PC World Business

The coming Google Chrome Web-centric operating system could be a big boon for telecom vendors and wireless operators looking for another way to drive demand.

Nearly 650 million households will have broadband Internet service by 2013, but the growth rate of high-speed access will slow between now and then, research company Parks Associates predicted on Tuesday.

Africa's lag behind other regions in technology may actually serve to ensure a faster Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) adoption.

Little-known Hurricane Electric, the nation's leading provider of IPv6 services, is bracing for new and bigger competitors entering the fray.

When you look at the worst corporate security breaches, it's clear that network managers keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and that many of these mistakes are easy to avoid.

Today more than ever, good network security is vital to businesses of all sizes. Cybercriminals, equipped with sophisticated software that automates the task of seeking out vulnerabilities, aren't focusing on large enterprises alone; any easy target will do. Fortunately, however, good security isn't as expensive or as complicated to implement as it used to be.

The U.S. government should avoid making huge changes in its deregulatory telecom policies because consumers have seen a "broadband boom" since 2000, according to a new paper released Wednesday.

The European Commission unveiled a long-awaited draft recommendation Friday for how to create new fiber-optic-based telecommunication networks throughout Europe, but the move was heavily criticized from both sides in the debate over next-generation networks.

Cisco has won much attention from consumer news sites since the New York Times reported Monday that the networking giant at CES this week is expected to unveil a digital stereo system that can move music wirelessly around a house, among other consumer offerings. But analysts and pundits say there are hurdles that Cisco must overcome in a market where Cisco is an unknown brand. Pundits also point to similar offerings from Sonos, Logitech and Apple.

Questions surrounding Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) have been debated for the past decade, beginning with when and why to deploy. The network address space problem on the Internet, which IPv6 is expected to solve, also has been disquieting for organisations planning ahead for their future network growth.

The beginning of a new year normally is a time to reflect; it's all the more so when the network industry is facing (along with the rest of the economy) a major financial crisis. We are of a generation that has taken network growth for granted, that has seen the Internet reshape culture and that has come to believe that "more bits" paves the road to the future. It just might be that this comfortable view is the greatest threat we face, because networking is going to change one way or the other.

As President-elect Barack Obama begins fleshing out his agenda, one promising sign is that he considers Internet infrastructure to be key, judging from both his stated goals and the caliber of people he's asking to advise him on policy.

Imagine an IP voice and unified communications system that can be integrated into any application and customised to meet business needs. Sounds great, right? Well that project is the Asterisk IP-PBX and it's free to use and you get the source code. A far cry from proprietary PBX systems perhaps, but Asterisk has a vibrant ecosystem and is replacing systems from more established telephony vendors. Following interviews with the leaders of the Horde and Free Telephony projects, the Open Source Identity series talked to Asterisk founder and Digium CTO Mark Spencer about how one application can have such a profound effect on businesses and how open source can be a tough competitive landscape.

Recent outages affecting Google Apps have received a disproportionately large amount of coverage from the technology press, resulting in a misperception about the stability of this hosted collaboration and communication suite.

Amid the current economic doldrums, Juniper just posted third quarter revenue (up 29 percent to US$947 million) and earnings (US$148.5 million, up 75 percent). Barely seven weeks into the job, new CEO Kevin Johnson, a 16-year Microsoft veteran, spoke with Jim Duffy about what's driving the company's momentum.

VeriSign is in many ways synonymous with managing the Web, thanks to its handling of key DNS root servers and of name resolution for .com, .net, and other domains. In recent years, it's had both strong ups and strong downs.

In some situations, you might need multiple computers, so you'll just need to get a new keyboard, mouse, and display each time, right? Instead, try a more effective--and cost-effective--ways to use two systems. Here area few ways to get multiple-system benefits without the full multiple-system cost.

IPNetInfo is a small and focused network tool that can be a big help if you want to get information about an IP address, the string of numbers that computers use to locate each other on the Internet. Give this free tool an address you see in a URL, e-mail header or other location, and it will quickly return available registration information for it.

This morning a neighbour asked me if my Internet access was really, really slow the last couple days. (We subscribe to the same ISP.) I said no, it's been just fine. Then I offered him the same suggestion I offer most folks who complain about connectivity problems: power-cycle your modem and router.

A wireless connection isn't just handy when you're out and about. There are more options for going wireless at home, whether it's so you can enjoy catch-up TV you've downloaded on your actual telly (rather than the PC screen) or so you can work in a peaceful corner of the house.

For the majority of those looking to upgrade to broadband Internet for the business or home, it's all about the extra speed.

No more getting tangled up just trying to check your e-mail. The wireless age is here, and it offers lightning fast broadband with nothing to tie you down.

Voice over IP is exactly what its name suggests. It is voice communication that is transmitted over an Internet Protocol (IP) service.

If you have multiple computers around the home or office and want to network them together to share an ADSL Internet connection then this guide is for you.