Robert L. Scheier
Robert L. Scheier is a veteran IT journalist based in Swampscott, Mass. Disclosure: He also writes for Hewlett-Packad's marketing website TechBeacon.
Busting the nine myths of cloud computing
Wherever you turn, someone's ready to tell (or sell) you something related to cloud computing. Cutting through the myths is essential to deciding whether, when, and how the cloud is right for you. Here's our top list of myths; we...
What to do if your cloud provider disappears
Software developer Christopher Shockey saw the first signs of trouble in late 2008. A sales rep who had always represented Web application development provider Coghead was now calling on behalf of Coghead's much larger rival...
Can IT manage the cloud? These CTOs can
Brian Corrigan used to run datacenters for major casinos, so he knows not to gamble with mission-critical apps. Now, he works in the other gaming industry -- the one with joysticks and lots of shooting -- building communities for...
Not all USB drives are created equal
Most USB 2.0 flash drives look the same, but that doesn't mean they perform the same. Differences in the type of memory and, to a lesser extent, the type of I/O controllers used by USB drives can make one device perform two or...
Not all USB drives are created equal
USB drives can be widely different in performance, depending on the type of memory they use and the type of I/O controllers they are built with. But it's nearly impossible for consumers to distinguish them.
Your Next Data Center
Data centers are bursting at the seams, so despite a slowing economy, it's time for companies to rethink and rebuild their data centers to increase efficiency and accommodate growth.
What's in Your Dream Data Center?
IT executives and industry experts tell us about their ultimate wish lists for a brand-new, built-from-scratch data center.
Encryption key management worries loom
While the fear of losing keys has kept many companies from encrypting data, increased regulatory and public pressure is forcing more companies to turn to encryption to safeguard data. As encryption devices proliferate, managing more...
8 'hidden gems' in data protection software
Not all good storage software comes from the industry giants like IBM, Symantec and EMC. We found a sample of storage management applications that are relatively cheap, effective and easy to use. They handle everything from simple...
Low-Cost Locations
The cost of power, labor, taxes and land are key factors when choosing a data center location. But making a decision based on electricity costs alone could be a major mistake.
Slice-and- Dice Storage
Cleversafe Inc.'s Cleversafe Dispersed Storage uses unique algorithms to slice, scramble, compress and disperse data over the Internet to servers on a grid.
Your data's less safe today than two years ago
Over the past two years, 158 million data records have been exposed due to security breaches in the U.S. Part of the problem is that just finding where sensitive data sits within the organization and where it's most vulnerable, let...
Five tips for no-brainer virtualization
Implementing virtualization can be a challenge unless you understand the technology and establish some metrics before you begin. Here are some tips that help you determine why you should virtualize and how you can smooth the rollout...
The desktop -- time to say goodbye?
When it comes to the corporate customer, desktops are still king, particularly because they're the easiest and least expensive to upgrade with fast, power-hungry components. Yet one researcher predicts it will be five to seven years...
Dumpster-diving for e-data
New portable storage devices, such as USB flash drives, PDAs and portable music players can store gigabytes of data and make it easier for data to be lost or a disgruntled insider to download and walk out the door with sensitive...
Simple SANs Deliver Savings
A wave of low-priced SANs, many bundled with preconfigured switches and host bus adapters, is bringing easy-to-install storage that can cut management costs by up to 70% compared with the cost of storage directly attached to each...
Storage 2.0 -- Web-based storage is coming
If promising new technologies deliver, they could reduce corporate reliance on the proprietary, higher-priced, storage hardware and software sold by industry giants such as EMC, IBM and Hitachi Data Systems Inc.
FCoE: Fibre Channel's Last Stand?
Running Fibre Channel over Ethernet could be much less expensive than replacing your Fibre Channel gear with an end-to-end IP SAN, buying new management tools and retraining staffers.
When and why you should roll out 10Gbit Ethernet
The eventual lower cost of 10 Gigabit Ethernet hardware, combined with the easy availability of trained Ethernet administrators, makes it likely that most companies will soon run a single, combined data and storage network on...