BlackBerry image via Shutterstock

Our TechTarget writers covered stories from major companies including BlackBerry and Amazon this week. Check out why they were in the news and more in our weekly roundup!

1. Amazon’s Jeff Barr digs into AWS pricing, uptime on user group tour – Jessica Scarpati (SearchCloudProvider)

In an interesting public relations move, Amazon’s Web Services Chief Evangelist Jeff Barr has doubled down on customer outreach with a road-trip tour of 14 AWS user groups throughout the U.S. to answer questions on AWS pricing and performance.

2. As IT pervades the enterprise, here comes the chief procurement officer – Nicole Laskowski (SearchCIO)

With the rise of the chief procurement officer (CPO), Nicole Kaskowski looks into how the roles of IT and the CIO must adapt to the new position.

3. NetApp promises bring-your-own-device security without using the cloud – Dave Raffo (SearchStorage)

BYOD security without the cloud? It sounds crazy but NetApp is using technology from its ionGrid acquisition to let users securely access data stored on NetApp storage systems through endpoint devices.

4. BES 10 upgrades hinge on mobile management capabilities – James Furbush (SearchConsumerization)

During this week’s BlackBerry Live conference, the company delivered some new features and provide a free upgrade path from BES 7 to BES 10. However, many customers still remain unsure about whether they should make the upgrade.

5. Overheard on Twitter: At Interop, users still seeking SDN definition – Michelle McNickle (SearchSDN)

As software-defined-networking became the big topic at the recent Interop conference, many IT professionals and customers still seek the basic SDN definition before they can implement it.

BYOD image via Shutterstock

Hybrid, BYOD, SDN…these are only some of the mainstream concepts that our TechTarget authors were writing about this week. Find out why these concepts were such big highlights in this week’s roundup.

1. The organization of the future: Not just hybrid IT, but hybrid people – Scot Petersen (SearchContentManagement)

Over the past few years, hybrid has become a very popular term (Hybrid cars, hybrid clouds, etc.). Since many of these concepts have changed the way we go about our lives, Scot Petersen thinks we should start considering one more concept: The hybrid IT job.

2. What’s the point of your BYOD program? – Colin Steele (SearchConsumerization)

During last week’s Interop conference, BYOD was a major discussion between attendees and speakers, including the main question: What’s the point of a BYOD program?

3. Eight hackers charged with $45m cyber fraud – Warwick Ashford (ComputerWeekly)

U.S. federal authorities have charged eight hackers in connection with a $45 million debit card fraud scheme.

4. Five SDN problems aired by analyst Jim Metzler – Michelle McNickle (SearchSDN)

Yes, software-defined networking is exciting, but analyst Jim Metzler discussed five SDN problems that companies need to address before they can invest in it.

5. Windows 8 updates, mini Surface tablets on the horizon – Diana Hwang (SearchEnterpriseDesktop)

Even while Microsoft has confirmed it will debut the next Windows 8 update at the Microsoft Build 2013 developer conference in June, the jury is still out as to whether the next update will get enterprises to adopt the operating system.

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Our TechTarget bloggers were covering all sorts of stories in this week’s roundup including a certain NFL team making waves in the storage industry. Check out which team it was and more!

1. Archiware, Tandberg unveil products; IDC: Big data fuels storage need – John Hilliard (SearchDataBackup)

Jon Hilliard brings us the latest news from around the data backup industry including IDC’s report that big data is driving the need for storage growth, while Archiware and Tandberg Data have new releases for backup customers.

2. ‘Glocalization’ spurs HR to rethink hiring, operation model – Emma Snider (SearchFinancialApplications)

Ever heard of ‘glocalization’? Well during Bersin by Deloitte’s Impact 2013, founder Josh Bersin says HR leaders need to ‘glocalize’ or tailor their practices to fit local markets to keep up with their organization’s global expansion.

3. Enterprise Data World reveals nine principles of analytics rock stars – Mark Brunelli (SearchBusinessAnalytics)

At this year’s Enterprise Data World conference, Bernard Wehbe, founding partner at business intelligence and analytics services firm StatSlice Consulting, offered a list of nine principles that can turn anyone into an analytics rock star.

4. Website vulnerabilities down, but progress still needed, survey finds – George Leopold (SearchSecurity)

According to a WhiteHat Security report, website vulnerabilities have decreased over the past few years, but problems still exist including the remediation time for fixing problems.

5. Denver Broncos score with NetApp filers for primary storage – Sarah Wilson (SearchStorage)

While Peyton Manning and the rest of the Denver Broncos are scoring touchdowns on the field, their small IT team is scoring behind the scenes with its purchase of two FAS2240s from NetApp.

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Just as some of the biggest blockbusters begin to hit movie theaters in May, some of the biggest IT events are here as well including: EMC World 2013, Interop 2013 and Google I/O! Check out our calendar to see if you have time to attend any of these great events.

1. Business4Better (May 1-2, Anaheim, California)

2. Gartner Customer 360 Summit (May 1-3, San Diego, California)

3. Forrester’s Forum for CIO, EA, Infrastructure & Ops, Security & Risk, and Sourcing Professionals (May 6-7, Washington D.C.)

4. EMC World 2013 (May 6-9, Las Vegas, Nevada)

5. HTG Summit 2013 (May 6-9, Dallas, Texas)

6. Interop 2013 (May 6-10, Las Vegas, Nevada)

7. Avnet SolutionsPath University (May 7-9, Dallas, Texas)

8. TechTarget: Storage for Virtual Servers and Desktops (May 14, New York, NY)

9. Ingram Micro Public Sector Federal Summit (May 14-16, National Harbor, Maryland)

10. SAP Sapphire Now (May 14-16, Orlando, Florida)

11. DocuSign Momentum 2013 (May 14-16, San Francisco, California)

12. Google I/O (May 15-17, San Francisco, California)

13. TechTarget: BI Leadership Dinner Series (May 16, Boston, Massachusetts)

14. TechTarget: BriForum 2013 (May 16-17, London, England)

15. Display Week 2013 (May 19-24, Vancouver, Canada)

16. Citrix Summit 2013 (May 20-21, Los Angeles, California)

17. TechTarget: BI Leadership Dinner Series (May 21, San Francisco, California)

18. TechTarget: CW500 Club (May 22, London, England)

19. Midwest Technology Leaders (May 22, Detroit, Michigan)

20. Under the Radar: CoIT (May 22-23, San Francisco, California)

21. Citrix Synergy 2013 (May 22-24, Los Angeles, California)

22. Android Developer Conference (May 28-31, Boston, Massachusetts)

We’ll be sharing IT events each month here on the Enterprise IT Watch blog. Got an event to add to our list? Let us know via Twitter (@ITKE) or email. Going to one of these events? Share your takeaways (and photos) with us!

Software testing image via Shutterstock

Over the past week (and into this week), TechTarget editors have been traveling the world covering the latest IT conferences and events. Take a look at some of the biggest news from each of these events.

1. Beyond Chef and Puppet: Ten essential DevOps tools – Beth Pariseau (SearchDataCenter)

If you’re an IT professional following the DevOps philosophy of application and infrastructure management, here are 10 key tools that will help your DevOps approach identified by IT pros that attended ChefConf 2013.

2. Enterprise Data World preview: Karen Lopez offers tips for data modelers – Mark Brunelli (SearchDataManagement)

With Enterprise Data World 2013 happening this week, the SearchDataManagement team talked with InfoAdvisors senior project manager Karen Lopez on what to expect during the conference.

3. Software test plan 2013: Keynote speakers cite top trends – James A. Denman (SearchSoftwareQuality)

At the Software Test Professionals conference in San Diego last week, several keynote speakers, including RBCS President Rex Black and Florida Institute of Technology professor Cem Kaner, discussed where testing tools will fit into the picture for software testing professionals in 2013 and beyond.

4. CSA offers new initiatives to address SMB cloud security issues – Brandan Blevins (SearchCloudSecurity)

In response to growing SMB cloud security issues, Brandan Blevins reports that the Cloud Security Alliance is offering a new membership level / working group for small to medium-sized businesses.

5. Five steps to get started with HR analytics – Emma Snider (SearchFinancialApplications)

During Impact 2013, several HR experts offered up their five best practices that can help HR managers build strong HR analytics campaigns.

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Cloud security, cloud development and cloud backup…the ‘cloud’ was a major hit in this week’s roundup. Find out why it was such big news on the TechTarget network.

1. Five best practices for successful cloud backup – Alyssa Wood (SearchCloudComputing)

During last week’s Amazon AWS Summit, senior technology evangelist Simone Brunozzi gave attendees a history lesson by discussing how the Italian Abbey of Monte Cassino helps to illustrate the need for the five best practices on cloud backup.

2. SugarCon conference offers guidelines for social CRM success – Jack Vaughan / Mark Brunelli (SearchCRM)

In this podcast, SearchCRM News Director Mark Brunelli talks to Jack Vaughan about his recent trip to the SugarCon Conference, in particular how organizations can launch a successful social CRM initiative.

3. Symantec 2013 Threat Report highlights rise in SMB attacks – Paul Korzeniowski (SearchSecurity)

Small businesses are under attack! That’s the major takeaway from the 2013 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, as 31% of Internet attacks were aimed at businesses with less than 250 employees.

4. OpenStack cloud users share pros and cons – Beth Pariseau (SearchCloudComputing)

At the OpenStack Summit, several OpenStack vendors, including Bloomberg, Samsung and Best Buy discussed the benefits and problems of their deployment of the open source cloud.

5. Gartner forecasts rising interest in cloud-based security interests – Brandan Blevins (SearchCloudSecurity)

According to a recent report released by Gartner, cloud-based security systems will account for 10% of all enterprise IT security product market by 2015. The rise was driven by several factors including lack of in-house IT security staff, the need to reduce costs and compliance regulations.

Oracle image via Shutterstock

All sorts of news came out during recent IT conferences and events including SugarCon, the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit, and the Collaborate user group conference. Take a look at what was said at each event in this week’s roundup.

1. Urban Outfitters looks creative destruction in the eye – Linda Tucci (SearchCIO)

While most CIOs and business executives continue to hear the term ‘creative destruction’, Urban Outfitters CSO Matthew Kaness has experienced it first hand, and responded by creating a brand new online experience for the e-commerce giant.

2. RFID technology options evolve beyond tags – Beth Stackpole (SearchManufacturingERP)

Although RFID is a mature technology, Beth Stackpole takes a look at five new technologies with the potential to dramatically change RFID’s course.

3. SugarCon speaker reveals 10 reasons why social CRM projects fail – Mark Brunelli (SearchCRM)

During this year’s SugarCon conference, David Myron, editorial director of CRM Magazine, discussed the top 10 reasons why social CRM projects fail including culture issues and the lack of compliance policies.

4. Ingram Micro cloud services pitch: Cloud enablement for partners – Lynn Haber (SearchITChannel)

During the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit last week, Lynn Haber reports the company laid out its strategy to help partners take a bite out of the $25 billion worldwide cloud services market in 2013.

5. Oracle President Mark Hurd: We don’t set out to be hard to work with – Mark Fontecchio (SearchOracle)

“We do not want to be hard to work with,” he said. “We don’t sit in a room and strategize about how we can be harder to work with.” Those were Oracle President Mark Hurd’s words during an exchange at the Collaborate user group conference.

Mobile image via Shutterstock

Mobile was a big hit in this week’s roundup. Major topics included enterprise mobile applications and Facebook Home’s effect on mobile security.

1. Forrester VP says enterprise mobile applications miss the mark – James Denman (SearchSoftwareQuality)

During his recent keynote address at EclipseCon, Forrester Vice President Jeffrey Hammond stated that building an enterprise mobile application shouldn’t be the focus of application development teams.

2. Facebook Home for Android heightens mobile data security concerns – James Furbush (SearchConsumerization)

With Facebook recently announcing the arrival of the ‘Facebook Home’, James Furbush discusses possible data security and private challenges that Home could bring to BYOD environments.

3. Social Media recruitment must be engaging, attractive to candidates – Aaron Lester (SearchFinancialApplications)

As social media recruitment grows rapidly, Aaron Lester says recruiters need to be social, engaging and attractive to in order to stay competitive.

4. Networking blogs: Tips for network strategies, handing tech support – Madelyn Stone (SearchNetworking)

Bloggers from across the network looked at several topics including why companies should ditch tech-specific plans for more general corporate strategies, and five trends that will dominate the networking industry in the near future.

5. Cloud telephony: A potential hit or miss for businesses? – Gina Narcisi (SearchUnifiedCommunications)

During Enterprise Connect, a panel of hosted and cloud telephony users spoke about their implantation process and why their processes make sense for their companies.

Risk management image via Shutterstock

This week’s roundup is all about communication. Find out how it’s important in risk management, business intelligence and in distributing and analyzing content.

1. Q&A: Communication, monitoring keys to corporate risk management – Ben Cole (SearchCompliance)

SearchCompliance.com Editor Ben Cole sat down with William J. Montanez, director of risk management at Ace Hardware Corp., to discuss why communicating risk strategy to the entire organization is “absolutely essential” to overall corporate risk management success.

2. Activists unleash biggest DDoS cyber attack to date – Warwick Ashford (ComputerWeekly.com)

After anti-spam website Spamhaus blacklisted web hosting company Cyberbunker, angry activists took to the web and unleashed the biggest distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack to date.

3. Business intelligence program needs long-term tending to fully blossom – Craig Stedman (SearchBusinessAnalytics)

Craig Stedman tells us how Quicken Loans has had great success with its self-service business intelligence program.

4. Chief content officer can create value from content management noise – Scott Petersen (SearchContentManagement)

There are too many sources of content and information and no single way of managing it all, says Scott Peterson.  Find out how a Chief Content Officer (CCO) can help to solve this problem.

5. Middleware tools for integrating SAP, third-party software growing – Beth Stackpole (SearchSAP)

While integrating SAP and non-SAP systems has always been a problem, Beth Stackpole points out that a slew of middleware and new third-party software is helping to ease the transition.

Calendar image via Shutterstock

All throughout April, not a day goes by without you having the chance to attend a big IT conference. Check your schedule to see if you can attend one of April’s many events!

1. Gartner Business Process Management Summit (April 2-4, National Harbor, Maryland)

2. Cloud Connect (April 2-5, Silicon Valley, California)

3. IT Sales & Marketing Boot Camp (April 3-6, Nashville, Tennessee)

4. TechTarget: The Consumerization of IT (April 4, San Francisco, California)

5. Big Data TechCon (April 8-10, Boston, Massachusetts)

6. Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2013 (April 8-10, Phoenix, Arizona)

7. TechTarget: The New Rules of Backup and Data Protection (April 9, Atlanta, Georgia)

8. TechTarget: Modern Infrastructure Decisions (April 11, New York, New York)

9. 2013 Spring Varnex Conference (April 14-17, Orlando, Florida)

10. Symantec Vision 2013 (April 15-18, Las Vegas, Nevada)

11. DEMO Mobile 2013 (April 17, San Francisco, California)

12. Government Enterprise Mobility Symposium (April 17-18, Washington D.C.)

13. Synnex Red White & You (April 17-19, Orlando, Florida)

14. CA World 2013 (April 21-24, Las Vegas, Nevada)

15. VTN 2013 Spring Invitational (April 21-24, Hollywood, Florida)

16. TechTarget: Desktop Virtualization 2013 Seminar (April 23, St. Louis, Missouri)

17. TechTarget: CW500 Club (April 23, London, England)

18. TechTarget: The New Rules of Backup and Data Protection (April 25, Cleveland, Ohio)

19. TechTarget: Desktop Virtualization 2013 Seminar (April 25, Houston, Texas)

20. RightScale Compute 2013 (April 25-26, San Francisco, California)

21. Midsize Enterprise Summit East 2013 (April 28-May 1, Chicago, Illinois)

22. Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit (April 29-May 1, San Diego, California)

23. Kaseya Connect (April 29-May 1, Las Vegas, Nevada)

24. Accelerate 2013: Lenovo Channel Partner Forum (April 29-May 1, Las Vegas, Nevada)

We’ll be sharing IT events each month here on the Enterprise IT Watch blog. Got an event to add to our list? Let us know via Twitter (@ITKE) or email. Going to one of these events? Share your takeaways (and photos) with us!