Technology News: Data Management

New Pogoplug Brings Mobile Devices Into the Cloud
November 20, 2009

On Friday, Cloud Engines launched a bigger, shinier version of its Pogoplug USB file-sharing device/service. This will let users share files, photos and videos directly from USB drives or memory sticks plugged into the Pogoplug device with friends or clients over the Internet.

Can T-Mobile Get Its Groove Back?
November 18, 2009

This fall has not been kind to T-Mobile. First, it had to account for mountains of lost data that Sidekick customers had stored. Then there was the nationwide service outage for millions of U.S. T-Mobile customers a few weeks ago. Now, it looks as though employees at T-Mobile UK have been selling competitors the names of customers whose T-Mobile contracts were about to expire.

Bill Aims to Plug P2P Leaks of Government Data
November 18, 2009

Congress moved Tuesday to prohibit federal employees from using the same type of Internet file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure. The Secure Federal File Sharing Act, introduced in the House, would bar government employees and contractors from downloading, installing or using so-called peer-to-peer file sharing software.

Microsoft Forecasts Azure Skies for Jan. 1
November 18, 2009

After more than two years of crowing about "software plus service" rather than Software as a Service for its cloud computing strategy, the finish line is finally in sight for Microsoft's Azure. The company announced Tuesday at its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles that Azure will officially be available for all customers on Jan. 1, 2010.

EC Throws Monkey Wrench Into Oracle, Sun Deal
November 10, 2009

Europe is ratcheting up its opposition to Oracle's proposed $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems. The European Commission has issued a formal statement of objections to the deal, based on a perceived threat to competition. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes raised those concerns last month in a meeting with Oracle's top executives.

Pumping Up Performance in Densely Packed Data Centers
November 08, 2009

Data center consolidation and modernization of IT systems help enterprises reduce cost, cut labor, slash energy use, and become more agile. Infrastructure advancements, standardization, performance density, and network services efficiencies are all allowing for bigger and fewer data centers and strategically architected and located facilities that can efficiently carry more of the total IT requirements load.

Pre-integration is the Ticket With Cisco-EMC Cloud Venture
November 04, 2009

Cisco is broadening its footprint with a major move into the cloud computing space. The company has formed a far-reaching partnership with EMC -- a joint venture in which VMware, a majority owned subsidiary of EMC, will also play a large role. Called "Acadia," the new entity is marketing vBlock infrastructure packages, aka "vBlocks."

Maintaining Integrity and Security in a Data Migration
November 04, 2009

Data migrations these days have become a necessary evil in every IT environment. The rapid rate at which hardware and software becomes outdated, coupled with a need to save costs by taking old assets off the books as soon as possible, means that data migrations are something no one can avoid.

Intel Boasts Breakthrough in Durable Multilayer Memory
October 29, 2009

Intel and Numonyx on Wednesday announced what they categorized as a "key breakthrough" in research on phase change memory. Their researchers demonstrated a 64Mb test chip that lets manufacturers stack multiple layers of PCM arrays within one die. This could lead to the creation of smaller memory devices with more capacity and lower power consumption for RAM and storage.

What's on the Wire? Choosing the Best Approach to Network Monitoring
October 27, 2009

There's no debate about the need for centralized network monitoring. The potential benefits are numerous, including improved end-use productivity, network performance, application performance and security and compliance. There are three main approaches to network monitoring: Simple Network Management Protocol, flow records and packet-based.

Analyst: Don't Blame the Sidekick Mess on the Cloud
October 16, 2009

Although the T-Mobile Sidekick data disaster caused much gnashing of teeth among the device's users this week, the incident might not represent as dark a blotch on the concept of cloud computing as it may seem. Sidekick users lost all their data, which is stored on the infrastructure of Danger, the company that developed the Sidekick and is now owned by Microsoft.

Sidekick Snafu: The Data Saved and the Damage Done
October 16, 2009

T-Mobile's Sidekick users had a pretty rough time this week thanks to a mistake that first looked enormous but eventually was pretty much fixed, though with no small amount of worry and strife in between. An unfortunate series of events caused a major inconvenience for users of the smartphone.

Sidekick Data Rises From the Ashes
October 15, 2009

T-Mobile and Microsoft susidiary Danger have restored the data Sidekick customers lost when Danger experienced a massive server failure last week. The company announced the news via an online forum used to keep customers apprised of developments. The companies also provided a few sparse details about the meltdowns.

T-Mobile Offers Glimmer of Hope - or $100 Credit - in Data Loss Debacle
October 13, 2009

Service is now largely restored to Sidekick users, but T-Mobile is apparently still struggling to retrieve content and data lost due to a server malfunction over the weekend. At the same time, the carrier is piling on the mea culpas to its customers, many of whom are furious about the incident.

The Winding Path to Xsan Nirvana
October 13, 2009

The Apple Xsan system follows the relatively common path that other storage area network products have established, which is to simplify storage management, and the Xsan delivers -- but it takes a lot of planning to reach Xsan Nirvana. An overview of the Xsan system requires technical and budget planning.

Sidekick Users Burned by Danger in the Cloud
October 12, 2009

Users of T-Mobile's smartphone, the Sidekick, suddenly found themselves without address books, calendars, to-do lists and photos -- data that the carrier had been maintaining through a subsidiary of Microsoft called "Danger," which hosts back-end services for mobile companies.