Stories by David Braue

Cloud victors pave the way

It’s hard to swing the proverbial cat these days without hitting a half-dozen consultants urging you to move your business into the Cloud. Yet as vendors reposition themselves around Cloud-delivery models and holdouts gradually warm to the promise of the Cloud, early adopters are reporting back from the front – and many are quite happy with what they’ve accomplished.

Feature: The right way to go Google

It may be relatively painless when one or two employees embrace Google’s Gmail and related Docs applications, but transitioning an entire organisation to the online services is another thing entirely. Just ask Ben White, who has seen both highs and lows during his company’s shift from an aging Outlook and Exchange environment to the Cloud-hosted Google solutions.

Companies shun, hide IPv6 rollouts due to security fears

Hundreds of Australian companies have trialled or introduced new IPv6 technology internally but are keeping silent out of concern that they’ll be seen to be taking unnecessary risks with the security of their networks, the Australian organiser of World IPv6 Day has revealed.

IPv6 boosts schools' on-net security

Cyberbullying may be more of an operational issue in schools than the outside hacking that enterprises face, but opaque IPv4 network configurations are causing security issues for both groups as organisations struggle to enforce administrative policies by reliably matching IP addresses and user identities.

5 reasons not to move your company to Google

They're being sold as the best thing since sliced bread, but in the name of fairness it's important to point out that Google's Gmail and Docs solutions aren't for everybody. Early adopters may be crowing about their benefits now, but the likelihood of painful migrations, mismatched expectations, functional gaps and major business change may be enough to keep you on the sidelines for now. Here are five reasons you may want to hold off on jumping to Google apps for a while.

5 reasons to move your company to Google

So, you’re sick of trying to keep Microsoft Exchange running in your company. Or maybe you’ve switched to Gmail for private use and are deciding whether it would suit your whole business.

Security must change with service management: UXC Consulting

Security managers must break down their walled-garden mentalities and integrate security deep into the heart of increasingly flexible, BYO computing-driven IT service management (ITSM) environments or risk data death by a thousand cuts, a systems and security consultant has warned.

Managing ECM in content’s new era part 2

Part two of Computerworld Australia's guide to managing enterprise content management (ECM) systems.

Managing ECM in content’s new era part 1

For all the millions your average business has invested in IT infrastructure, it remains sad but true that many businesses are still hobbling along with enterprise content management (ECM) systems that are giving them sub-par online presences.

HTC breach a reminder on mobile security

It's hardly the kind of thing any company wants attached to its name, but HTC's rapid acknowledgment of confessed "serious" security exploit, discovered and published this week by security researchers, may ultimately help deflect criticisms and will, regardless, serve as a valuable reminder to CSOs that mobile devices represent a new and still-evolving security threat within the enterprise.

Laptops walking out the door of policy-free firms

Concerned that your employees are being a bit lax when it comes to looking after their laptops? Steal them yourself, one vendor has advised in the wake of yet another damning security report that suggests laptops and other equipment are literally walking out of Australian companies that are still operating at far below world's best practice when it comes to device security.

Playing the Cloud confidence game part 2

Part two of Computerworld Australia's look at why Cloud security risks should be front of mind for IT executives planning a push into the Cloud.

Facebook's cookie monster is unstoppable

Interesting revelations invariably emerge when a high-profile entity is scrutinised, intensely and unforgivingly, by those who are convinced it's too good to be true. Case in point: Julia Gillard. The NBN. Miley Cyrus. And Facebook, of course, which this week was pulled into yet another privacy scandal that should surprise absolutely nobody – and offer yet another reason why CSOs should be very, very careful when it comes to use of social media within their company's four walls.

Big data and the Cloud that loves it part 2

Part two of of Computerworld Australia's look at big data and more and organisations are viewing the Cloud as their get out of storage hell card.

Big data and the Cloud that loves it part 1

Think you’re managing a lot of data? It’s possible, but don’t bet James Bangay that you’ve got more than him; you’re likely to lose.