• Users find Microsoft System Center 2012 simplifies virtual systems management duties

  Switching from VMware to Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization environment is saving money for two businesses that are also using Microsoft's System Center 2012 to manage and monitor applications and the infrastructure that supports them.

• Open source Qubes OS alpha available

  The security researcher who invented malware known as Blue Pill has come up with a secure open source operating system called Qubes OS that is available for alpha-testing downloads.

• Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines

  Oracle's plan to merge the Sun HotSpot Java Virtual Machine with the JRockit JVM is still evolving, but a single JVM based on both technologies is expected in 18 months to two years, an Oracle official said during a Webcast this week.

• LANdesk widens view of company assets

  Nearly half of businesses have had kit stolen by employees, according to survey by LANdesk. Forty-four percent of employees admit to having taken kit or intellectual property when leaving a company - with mobile phones topping the list of the most half-inched items.

• Step 2: Virtual Server Consolidation

  OK, you've virtualized as much as you can. Now what? Consolidating physical servers through virtualization doesn't address underlying complexities because it doesn't reduce the total number of servers you're managing. Here are three tips for taking it to the next level.

Whitepapers about virtual machines

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  A Guide to Staying Secure Amidst Gorwing Threats and the Expanding Digital Universe

  Security management needs to evolve to protect business, government, and individuals from growing cyber threats. This Paper outlines challenges facing security executives and teams and uses an “air traffic control system” analogy to show how advanced security management systems can deliver better security by providing a single point of visibility and coordination for physical, virtual, and cloud assets. Solutions are presented where business processes, policy, controls, and data work in concert to achieve the vision of an air traffic control system for information security.

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  Can you harness clouds without creating storms?

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  IDC whitepaper: Hold Down Data Centre Costs