Stories by: Russell Kay
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High-Density Storage 03 February, 2009 10:07
The first storage media -- paper tape and punched cards -- were inefficient, slow and bulky. These gave way to magnetic storage: core memory, drums and, finally, hard drives. For backup, there were removable media: magnetic tape reels and cartridges, floppy disks and removable hard drives. Then optics (CD-ROM and DVD drives) supplanted magnetism for archival uses. Today's computers need to store more data than ever. The most recent storage generation replaces moving parts with solid-state electronics. - +
QuickStudy: Identity-based encryption 03 December, 2008 09:20
Public-key cryptography offers very strong protection for electronic communications. Much of its strength comes from the use of paired keys, which are separate (but mathematically related) codes that encrypt and decrypt a message; one key is public and one is known only to the recipient. - +
QuickStudy: Global positioning systems 03 December, 2008 10:07
Like many people, I've come to take for granted the availability of navigation systems in cars and handheld devices based on the Global Positioning System. But it was all abstract until I recently acquired a modern GPS myself. My reaction reminded me of Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - +
QuickStudy: Storage virtualization 07 October, 2008 10:38
Managing disk storage was once simple: If we needed more space, we got a bigger disk drive. But data storage needs grew, so we started adding multiple disk drives. Finding and managing these became harder and took more time, so we developed RAID, network-attached storage and storage-area networks. Still, managing and maintaining thousands of disk drives became an ever more onerous task. - +
QuickStudy: Transactional Memory 23 September, 2008 09:15
With the increasing use of multicore CPUs in computers, programmers have to learn new techniques for parallel processing. One very promising approach is transactional memory. - +
QuickStudy: Cloud computing 05 August, 2008 08:35
Ask any five IT specialists what cloud computing is, and you're likely to get five different answers. That's partly because cloud computing is merely the latest, broadest development in a trend that's been growing for years. - +
QuickStudy: Blade servers 24 June, 2008 14:57
Definition - +
A quick study: Online Social Networks 02 October, 2007 07:08
Online social networks are Web sites that enable people to create a network of connections to other individuals. Through the Internet communities that make up social networks, people can contact others they would like to know for personal or professional reasons but whom they might otherwise be unlikely to meet. - +
Explainer: Ruby on rails 08 September, 2006 15:32
The programming language Ruby has been around since 1993. Initially popular in Japan, its use has been growing and widening. Ruby got a big boost in 2004 with the release of a new programming environment called Rails that was built around Ruby. Before discussing Rails, let's first examine Ruby and see what makes it different from other languages. - +
UMTS: A 3G technology rushing towards 2Mbps 07 September, 2006 09:40
For effective, efficient communications, standardization is critical, and nowhere is this more evident than in the areas of mobile computing and cellular telephony. - +
MIME 28 June, 2006 10:24
Definition: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions is the fundamental Internet standard for sending multimedia e-mail (contain, for example, audio, video and/or graphics) and messages in non ASCII character sets. Also used by Web browsers, MIME specifies what types of media a message contains and the form in which it has been encoded.
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Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. 5 steps to getting started with data loss prevention
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Providing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for Microsoft Cluster Server and Windows Server 08 Failover Clustering Apps
Top 10 Ways to Increase IT ROI Without Adding Staff
Business Processes and Customers - Difficult Domains to Integrate
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Computerworld Webinar
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Savings do add up: How organisations are saving thousands by adopting Unified Communications and Collaboration. 15 June, 2009 12:01
This week's CW Live podcast features a discussion between Audrey William, research director at research firm Frost & Sullivan Australia, and Craig Campbell, business unit executive for Integrated Communications Services at IBM Australia / New Zealand on why companies are adopting unified communications, and whether there is any benefit to hosting a unified communications solution in the cloud.- +
Storage Virtualisation: Increasing Information Availability and Lowering Costs 02 June, 2009 12:36
This week's CW Live features a discussion between Dr Kevin McIsaac, IBRS Research's Advisor for Virtualisation and Craig McKenna, Consulting Technical Leader, System Storage, for IBM's Growth Markets division, on why storage virtualisation is key to an organisation's information management plan.- +
Computerworld Live Podcast #100: Enterprise Cloud Computing and Network Virtualisation 25 March, 2009 13:46
CW Live speaks with Matthew Zanner, HP ProCurve worldwide director of datacentre solutions, about how cloud computing is changing the way IT professionals are designing their networks and running their datacentres.- +
Computerworld Live Podcast #99: Reducing the Costs of Enterprise Mobility 28 January, 2009 10:43
CW Live speaks with Mark Thompson, Global Sales/Marketing Manager for HP's ProCurve Networking Business, to discuss strategies for reducing the cost of enterprise mobility, including tips on securing a wireless network, smart network design strategies, and advice for simplifying the management and support of wireless networks.- +
Computerworld Live Podcast #98: The Future of Datacentre IP 18 December, 2008 10:33
CW Live speaks withLin Nease, Director of Emerging Business for HP ProCurve, to discuss the future of networks, including the effect of IP-based storage on datacentres, new capacity requirements generated by the use of 10Gb Ethernet, and how an efficient network design can slash energy and cooling costs, and help enterprises build a "green" image. - +
IT Media Releases
Verizon Business Launches New Security Program to Help Enterprises Protect Key Software Applications 10 July, 2009 13:23
Windows 7 Experts, Ensyst, Give Update On Real World Trials Of Microsoft’s New Operating System 10 July, 2009 10:00
North East Water to transform the customer experience with Gentrack Velocity 10 July, 2009 09:45
Acronis launches integrated deduplication and backup & recovery solution 09 July, 2009 15:46
Mindjet adds to visual collaboration leadership team with new Vice President of Marketing 09 July, 2009 14:34
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