Infrastructure / Opinions

Hyper-converged solutions can differ vendor to vendor and market to market. Columnist Rob Enderle writes that there are four categories of hyper-converged solutions.

An enterprise <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2489968/data-center/thornton-may--the-time-is-now-for-information-governance--but-do-you-even-know-what-it-i.html">information governance</a> (IG) program is supposed to help organizations reduce costs and risk while improving access to valuable information, but most mature enterprises find the idea of implementing such a program to be daunting. It doesn't have to be. By understanding the true value to the enterprise of information assets, and by taking a simple, step-by-step approach to making the necessary changes, effective IG can become a reality.

The end of the world may or may not be nigh, but in the tech industry, many of these possibilities could easily become reality

What a garden of delights we have for you this week. First up, do you want to learn how to build iOS apps? For free? If that sounds like something you'd like to do then yes, there's a course for that.

If you invest in the development of IT professionals outside your company, you help improve the level of talent in the entire IT ecosystem -- and, in turn, the quality of candidates who apply for your jobs, says Yoh's Joel Capperella.

Businesses that cut training and development during the recession will be challenged to recruit IT professionals to help them grow as the economy improves. Robert Half Technology's John Reed offers tips for stepping up professional development efforts for IT staffers.

Many in the US are concerned about the talent gap between American students and similarly-aged students overseas when it comes to math and science skills. This is a real problem for our economy and security. But CIOs can help by reaching out to guidance councelors and educating them about jobs in IT.

Before buying a used car, prospective buyers can review vehicle histories in most states of Australia through a service such as the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority’s Vehicle History Check. The histories include information about how many owners the vehicle has had, whether it has been written off or stolen and other information that helps consumers understand the risks of purchasing the car. Now that new IPv4 addresses are history, there is a developing market for acquiring ‘used’ IPv4 addresses. And like used cars, there are risks involved in acquiring these used addresses. So, where is the Vehicle History Check for IPv4 addresses?

A financial crisis is not the time for organisations to become lax about the value of their information security assets.

Reformed hacker-turned-security-consultant Kevin Mitnick served five years in federal prison for breaking into phone and software company networks. He talks about his past hacking exploits, computer security, and how he turned an illegal hobby into a useful career.

The new update to the IT Infrastructure Library could help you improve IT-business alignment and change your focus from fire fighting to service delivery

Take off your CIO hat for a moment and imagine you're in charge of building a new housing development. The first thing you'd do is hire an architectural firm to create a master plan. Then you'd bring in the builders. They'd take the blueprint and build your development, hewing to the architectural vision. Now, put your CIO hat back on. This analogy - offered by Michael Rapken, CIO of transportation company YRC Worldwide - is worth internalizing as you construct your IT department today.

Software testing reveals the human failings behind the code. That's why it can become a never-ending exercise in denial. Here are five questions that you can ask to help you cut through to testing's root problems.

Build IT right and the business will come.

It's time for government IT purchasers to start taking open source solutions seriously.

The whole marketing idea behind information utilities is that their data and transactions - much like water and electricity - are available whenever you need a sip or want a jolt

IT architectures are enjoying a renaissance. CIOs are updating yesterday's architectures, or working on creating new ones. The reason? IT architectures promise benefits that are more sought after than ever. But they are not always easy to explain to your non-IT colleagues