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Offers a look at five mainframe sites that have dealt with Webification. Diversified Investment Advisors Inc.; Ducks Unlimited Canada; Bridgestone Firestone Inc.; Mainframe computer used; Number of users; Configuration; Status.

Discusses how some companies are starting to figure out that computer networks are as critical as systems in achieving business goals. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp.'s growth into a global bank as a result of its global network; Networking clout wielded by DHL Worldwide Express; Potential pitfalls even at companies where networks are treated strategically.

Focuses on World Wide Web-enabling of corporate data warehouses. Security and bandwidth issues; Impact of Web-enabled data warehouses on the company's business; Return on investment; Growth rate of data warehouse software revenues. INSET: Hot picks..

Talks about the importance of selecting value added resellers (VAR) and learning the socioeconomic lay of the land for users looking to build Local Area Networks (LANs) outside the United States. Use of technologies available in the US; Advantage of countries with less developed infrastructures; Experiences of Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

The article presents an analysis on the plan of Sprint Nextel Corp. to expand its Xohm Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) offering to five more cities in the early year on 2009 for business use in the U.S. It states that the plan of Sprint Nextel is compelling for businesses particularly at small and midsize companies because 70% of their business activities are conducted within 50 miles of the worker's homes. However, wireless technology analysts claim that some limitations of Xohm and WiMax including the Sprint network which is operational only in one city and the ability of the technology whether it can provide consistent good services may hinder the company's plan. INSET: Xohm Demos Show Ups, Downs on Speed.

The article focuses on the determination of computer hackers to steal information while it is in transit between systems and discusses how the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI) can prevent them. The author relates the security breaches disclosed by Hannaford Bros. Co. and Okemo Mountain Resort in March 2008, where credit and debit card information was stolen while it was being transmitted from point-of-sale systems to payment processors. Analyst Avivah Litan of Gartner Inc. explains that companies using the PCI standard can prevent computer hackers from stealing information since it prohibits retailers and other merchants from storing payment card data on their systems and it requires data encryption on information that they are allowed to store.

The article reports on how companies keep their customers' private information safe in order to stay in the business and out of trouble with the law. PHLX uses firewalls, intrusion-prevention systems(IPS), and elaborate audit trails in order to secure its customers' information. Bernard Donnelly, vice president of the PHLX's quality assurance group, states that layers and layers of multiple vendor products have been placed to surround the networks with protection. Many organizations also turn to IPS to block sneak attacks. INSET: Building a Privacy Strategy.

This article reports that corporate purchases of Internet protocol virtual private network (IP VPN) services continue to surge forward in the U.S., a trend that analysts said is being accompanied by a shift away from the use of frame-relay technology to carry network traffic. Information technology executives who are rolling out IP VPN connections said that the networks provide better security than dial-up systems and many other current approaches. They added that VPN can also help keep networking costs in check, allowing them to vastly increase bandwidth to handle new applications.

The article focuses on the use of software tools for pre-deployment application testing by the business enterprises. Vendors such as Mercury, Segue Software, Compuware Corp., IBM's Rational unit, RadView Software Ltd. and Empirix Inc. offer products for testing client's server and Web-based applications, as well as mainframe and other legacy systems. Most of these products provide an interface for programming test scripts, as well as a capture-replay tool or visual scripting option for non-technical users. INSET: MONITORING TOOLS: The Next Step.

Reports on the users that tries to integrate enterprise applications integration (EAI). EAI implementation of Motorola Inc.; Legacy system built by Palace Resorts; EAI broker used by Cable & Wireless USA Inc. for its project.

Comments on the problems of wireless communication system used by mobile workers in connecting with the corporate back offices. Problems with data entry in handheld devices; Technical challenges in user interface; Reliability of the system.

Focuses on the benefits of buying packaged enterprise portal software. Costs of creating an enterprise portal; Portal software used by eTime Capital Inc.; Packaged software used by California Casualty Group.

Deals with the role of application performance-monitoring tools in corporate networks. Cost of service degradation for an average large enterprise; Views from Gene Leganza, an analyst at Giga Information Group Inc.; Marketing message for performance monitoring tools.

Reports that Microsoft Corp. has advised corporate developers to write new applications to get the most out of Windows 2000 operating system. Benefits of rewriting the old applications; Extended capabilities offered by Windows 2000; Applications required by the system.

Talks about the computer network infrastructure upgrade made at Intercontinental Corp. Initial plans of the company's information systems (IS) manager Jeffrey Scott; Changes made to the network's operating system; Costs of hardware and software added to the system.

Presents an international compendium of network-savvy organizations. Includes Argentine Beverages Division; Argonne National Laboratory; Atraxis AG; Banco Bradesco; Benetton SpA; British Petroleum; Casino Windsor; Cemex SA.

Focuses on wide-area networking (WAN) by enterprise users around the world. Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) as the WAN paradigm of choice; Frame relay and ATM in Asia; Plan of several Internet service providers to build high-capacity points of presence across Europe; Availability of high-capacity networking alternatives in North America.

Focuses on the global goal to integrate messaging with the networking infrastructure and of electronic mail and desktop applications. Integration at the network level; Electronic mail stability sought by network managers; Attempt of vendors to create a need for their offerings; Electronic mail as part of doing business at many companies.

Focuses on the importance of customer service in maintaining a corporate Web site as reflected in the discussions at the Customers.Com conference held in Boston, Massachusetts on August 15, 1997. Business focus of Web sites; Online success stories told by executives during the conference; Importance of prompt response to customer suggestions.

Details the extranets launched by Office Depot Inc. and Boise Cascade Office Products Co. which are aimed at expanding electronic commerce activities in both companies. Previous electronic commerce forays by the two companies; Remarks from both companies on the projects.

Focuses on the upgrading of the local area networks (LAN) of companies in the United States. Reasons of companies for upgrading their LAN infrastructure; Goals of Ross Stores Inc. in doing upgrades on its LAN; LAN requirements of companies.

Offers businesses guidelines for designing extranets. Limitations of extranets; Comparison with electronic data interchange systems; Description of General Electric Co.'s extranet network; Costs of designing an extranet; Choosing a supplier to collaborate with extranet design. INSET: Man the firewalls..

Focuses on the cost of providing corporate data warehouse access to parties outside the company. Trends in Web-based data warehousing; Advice to companies whose data warehouse applications serve a large group of internal users; Browser functionality for most data warehouse users.

Focuses on the importance of establishing security guidelines interdepartment online access in businesses. Identification of how network access are used and abused before establishing security policies; Problems arising from offensive information in employees' personal home pages and ownership conflicts among business departments; Examples of security measures in Del Webb Corp. and LSI Logic Corp.

The article discusses the significance of online security management for business enterprises. It tackles the use of software-as-a-service (SaaS) in several corporate applications. It also evaluates the risks associated with using Saas applications and emphasizes the importance of network security for the online corporate data.

The article presents several stories on work related experience of information technology (IT) staffs. An IT department head implements a policy, allowing him to give 10 dollars for staffs who report that the server is down and collect 10 dollars if it is false. The IT staffs named a company executive for the re-propagation of the Anna Kournikova virus in their system. A new employee credits their programmer for allegedly repairing a blown circuit when it was really done by a maintenance staff.

The article reports on the author's observation of testing cloud computing at his company. The author says that the company's information technology department contracted with a service provider to host a portion of its development environment. He asserts that even a test environment is vulnerable when it is located in the Web-accessible cloud. He concludes that it is a long way to go before giving a trust relationship between cloud computing and his company's network.

The article reviews the web site www.glassdoor.com.

The author reflects on the controversy surrounding the transitioning to new versions of web browsers that customers use to see corporate web sites. He asserts that when businesses set up Web applications for their users, they control the browsers and machines they use. He asserts that the new generation changes how browsers get their content. He mentions that if Web servers are optimized for the number of connections, peak traffic is expected.

The article focuses on developments in establishing a patching program in the author's organization. His team is working to produce policy statements that will show they have support from highest levels. He asserts that dangers of leaving systems unpatched overwhelm him, but they do not bother a lot of their systems administrator. He says that they are going to have a process for testing patches. He prefers to select security efforts that will be the foundation of their risk management efforts.

The article offers information on the things one does to save the downslide of one's IT shop in the U.S. It suggests ways and means to make it more visible to the rest of the business which includes the to-do list of each person in the IT shop. It mentions diving into a new technology, finding a corner to rethink the procedures, and identifying the need on what is to be done that would aid users or IT.

The author reflects on poorly implemented chargeback systems for business units and IT organizations. In order to minimize frustration of business units and IT organizations, the author suggests solutions for an effective chargeback system such as operating at an appropriate level of detail, supporting the service catalog and charging for services, not technology. He argues that a well-designed chargeback system renders fair and consistent charges, potentially reducing IT costs.

The article presents blogs from several information technology (IT) service providers on their experiences. According to one service provider, they request for a companywide address book format be changed from the previous one for an automatic dialing of phone numbers. Another one about a customer in a lumberyard who calls vendor support consulting about the whirring noise in his server's fans and who cleaned his server using soap. Details with regards to other concerns received are also provided.

The article discusses unified threat management (UTMs) appliances. UTMs hardware support a wide mix of embedded software applications and they feature antispam, anti-virus, intrusion detection, firewall and packet inspection, and antispyware capabilities, VPN connections and Wi-Fi access. Industry prediction shows that UTM appliances will become the dominant security delivery technology in the next few years. Security industry developments suggest that UTM is moving to a commodity market dominated by few large companies.

The article reflects on the need for regulatory compliance to be included in security plans of companies and organizations. It states that noncompliance to federal and state laws which promote corporate accountability and data security can cause organizations several problems and penalties. It emphasizes that compliance to computer security regulations should be treated seriously.

The article reports on the necessity of being awake on the job especially those who are in night shifts. The new company policy forbids the use of Internet on things that are not related in business. This is enforced with the installation of new firewall and filter settings. With the new installations, usage of the Internet has been restricted. This will not allow the user who is in night shift, to access his Internet Service Provider's (ISP) web site to keep up with current events and help him stay awake during his shift.

The article reports on the flaws of charge-out or chargeback systems. Many corporations consider the establishment of charge-out or chargeback systems in allocating limited Information Technology (IT) resources across the organization. They believe that it will make IT services consumers better stewards of company resources. This will also permit the organization to align IT usage with corporate priorities better. The flaws include the issues in purchases, providers, pricing, terms and conditions. The other issues involve partial charge-outs, periodic technology refresh, project management costs and politics.

This article focuses on the emerging importance of transparency in modern enterprise computing environment. Indications are observed in the gradual demise of stovepipe applications, in the rapid decline of cost of enterprisewide and Webwide queries, and in a stunning proliferation of data from sensor networks inside and outside the enterprise. In a transparent enterprise, one will be able to know more about the disparate data sets being created, find unexpected connections in previously unconnected pieces of data, and see more information about individuals, whether they are customers or employees.

This article deals with the idea of creating a mobile-devices community on the Web. The whole idea is that one can see the same Web page on a personal computer, a television screen, a handheld or any other Web device, no matter the screen size or resolution or other factors. The Internet Society and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority allegedly wrote the Memorandum of Understanding on the Generic Top Level Domain Name Space of the Internet Domain Name System. The purpose of the memorandum was to push for more top level domains (TLD) to join .com, .org and .net. By 1997, .com was already the default TLD for Web browsers and the preferred TLD for businesses.

This article deals with the need for computer software, which aligns with and supports the processes and policies of the business using it, to make information technology systems responsive to ever-changing market threats and opportunities. Information technology allegedly serves up the data and analysis needed in real time, and then makes way, leaving the informationally empowered user free to think strategic thoughts. Apparently, the better big corporate information technology systems conduct their jobs, the more they recede from the attention of the end users. Such systems alter the ways users think and behave, if in largely unnoticed ways. But some increasingly popular technologies are designed specifically to structure and alter users' thinking and behavior. Allegedly, such tools and systems are loosely categorized as collaboration, knowledge management, project planning and brainstorming software. Their use allegedly suggests an increasingly humbling perspective on human/computer interaction. The basic premise is that software can make people better by imposing order, policies and protocols, on the way people interact with it and with industry professionals, customers and partners.

Reports on the plans of information technology (IT) executives and storage administrators attending the Storage Networking World conference of the 'Computerworld' periodical to use emerging storage resource management tools. Storage challenges faced by IT managers; Efforts of IT managers to improve their storage systems; Information on the storage-area network built by Northern Trust Corp.

Reports on the security threat of denial-of-service (DOS) attacks on corporate networks. High-profile Web sites brought down by DOS attacks; Mechanism of DOS attacks; Increase in DOS attacks according to the Information Technology Association of America.

Comments on the lack of adequate staff and technology of online businesses. Percentage of people who are shopping online; Reasons for sales taking place in traditional stores; Details of problems facing Internet-based businesses.

Reports on the plan of Home Depot Inc. to install a remote desktop management system for use by help desk workers at its corporate headquarters. Information on the remote management system project of the company; Renewal of interest in desktop management technology.

Discusses the need for security of computer systems and networks that support the critical private-sector infrastructures in the United States. Impact of the September 11 terrorists attacks on large companies; Plans of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region to address the security issue.

Reports on the slow adoption of some business enterprises on in-house electronic commerce applications. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; Volkswagen AG; ABN Amro North America.

Offers information on a methodology developed by information technology (IT) management professor Jerry Luftman, that enables companies to self-assess the maturity of their business/IT strategic alignments. Opposing views on Luftman's insights; Applications of the methodology; Characteristics of effective IT leaders.

Provides information on NetMorf Inc., a vendor that transforms corporate electronic commerce Web sites to support wireless users. Niche products of NetMorf; Top executives of the company; Customers of NetMorf.

Reports on the efforts of Porsche Cars North America Inc. to solve the latency problem of its satellite network system. Complaints of users of the company's Web site; Computer network acceleration software deployed by Porsche; Improvement of the network's response time via the satellite link.

Provides information on the process of replacing the modem of a corporate computer network. Application of Shiva dial-out modem pools from Intel Network Systems Inc.; Disadvantages of pcAnywhere; Problems with a corporate password policy.