Articles by Elizabeth Millard

In the world of data storage, reaching the top of the market involves a precipitous climb, all the while facing fierce competitors, promising up-and-comers and changing business needs Longtime giants, such as EMC and Network Appliance, play major roles in the field, but heavy-duty storage offerings are also available from companies like Cisco, HP, ...

Gateway has reported preliminary results for its first quarter, showing a larger-than-expected loss. The company booked revenue of US$868 million during the period, with a net loss of $166 million, or 49 cents per share. Its first-quarter financial statements include the operations of eMachines, which Gateway acquired earlier this year Approximatel...

As more people choose to pay bills online rather than shelling out for stamps and envelopes, a quiet battle is taking place behind the scenes: Retail banks are squaring off against companies that bill consumers directly, such as credit-card firms and utility companies This skirmish for consumer attention is not simply a matter of pride for banks th...

Morgan Stanley has signed a US$575 million contract with IBM to employ utility computing for its Individual Investor Group and Discover Financial Services John Hancock, Equifax and ING also recently have signed deals for IBM's on-demand services, but Morgan Stanley's contract is different. Rather than just paying for computing power it uses, the in...

Recently, a seemingly endless string of worms and viruses has focused attention on the sometimes-questionable security of firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs) and even the Internet itself. Network security software provider StillSecure aims to tackle the security issue at the desktop, a level that is often overlooked. With its new Safe Access product, the company believes it will make a splash in the endpoint security pool.

IBM met Wall Street forecasts today when the company announced that it has shown first-quarter profits of 16 percent. The company earned US$1.6 billion in the first three months of 2004, in comparison to the $1.38 billion it earned in the same time period last year Market analysts have pointed to a number of factors for Big Blue's first-quarter res...

Google's Web mail service, Gmail, has drawn fire from privacy advocates sinceits launch April 1st. The latest to speak out is California state senator Liz Figueroa,who is drafting legislation to block the free e-mail service. Figueroa, a Democrat, notedthat she is moving to block Gmail because she believes its e-mail content scanning reduces users' privacy...

AMD has announced the settlement of patent claims with Intergraph in an agreementthat calls for AMD to pay Intergraph US$10 million, plus 2 percent of profits from its microprocessor sales for three years. The maximum payment from AMD is to be capped at $25 million In return, Intergraph will grant AMD a license for its "Clipper" microprocessor pate...

The Internet, by design, is an open network that allows anyone to contact anyone else. While this openness makes communication between individuals and devices a breeze, it also creates pressing security concerns. As CIOs and IT managers around the world work to lock down their companies' networks and data, the design of the Internet is proving to be a tricky stumbling block...

As more U.S. firms contemplate whether to send work overseas, a new twist is developing that could make the outsourcing debate even more animated. India-based software firm Infosys Technologies has announced that it will be opening a business-consulting practice in the United States The company expects to hire approximately 75 people within the nex...

In part 1 of this interview, F-Secure director of antivirus research Mikko Hypponen spoke about getting his start in computer security 13 years ago and the changes he has seen over the years. In this continuation of his chat with the E-Commerce Times, Hypponen talks about what it might take to nab malware writers -- and why a virus-free future mig...

Since its announcement that it will begin offering a free Web mail service called Gmail, Google has been blasted by privacy advocates. They say the service's features set a dangerous precedent in its collection of user information On April 6th, an open letter was sent to Google executives from 28 electronic privacy organizations, asking for a suspe...

Amid this year's ongoing plague of viruses and worms, there has been much discussion about virus creators, antivirus software developers and frequent virus targets like Microsoft and The SCO Group. But one important group still toils in near obscurity: the virus hunters. One of the field's most avid and skilled researchers is Mikko Hypponen, director of antivirus research at F-Secure in Helsinki, Finland...

In part 1 of this article, the E-Commerce Times examined how network redundancy -- a vital if not exactly mesmerizing technology -- is becoming more accepted, especially by those who control the IT purse strings James Decrescenzio, owner of Internet Data Storage & Systems, noted that terrorism and natural disasters have highlighted the need for red...

Of all the terms in e-business, "network redundancy" does not rank high in terms of excitement factor. In fact, even at industry events, the subject tends to make for glazed-over stares and drifting thoughts. But network redundancy deserves better. Without it, sites can be crippled or even struck down completely The technology allows companies, bot...

There are a few cardinal rules of e-business sites that have become the goal of every Webmaster: Keep design simple, make navigation easy, and stress the need for speed. With Web architecture becoming more refined and vendors pushing out products that streamline operations, becoming faster has never been easier Of course, there is fast, and then th...

In December, Check Point Software Technologies acquired personal firewall leader Zone Labs for US$205 million, creating a high-powered security firm ready to crank out more products for businesses and consumers alike. One of the first applications to result from the acquisition is an upgrade to a popular Zone Labs product, Integrity. The new version, 5.0, reflects both the company's longstanding focus and its new collaboration with Check Point.

If one topic has become a hot potato in both the political and employment realms, it is offshore outsourcing. Many companies that have shipped work to countries like India and Russia have claimed the cost savings and the quality of the output have increased efficiency, productivity and ROI Meanwhile, technology professionals have been crying foul, ...

At the recent RSA conference, user authentication was a strong theme, and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates hinted at the direction of future technology in this area, predicting the traditional password is headed for its demise In his speech, Gates noted that people will begin to rely less and less on passwords because they cannot secure data or system...

Predicting where an industry is headed is a tricky endeavor, especially if that industry is e-commerce. Many signs point toward a bright future: Online shopping activity is soaring, holiday seasons are becoming positively merry, and customer service seems to be evolving well. On the other hand, some customers still fear identity theft, site usability is a continuing issue, and establishing an online brand is far from simple...