An alternative to going to camp. Previewing VMWare's Fusion
Apple's re-invigorated assault on the home network market has been partly thanks to its migration to Intel processors. With that move complete comes the opportunity to run Microsoft Windows on hardware that’s very close to that of a so-called "Wintel" PC. Following the work of some enterprising hackers, Apple released a beta …
Mac or PC? You've seen the ads, how do you choose for business?
Comment Practical issues
I was asked if I, as a Mac user, would recommend one to a business user who is buying a personal machine for business use. I am the proud owner of an iconic Mac PowerBook G4, an eye-catching brushed metal effort that I purchased back in 2004. I have never owned a Mac desktop, being strictly Intel/Microsoft, but I travel enough …
IPTV: Creating a flexible network core
The practicalities of next generation services
"There's nothing decent on TV," is a common refrain in our house. Even though we have heeded the BBC adverts and invested in some Freeview boxes, it seems that even increasing the available channels from five to roughly 50 does not guarantee a cosy evening in front of the box. It wasn't much different when we lived in America, …
Apple ups the stakes with convergence play
What about digital rights management?
Alongside the well-publicised launch of the iPhone, Apple has now pre-announced two of its major plays into the converging consumer digital media marketplace. The other was Apple TV, unveiled last year and available next month. Although pre-announcing is something of a departure for the company, it's clear Apple will be handily …
YouTube and Micropayments
Comment Thoughts from an aging rock fan
I was listening to Radio Five Live today and they were interviewing Andy Summers, a much travelled guitar virtuoso, best known as 1/3 of the Police. During the discussion (he’s pitching his autobiography) there was quite a lot of chat about how the band came to break up, and how they are actually still good friends, having …
The keys to mobile success
Mobile workshop roundup Pulling it all together
As many of you will have noticed, we have been running an online workshop on the site over the past month or so gathering reader views on the way things are unfolding in the mobile space.
As part of the exercise, we kicked off discussions in the following areas:
Mobile email options and use
Security and mobile working …
Securing your corporate database
Spotting and blocking potential abuse
Much is written about network security. There are many classes of product that have been developed to manage network access and to inspect traffic in order to identify anomalous behaviour.
This approach starts from the outside of the network and moves inwards. With security at the gateway delivered by a variety of appliances, …
Convergence, or just a tangled mess of ideas?
Mobile Workshop What is it that matters to you?
The word "convergence" is responsible for a lot of confusion in the industry. In some circles it means the coming together of all voice, video and data on an IP network with delivery based on the circumstances or "presence" of the user.
In others, it's about getting mobile and fixed line communications working together more …
Merging your landline and mobile
Mobile Workshop We're really talking mobile convergence
For the last part of our mobile workshop we’re looking at mobile convergence. After our customary market observations, we’d love to hear your experiences with converged mobile and fixed voice and data.
What exactly is convergence?
The term convergence is used in many contexts. A rich vein of marketing spin surrounds a lot of …
One device or two? And who chooses?
Mobile Workshop Rounding it all up
One handset or two? That seems to be a major point of discussion in the quest to square the mobile device circle.
On the one handset front it has traditionally been a choice between something like a full-on Windows Mobile PDA with all the toys, but which is therefore bulky and has a short battery life (translation, useless on …
How can you relieve mobile device frustration?
Mobile Workshop Reg reader poll
It seems like we struck a nerve with the recent mobile workshop article on email devices. With other subjects, such as security and push email, there has been a discussion around the various approaches and their pros and cons, but on the device front it seems that there is a high degree of frustration.
Reading through the …
Groping your way around the mobile device maze
Mobile Workshop Too much choice?
As part of our series of articles on mobile email, this week we’re tackling the subject of the mobile devices themselves. As the actual user interface of a mobile email solution, as well as a potential replacement or substitute of (for some at least) a very personal item, a number of interesting discussion points are raised. We’ …
Corporate culture and mobile email
Mobile Workshop Mobile Security Poll
The majority of people would appear to be prepared to trust a well dressed stranger. Research has shown that if you stand outside a railway station in a suit you are more likely to be loaned some cash for a ticket than if you're wearing something less sartorial, a hoody for example.
But how do you establish trust when you can't …
Being mobile in a secure and managed fashion
More heated debate
Well, we're back! Thanks to those who registered and responded to last week's debate and workshop on mobile email. You can see a round up of this here, but meanwhile, we want to pick up on the question of mobile security and the need for device management.
The big question here is how you're creating mobile policies and …
Reg readers give forth on mobile email
Debate round-up
Thank you to all who took the time to comment on the recent article "Mobile email: Let's have a heated debate." Although there are some differences of opinion, nearly all our commentators felt that mobile email is a valuable tool.
There's clearly a sentiment in some circles that the BlackBerry and its cousins are ego tools for …
Mobile Workshop survey
Quick Poll Tell us what's really going on with mobile data and services...
Respected readers we need your help. Give us two minutes of your time and push forward the sum of human knowledge. Doesn't sound too bad does it? Just answer the questions below. Thanking you in advance.
This survey is now closed.
What would you regard as your strategic platform for mobile email moving forwards?
RIM …
Mobile email: Let's have a heated debate
Join the experts, share in the debate
Mobile email is now an established business tool. It is hard to find an organisation of any size that hasn't introduced it into at least some part of the business, and momentum has started to gather among smaller companies also. If you're not using it yourself, you'll probably know someone who is.
Yet in the latest Reg …
The ODF debate: A real world view
Comment The file formats fight club
What exactly is meant by document portability? Does it mean that a document created in one application can be viewed using a different application on another operating system? Does it mean that the document can be viewed and edited within another application on the same or another OS platform? Or does it simply mean that you can …
Who are you? Can you prove it?
Findings from the Reg reader study
You've probably heard the stories of employees who are prepared to part with logon and password information for a free café latté, Easter egg or some other form of instant gratification.
It makes for some fun headlines, but highlights the serious point that security of information systems is not just about technology, the human …
Private profit from public investment?
Comment More on the net neutrality debate
Even after living in America for seven years, I still get surprised by how polarised debate can be on some issues. I can well remember getting in a cab in Vegas and being taken on the freeway that runs along the back of the strip to my hotel. The cab driver launched into a tirade against the then president, and I felt that …
Can single sign-on be simple sign-on?
Review Imprivata's Esso applicance
Fundamentally, Single Sign On (SSO) is a straightforward idea. You use a proxy device to authenticate a user, and the proxy then manages all the login idiosyncrasies of the applications they want to access.
Easy to describe, and straightforward to transcribe onto slideware. The devil is, of course, in the detail. For example, …
Road warrior Wi-Fi
Problems with remote access? Check out iPass
iPass, the company that pioneered straightforward dial-up support for roadwarriors worldwide, and which recently bought its main rival in the business, GoRemote (known to many as Gric), is seeking to take that customer base to the next generation of connectivity: the Wi-Fi hotspot.
Typical company travel policy doesn't take any …
Managing network bandwidth
Big pipes only get you so far
For those of us approaching what I'd like to think of as early maturity (or even late youth), it's inspiring to see some things come to pass that we'd dreamed of during our formative years, such as complete smoking bans and low cost air travel within Europe. It's also good to see some of the promises turning into reality in the …
Next generation branch networking
NetD continues to challenge the big guns
As a start-up company your funding typically follows phases corresponding to prototype, product launch, then breakeven/growth. You have to match your "burn rate" to this timetable, and execution on your plan is key to ensure you don't run out of money, or give investors reason to doubt your ability to take the business forward …
