Top 10 IT News Stories of the Week

IDG News Service —

1. "Cyber Espionage a Growing Threat to Businesses,"
PC World, January 21

The SANS Institute ranks cyber espionage in the third spot among its "Top Ten Cyber Menaces for 2008," and scarcely into the new year evidence is emerging that the threat is on the rise. Break-ins at U.S. research labs and phishing attacks targeting specific companies and government agencies are capturing headlines. "Economic espionage will be increasingly common as nation-states use cyber theft of data to gain economic advantage in multinational deals," SANS warns. "The attack of choice involves targeted spear phishing with attachments, using well-researched social engineering methods to make the victim believe that an attachment comes from a trusted source."

2. "Bigger Budgets Go to Strategic IT,"
InfoWorld, January 23

So, we've been hearing for years now that IT investments are strategically smart for companies to make. It turns out that message has sunk in and that even with economic woes building, IT budgets are increasing 3.3 percent at some 1,500 companies surveyed by Gartner. IT budget increases are particularly aimed at improving business processes, attracting and keeping new customers, and creating new products and services. The third of those current top goals was at number 10 last year, reflecting a big change in the approach to IT budgets. Even so, IT managers shouldn't expect that their budgets are going to be back in double-digit percentage growth anytime soon. Those days, alas, appear to really be over, according to Gartner.

3. "Sources: Vista SP1 Due Out in Next Few Weeks,"
InfoWorld, January 23

Microsoft has said that it will release the first service pack for Windows Vista by the end of this quarter and sources close to the company said this week that SP1 could be out within the next few weeks. Feb. 15 is the date being talked about the most, although Microsoft refuses to confirm that. The quarter ends March 31, but various sources who don't want to be named as well as Microsoft partners are saying that they expect the company will release SP1 well before then.

4. "Software Group Says That Without More Foreign Workers in U.S., Jobs May Go Overseas,"
Computerworld, January 24

The software industry may manage a recession better than other industry sectors because of its economic strength, the head of the Software & Information Industry Association said this week. The SIIA issued a report compiling economic data to show policymakers how important the software industry is to the U.S. economy. In light of what the report's figures show, the SIIA and its president, Ken Wasch, urged Congress to raise the annual cap on H-1B visas for skilled workers, contending that jobs will be lost to other countries if more foreign nationals aren't allowed into the U.S. software industry workforce.

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