Stories by Bill Snyder

Looking for a great job in IT? The cloud is hiring

IT is moving to the cloud -- and so are the jobs. Here's how to cash in on the hot trend in tech hiring

How consumerisation gives business an edge

Forward-thinking firms like Kraft didn't wait for employees to bring in consumer tech, but led the effort themselves

The tech jobs hiring boom is real -- for these skills

It's not a myth. The technology industry is in the midst of a hiring surge stronger than any we've seen since the days of the dot-com boom. InfoWorld's interviews with economists, technology executives, job seekers, and hiring board managers indicate that employment in the tech sector is up a solid 10 percent this year -- by some bullish estimates, closer to 20 percent. And despite the tendency of the media to fixate on California's Silicon Valley, the hottest job markets are in places like New York and Washington, D.C., where firms in financial services and the federal government hire droves of IT hands.

How to improve disaster recovery plans

Hancock Bank, a century-old institution headquartered on Mississippi's hurricane-prone Gulf Coast, likes to boast that it will be the last to close and the first to open when stormy weather shuts down area businesses. That claim got the severest test imaginable when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore in 2005. "We were hurt badly," says Ron Milliet, the bank's director of IT services.

Cloud computing for consumers: The downsides

If you read much about tech, you've undoubtedly been told by some snarky writer that if you're not headed for the cloud, you're hopelessly unhip, behind the times, and probably overweight. You know -- the cloud, that repository of all things digital contained on giant servers owned by someone else out there in cyberspace.

Mozilla's rapid Firefox releases are killing me

Over the years, I've had plenty of beefs with Microsoft software: It can be buggy, it's bloated, it attracts viruses like candy attracts flies and it nags you more than your Mom ever did.

Back to school: 6 tips for not overspending on tech

School is just about to start, and if you have a kid heading for college you're probably grimacing at the thought of all those bills. You're on your own when it comes to soaring tuition and housing costs, but there are ways to spend less on your student's technology needs while still giving them what they need to succeed.

Is the internet addictive?

I don't think of myself as having a particularly addictive personality. Yeah, I'm a bear without my morning coffee and quitting smoking was tough, but am I addictive? No way.

Desktop search: Free and paid apps for finding your data

I've said it before: I'm a world-class pack rat, at least when it comes to my digital life. With several thousand emails on my hard drive, not to mention thousands of documents, photos, and music tracks, you might think I could never find anything. But I can.

Facebook Facial Recognition: Why It's a Threat to Privacy

By the end of this year, the world's population is expected to hit 7 billion. That's a huge number, but it pales in comparison to the 60 billion to 100 billion photos Facebook has reportedly stored on its servers.

Smartphone data plans: How to keep bandwidth usage in check

I love my hometown of San Francisco. Great weather, great views, great food. But terrible radio. So when I'm driving, I've developed the habit of tuning into Pandora on an iPhone that I link to my car radio. Like a lot of other AT&T customers, I've been moved from my unlimited data plan to measured service. Yes, that was my choice, but what has the metered plan done to my music habit? And does that mean I made a mistake?

Cell phones and cancer: 8 precautions worth taking

The good thing about being an adult is you get to make your own decisions. The bad thing? You get to make your own decisions - and live with the consequences.

Mobile app security: 5 ways to protect your smartphone

Wave your smartphone; buy a latte. Sounds great, doesn't it? But before running off to participate in Silicon Valley's next new thing, you might want to think about a scary downside to mobile commerce: the vulnerability of smartphones to hackers.

The need for more than speed: CPU tips for PC buyers

In the world of digital devices, more - whether it be megapixels or megahertz - was always better. Until it wasn't.

Google Voice: Are you missing out on coolest features?

Google and Sprint didn't exactly cover themselves in glory last week. The much hyped integration of Google Voice and Sprint fell flat on its face, embarrassing both companies and irritating an unknown number of users who simply couldn't make the two systems talk to each other.