Well known for its analysis, the Gartner Group predicts, in its last week press release, that Instant Messaging systems will be the "de facto" tool for voice, video and text chat with 95% of workers in leading global organizations. It may even become the primary interface for real-time communications by 2013. The Gartner Group forecasts the IM market to grow from 267 mio/USD in 2005 to 688 mio/USD in 2010.

As part of the corporate IT infrastructure, they recommend use of corporate IM solutions such IBM "Lotus Sametime" or Microsoft's "Office Live Communication Server" as they can be protected by the corporate firewall. One key part of IM corporate setup will be the "Presence Technology" which allows people to establish the availability of others for real-time communications regardless of their location.  It also enables users to cut through desktop clutter, resulting in immediate responses.

As a result, Gartner predicts that by 2012, presence technology will be offered independently of IM and email products.  Mr David Mario Smith, research analyst at Gartner, urged vendors and enterprises alike to recognize this and develop a real-time architecture with presence as the key ingredient. “The IM client is becoming the launch pad for many types of communications channels and services,” he concluded.  “Presence will extend its influence beyond IM to become an essential source of innovation for enterprise applications of the future.” 

This release collides with a discussion I had last week with some colleagues about which IM tool we were using and which one is our preferred. Personally, a tool like Skype makes my day as I get to use it to transmit and receive messages from many networks and not exclusively from the Web. However, it is well known that Skype is a real nightmare for corporate ICT Security officer and this piece of software always tries its best to find a way to connect the net, bypassing any corporate security (firewall & NAT) using peer-to-peer technology.

Full Press release is available on Gartner site

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The British Department of Trade and Industry has made £4m available for four research projects aimed at reducing the IT risk created by human error.

The program, which is part of its Network Security Innovation Platform, reflects the fact that human error is by far the biggest risk to network security.

It cited the results of a survey it conducted, involving over 1,800 people, on the use of passwords. It found that:

• Just over 30% of users recorded their password or security information by either writing it down or storing it somewhere on their computer.
• About 65% never changed their password
• 20% of people used the same password for non-banking websites as well as their online bank

The projects will use behavioural science in a bid to tackle the human risk element in network security.

Four projects will receive funding under the programme.

• The first is about developing a risk assessment package focused on organisational and human factors.

• The second, named Trust Economics, is aimed at developing a predictive modelling framework that assesses security policies that regulate the interaction between humans and information systems.
• The third is aimed at developing a solution for the analysis of digital communications to identify threats introduced by humans.
• The fourth named CatalysIS, is a tool to improve risk culture and identify human vulnerabilities in network security.

Minister for science and innovation Malcolm Wicks said: "Unfortunately, the weakest link in network security is not usually with the technology, but with the staff and system users. A DTI survey found that a shocking number of people were careless with passwords, unwittingly exposing themselves and their company to fraud and theft.

"Network security is also a major growth area where the UK has a good opportunity to become a global leader if we develop new technology to give us a competitive edge."

This article was originally published at Kablenet 

Source: The Register 

 

Tags: 2007, aim, analysis, arc, art, blog, communication, computer, digital, Fun, global, human, ict, ICT Security, identify, im, industry, interaction, internet, Internet News, Internet World, IT risk, King, lan, network, nomadcom.net, online, password, pet, privacy, project, risk, science, search, security, space, study, survey, technology, the register, threat, uk, user, web, website, wp, www, XP

Based on proprietary network software, 802.11x wireless access points and a fleet of vehicles, including buses and motorcycles, First Mile Solutions proposed stored-and-forward Internet access to remote rural villages in the developing world.

How does it work:
The main location called a Hub is where there is a reliable  and preferably high-bandwidth Internet connection. From this place, subscribers within a radius of 5-15 km, can get Internet access, as it is the case with any Wireless Local Loop system.

First Mile Solutions technology has the ability to distribute Internet connection's bandwidth to the last 100km – the Village Area Network (VAN) – with relatively small infrastructure costs by installing Mobile Access Point (wireless connectivity and cached Internet content) on any vehicle (buses, motorcycles, boats…) which physically transports data to/from surrounding rural areas and automatically collects and delivers data wirelessly to/from access devices in each village. Internet kiosks are installed in villages along the road taken by the "VAN vehicles".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Projects have already been deployed in India, Rwanda and Cambodia.

More informations :

• First Mile Solutions, 
• Village Area Network,
• Ongoing projects, 
• Comparative Access Word Map

Tags: 2007, 802.11, access, blog, ces, communication, connection, connectivity, CTU, develloping country, first mile, fon, Great Ideas, HP, ia, im, install, internet, internet access, lan, last mile, LED, live, location, map, MIT, mobile, Mobile Communications, mobile internet, network, nomadcom.net, project, rural community, space, store and forward, technology, telecom, Telecommunications, transportation, vehicles, village area network, wi fi, wireless, world, wp, www