These immersive virtual environments offer low-cost, easy-to-set-up, browser-based meeting spaces. Immersive virtual environments – such as Second Life and some enterprise-friendly alternatives – have traditionally required users to download special software and learn a difficult user interface. But several companies are working to change that, offering business-friendly virtual meeting platforms that work right in a Web browser, no software download required, with prices starting at around $50 a month. Read full article at PCWorld. (Reprinted from NetworkWorld.) … Read more »

Meetings, conferences and training programs in a 3D virtual world such as Second Life can be more engaging and productive than traditional online sessions and phone calls, and much less expensive than face-to-face meetings requiring travel. But some companies aren’t willing to take on the security and compliance risks of using a public platform and are instead opting for private virtual worlds created behind the corporate firewall. Read full article at PCWorld. (Reprinted from CIO.) … Read more »

As global accounts director at Altus, Inc., Michelle Klatt’s job is to visit Fortune 500 companies and demonstrate her firm’s video management software. When the iPad came out a year ago, she was all over it. Read full article in PCWorld. (Reprinted from NetworkWorld.) … Read more »

1. Encrypt, encrypt, encrypt. There are two parts to the data encryption challenge – encrypting stored data, and encrypting data that’s moving over public networks, says security expert Brian Reed, vice president of products at mobile security vendor BoxTone. SSL encryption on the iPad is a fast and convenient way to protect data in motion. “With data at rest, you want to ensure that the data is encrypted and protected, but you also want to be able to remotely wipe it if possible,” he adds. Read full article at PCWorld. (Reprinted from NetworkWorld.) … Read more »

It’s the new reality of IT: working as part of a global team, with coworker and outsourcers all over the world, coordinated by a project manager at headquarters. But that reality can be ugly, as managers are stretched across time zones, with no such thing as being off the clock. Work quality, commitment, and communications vary considerably, putting the burden on the manager caught in the middle to make it all work — from thousands of miles away. Read full story in PCWorld. (Reprinted from InfoWorld.) … Read more »