Some people call them buzz words. I prefer "hum". Or should that be "ho-hum"?
Being able to build a data warehouse right from the beginning of a company's life can eliminate some of the pitfalls typically associated with the project, but doesn't necessarily eliminate the most obvious one: uncontrolled data from multiple sources.
I'm standing in a room with roughly a quarter of a million backup tapes. No, this isn't where the FuelWatch guys hid the evidence, it's the Perth storage area for Spectrum Data, which specialises in storing ageing backup media and helping companies retrieve data from long-forgotten archives.
While there's not much that's more fun than stirring up Linux and Windows zealots into a frenzy of spite against each other, we thankfully finally seem to be approaching a more measured universe in which technology choices can be made based on suitability rather than preconception.
Synchronising data between multiple computers is difficult and dangerous, which is why we get software to do it these days rather than attempting to manage all the file movements ourselves. But making the assumption that the software knows what it's doing can in itself be dangerous.
Convincing people of the importance of regular backups and a proper data management plan is a bit like persuading them of the necessity of regular visits to the dentist no-one bothers until they wake up in the morning screaming with pain. But if you can't persuade them with pain, sex often works a treat.
Visa CIO touts new transaction technologies
Michael Dreyer, CIO of Visa, expresses what innovation means to him in different areas, such as their PayWave … Watch it now
Australian Govt funds IT start-ups
Google should come clean on datacentres
US shows what OPEL could have been
Broadband speedtest
How fast is your Internet connection?
Calculate the speed here.
Superguide: Printers -- all you need to know
Looking to buy a printer? Our superguide rates the latest printers and shines a light into the industry.
Click here for more.
Storage and server superguide
Over the last decade the art of maintaining the datacentre of a large organisation has evolved into an art form.
Click here for more.