IT Trends :: Thursday, August 24, 2006
New Technology
Small Drives Cause Big Problems
Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives are so small that they get lost easily, causing potential security threats for many companies. Then there’s the possibility of intentionally using flash drives to steal data. Credant Technologies’ CEO says, “An employee can buy a $25 thumb drive and download $25 million worth of information on it, and there’s nothing most companies can do to stop it.”…
Click here for details
Thai Children to Test Low-Cost Laptop PCs
The MIT-initiated One Laptop Per Child program will take off this October as children in Thailand begin using the low-cost computers. The creator of the laptop program, Nicholas Negroponte, has set a goal of making the laptops for about $100 each, though he expects the initial figure to be slightly higher and the long-term cost slightly lower. The laptops run on hand or foot-pumped electricity and a free Linux operating system. Thailand plans to buy 1 million of the machines within the next year…
Click here for details
College Students Connect Online
Wilkes University is taking advantage of Facebook popularity and creating its own private student networking site, HelloWilkes, to introduce incoming freshman to collegiate life before they actually move into the dorms. The site features personal profiles, message boards, dorm descriptions, and information on how to join student government. Administrators say they use the sites both to market their schools to potential students and to put new freshmen at ease…
Click here for details
What Summer Break? Net Projects Kept Higher-Ed IT Pros Cramming
American University’s IT executive director says information technology “has become so integrated with the curriculum that it can never be extricated.” While students are away on summer vacation, college and university IT teams work on improving infrastructure, tightening network security, and implementing new technology services for the upcoming school year…
Click here for details