Microsoft complains to the EU about Motorola Mobility
Microsoft has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against Motorola Mobility for alleged abuse of essential patents. Microsoft Deputy General Counsel, Dave Heiner, said on his blog on Wednesday that Motorola was attempting to block sales of Windows PCs, Xbox game console and other Microsoft products. The news comes just a week after Apple made a similar complaint against Motorola Mobility. Read more »
IBM makes QRadar security event management product more intelligent
IBM is widely expanding the intelligence gathering functions available to its security-event management (SEM) product, QRadar Security Intelligence Platform, as well as designing a virtual-appliance version of it that works on the VMware platform. Read more »
Group files FTC complaint against Google for privacy changes
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should force Google to halt its plan to consolidate user identities across its services and fine the company for violating an October privacy settlement with the agency, privacy group the Center for Digital Democracy said in a complaint filed Wednesday. Read more »
Cloud security, big data, and mobile to dominate RSA conference
There are fewer topics stirring bigger buzz among information security professionals than big data, cloud security, and mobile. So it's no surprise that those topics will dominate the discussions this year at the RSA Conference 2012. Read more »
Of course Microsoft will port Office to the iPad
Office on the iPad is a foregone conclusion. It's been that way since Microsoft dipped its toe in the water with OneNote on iPhone a year ago, then crossed the Rubicon with OneNote, SkyDrive, and Lync on the iPad last December. Read more »
Amazon automates business processes with new cloud service
Amazon Web Services has launched Simple Workflow Service (SWF), which will allow enterprises to automate business processes across both cloud-based and on-premise applications, the company said on Tuesday. With SWF, developers get full control over implementing processing steps and coordinating the tasks that drive them, without worrying about underlying complexities such as tracking their progress and keeping their state, Amazon said. Read more »
SAP lays out product direction after SuccessFactors deal
SAP on Wednesday released details for its roadmap for HCM (human capital management) software following the .4 billion acquisition of SuccessFactors, which focuses on cloud-based applications. Read more »
Teradata partners with Hortonworks on Hadoop
The growing enterprise interest in big data analytics is beginning to drive partnerships between vendors of traditional relational database management technologies and purveyors of the open source Apache Hadoop. The latest example is Teradata, which on Tuesday announced that it will work with Hortonworks to deliver products and services aimed at helping companies build big data analytics environments based on Hadoop. Hortonworks is a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based spin-off from Yahoo that distributes and supports a commercial version of Hadoop. Read more »
Wi-Fi Passpoint standard could end hotspot sign-on hassles
The Wi-Fi Alliance will launch a program to simplify the use of Wi-Fi hotspots in July, making it easier for both users and mobile operators to get off strained cellular networks. Users of smartphones, tablets, cameras and other Wi-Fi-equipped devices will be able to get onto hotspots without entering usernames or passwords, the group said in a white paper released on Tuesday. The paper outlined the program, called Wi-Fi Certified Passpoint, and said the first phase of certification tests will begin in July. A second phase beginning next year will add more features. Read more »
Windows Server 8 to be storage-focused OS
Microsoft executives said Windows Server 8, the beta of which is expected out in the next several weeks, is the most storage-focused OS release to date. The new OS will support Hyper-V and SQL Server running over the Samba file sharing protocol Server Message Block (SMB) v2.2 , including remote direct memory access (RDMA) over Ethernet and InfiniBand. Read more »
IT pay: Premiums for IT skills drop as IT departments reorganize
While staffing firms report that IT salaries are growing, Foote Partners, a boutique IT benchmarking and research firm in Vero Beach, Fla., has been observing a different trend. Read more »
InfoWorld's Windows 7 Security Deep Dive: The expert guide
Windows 7 has been warmly received and swiftly adopted by businesses, with improvements over Vista such as a friendlier UAC mechanism, the ability to encrypt removable media as well as hard drive volumes, broader support for strong cryptographic ciphers, hassle-free secure remote access, and sophisticated protection against Trojan malware in the form of AppLocker, to name a few. Read more »
Symantec: Mobile adoption has reached tipping point
Adoption of mobile devices has reached a tipping point in the workplace, with most businesses in a recent Symantec survey pondering development of custom applications or already running line-of-business applications on these handheld units. Read more »
