Virtualization eases bank's updates, reduces downtime

Virtualization eases bank's updates, reduces downtime

It could take an army of system administrators to constantly update and upgrade the IT systems that support Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and its many branches and offices throughout the western U.S. But even an IT army couldn't do those things without disrupting the performance of the bank's 300 employees, thousands of customers, 225 servers and $60 billion in revenue exchanges.

Rather than put his IT army of about 100 people to work fighting fires caused by system changes, Mike Bedford, the bank's senior systems architect, sought and found a virtualization technology to do it for them. He then discovered that virtualization helped reduce manpower demands and costs in many other ways. In this two-part interview, he describes the switch to virtualization and its results.

This story will help explain the uses and scope of virtualization software such as VMware in the enterprise....

Virtual Iron, VMware Virtually Duke it Out

VMware has been the undisputed leader in the x86 virtualization space, teaming up with large systems vendors to find placement among the loads of Intel servers that companies like Dell, IBM and HP have been selling.

But one new start-up looking to advance the notion of using software to consolidate infrastructure in data centers has arrived this week, promising to do virtualization on a much broader level, starting with Intel machines running Linux.

Read the full story: Here

New Windows Scripting Cert

New Windows Scripting Cert

Don Jones, Windows consultant and developer who created and maintains the Windows scripting site ScriptingAnswers.com, plans to introduce a new certification program that Windows systems administrators can use to offer tangible proof of their automation and scripting expertise.

Two credentials, Certified Administrative Script Specialist (CASS) and Certified Administrative Script Development (CASD), are expected to debut some time in March.

Full Story: certcities.com

Carlys Gone, HPQ up 10%!

Carlys gone, HPQ up 10%!

Thats right, Carly Fiorina has stepped down as CEO and Chairwoman of HP today after a dispute with the board!
HP has been in somewhat of a downward spin since 2002 when Carly pushed through the compaq merger, and has been the reason behind thousands of lay offs and the shutting down of some of HPs best divisions
The industry in general seems pleased with the move, with HPQ jumping 10% at points earlier, an increase in value of over 7 billion dollars (wonder how she feels knowing she had a -$7bn impact on the company)
(reports have been coming in of HP staff celebrating in thier labs/cube farms most of the day)

Full story: here

Microsoft Announces Simulation Questions

Microsoft Announces Simulation Questions

The Microsoft Learning Group announced what it calls a "dramatic change in the testing protocol," with the incorporation of newly developed performance-based question types to its exams. The new question types will begin to appear in exams in late March.

The Learning Group previewed performance-based questions, also called "simulations," to Microsoft Certified Trainers and Certified Partners for Learning Solutions members at a special non-disclosure session at Microsoft's World Wide Sales partner conference in Toronto last summer.

Full Story: certcities.com

Warning over Microsoft Word files

Warning over Microsoft Word files

Writing a Microsoft Word document can be a dangerous business, according to document security firm Workshare.

Up to 75% of all business documents contained sensitive information most firms would not want exposed, a survey by the firm revealed.

To make matters worse 90% of those companies questioned had no idea that confidential information was leaking.

The report warns firms to do a better job of policing documents as corporate compliance becomes more binding. [FULL STORY]

Source: BBC News

Latest Opera browser gets vocal

Latest Opera browser gets vocal

Net browser Opera 8.0, due for official release at the end of next month, will be "the most accessible browser on the market", according to its authors.


The latest version of the net browser can be controlled by voice command and will read pages aloud.

The voice features, based on IBM technology, are currently only available in the Windows version. Opera can also magnify text by up to 10 times and users can create "style sheets", its developers say. This will enable them to view pages with colours and fonts that they prefer.

Full Story: HERE

Source: BBC News

Spaniards develop chart-topping program

Spaniards develop chart-topping program

A small Spanish company says it can use artificial intelligence technology originally developed for the banking and telecoms industries to predict if a record is going to be a hit or not. It boasts an impressive track record, having successfully predicted hot sales for Norah Jones and US band Maroon 5.

Barcelona-based Polyphonic HMI reckons it has identified 20 elements of song construction - including melody, harmony, tempo, pitch, octave, beat, rhythm, fullness of sound, noise, brilliance and chord progression - which its "HitSongScience" program matches against a database containing 30 years' worth of Billboard hit singles. The database, currently containing more than 3.5m songs, is updated weekly with new releases.

Each song is mapped onto a grid called "music universe" and is positioned according to its mathematical...

How to make a greener computer

How to make a greener computer

The hi-tech industry is starting to get more environmentally aware. Bill Thompson thinks it's about time.

My first car ran on four star petrol and pumped vast quantities of lead into the atmosphere as I drove around Cambridge.

Now you can't buy petrol with lead additives, and we're all better off as a result.

Chip giant Intel recently began shipping computer circuit boards that are lead free too, reflecting a growing awareness on the part of the technology industry that products have to be designed and built in more environmentally friendly ways.

Full Story: HERE

Source: BBC

Veritas retools its Backup Exec baby

Veritas retools its Backup Exec baby

Veritas has once again beefed up its popular storage software - Backup Exec - aimed at small- and medium-sized customers by adding a number of tools typically found only with its more expensive products.

Veritas CEO Gary Bloom today unveiled Backup Exec 10.0 in front of a large crowd full of reporters, analysts and customers here at the Essex House hotel in New York. The software meant for customers running Microsoft Windows servers should make it easier to backup data in small chunks, to use higher performing disk storage instead of tape and to monitor a large number of systems from a single management point. Overall, Veritas has brought some of the tools found in its pricier NetBackup product down to Backup Exec and made the new software work better with its Storage Exec and Replication Exec products.

"The number one thing (SMBs) need is efficiency," Bloom said. "They need low cost IT. We are talking, in...