Here are some more responses to Doug's entry about single sign-on technology:
You asked: 'How do you keep track of all your log-ins and passwords?'
Well, I have the good fortune to work for an employer which maintains a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). Because of this, my smartphone of choice is a BlackBerry.
This permits me to store all of my accounts in an application called Password Keeper. BES keeps the application on the BES server at work so, as long as I have my BlackBerry with me, I can keep track of things.
If I lose my BlackBerry, BES can wipe it remotely. If I upgrade my BlackBerry, I just ask my employer for a new activation key and my enterprise activation disables the old device and enables the new one.
I don't know if ActiveSync (Microsoft's answer to BES) would provide a similar service but when I use Active Sync with my iPad, it does not seem to be as fully-functional as BES.
-Marc
KeePass Password Safe
As an IT Services provider, we keep track of not just our own passwords, but our client's as well. This means we have thousands of passwords. When customers want to collaborate their passwords with us, we teach them to use KeePass. We send them their KeePass files, and they in turn send us theirs. KeePass allows us to implement two-phase authentication with the use of security tokens.
Now that I have shared this with you, I'm interested to know what others are using. Please keep me up to date. There might just be something else out there we would like to use that's better.
-Michael
You might want to look at LastPass.
My users have TOO many passwords to remember, and with LastPass they do not have to. And the utility creates complex passwords for them.
I do not think single sign-on is dead...the need is greater today than ever.
-Henry
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Posted by Doug Barney on 04/25/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
I toss around the term cloud quite a bit -- after all, I do have a newsletter called The Cloud Report that features my blog called 'Doug on Cloud.' And after casting doubt on the term in this item, I'll continue to use it.
Don Jones, a Microsoft MVP and a columnist I work with, wrote a piece called Please Stop Saying Cloud.
Don's point is that services we now call 'cloud' have been around for years. Hosted e-mail and Web serving are two examples. These are called cloud services, along with other services that are perhaps more clearly cloud that are, as Don describes, "on-demand provisioning and pay-as-you-go."
I've heard similar arguments from cloud purists. And from a theoretical perspective, they and Don are right.
From a practical perspective, I'm comfortable calling most any application that runs on the Internet and accessed through a browser, thin client or PC a cloud app.
But hey, I'm just a journalist. Chance is if you are reading this, you are an IT pro who's opinion really matters.
How do you define the cloud? Lay it on us by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/25/2011 at 1:18 PM6 comments
Up till now, PowerShell had been a scripting tool aimed at Windows administrators. Under new, more liberal licensing, PowerShell may well be ported to a variety of other platforms such as the Mac and Linux.
The license, called the Microsoft Community Promise agreement, is a bit of an open source strategy. Under this license developers can modify PowerShell 2.0 without the need for a formal agreement.
To help developers, Microsoft released a PowerShell 2.0 spec. So far there are no concrete plans for PowerShell ports.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/25/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Here's the next batch of your letters concerning printers:
My first printer was an HP of some sort. I don't recall the model, as I got it back when I had Windows 95B.
When it died, after a few years, I purchased an Epson CX6600 All-In-One, and have loved it. In its day, reviewers claimed that it was the most ink efficient of all the models out there, and that is the main reason that I bought it. It has performed well, and is very reliable. I have always been able to get drivers I need, from Windows Millennium Edition, through Windows XP, and Windows Vista, which I am still running on the main computer tied to the printer.
When it goes, I will do my research, but at this point I feel some loyalty to Epson for putting out such a great product!
-Bernie
I agree with your assessment of current HP printer technology completely. Its driver software of the last few years is pure bloat-ware. All we need is a driver for the printer, not all this Web printing, management console 'junk.'
My favorite printer pick is the HP 1300 series, particularly the 1320N. Solid, fast laser printer.
Least favorite is any HP inkjet, particularly the all-in-ones. Try to find a Windows 2008 x64 driver for one of those for a network print server.
Where HP used to be the automatic choice, I too have started buying other brands.
-Jim
The HP9500MFP Color Printer.
Now I know why they call it the MFP, It's not for Multifunction Printer but is a  'Mother F#$King Printer.'
Want a printer that is slow, jams all the time, etc.? This is the printer for you.
Favorite Printer: It's my work-horse printer, the HP LaserJet 6P.
-Terry
When you install a new HP printer, very rarely can you get JUST the driver. You have to run an installation package that installs so many applications and services on your system that you can see a noticeable decrease in performance. If you are already on a slower system then you will see resources decrease.
Any time I install an HP printer I run a sweep of Hijack This and remove all of the entries for HP. HPPortmonitor, HPZip, HPwebServices, The list goes up to around twelve services that you do not have the option to choose if you want or not.
TSK, TSK HP.
-Christian
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/22/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
Windows Intune is hitting the road after going commercial last month, and Microsoft has a proposition for IT pros: use outsourced desktop management tools, hosted by Microsoft.
The beta of Windows Intune expired this week, but there's still a free 30-day trial available. For $11 per user per month, users get a browser-based management console, PC malware protection based on Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Security Essentials technologies, plus licensing for Windows 7 Enterprise edition. Users also get software upgrade rights throughout the life of the monthly subscription. That amounts to a Software Assurance-like licensing benefit, but without the risks, according to a blog post by Forrester Research analyst Christopher Voce. There's also a 99.9 percent service level agreement.
Microsoft is now on a full-court press to convince battle-hardened IT pros to switch their management strategies to the cloud. One such effort was presented at Cloud Slam '11 this week, where Gavriella Schuster, Microsoft's general manager of Windows Client Commercial Product Management Group, made the case for Windows Intune.
Schuster described an evolving role for IT pros, where they no longer need to "baby-sit servers." They will be freed by Windows Intune to shift their focus more toward "the business and strategizing on technology," she said.
Also with Schuster was Ron Braatz, president of LiftOff LLC, an entirely cloud-based Microsoft partner company. Braatz noted that in calculating the costs of using Windows Intune, organizations need to consider that they may be paying $20 to $35 per PC per year just for antivirus protection. For those upgrading from Windows XP, Windows Intune may be a cost-effective option to consider, he added. Another cost consideration is whether organizations are currently paying for remote-assist licensing.
Like Schuster, Braatz argued that the IT skillset is changing, and that IT pros need to be more analyst and process oriented. He contended that Windows Intune improves staff efficiency -- not necessarily by removing employees, but by moving them forward to other tasks.
What should we make of Windows Intune? Are you ready to be evolved by it? Tell Doug your unvarnished opinions at [email protected].
-- By Kurt Mackie
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/22/2011 at 1:18 PM2 comments
So Amazon's Web Service is going through some connectivity issues (read all about it here) that are affecting Web sites such as Reddit and Foursquare.
This is definitely a check in the 'con' section for those who are evaluating their cloud options. What we see here is that when things don't go so good up in that imaginary storage space in the sky, it can bring down the biggest of Web sites to their knees.
What if it was your enterprise's mission-critical apps and storage hanging in the balance? That would put a swift halt to the work day. And the worst part of this as an IT pro: What could you do about it? You would be at the complete mercy of your service provider to get you back up and running.
While I don't see Amazon's temporary outage as the death of the cloud, it does seem to give us pause to look at the technology with a critical eye. Rachel Dines at Forrester put it best in a recent blog entry: "When you use a cloud service, whether you are consuming an application (backup, CRM, email, etc), or just using raw compute or storage, how is that data being protected? A lot of companies assume that the provider is doing regular backups, storing data in geographically redundant locations or even have a hot site somewhere with a copy of your data. Here's a hint: ASSUME NOTHING. Your cloud provider isn't in charge of your disaster recovery plan, YOU ARE!"
How is the recent Amazon outage affecting your cloud strategy? Let Doug know at [email protected]. Also check out what a Redditer feels is bad advertising timing for Amazon.
-- By Chris Paoli
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/22/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
For years you've been telling me that software licenses are overly complex. You suspect (or more likely know) that vendors make licenses purposely confusing because it gives them control during negotiations.
Forrester Research recently tackled software licensing, but focused less on the vendor-inspired labyrinth and more on the basics. According to the research house's recent report, tying license fees to the number of processors, as is often done, no longer makes sense, especially in the world of multi-core processors and virtualization. Forrester prefers licenses based on roles instead, something Microsoft is starting to do.
I think buyers should fight back. Instead of just blindly accepting the mess that is a typical license, demand your own, simpler terms. Tell vendor to make licenses less like a legal brief and more like a Hemingway novel – clear and clean.
How would you change software licenses? Be as irritated and opinionated as you want when you write to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/20/2011 at 1:18 PM2 comments
If you have Office 2010, the software checks files from other sources to make sure they are valid, meaning the documents are filled with words, numbers and images, not malware, malicious code and attacks.
Now the exact same Office File Validation Tool is available for Office 2003 and 2007 as a download (presuming the tool is valid enough to install).
Hackers have been futzing with Office files in what are called file format attacks. These attacks are thwarted by the validation tool which compares the downloaded or imported file with a set of rules -- similar to how security software uses virus signatures.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/20/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Doug is thinking about picking up an iPad and asked whether it works for the business setting. Here's some of your responses:
I'm not convinced it's good for on the job. In addition to spending a lot of time on the Internet, I also spend a lot of time in MS-Office apps: Word, Excel, a little PowerPoint and some MS-Access to boot. If an iPad, or any small tablet, could handle Office apps, I'd consider it, but it seems to me the iPad et al are being touted for the webmaniacs among us: Facebook, photos, videos, angry birds, etc. Can the iPad handle real work?
-Al
I do a lot of things out of my iPad 2 now. But there's something you still can't do easily with an iPad.
For example, when people send me an Excel file, I can't see what they highlighted. And it takes a long time to download. I can't open up Word to update my resume and send it out for job applications.
There's no Skype for iPad that supports 3G (don't remind me about FaceTime...). There's no Facebook for iPad, although there's a third-party app.
I cannot download music on the Internet and put it on iPad (don't tell me to buy from iTunes -- I am a Chinese and iTunes don't carry Chinese pop.).
I can't put my favorite movies from iPad (don't tell me about Netflix, as I pay them 10 dollars a month to see old movies only).
The list keeps on and on. But for Web browsing, e-mail and eBook reading, iPad works fine.
-Jason
If you're going to wait until next Christmas, hold out a few more months for the iPad 3, which I expect will have more powerful graphics, a high-dpi "retina" display and launch at the usual iPad spring refresh time in 2012.
Use dropbox if you can, but watch out for corporate security restrictions (many policies won't allow storing confidential data on a service like dropbox).
Even with VDI, interacting with Windows user interface on an iPad can be a real PITA. Touch doesn't always translate well to apps designed for a kbd/mouse UI.
Get used to converting documents to .pdf if you want them to look right on iPad. The text comes across ok natively, but if formatting matters, you need PDF.
-Anonymous
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/20/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
I hate hackers, and I particularly hate the fact that the vast majority of these blockheads get away with it.
One of the worst categories is the botnetters. These dopes take over our computers and use them to blast out billions of spam messages. Most of these boobs are overseas and tough to tackle, something that a few treaties and an international police effort could help.
In the U.S. the courts are becoming a nuisance for botnetters (not sure it is much more than that) by hearing cases against botnets that are somehow caught. The latest case? The U.S. Department of Justice is going after the cretins behind the Coreflood botnet. There are a baker's dozen of suspects scattered around the world. Now the FBI, working with foreign agencies, have to round these losers up.
Coreflood is one of the more successful botnets, having commandeered some 2.3 million computers.
While it may be tough finding the creepy culprits, many of the servers and domains driving Coreflood have been seized, hopefully putting the botnet out of business for good.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/18/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
If there is one thing Microsoft and Google like more than making money it is a good old spitting contest.
They tussle over everything from anti-trust to privacy to search techniques. The latest little mix up is over whether Google Apps are or are not certified by the U.S. government as secure enough for it to use. The certification falls under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA – hey, the feds are as good at bad acronyms as computer vendors).
Microsoft recently argued that Google Apps were not FISMA compliant. Not sure what makes Redmond the expert here as it is neither the U.S. government (though it probably wants to be) or Google (though it may well want to be).
The government last week clarified matters, saying that Google Apps are certified, and there is nothing to stop the fed from using them.
Do you trust Google Apps or any other online suite? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/18/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
Summertime is full of sunshine, fireworks and fresh vegetable. This summer will see a treat for Office 2010 users: the first Service Pack.
Oddly, while Microsoft announced a tentative schedule for SP1, it won't give out the deets till next month at Tech-Ed.
Ironically, Mac Office 2010 users will get their Service Pack earlier -- in fact, I think it's already shipped!
What do think of Office 2010? What is your favorite office now and of all time? Answers readily received at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/18/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments