With subscription-based pricing and no server to buy and maintain, GFI Cloud is the affordable IT management console that helps you scale IT operations quickly and easily, to meet business demand. Get antivirus, workstation and server monitoring, remote control and asset tracking. Free 30 day trial.

AT&T's Take on Shifting Cloud Challenges and Opportunities February 25, 2013 Migrating to the cloud is all the rage, but companies large and small are finding that they need to move a wider variety of their daily operations to network-delivered services -- if they are available, and within their budgets. One of the world's largest service providers, global telecommunications giant AT&T, has created advanced cloud services for its business customers.

Vendors Sound Off on Legislation Changing Federal IT Purchases February 22, 2013 Information technology vendors who sell hardware and software to the federal market are keenly aware of significant flaws in the way government agencies purchase IT. An effort to reform IT procurement has been conducted by the Obama administration for the last two years -- with some improvement.

Oracle Tries Again to Get Satisfaction in Java Case February 20, 2013 Oracle is not letting go of its Java patent infringement beef against Google despite its sound drubbing last spring when U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup ruled that programming APIs were not subject to copyright protection. Last week, Oracle took the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

China Rebuffs Detailed Report on Its US Hacking Escapades February 19, 2013 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei reportedly said at a briefing on Tuesday that China's military was not involved in any recent cyberhacking. His comments were apparently in response to allegations in a new report by Mandiant. Among many other findings in the report is the existence of a 12-story white office tower said to house a PLA cyberwarrior unit.

IBM's New PureSystems Promise to Ease Big Data, Cloud Adoption February 19, 2013 Business IT solution development generally follows specific trends and overlapping eras. The first, calculation, occurred as digital products and services wholly replaced adding machines and other mechanical business devices. The second, computation, mirrored the evolution of digitized solutions for increasingly complex processes and applications.

IntelliBuzz Helps Brands Keep an Eye on Social Media Mentions February 15, 2013 Intelliverse has rolled out a new cloud-based tool that monitors social media for brand mentions and responds when appropriate. IntelliBuzz is simple enough that a company with minimal IT resources in-house -- that is, a computer and an Internet connection -- can manage this outreach just using the app.

Businesses Weigh In as Congress Reboots Cybersecurity Issue February 15, 2013 The current winter of discontent in the U.S. Congress over federal finances does not bode well for cooperation in other areas. Yet legislators push on, and among top Congressional priorities for 2013 is the enactment of legislation regarding the role of the federal government in dealing with national cybersecurity problems.

Obama's Executive Order Renews Cybersecurity Debate February 14, 2013 Too much regulation, not enough protection, too much private sector involvement: President Obama's just-released cybersecurity executive order has sparked concern from several advocacy groups, even as controversial legislation designed to protect the nation's infrastructure made a reappearance Wednesday in Congress.

Bringing SaaS Apps to the Masses February 08, 2013 One of the age-old challenges that has plagued the software industry, like many others, is how vendors can reach small- and mid-sized businesses with their software products. Although today's Software as a Service model eliminates many of the distribution challenges of the past, it hasn't overcome the obstacles associated with selling cloud-based applications to SMBs.

Investors Give Yelp Mixed Reviews February 07, 2013 Yelp's revenue and monthly unique visitors rose during its most recent quarter, but the site still reported a net loss as it funded expansion into new markets. The site, which provides information and crowdsourced reviews about local restaurants, entertainment and businesses, reported a net loss of $5.32 million, or 8 cents per share, compared to a net loss of $9.1 million, or 56 cents per share, from the same time a year ago.

Anonymous' Hack of Bank System Startling for Its Ease February 07, 2013 The hactivist collective Anonymous announced via a tweet during last Sunday's Super Bowl that it had published a document dump including publishing private data tied to more than 4,000 U.S. bank executives. It included a spreadsheet containing login information and credentials, along with IP addresses and personal contact information.

Immigration Reform Could Open the Door for IT Talent February 06, 2013 The new Congress is now tackling a flurry of general proposals for comprehensive immigration reform, but only one specific, narrowly focused piece of legislation has already been introduced in the Senate: a plan to vastly increase the number of non-citizens who can pursue jobs and education in the U.S. technology sector.

Secret Review Gives Obama License to Cyberkill February 05, 2013 President Obama can order a preemptive strike if there's credible evidence of a pending major cyberattack from abroad, a secret legal review reportedly has found. New policies will dictate how intelligence agencies can monitor remote computer networks elsewhere for signs of potential attacks on the U.S.

HP Enters Pavilion 14 in Chromebook Games February 05, 2013 After years of being one of Microsoft's biggest supporters in the Windows-based laptop market, HP has officially released its first Chromebook: the Pavilion 14 running Google's Chrome OS. Now that HP has followed Samsung, Acer and Lenovo in jumping on the multi-OS bandwagon, the question is this: Can this portable computer maintain the Chromebook shine?

Linux Netbooks: Hiding in Plain Sight February 05, 2013 You just think that's a Chromebook beckoning you with an open source OS, easier upgradeability and fast connections to the cloud. All those qualities could make it a Linux netbook in disguise -- or at least what the netbooks of a few years ago promised before they all started selling preloaded with Windows. The key? More manufacturers buying into the flexibility of the Linux kernel in the Chrome OS.

Microsoft Office and the Big Subscription Bet February 04, 2013 Well it's been another wild week here in the Linux blogosphere, what with all the ruckus emanating out of the bordering Redmond territories. Much like what happened last fall when Windows 8 made its fanfare-filled debut, the launch of Office 2013 and 365 last Tuesday left more than a few Linux bloggers with a ringing in the ears that didn't abate for days.

See Customers Clearly Now February 04, 2013 Customers expect call centers to know everything about them -- their order history, what they've posted about the brand on Facebook, and how long they've bought from the company. Increasingly, companies are beginning to keep up with that expectation, and the more they do, the better customer service they can provide.

Cloud Atlas: Defining and Categorizing the Personal Cloud February 02, 2013 The definition and makeup of the "personal cloud" are areas of intense debate. A variety of companies with a stake in cloud-based engagement have very different perspectives on what is and is not included as part of a consumer's personal cloud. "The cloud" broadly refers to the content, services, and features that users can access remotely on the Internet or via some other network.

With LiveOps, All Customer Channels Are Created Equal February 01, 2013 LiveOps this week debuted LiveOps Engage, a browser-based desktop agent app that centralizes myriad channels -- phone, email, live chat, SMS, Twitter and Facebook -- on one screen. The screen also displays the history of past interactions with the customer. "This release is bringing together all of the channels of communication, both inbound and outbound," said CEO Marty Beard.

Microsoft Cuts Ribbon on Low-Rent Office January 31, 2013 Microsoft this week announced the worldwide availability of Office 365 Home Premium, a cloud-based subscription version of its flagship Office productivity software. It will include all Office applications and work on Windows tablets, PCs and Macs. Pricing for most consumers is $99.99 a year or $9.99 per month.