News


ISA Server 2004 Generally Available

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server 2004 is generally available, a Microsoft executive told partners at a conference Tuesday.

Bagle Comes Back

Bagle is back and security industry insiders say new developments with the mass-mailing worm will probably cause headaches for Windows administrators all summer.

Windows XP SP2 Coming in August

Windows XP Service Pack 2, arguably Microsoft's biggest service pack yet and the company's most important security project since the Trustworthy Computing initiative, will be released in August.

Postini Declares Shift in Spam Battle

E-mail security and management provider Postini declared this week that its method of blocking spam e-mails based on IP addresses is proving an effective complement to content filtering.

Group: Piracy Costs Software Industry $29 Billion

Pirated software accounted for more than a third of the software installed on computers worldwide in 2003, representing a loss of $29 billion, according to a study released Wednesday by a software industry group.

Ballmer Memo Aimed at Wall Street, Employees

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's massive 4,900-word internal memo to Microsoft employees is a major event in Redmond and for Wall Street, but it affects IT shops only marginally. $1 billion in cuts planned by July 2005. Product schedules do not appear to be affected.

Interim Fix Released for Critical IE Flaw

Microsoft released an emergency configuration update over the July Fourth U.S. holiday that for the first time gives Internet Explorer users protection against the specific vulnerabilities exploited by the Download.Ject attack.

HP to Replace Memory Modules in Laptops

HP disclosed that flawed memory modules in 14 models of HP and Compaq laptops could produce blue screens, intermittent lock-ups or memory corruption. The computermaker announced a replacement program for the third-party memory modules that runs through Dec. 31.

Analyst Firm Expects Microsoft Exchange to Widen Lead over Lotus Domino

Customer confusion over Lotus' messaging software strategy and its potentially complex upgrade path will help Microsoft widen its lead over the IBM subsidiary, according to an analyst firm specializing in messaging.

SQL Server, Developer Tools Coming in Express Editions

Microsoft is readying a free version of SQL Server and low-cost versions of developer tools for enthusiasts and non-professional users.

'Sophisticated' Download.Ject Jumps into Microsoft's Security Holes

Microsoft confirmed that the Download.Ject security issue, a multi-level attack in the wild that compromises Web servers that are then pressed into service infecting clients with a trojan, exploits a patched flaw in IIS but that there is no current effective patch for the client.

Javelina Software Updates AD Toolkit

Javelina Software released a new version of its two-year-old toolkit for Microsoft's Active Directory.

The BI Evangelist

To make good on their data warehousing investments, some organizations are creating the role of “BI Evangelist.” This person is responsible for spreading the “good news” about the data warehouse and what it can do for the organization.

Quest Updates Exchange Migration Wizard with Enhancement for Laptops

Quest Software began shipping a new version of its Exchange Migration Wizard with an important enhancement for moving laptop users from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 without interruption.

Growth of Phishing Attacks Slows

After a huge jump in the number of unique phishing attacks from March to April, the number of attacks stayed relatively flat from April to May, according to a group studying the problem.

HPC Edition of Windows Server 2003 on Tap for 2005

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it will deliver the high performance computing version of Windows Server 2003 that the company has been hinting at for several weeks.

Oracle Keeps Microsoft on its Toes in Trial

Oracle keeps turning an unwelcome spotlight on Microsoft during an antitrust trial that is supposed to have Oracle in the hot seat.

VMWare Supports 64-bit in Workstation, Server

Virtualization software provider VMWare delivered support this week for 64-bit extended systems in two of its products, marking the first delivery in a plan to provide support for the platforms across all its products over the next 16 months.

Comdex Killed for 2004

MediaLive International, which last year took over what was once the IT industry's largest and most important show, cancelled Comdex 2004 on Wednesday.

SP1 Released for SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

Microsoft on Tuesday refreshed its six-month-old reporting platform for SQL Server 2000 with a service pack that adds some minor functionality.