Spotlight Features

Many companies have scaled back staffing levels and instituted mandatory hiring freezes in the past few years. Even so -- and somewhat surprisingly, considering the number of IT specialists out of work -- there is sometimes a shortage of qualified candidates to fill the gaps, even when money is budg...

Of all the words that inspire affection in a small-business owner's heart, few can compete with "free," especially at a time when companies are trying to rein in spending as tightly as possible. Still, it is virtually impossible, even in a buyer's market, to get something for nothing when it comes t...

For many years, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have collaborated to make their products work together. On the surface, it seems that the two companies' symbiosis runs deep and greatly benefits both parties. The real question is, how will the relationship weather such hurdles as the ascent of Linux? C...

Passwords are both the universal language for network navigation and the weakest link in network security, as fraught with peril as they are essential. However, any enterprise, large or small, can take steps to minimize risk without resorting to cutting-edge and costly technologies like biometrics.

A little over a year ago, an international consortium of four vendors announced they were pooling their talents and resources to create UnitedLinux -- a new, standardized flavor of the open-source Linux OS. However, UnitedLinux has not made many headlines since then, and SCO, one of the consortium m...

Blame Hollywood for the glorification of the underdog if you must, but it is difficult to ignore the charm of a comeback kid. In today's struggling high-tech sector, it is even more notable than in the celluloid realm to see a turnaround. Yet some companies have brushed the dust from their jackets a...

Back in the IT good old days -- just three or four years ago -- money was plentiful, nearly all projects were approved, expanding bandwidth and the Internet made all things possible, and confidence in the economy ran high. What happened next has been described by Harvard University lecturer and auth...

Venture capitalists may not be the heroic figures they were a few years ago, but they still have the power to decide whether would-be e-business superstars get a chance to seek the limelight. The difference between now and then is scale, Bain Capital Ventures partner Mike Krupka told the E-Commerce ...

In macro terms, the hostile takeover has been a common, if generally reviled, tactic throughout human history. But does this art of war hold up over the long term in the business world? Are there times when such shotgun marriages turn out to be the right decision for the parties involved? Amid the O...

Fraud on the Web may be analogous to fraud in the real world, but it seems to be far easier to defraud individuals of their bank accounts, cell phone accounts and even entire identities online. In this new medium, the black hats are outpacing the white hats, at least so far. Analysts are hoping the ...

Although the Internet burst into the mainstream several years ago, many enterprises are only just beginning to consider how world-class search capabilities could benefit their in-house infrastructure. One of the forerunners in this field is industry darling Google. In fact, Google product manager Jo...

Most CIOs at some point have asked: Should I outsource this IT project? The answer can be surprisingly complex, depending on the reasons for considering such a move. According to Gartner principal analyst Bruce Caldwell, savings achieved through outsourcing can be significant -- in the 20 to 30 perc...

According to Giga/Forrester analyst Stacey Quandt, tech-oriented organizations, such as the Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Census Bureau, have begun using the Linux operating system on their desktop computers, and several insurance and financial services firms also are evaluating it. Has Linux fi...

They seem ubiquitous wherever consumer electronics, hardware and software are sold: the offers for rebates plastered on packaging, store displays and cash register receipts. It seems like a great deal, this offer of money back, especially when all the consumer has to do is send in a receipt and UPC ...

The dot-com boom propelled few firms higher than Cisco Systems. Sparked by the proliferation of Internet-related companies, demand for its networking gear and switches skyrocketed. On the downside, the crash, which hit telecoms and dot-coms hard, did not spare Cisco. However, despite a rough 2001, t...