ITEC Connect Newsletter

Gmail is ready for enterprise IT spotlight, Gartner says

Rafael Ruffolo, IT World Canada — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Google Inc.'s Gmail is officially a "mainstream cloud e-mail" service on parwith Microsoft Exchange Online, according to a Gartner Research Inc report.

The research firm said that Google's enterprise Gmail service has amassedmore than 5,000 contracts with businesses and holds nearly half the market forenterprise cloud e-maildeployments. That cloud-based e-mail market, Gartner said, will account for 20per cent of the overall enterprise e-mail deployments by the end of 2016 and 55per cent of all deployments by year-end 2020.

Facebook chooses DIY Servers over Dell, HP Options

Emil Protalinski, ZDNet — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Facebook engineers revealed an interesting tidbit of information at theDell-Samsung Chief Information Officer Forum in Half Moon Bay, California, lastmonth. When the social networking giant recently decided to build two new datacenters, it couldn't find the exact servers it wanted from Dell orHewlett-Packard, so the company's engineers decided to design their own. Some argue that Dell, HP, and other companies selling generic off-the-shelfservers are losing billions in sales because Internet companies like Facebookare switching to do-it-yourself servers.

BladeSystems Insight Brings Together IT Leaders for Networking and Team Learning

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

You're invited - The Pulse Network (TPN) is proud to announce a new and improved BladeSystems Insight Summitfeaturing a new model for executive education and networking. Coming toBoston on November 15-16, the program now includes a broader focus on thecritical issues facing CIO's and IT leaders such as unified communications,green technology and cloud computing, a collaborative learning environment forexchanging ideas and sharing best practices, and new peer generated pricing (paywhat you want). Contact TPN to learn more about this unique, byinvitation-only executive event.

Saavy Security Spending

Processor.com — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

As companies in all sectors begin to size up their IT budgets for the comingyear, security-related spending promises to attract even more attention thanusual thanks to the growing trend of high-profile security breaches. Andin a tight economy,

the answer for budget-weary data center managers isn't to spend more; rather,they

need to spend wisely. This feature from Processor.com includes somegreat tips for stretching your security budget further and saving money by usinga proactive approach to security management.

Securing Education Networks - a special ThreatPost Webinar

The Kaspersky Lab Security New Service — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Join Paul Roberts, Threatpost editor, and a panel of experts as they discusssecurity regulations, concerns and challenges within the Education market. Along with Paul, Steve Mazzola of Belmont Public Schools, David Escalante ofBoston College and Josh Corman of the 451 Group provide hands-on insight intothis market.

9/11: Top Lessons Learned for Disaster Recovery

Lucas Mearian, PCWorld — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

In the decade since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, physicalsecurity, human contingency planning and an evolution in technologicalcapabilities have improved the odds that business can carry on during -- andafter -- a disaster. While some rules were imposed by the federalgovernment, corporations have in general been doubling down on their owndisaster recovery capabilities. Internal cloud architectures, orvirtualization, as well as the ability to run multiple live data centers withactive failover, have decreased the time between system failures and datarecovery points. But perhaps the single biggest change to emerge in thepost-9/11 world -- prompted in part by later natural disasters such as HurricaneKatrina -- has been a new focus on keeping workers working when corporatesystems go down.

VIDEO: Incorporating Social into you CRM

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

What does social media have to do with customer relationship management systems? This Inbound Marketing Summit panel discussion with Brent Leary, Owner of CRM Essentials, Jon Ferrara, Founder and CEO of Nimble, Larry Augustin, CEO of SugarCRM, Inc and Kevin Egan from Salesforce.com on how to improve your CRM with social media andother innovations to get the most out of your leads and customers.

ITEC This Week: Cloud Computing within Small Businesses

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Bill Sell interviews Jeff Kaplan ofTHINKstrategies about cloud computing within small businesses. Theworld is moving to cloud because there has been a change in attitude,that begun with the larger enterprises, but has been adopted by smallerbusinesses. There are now thousands of apps that people can use asopposed to having actual software. Jeff Kaplan touches on how certainbusiness are using these cloud technologies and apps to benefit theircompany. Jeff also talks about data residency option, which wasannounced at Dreamforce last week, and how it could change softwareencryption. The cloud is here to stay, so business need to learn tointegrate them into their businesses.

VIDEO: Innovating in a Shaky Economy, Add Services

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Most business leaders know that adding on a service to your product typically results with in the customer not wanting the said service. Customers know why they like your product and how they like to use it. But in a rough economy, where every dollar counts, customers have to re-evaluate the ways they engage in all aspects of their life.

Adding services does not mean change your business model, it means supplementing your revenue with incremental dollars to expand your portfolio. Services are a low risk, high reward scenario because it will help your company get through the gruff economy whether it creates a new product line or cash flow, neither of which hurt your bottom line.

The 7 deadly sins of software development

Neil McAllister, InfoWorld.com — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Recognize the worst traits of programmers everywhere and save yourself from developer hell

Being a good developer takes a lifetime of training and practice. But without proper discipline, even the best programmers risk falling prey to their worse natures. Some bad habits are so insidious that they crop up again and again, even among the most experienced developers. I speak of nothing less than the seven deadly sins of software development. Read on to hear how lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride may be undermining your latest programming project as we speak.

iPad data dilemma: Where cloud storage can help

Mel Beckman, InfoWorld.com — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Tablets and cloud storage seem like a marriage made in heaven, but it takes third-party apps to bring them together

Tablet computing is a decade-old technology, but one that lay buried since users rejected Microsoft's "heavy OS" approach a while back. A year ago, Apple's iPad resurrected the tablet computing concept, delivering a lightweight sheet of computational glass with a pleasant, responsive user interface and a blizzard of applications. Users love it, and now a barrage of wannabe tablets are flooding the marketplace. All do reasonably well at the four applications users access most: Web, email, books, and media. And the half million or so apps in the collective app stores of Apple, Android, and BlackBerry would seem to fill every conceivable mobile need.

But users, particularly business users, want more...

Inside Data Center Preparedness

Christian Perry, Processor.com — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Planning & Testing Remain Critical Components To Weathering Disasters

Key Points

Disasters can strike at any time, so it's essential to implement a thorough disaster recovery plan that ensures your systems and data will be available in emergency situations.
Preparation, communication, and expectations should all be part of the process when developing preparation plans.
No disaster recovery plan is complete without regular testing that ensures the plan will be accurate and effective when it's finally put into action.

Settling into a comfort zone is all too easy when systems are running without interruption for weeks, months, or even years. But when disaster strikes, that zone will be obliterated in seconds, leaving data center managers scrambling to restore systems and order. Although it's easy to believe disaster will never strike your environment, recent data shows disaster scenarios reach data centers far too often.

Identifying Weak Points In A Disaster Recovery Plan

Cynthia Harvey , Processor.com — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

An Outside Perspective, Testing & Regular Maintenance Are Key

Key Points

When creating a disaster recovery plan for a data center, it's critical to involve an outsider with a fresh perspective.
Testing your disaster recovery plan will point out weaknesses in your preparedness and help to familiarize your employees with what to do in an emergency situation.
Because business needs and technology change so rapidly, you need to update your plan at least once a quarter.

If your data center hasn't experienced a disaster yet, chances are, it will someday. For businesses, having a good disaster recovery plan can mean the difference between surviving those events and shutting down for good.

VMWare shows off mobile virtualization on Android

Nancy Gohring, NetworkWorld — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Users can securely seperate work applications from their personal applications

VMWare is showing off a mobile virtualization platform that will let people run a personal profile and a seperate, secure profile for work applications on the same Android phone.

VMWare CTO Stephen Herrod showed off the software on an LG Optimus Black at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company is now testing the software internally and with partners.

The key to obtaining buy in on your IT project

Caron Carlson, FierceCIO — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

When you try to persuade decision makers to take on a newtechnology, process or system, you almost inevitably come up against a detractor, and sometimes he or she may have real knowledge of the subject at hand.The key to rising above attacks on your proposal is to keep the discussion focused on your own territory, writes John Kotter, an emeritus professor at Harvard Business School, in a post at Harvard Business Review.

How to tell the CEO the hard IT truth

Caron Carlson, FierceCIO — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Explaining difficult truths about IT to top management can be a thorny task and one in which a lot of CIOs may not have significant training. Healthcare CIOs who are also MDs tend to have an easier time of it, however, because they have been taught how to deliver difficult news to patients, writes Robert Plant, an associate professor at the University of Miami.

Virtualization takes center stage in Windows service packs

Jon Brodkin, NetworkWorld — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 almost ready to go.

As the first service packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ship Feb. 22, they will bring better virtualization capabilities to the operating systems.

Two new features in Windows Server called Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX improve virtual-machine density and the ability to deliver rich graphical desktops to Windows 7 PCs and other clients.

Enterprise Cloud Services: The agenda

Beth Schultz, NetworkWorld — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Cloud services have the potential to deliver important business benefits tothe enterprise, including cost savings, flexibility, resiliency, agility,quicker time to market, better customer service and the ability to handleunexpected spikes in demand.

However, achieving those goals isn't going to be easy. Enterprises need to havea cloud-ready, virtualized infrastructure. They need to understand the differenttypes and styles ofcloudcomputing. They need to navigate through a complex decision-making processin order to determine which aspects of cloud services are the right fit. Thenthere's negotiating and managing contracts, keeping track of SLAs, and makingsure security andcompliance concerns are addressed.

Better Understanding Power Equipment

Elizabeth Millard, Processor.com — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

A Look At Some Top Issues & Strategies To Know

Key Points

Understanding where to place power depends on a data center's environment, data, and systems.
UPS use is always a temporary solution; if key systems go down, there should be a generator or an alternate site available.
Monitoring is crucial for detecting power-wasting devices and seeing trends in power usage

Like any data center technology, power equipment carries its own complexity and nuances. Understanding details such as power placement, monitoring, and proper sizing can go a long way toward keeping a data center running strong. Here are some top issues and strategies that can help enterprises stay powered up.

Using cloud computing and storage for business continuity

Michael Miora, NetworkWorld — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Your data, not your head in the clouds

Despite the widespread rejection of practical implementation of All is not lost.The secret to success in this endeavor is to make backups and disaster recoveryprotections a natural consequence of something else that makes computing betterand more convenience. That has been the Holy Grail of the business continuityand disaster recovery planning (BC/DR) world. Unlike that mythical andunsuccessful, however, we have found the magic, we just have not fully yetrealized that we found it.