Given its many promises of increased productivity, videoconferencing continues to gain popularity in the workplace, both in enterprise-grade systems and simple desktop video apps like Skype. But these benefits come at a cost, with networks becoming clogged with high-bandwidth video traffic. Monitoring the flow of traffic on the network is the first step in solving video-based bandwidth issues. Read more »
Across the internet, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks continue to increase in size and intensity. Businesses can minimise the damage from a DDoS with a well rehearsed DDoS mitigation plan, or 'playbook'. Read more »
Dave Buckmaster embarked on a career in IT following a chance encounter with some Microsoft books, which led to positions at Toyota, AMP and McDonald’s. Now the Technology Services Manager for Medibank Health Solutions, he speaks to Merri Mack about the importance of uptime to a business that operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Read more »
What happens when a well-meaning employee inadvertently shares your company’s financial records with the world? That’s a reality organisations could face if they ignore their employees’ use of consumer cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox. Read more »
Constructing a future-proof network may sound easy in theory, but with so many decisions to make, where do you start? With considerations like which cabling to use, what applications need to be supported, number of users in the future and so on, things can get confusing. Read more »
The exponential growth, expanding bandwidth demand and delivery requirements in global networking for video, voice and data applications are accelerating at a speed never before seen. For many, the original transport backbone architecture built on 10G wavelengths is at the threshold of capacity. Higher-speed 40G and 100G are the next-generation transport solutions that enable and define future success for service providers, network equipment manufacturers and a growing number of enterprises. Recognising the right steps of due diligence, which include testing, can ensure the delivery of all the benefits expected of this game-changing solution. Read more »
Around the globe, the role of CIO is changing. Once upon a time, the CIO was responsible for IT infrastructure, IT systems and their management. Now, CIOs are required have a deeper understanding of business strategy. Merri Mack talks to several IT executive officers about these changes. Read more »
Virtual private networks (VPNs) offer a way to allow mobile devices to securely access the corporate network from locations with suspect security outside of the firewall - like cafes and hotels offering free public Wi-Fi. But if misused, these VPN tunnels can act as back doors for virulent material. Keeping the VPN clean is of utmost importance. SonicWALL’s Country Manager, Sandeep Joshi, explains. Read more »
Implementing any kind of company-wide system has the potential to be a dramatic success or a dismal failure, and unified communications is no exception. Taking a structured approach can mean the difference between a dream deployment and a communications calamity. Graeme Gherbaz, Managing Director of Plantronics Australia and NZ, explains how to employ such a structured approach. Read more »
Google’s Android is fast becoming the most popular mobile OS in the world. But the operating system’s security profile does not match its popularity - its open architecture and its ability to install applications from third party sources make it a target for malicious minds. Google’s recently announced ‘Bouncer’ program will increase Android security somewhat - but does it go far enough? Bitdefender's Alexandru Balan weighs in on the topic. Read more »
Guye Engel, now CIO of Melbourne IT, first entered the IT world when he undertook one of the first computer science degrees run at Monash University. As Melbourne IT’s Group CIO, Engel is responsible for all infrastructure - data centres, networks, servers and storage - as well as application development and project management, supporting five divisions of the company globally. Here, he speaks to Merri Mack about his career and the challenges he faces as CIO. Read more »
The proliferation of mobile devices - company-owned and BYOD - is boosting corporate productivity. But it also presents a new management issue to IT, which needs straightforward ways to ensure these devices are appropriately and securely configured and to oversee compliance with usage policies. Stephen Withers explains how mobile device management (MDM) tools can help. Read more »
The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) steering committee met in Melbourne recently for two days of meetings to chart priorities for the organisation’s mission to deliver open cloud solutions. Merri Mack reports on the findings of the committee and the question of whether vendors will support interoperability for cloud solutions. Read more »
The first NBN plans out of the gate are priced similar to, or even better than, their ADSL2+ and cable equivalents. This seems counterintuitive, given that the NBN itself is a more advanced network than ADSL2+. Andrew Collins explains why these higher-tech services are currently so cheap, and why these prices won’t last. Read more »
Both private and public cloud storage technologies can be powerful tools, helping IT to deal with dynamic demands and floods of data. But when employing public cloud services, organisations must carefully consider the potential pitfalls in order to mitigate risk. Gene Ruth, Research Director, Gartner, explains what to look out for. Read more »
In recent years, server virtualisation has hogged the IT industry’s spotlight. All the while, storage virtualisation has remained in the background, slowly developing and maturing. However, there are still misconceptions surrounding the technology. Adrian De Luca, Director, SNIA ANZ, dispells these myths, claiming that storage virtualisation is ready for prime time. Read more »
As a technical term, ‘the cloud’ has reached a point of oversaturation, leading many - particularly government - organisations to question the value of the concept. Cloud computing is not for everyone, but it is possible to be ‘cloud-like’ without actually entering the cloud, says Wayne Allen, Unisys Asia-Pacific data centre transformation and outsourcing practice lead. Read more »
Australia is suffering from an ICT skills shortage. The problem isn't a lack of skills in general, rather that specific technical skills are in short supply from time to time, and that there’s also a shortage of people that combine technical skills with people and organisational skills and business knowledge. So, what can we do about it? Stephen Withers investigates. Read more »
Big data - the accumulation and subsequent mining of large data stores - carries great potential for businesses looking to gain insight into their markets or customers. But while the concept of big data is simple, the management of big data is not. Bruce Coulthard, Senior Solutions Consultant A/NZ at Quantum, argues that big data demands a complex, diversified approach from IT. Read more »
Connie Carnabuci is a partner of the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and is based in Hong Kong. She heads the firm’s whole-of-Asia intellectual property, technology, media and telecommunications (IP/TMT) practice. Merri Mack talks to Carnabuci about her career, IT and the law and what Australian companies should be aware of when it comes to the US Patriot Act. Read more »