Around the globe, the role of CIO is changing. Once upon a time, the CIO was responsible for IT infrastructure, IT systems and their management. Now, CIOs are required have a deeper understanding of business strategy. Merri Mack talks to several IT executive officers about these changes. [ + ]

Virtual private networks (VPNs) offer a way to allow mobile devices to securely access the corporate network from locations with suspect security outside of the firewall - like cafes and hotels offering free public Wi-Fi. But if misused, these VPN tunnels can act as back doors for virulent material. Keeping the VPN clean is of utmost importance. SonicWALL’s Country Manager, Sandeep Joshi, explains. [ + ]

Research In Motion (RIM) has appointed Ray Gillenwater as Managing Director of its Australia and New Zealand operations. Gillenwater will oversee all functions of RIM’s business in Australia and New Zealand, including operations, sales, marketing, retail, distribution and partner relations. [ + ]

Google’s Android is fast becoming the most popular mobile OS in the world. But the operating system’s security profile does not match its popularity - its open architecture and its ability to install applications from third party sources make it a target for malicious minds. Google’s recently announced ‘Bouncer’ program will increase Android security somewhat - but does it go far enough? Bitdefender's Alexandru Balan weighs in on the topic. [ + ]

Implementing any kind of company-wide system has the potential to be a dramatic success or a dismal failure, and unified communications is no exception. Taking a structured approach can mean the difference between a dream deployment and a communications calamity. Graeme Gherbaz, Managing Director of Plantronics Australia and NZ, explains how to employ such a structured approach. [ + ]

The proliferation of mobile devices - company-owned and BYOD - is boosting corporate productivity. But it also presents a new management issue to IT, which needs straightforward ways to ensure these devices are appropriately and securely configured and to oversee compliance with usage policies. Stephen Withers explains how mobile device management (MDM) tools can help. [ + ]

SAS has appointed new Australian leadership, with David Bowie taking the role of Managing Director of the Australian and New Zealand division of the company. Bowie was promoted from his previous position as the company’s marketing and services director. [ + ]

The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) steering committee met in Melbourne recently for two days of meetings to chart priorities for the organisation’s mission to deliver open cloud solutions. Merri Mack reports on the findings of the committee and the question of whether vendors will support interoperability for cloud solutions. [ + ]

In recent years, server virtualisation has hogged the IT industry’s spotlight. All the while, storage virtualisation has remained in the background, slowly developing and maturing. However, there are still misconceptions surrounding the technology. Adrian De Luca, Director, SNIA ANZ, dispells these myths, claiming that storage virtualisation is ready for prime time. [ + ]

Both private and public cloud storage technologies can be powerful tools, helping IT to deal with dynamic demands and floods of data. But when employing public cloud services, organisations must carefully consider the potential pitfalls in order to mitigate risk. Gene Ruth, Research Director, Gartner, explains what to look out for. [ + ]

As a technical term, ‘the cloud’ has reached a point of oversaturation, leading many - particularly government - organisations to question the value of the concept. Cloud computing is not for everyone, but it is possible to be ‘cloud-like’ without actually entering the cloud, says Wayne Allen, Unisys Asia-Pacific data centre transformation and outsourcing practice lead. [ + ]

Big data - the accumulation and subsequent mining of large data stores - carries great potential for businesses looking to gain insight into their markets or customers. But while the concept of big data is simple, the management of big data is not. Bruce Coulthard, Senior Solutions Consultant A/NZ at Quantum, argues that big data demands a complex, diversified approach from IT. [ + ]

The recent shutdown of file-sharing website Megaupload has created a sense of unease surrounding cloud-based storage. Companies are questioning the wisdom of relying on these services, which could seemingly collapse at a moment’s notice. According to Albert Y Zomaya, The University of Sydney, companies that shy away from the cloud are potentially missing out, especially given the advances the cloud is about to go through. [ + ]

Unified communications (UC) systems often consist of disparate pieces of software from multiple providers, meaning integration, management and reporting can be difficult. An alternative approach is to combine UC with business process automation (BPA), in an effort to avoid these hassles. Brendan Maree, ANZ Country Manager, Interactive Intelligence, explains. [ + ]

Big data has become big business, with increasing numbers of organisations trying to amass stores of information and subject it to analysis. But this is creating headaches for backup and recovery. Merri Mack looks at the options for dealing with this problem. [ + ]