Stories by Mitch Betts

Netflix reveals challenges in the Cloud

Technology managers at video distributor Netflix Inc., which last year took a big plunge into the public cloud, have started a remarkably candid blog about their experiences with mission-critical cloud computing.

Shortage of Windows 7 migration experts expected

It's not a Y2K-style crisis, but there's only a four-year window until Microsoft Corp. ends support for Windows XP. The need to migrate from XP to Windows 7 "will create an extra budgetary and resource burden on companies from 2011 to 2012," according to recent report by Gartner Inc.

Global Brands Snap Up .co Domain Names

Originally, .co was just the Internet country code for Colombia. But now it's becoming a popular top-level domain for major global brands such as BMW, Canon, Honda, Nike, Nokia, Pfizer, Sony and Visa.

This Server Outlasts Two Presidents

Stratus Technologies Inc. -- the fault-tolerant server maker formerly known as Stratus Computer -- celebrated its 30th anniversary this month. To mark the milestone, the company held a contest to identify the Stratus servers that have been humming away the longest, and those with the least unplanned downtime.

Is your network ready for high-def video streams?

Today's CIOs may get blindsided by a technology they don't often think about: video, specifically high-definition video in the enterprise, according to CIO coach and consultant Jim Anderson, head of Blue Elephant Consulting in Tampa, Fla.

Exploit the power of data visualisation

Various pundits say that one of the top goals of CEOs this year is to make sense of the terabytes of data swirling in and around their companies and then use that data to make better decisions. Key to that is data visualization technology, which tells a more powerful story than raw data alone.

Open-Source BI Going Mainstream for Routine Uses

Adoption of open-source business intelligence software is doubling every year because the products are viewed as "good enough" for routine applications, according to a recent report by Gartner Inc. analyst Andreas Bitterer.

Personal PCs find a home in the office

Companies are starting to let employees use privately owned notebook computers for work purposes, according to a Gartner Inc. survey of 500 IT managers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.

The No. 1 Cause of IT Failure: Complexity

Is the problem a bad set of user requirements? Poor business alignment? No. According to software architect Roger Sessions, the primary cause of software project failures is complexity.

Solar storm could zap power grid in 2013

Alarmist news reports earlier this year warned that solar storms coming in 2012 will cripple electric power, GPS equipment and communications systems for months, creating an electronic apocalypse not dreamt of since the days of pre-Y2k hysteria. Those reports then spread throughout a blogosphere already saturated with hype about the Hollywood disaster flick 2012.

US Air Force taps PlayStation 3 for research

The U.S. Air Force recently issued a request for proposals to purchase 2,200 Sony PlayStation 3 video game consoles. Does the Air Force plan to play lots of Grand Theft Auto?

New wrinkles in storage

Finally, corporate chieftains are beginning to understand that business runs on information. Information properly exploited can yield competitive advantage. Information properly stored can be retrieved when needed for business, legal, regulatory compliance or disaster recovery purposes. And information properly protected will keep the company's name from joining the news media's growing list of privacy and security breaches.

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