Crossroads Systems' new virtual tape-drive appliance for remote offices, a lower-cost midrange unit, and enhanced Continuous Data Protection software expand the range of its virtual tape backup solution from the desktop to the data center.

Written by Chris Smith

One of the highlights of the COMMON conference this week was learning about the progress that Crossroads Systems has made in expanding its product line to meet IBM user needs in the area of virtual tape backups.

Impending fall elections derail compromise legislation as net neutrality is remanded back to the FCC.

Written by Chris Smith

Internet neutrality flashed back into the news last week after months of simmering in the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce. In the face of Republican opposition to his proposed network neutrality rules, committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., threw up his hands and gave up trying to reach a negotiated settlement on a set of compromise net neutrality rules.

Ostracized by his IBM colleagues, Moffat receives comfort from an ailing wife who remains by his side during cheating and insider-trading scandal.

Written by Chris Smith

Tears streaming down his face, contrite former IBM executive Robert W. Moffat Jr. pleaded to no avail with federal Judge Deborah Batts to spare him a jail sentence, but the judge would have none of it. She ordered him to serve six months behind bars for his role in the insider-trading scandal that rocked IBM's corporate world and involved large-scale corruption on Wall Street estimated to have generated some $20 million in illegal profits.

Integrated ERP packages on the latest POWER7 servers promise to extend the value of the IBM i platform while moving companies to modern technology.

Written by Chris Smith

One little-mentioned part of IBM's recent POWER7 server announcements are the four IBM i Solution Editions the company introduced that include optimized ERP solutions from the four major ERP vendors—Infor, JD Edwards, Lawson, and SAP.

Free printers, free educational grants, and reduced server prices are highlights of the week.

Written by Chris Smith

COMMON this week issued a statement saying that the new IBM POWER7 machines indicate IBM's continuing commitment to "ongoing investment and enhancement" to its Power Systems line of business and reiterated the user group's belief that the new systems will strengthen the COMMON community.

Users running AIX and Linux applications can migrate entire partitions and hosted applications from one physical server to another in a matter of seconds.

Written by Chris Smith

One of the success stories at IBM during the past couple years has been the popularity of PowerVM, and one of the most intriguing features of PowerVM is Live Partition Mobility. Still available only in the PowerVM Enterprise Edition, Live Partition Mobility allows the user to migrate an active or inactive AIX or Linux logical partition from one system to another—without disrupting the running applications or users residing on them.

The HA and DR solution provider for the IBM midrange has picked up many new customers to whom it plans to cross sell its expanded product line.

Written by Chris Smith

Vision Solutions' announcement last week that it will acquire Double-Take Software nearly doubles the size of the IBM midrange market's largest high availability vendor and gives Vision a suite of multi-platform solutions that it can cross-sell into a combined market of some 25,000 customers.

New online tools for virtualization platforms can give you a more granular view of usage and expenses.

Written by Chris Smith

Despite the recession's gradual abatement, pressures to reduce IT costs continue and IT managers are looking for ways to free up money for the new investments that have been put off for the past year or more. While virtualization and cloud computing hold the promise of increased efficiencies, they introduce a level of complexity that makes tracking costs more difficult.