Technology News: IT Leadership

The Mac Cybercrime Immunity Fallacy
November 21, 2009

Recently, ESET commissioned a poll to identify the knowledge, beliefs and experiences of Americans with respect to cybercrime. One of the findings was that 2 percent of Americans think that PCs are not vulnerable to cybercrime, while 9 percent feel a Mac is not vulnerable to cybercrime.

Guiding Cybersecurity Principles for a Swiftly Changing World
November 21, 2009

Cybersecurity is a young and immature field, but it cannot remain so for much longer. We are at a point in time when it is clear that the future will be dramatically different just on basis of technologies that are already in the pipeline. However, there is no clarity but just uncertainty about what will eventually emerge in the next five, 10 or 15 years.

Down With Opt-Out, Opt-Tricky Software Distribution
November 18, 2009

Oh, the joy of downloading and installing free software -- only to have a bunch of unwanted, tag-along junkware, or worse, malware, automatically installed on your computer. Why has this unacceptable practice been the norm in the software industry for so many years? The answer to that question is two-fold: money; and lack of a better option.

Don't Give Discount Holiday Shoppers Any Reasons to Walk Away
November 17, 2009

The holiday shopping season is rapidly approaching, but optimism is fading for many online retailers, with sales growth expected to trend negative through the remainder of the year. As frugal shoppers continue to cut back on discretionary spending, retailers have responded with deep discounts and special offers. These promotions will have varying degrees of success.

Back to Basics: 5 Things IT Could Do Better in 2010
November 17, 2009

Well, it's November again -- which means that it's just about time for this year's set of New Year's predictions. Every year around this time, everyone from antimalware companies to analyst firms line up to tell us about the top IT and security trends -- what they are and why we should care.

Network Forensics and Digital Time Travel
November 16, 2009

Network forensics is the capture, storage and analysis of network traffic. You might also hear the term referred to as "packet mining," "packet forensics," or "digital forensics." Regardless of the name, the concept is the same, with the objective to record every packet and the data it contains moving across the network and storing it for some period of time.

Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences, Both Coming and Going
November 16, 2009

One of the most important ways marketers can differentiate their offerings in today's unique selling environment is by creating a remarkable customer experience. One step toward achieving this goal is to ensure they have a single database that is tightly integrated with their CRM system to capture inbound and outbound dialogue and create a multidimensional marketing view of the customer.

Safe Mac Computing on an Unsafe Web
November 14, 2009

We first saw the Apple Macintosh at the 1984 Super Bowl. At the time, IBM and Microsoft gave us only text-based computing. The Mac appeared looking like nothing we had ever seen. Its screen was all graphics, all the time. It had a mouse, the first one seen by most people. It was smaller than a PC, lighter and more portable.

Everyone's Stoked About Cyber Monday - Vendors, Customers and Hackers
November 14, 2009

Less than 20 days until Cyber Monday. You've got staffing queued up. Your warehouse is full. Your shipper is standing by. But have you considered what will happen on your Web site after a flood of qualified buyers click on the irresistible and precisely worded ad for your product or service? You've got one shot -- one day -- to win their holiday business.

Mobilization and the Big Security Opportunity
November 10, 2009

It seems like it was just yesterday that talking on a mobile phone made you cool. You were obviously important, walking around with the confidence that you could be reached at all times. Well, times have certainly changed. Roughly half the planet's population -- over 4.1 billion people -- now pay for what was once limited to a select few, according to a recent United Nations survey.

How Etailers Can Take On the Whole World
November 10, 2009

The majority of global markets are growing significantly faster than the United States. Bill Gates has even stated that in the 21st century, a business must use e-commerce to survive. In this economy, thinking outside the proverbial box and expanding a company without taking on significant overhead or structural changes means selling beyond geographic borders.

Steve Jobs Conquers the Decade - Now What?
November 07, 2009

Now that Fortune has named Apple CEO Steve Jobs CEO of the decade, where will he go from here? Throughout his career, Jobs has typically led the market, bringing out products that consumers didn't know they wanted until they saw them -- products like the iPhone and iPod touch, for instance. He will probably continue doing so, but in the future he may delegate more responsibilities.

8 Habits of Successful Customer Feedback Managers
November 05, 2009

Customer relationships are damaged when companies hear too late about customer concerns or issues to do anything to repair them. Even worse, many crucial concerns aren't being heard by the right people at an organization. For example, are managers aware of which customers are unhappy? Did an employee treat a customer unfairly? What are the specific factors that caused a customer to leave?

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.

Fortifying Your E-Tail Operation Against 'Friendly Fraud'
November 03, 2009

Fraud prevention, in its many layers and forms, is one of the most important services that can be provided to e-merchants. With each passing year, fraudsters become more experienced and new forms of fraud are developed. What is different in recent years is that we have been dealing with an economic recession.

Making Micro-Payment Models Work Online
November 02, 2009

Forecasts for the magnitude of online micro-payments can whet the appetite of any profit-minded businessperson. However, cracking that code is more complicated than one thinks. There is little question as to whether sub-US$5 products can be sold in mass volume, but the lynchpin to opening the floodgates of micro-payments may very well be payment method.