you save money and improve perform

The Adonit Writer Plus Case and Keyboard Lets You Work Anywhere

A folio case with a detachable keyboard for the iPad, the Adonit Writer Plus comes with a number of unique features that set it apart from the crowd.

5 Olympic Cyber Risks to Watch Out For

Just a few of the ways the crooks are trying to fool you during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Going for Your Gold: Cybercrooks Launch Olympic-Themed Attacks

Bad guys are recycling a number of tried-and-true scams for the 2012 Olympic Games including the the 419 Nigerian email. They've also put up web sites offering to sell you bogus live feeds of the games.

Google’s ‘Handwrite’ Lets You Search by Scribbling

Riding in a bumpy cab and need to search? Now you can skip the typos by writing a query with a finger on the screen of any iOS or Android device.rn

NBC Olympics Live Extra App: Deserves Download But No Medal

NBC’s iOS and Android app gives you on-the-go access to every moment of the London 2012 Olympics. Too bad you need a pay-TV package to take advantage of all that video content.

How the Kanban Method Changes Software Engineering

From humble beginning on an internal project at Microsoft, the Kanban method for software development quickly grew to spawn blogs, books and conferences. CIO.com takes a look at the essentials of the methodology, identifies its pros and cons and pro

Apple Wants Your Fingerprint

Unlocking your iPhone with a fingerprint would be awesomely convenient. But is this going too far?

Top 3 Android Apps for Summer 2012

Every few months CIO.com mobile-apps blogger James A. Martin rounds up his favorite new apps. The Android apps featured here in his summer 2012 showcase will help you manage your Android device, find the stories and other content you want when you wa

Your Smartphone Is a Spy for the Government

Tens of thousands of times a year, federal courts issue orders to let the government obtain cell phone and email records — and they do it in secret. What happened to our right to privacy?

4 Ways to End Unconscious Incompetence and Manage Effectively

Are you and your staff suffering from 'Unconscious Incompetence?' IT management coach Bob Kantor outlines what this is, what causes it and offers four simple ways to put an end to it.

Apple Wins Enterprise App Devs, Android Vies for Consumer Devs (Where’s Microsoft?)

Apple iOS is pulling ahead in the battle for the hearts and minds of enterprise mobile app developers in the wake of enterprise concerns about Android fragmentation and malware. Will Android's current weakness in the enterprise give Microsoft an

Your Complete Social Media Guide to the 2012 London Olympics

For around-the-clock and first-person Olympics coverage, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and others offer a fresh perspective. Here's where you can find real-time news on your favorite sports and athletes, photos from events, updates and vid

Oracle Shows What Happens When Sales Runs the Show

An aggressive sales-first mantra has made billions for Oracle. This approach may be backfiring, though, as competitors and former partners line up to take Oracle down and customers start to call the company's tactics hostile. Will this hurt the

Top CIOs Are ‘Chief Integration Officers’

Itu2019s time to capitalize on the power of connecting organizational silos and stakeholders, says columnist Jack Bergstrand. He offers three steps to get there.

3 Steps to Creating an Innovation-Friendly Workplace

Frank Wander, founder of the IT Excellence Institute and a former Fortune 250 CIO, shares his best practices for fostering innovation among your IT ranks