ANTenna Blog -- November 08, 2009 - November 14, 2009 Archive

Federal Data-Breach Bills: The Tip Of The Iceberg

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 09:45 PM ET | Nov 13, 2009

The Senate is considering two bills designed to revamp federal consumer data-privacy rules. But anyone who thinks these bills represent a wake-up call has already been sleeping way too long.

Does Anyone Really Need A 1,000 Year DVD?

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:20 PM ET | Nov 13, 2009

A company is producing archival-grade DVDs that it claims will last 1,000 years. It's a catchy marketing claim, but can the underlying technology really serve a useful purpose?

IDC Names Top SMB Vendors

Posted by Fredric Paul 06:33 PM ET | Nov 13, 2009

Research firm IDC calls out 16 companies that demonstrate innovation in meeting the needs of small and midsize companies in six broad areas. The list includes the usual suspects -- big vendors with broad product lines like HP and IBM -- but also a number of smaller contenders as well.

PC: I'm A Mac Too

Posted by Jake Widman 02:32 PM ET | Nov 13, 2009

A Microsoft employee acknowledges what everyone already knew -- Windows 7 is inspired by, if not a copy of, Mac OS X. Predictions of the end of the world prove to be exaggerated.

Spammers Pumping More (And More) Of The Same: Kaspersky

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:54 AM ET | Nov 12, 2009

Spam rates jumped a full percentage point, to past 86% of all e-mail this past September, according to a report from Kaspersky Labs. So what else is new? Not a lot. And that's what's scary.

Google's Super-Sized Storage: Not Such A Great Deal

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 10:45 PM ET | Nov 11, 2009

The Web is abuzz with reports that Google is practically giving away loads of online storage. But the hype is far more exciting than the reality.

Firefox Gets A Bad Rap From Shoddy Security Research

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 06:50 PM ET | Nov 11, 2009

Is Firefox currently the Web browser most likely to stick your PC with a dangerous security vulnerability? Only if you believe headlines written by people who really should know better.

HP's 3Com Buy Adds To Its SMB Networking Arsenal

Posted by Paul Korzeniowski 06:38 PM ET | Nov 11, 2009

Consolidation is the watchword in the data center marketplace. Companies are collapsing their network, storage, and server equipment into single-function devices. The consolidation theme also applies to vendors, as one noteworthy networking supplier leaped into HP’s arms today.

Google Offers 16 Terabytes Of Gmail Storage!

Posted by Fredric Paul 02:38 PM ET | Nov 11, 2009

I've been relying Gmail as my personal e-mail for more than 5 years now, and I often use it to "store" stuff that I want to be able find later. It's easy to just e-mail things to myself so I know it'll be available from anywhere. And still I'm using only 23% of the 7390 MB that Google now provides for free. Apparently, though, some people need more space, and Google is lowering its prices for additional storage -- offering 20GB for $5 a year -- and boosting available options all the way up to 16 Terabytes!

Increased Demand Drives Wi-Fi HotSpot Deployments

Posted by Paul Korzeniowski 01:06 PM ET | Nov 11, 2009

Traveling on business and need a quick and easy way to access your company network? Well, plenty of options -- more than 1 billion -- are now available, so it should be relatively simple for you to make the connection.

IT Gut Check: 5 Hard Questions To Ask Yourself When Cutting IT Costs

Posted by Fredric Paul 08:30 AM ET | Nov 11, 2009

In today's harsh world of falling revenues, IT departments are increasingly being asked to cut spending. But that may be more complicated than it sounds. A network management expert offers 5 things to consider when making the hard choices.

Apple Releases Massive Snow Leopard Update

Posted by Jake Widman 01:35 PM ET | Nov 10, 2009

The new OS X 10.6.2 update fixes lots of general bugs and glitches and patches numerous security vulnerabilities. Reports are that it also disables at least some "hackintoshes," or PCs modified to run OS X.

Panda Launches SMB Cloud Security

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:20 PM ET | Nov 10, 2009

Building on its cloud-based anti-virus service for consumers, Panda Security is launching Panda Cloud Protection, a hosted security service for small and midsized businesses.

Cisco Expands Collaboration Platform

Posted by Paul Korzeniowski 01:52 PM ET | Nov 9, 2009

As network technology has spread, collaboration has become the watchword in small and medium businesses. Companies are now exchange information not only with coworkers but also with customers and suppliers. Via acquisitions, Cisco has become a force in the collaboration space and recently added more items to its growing portfolio.

New Macintosh Online Support Service

Posted by Jake Widman 12:57 PM ET | Nov 9, 2009

Founded by longtime Mac consultants and support providers MacSupport.com offers technical help by phone and via remote access. Best suited for small and home businesses, the support is available on an ad hoc basis and is priced per problem.

Netgear Adds Features To Unmanaged Switches For SMBs

Posted by Fredric Paul 10:17 AM ET | Nov 9, 2009

The company hopes to differentiate its new ProSafe Plus "unmanaged switches" with a few key network monitoring and configuration features, including support for Virtual LANs (VLANs), Quality of Service (QoS), and cable testing.

Would You Be Willing To Bet Your Paycheck That You Could Find A Specific E-Mail From Your CEO From 18 Months Ago?

Posted by Fredric Paul 09:14 AM ET | Nov 9, 2009

That's the question posed by Danny Milgrad, Symantec senior manager, product marketing for Enterprise Vault. In a recent survey, Milgrad said, only 15% of IT managers answered yes. Milgrad, like many others, is counting on Microsoft Exchange 2010 to reshape the storage landscape.