Articles by Jack M. Germain

Google and Yahoo are so well established in my daily Internet search routine that I wasn't expecting to find anything new with a beta engine from a start-up search company. But ubExact had more than one pleasant surprise in how it lets users search ubExact launched its beta on Sept. 2 after spending much of its first year designing the search platf...

The age of mobile computing is upon us. Small form-factor laptops,even smaller netbooks and smartphones keep us continuouslyconnected with colleagues, family, friends and our bosses around theclock These mobile gadgets make it possible to take all of our data with uswherever we go. Mobile technology also lets us bring our favoriteentertainment outl...

OK. You've heard of Linux. It's another operating system for acomputer. But why use it when you can choose between Windows and Macs?Unless you run business-class servers, Linux isn't really somethingconsumers really need to hear about, right? Well, if that's what you think Linux is, you couldn't be further from the truth. Look around you. Linux is ...

To a lot of computer users, the concept of biometric authentication is limited to thumb drive reader devices, eye scanners and voice pattern recognition. Such technologies still face stiff competition in most enterprise circles, where passwords and user tokens seemingly work well enough and are quicker and cheaper to deploy Existing security strate...

Internet security firm IronPort Systems announced on Monday an enhanced layer of protection for its Web Security appliance S-Series with the addition of Exploit Filtering technology The company made its announcement on the heels of the March launch of its URL Outbreak Detection and Botsite Defense. That security layer protects users against malware...

When you buy a PC, chances are darn good that the service package will be neither very convenient nor inexpensive. Most in-home or in-office service plans amount to little more than a local repair shop guy traipsing through your front door on afirst-available basis. Even carting the computer to an in-store service center does not guarantee fast or efficient service. So when PlumChoice Online PC Services offered me an opportunity to try our their remote repair program, I sheepishly accepted...

The computer attacks Russia allegedly orchestrated against Georgia in Augusthave raised the cyber warfare bar to a new threat level. The cyber assaultthat accompanied Russia's armed maneuver into its former territory of Georgia escalated to an international event The concept of hurting a nation's technological infrastructure as part of a wider conf...

GlassHouse Technologies announced on Monday the releaseof Managed Services for Virtual Environments, a first-of-its-kindsuite of managed services. The company broke the news atthe VMworld 2008 Solution Exchange in Las Vegas GlassHouse, an independent IT infrastructure consulting and servicesfirm, launched its advanced management interface in conjun...

The USB 2.0 DVR four-channel Guardian Monitoring and Surveillance System lets you view and record cameras on your desktop or notebook computer from almost anywhere in the world. It is ideal for home or office, and can be a good alternative to more expensive commercial VCR systems -- but only if you have the computer system that runs the software Th...

Custom Linux provider Xandros will release a free Linux OS called "Freespire 5" during the fourth quarter of 2008. This next version of Freespire will be based on the Debian GNU/Linux "Lenny" release rather than the Ubuntu Linux platform Freespire 4 uses The move spearheads a new Xandros consolidated desktop strategy following its acquisition in Ju...

Schools, libraries, corporations and government agencies have their picks of programs that restrict user access to networks, impose usage privileges, and prohibit time-hogging distractions such as games, instant messaging and peer-to-peer file-sharing applications. In that category, Faronics' Anti-Executable 3.0, which allows a computer to run app...

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulation changes that take affect Oct. 1 will mean some additional work by IT departments -- and some new spending But the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) version 1.2 will allow the Payment Card Industry a phase-in period to meet the new rules, according to two security firms that provide compliance tools....

Why sell somebody else's product line when you can do a better job offering your own? That was the question that ultimately pushed Jan Hichert, CEO of Astaro, and two other cofounders to develop their own Internet security solutions for a market they viewed as needy of attention -- the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) segment Prior to deciding...

Xen.org, the developer of the open source Xen project, on Wednesday announced the release of the Xen 3.3 hypervisor engine. The product is the result of a distributed development effort by senior engineers from more than 50 leading hardware, software and security vendors Xen 3.3 includes enhancements that further advance its position as a fast, sca...

Anyone looking to make a decent presentation, speech or lecture in front of an audience needs the ability to perceive, judge and play off viewers' reactions. Sometimes that can be done just by keeping one's ears open. (Are your jokes bombing? Then perhaps stop trying to be funny and just get to the point.) In other circumstances, though, the presen...

The enhanced degree of communication that Web 2.0 utilities enable is changing the corporate world, for good or for ill, as enterprises decide whether to reject or embrace concepts like wikis, blogs, social networks and video-sharing. The trend has touched the academic world in similar ways Web 2.0 utilities have raised concerns about security in n...

Digital age, and the stealin' is easy. Regardless of the content type -- be it a text, audio or video file -- computer users can seemingly download and upload copyrighted content with near impunity. After all, it doesn't cost anything to share this material. It's there for the taking. Besides, what's the harm, and who cares anyway, right?...

Proponents of open source software are trying to make a case for using the collaborative approach to conquer the world's most vexing medical problems. However, established practices of avoiding the spotlight and protecting vested interests in breakthrough results still hamper the collaborative process This kind of proprietary work ethic leads to re...

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, is now a member of the Linux Foundation (LF). The foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting the accelerated growth of Linux, announced Canonical's membership on Tuesday Ubuntu community members have been active participants in a variety of workgroups at LF, including the Linu...

Warning: Your personal data may be at risk. As RFID (radio frequency identification) devices work their way into consumers' everyday lives, the potential for data breaches grows rapidly. RFID technology used to be used primarily to track warehouse operations and perform inventory control through. Now, this same technology is finding its way into s...