News

• New Nmap probes IPv6 networks

  Preparing for the eventual widespread conversion to IPv6, the Nmap Project has updated its namesake security scanning tool so it can scan IPv6 networks using a variety of novel techniques.

• Medical firm avoids Exchange nightmare with outside help

  International medical vendor Mediq was expanding in a big way by acquisition and needed a standard email platform across its business, but the project's cost and the complexity of doing it alone was so daunting that the company called on outside help that costs it less in the long run.

• How to avoid 5 common email management mistakes

  Email managers have a lot at stake. After all, the volume of global electronic messages sent via email dwarfs all other forms of electronic communication, including social networking. Since the inception of electronic mail, which, according to some Internet historians, can be traced to a small mainframe app called 'MAILBOX' from the mid-1960s, human-to-human messages have been created, transmitted and stored in electronic format. But early email administrators could hardly have envisioned the complexity of current email infrastructure and the concomitant maze of technical, security, business and regulatory challenges.

• From what to watt, Emerson aims at total information awareness

  Someday soon the digital economy will be powered by big black boxes, formerly known as datacentres, that are so self-managing they may be partly robotic.

• Hospital system pursues identity-management Holy Grail

  It's an ideal in identity management: a centralized role-based access control system that supports single-sign-on (SSO) user access to authorized applications tied into the human resources systems for automated provisioning and de-provisioning, and the ability to integrate physical-security identity badges for room access.

• Tech managers aren't doing a good job developing IT talent: survey

  Tech managers need to do a better job developing talent, IT pros say. There's too much judgment and not enough instruction, according to new poll data from Dice.com.

• Microsoft System Center 2012 review: Streamlined cloud service management

  Microsoft released the final version of its System Center 2012 suite of components in April at a conference in Las Vegas. I've taken a hard look and used it in a variety of tests, and I find it a compelling product that has lost a lot of its licensing and complexity baggage. Let's drill down.

• Researcher runs IP network over xylophones

  Vint Cerf once wore a shirt that read "IP on Everything," a wry comment on the versatility of the Internet Protocol he helped invent, a protocol that underlies all Internet communication. Now a University of California Berkeley researcher has put Cerf's maxim to the test, running an IP network over a set of xylophones, played by human participants.

• From packet inspectors to WAN optimizers, network add-ons are all the rage

  These days, it seems like a dozen new network "extras" - including traffic monitors, packet inspection technologies and management products, to name just a few - are launched every week, all advertising large-scale gains in performance, security and ease of use.

• Interop panelists debate future of physical WAN optimizers

  The need for a dedicated physical appliance to handle WAN optimization tasks, in many cases, is a thing of the past, according to experts who participated in a panel discussion Tuesday at Interop in Las Vegas.

• Dutch net neutrality to become reality after Senate approves law

  The Netherlands is the first country in Europe to adopt a net neutrality law, and the second country in the world, after Chile. The Dutch Senate adopted the net neutrality provisions in a new Telecom Law approved on Tuesday evening.

• BeyondTrust acquires eEye in union of security vendors

  BeyondTrust, a software firm that specializes in identity and access management for the enterprise, has announced the acquisition of eEye Digital Security, which makes products for vulnerability management, patch remediation, malware defense and configuration compliance.

• No big shift to the cloud for unified communications and collaboration

  The 2012 IDG Enterprise Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) survey highlights the uptick in UC&C adoption and investments in the coming 3 years -- specifically in enterprise organizations -- demonstrating the value organizations place on technologies that enable consistent and connected communications between employees, customers and partners. Numerous triggers including social media and collaboration are contributing to the uptick in investments, however the proliferation of consumer devices is seen as the biggest trigger -- 74% of enterprise organization are accelerating UC&C plans because of consumer devices.

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  How to fight back against privacy pirates

  Have you Googled yourself lately? Is the information about you accurate or full of inconsistencies, both of which can be devastating?

• Commercial enterprises are putting our critical infrastructure at risk

  Cybercriminals have already figured out how to hack into enterprise infrastructure, and the critical infrastructure that controls our nation's supply of water, gas, oil and electricity just might be next.