"Einstein" Monitoring

There was an interesting development this week in network security. The feds have asked businesses that operate the nation's infrastructure to install monitoring equipment on their network. This would enable the NSA to monitor critical networks for intrusions and attacks. To learn more, go to www.techdirt.com/articles/20100527/1304179605.shtml

Apple and antitrust laws

ComputerWorld recently reported that the Department of Justice is beginning to investigate Apple's business practice. One lawyer stated that it appears that iTunes may be vulnerable to antitrust attacks. iTunes has 70% of the music download market and has allegedly pressured music labels to give iTunes exclusive access to some music.

Market Capitaliztion

I read an article in yesterday's USA Today that Apple passed Microsoft in market capitalization because of the popularity of the iPhone. This is a major change from the days when Apple's future was extremely uncertain and Microsoft was a market juggernaut.

I spent a day earlier this week at a site where they lost their Internet connection. I was amazed at how difficult it was for me to adapt to life without Internet access. I am so used to checking e-mail on a regular basis, blogging, and using social networking sites that I felt lost. Even preparing PowerPoint slides was problematic because I lost access to my photo service. Making the matter worse, this site has a VOIP telephone system that went down with the rest of the network.

An overlooked vulnerability

Many of us in the Information Assurance field overlook a large risk to our client's e-commerce infrastructure. The IEEE recently declared that one of the greatest vulnerabilities to the Internet are the undersea cables that carry 99% of intercontinental Internet traffic. To learn more, go to
http://gizmodo.com/5542746/undersea-internet-cables-are-dangerously-vulnerable-to-attack

Is Facebook Playing Fair?

A Harvard economics professor has filed a complaint that Facebook is selling personal data about their customers in violation of their privacy policies. The professor claims that when Facebook users click on ad that Facebook passes on their account identifier. The ad owner can then track the ad visitor back to a personal profile and harvest their personal information such as age, hometown, and job type. It will be interesting to see how this complaint plays out in the inevitable court cases.

Web-based cross marketing

I am always impressed when companies collaborate and cross-promote each other's products. Collaboration is a growing trend and some companies are doing a much better job than others. I recently learned that 7-Eleven and Zynga games are collaborating on a a summer promotion. Customers that purchase a Big Gulp drink in a special cup will get a bonus item for use in one of several Social networking games produced by Zynga. These social networking games have some fanatical players that spend hours playing that will no doubt switch to buying their sodas from a company that will provide a little incentive. Some soda drinkers may be intrigued by their soda cup and try out the game. This is one of those business situations that are truly win-win.