Get With The Program
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

I spend a lot of time thinking about hardware and systems software because, quite frankly, that is what I get paid to do in addition to being something that I am personally interested in given the fact that systems quite literally run the world. But a system, that magical combination of processors, storage, and the code necessary to make it usable by business logic encoded in higher-level languages, is perfectly useless without applications. READ MORE >

Tape Can Still Close The Backup Window
by Dan Burger

Every aspect of your business is bombarded by the message that modernization is the key to happiness. IT is just one piece of the puzzle. And even that puzzle has dozens of pieces that require decisions on whether to replace or refurbish. Replacing may result in the biggest benefits, but often there are no guarantees, particularly if what's in place is working. Finding what's not working is the first step and then deciding if you can improve what you have without replacing investments in hardware and infrastructure is the next step. Let's take storage for example. READ MORE >

IBM Off To The Races With New Memory Tech
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The chip heads at IBM's Research and Microelectronics divisions have had a busy week, showing off their new memory and computing toys at the IEEE's International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C., last week. Some of the chip technology that Big Blue was showing off to its peers is far out into the future, but it could end up in systems sooner than you might think. READ MORE >

As I See It: Looking Ahead
by Victor Rozek

Twain and Corleone, the unsung duo of economic prognostication, aptly describe two probable scenarios for IT in the coming year. One prospect is hopeful and the other is cautionary. One provides reason for celebration, the other frustration. In one scenario, we are the masters of our fate, in the other, not so much. READ MORE >