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Security was high on the agenda in 2008 and looks likely to be just as important in the coming year. In fact, with cyber-crime on the increase, it may be even more crucial. With the New Year come a whole host of security measures from both Microsoft and Oracle.
The days when a security provider can solve all the issues is over, to think it was only four years ago that MessageLabs and Postini fought it out over who was the best and we still see significant security breaches.
Microsoft this week began its new schedule of monthly security patches. The computing giant’s January patch will address two flaws that appear in all current Windows programmes.
Following the patch made to Internet Explorer in December last year, this month’s patch will tackle a vulnerability in Windows’ handling of Server Message Block (SMB) code which puts Windows XP, 2000 and Server 2003 at risk from hackers.
Microsoft said that the update is “critical” for Windows 2000, Server 2003 and XP, and “moderate” for systems running on Windows Vista and Server 2008.
Meanwhile, Oracle made its own steps towards better security, with a sweeping set of fixes across their range of services. The company issued 41 security patches on the same day as Microsoft; this comes after 36 patches in the fourth quarter of 2008.
The patches will address at least 15 severe security breaches, including fixes for vulnerabilities in its database products, as well as Oracle Secure Backup, Application Server and BEA Product Suite.
Oracle urges users to install the upgrades as quickly as possible to ensure safer systems straight away.
Using a managed service provider will in the long-run ensure all security remains current and protection stays high. It’s essential business data cannot be accessed by external people from the company and security is the best option.
While Oracle’s OUG held their annual conference this week, Microsoft has been pushing out new products and investing in European skills. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced its investment of a further £4million in NGOs running community skills training projects in 30 countries across Europe. The investment is part of the company’s drive to create employment opportunities for young unemployed people, the older generation and people with disabilities.
Following on from this, Microsoft have backed the housing of a £20million cloud computing datacentre in Inverness, run by Scottish IT firm Alchemy Plus.
Also this week, Microsoft has launched the latest beta of Windows Vista Service Pack Two (SP2), which became available on Thursday. The code will be available to who join Microsoft’s Customer Preview Program (CPP).
Mike Nash, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Windows Product Management, said: "The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers and IT pros who would like to test SP2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release." On Wednesday, Microsoft released Open XML Document Viewer, a plug-in working within Firefox to allow open XML documents to be viewed within the browser, and which can be used on Windows and Linux plaforms without installing Office.
On the same day, Microsoft announced that it has halved the number of criteria LARs must meet to hit rebate targets, meaning that partners will earn less on volume licensing deals. The new programme will come into effect on 1 January 2009. Simon Aldous, UK partner group manager at Microsoft. “We are simplifying the scheme, halving the number of metrics on which rebates are paid.”
Outside of Microsoft, investment in IT is proving to be a popular choice amongst some businesses in an effort to beat the credit crunch. Red Hat, the IT services provider, reports that it has had a high demand for Linux since the recession began, with its revenues growing 30% year-on-year. Chief executive Jim Whitehurst said: "The downturn is good for open source software. We have an embarrassment of opportunities. In a difficult economy our message sells well."
It isn’t just IT firms reporting the financial benefits of investing in IT. Insurance firm Kennedys and Rowanmoor Pensions are now using the cloud computing model of online services to virtualise its IT operations, and claiming to have saved £350,000 in the process.
All this in one week just makes you realise that even during an economic downtown industry development and the IT market is still going strong. CIO magazine said that now is the time for CIOs to prove their worth which means there really will be some winners in a recession.
Inatech has been working with businesses to find these solutions; CIOs struggling to identify core IT needs for their company should explore the priorities to maximise customer relationships and increase efficiency.
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