Sharp-eyed and highly caffeinated regulars might have noticed the brand-new employee at the Mercer Island Drive Thru Starbucks in November. The newbie, wearing the standard-issue green apron, was receiving a crash course in just about every function at the 1,800-square-foot store. He took a turn as a barista, manned the drive-thru, handed out samples to customers, took out the trash, and assisted a patron who was trying to connect to the Wi-Fi network. He tinkered with the store's point-of-sale (POS) system. He even did some scheduling.

PMO is an acronym with a range of different meetings with very different implications

The common business structures that enable large corporations to function effectively can actually inhibit the development of an effective service-oriented architecture (SOA). Most enterprise employees outside of IT work for a team, in a department, in a division or some similar hierarchical structure. This pattern of organization has effectively served large corporations, governments, and militaries for a long time. Understandably, people in such organizational structures see the world through the context of their position in this hierarchy. But the organizational structure can present challenges for SOA analysis when the IT solution requires input from representatives in all parts of the business.

Microsoft generated plenty of negative headlines in 2008. We watched as it struck out in its attempts to acquire Yahoo. And Microsoft-haters grew smug when the confusing Seinfeld-Gates commercials were quickly pulled and replaced with the "I'm a PC" campaign. Microsoft's attempts to out-market Apple and reverse the negative press of Windows Vista simply didn't work out.

With current physical and cyber security threats posing a threat to transportation, water, power and other essential services, any focus on risk management is welcome.

Working for a staffing firm can be an effective way for unemployed IT professionals to connect with potential employers. But working for a staffing agency has serious downsides, too. IT workers should consider these six drawbacks before taking on a contract position through a staffing firm.

PMO is an acronym with a range of different meetings with very different implications

Do video games stimulate the intellect? Are gamers more social and better equipped to make decisions than nongamers?

The common business structures that enable large corporations to function effectively can actually inhibit the development of an effective service-oriented architecture (SOA). Most enterprise employees outside of IT work for a team, in a department, in a division or some similar hierarchical structure. This pattern of organization has effectively served large corporations, governments, and militaries for a long time. Understandably, people in such organizational structures see the world through the context of their position in this hierarchy. But the organizational structure can present challenges for SOA analysis when the IT solution requires input from representatives in all parts of the business.

Enterprise IT shops are starting to embrace the notion of building private clouds, modeling their infrastructure after public service providers such as Amazon and Google. But while virtualization and other technologies exist to create computing pools that can allocate processing power, storage and applications on demand, the technology to manage those distributed resources as a whole is still in the early stages.

With increasing amounts of incoming data threatening to overwhelm firms, Hitachi Data Systems CTO Hu Yoshida wants to make the economics of storage easier for non-IT executives to understand.

Oracle's powerful new HP Oracle Database Machine comes with 168TB of storage, a new method of retrieving data more quickly and intelligently, and -- wait for it -- a US$2.33 million price tag.

What do Tom Cruise and the McCain campaign have in common? They have both been bitten by the loss of a Blackberry. Mobile expert Dan Hoffman gives advice on how to keep your cherished mobile device safe, even if it's out of your hands.

Companies that suffer serious security breaches have almost always committed one (or all) of 7 deadly security sins. Is your company guilty?

Generation Y is known for being high-maintenance in the workplace. So when an economic downturn brings Gen Y workers pink slips instead of promotions, you might think they'll wither like flowers. In fact, they may be better positioned for survival than their older co-workers.

As India's Sankara Nethralaya hospital took on more applications to meet patient needs, its network went on a blink, leaving the hospital blind for hours. When the problem moved from being an irritant to life-threatening, it knew only a network management system could save it.

Offshore outsourcing may save you money, but it also creates new risks. Here's a guide to necessary IT security measures.

Perhaps your company's outsourcing efforts would go more smoothly if you picked up a few of these effective programming tools and methodologies from open-source developers.

Microsoft Office may be the dominant suite for office productivity software, but it sure isn't the only option. We show you 10 word processing alternatives that just might be better suited for your business.

If you saw the first Star Wars film in 1978 you would have been dazzled by the awe inspiring technology the protagonists took for granted. 30 years later and many of the film's forward-looking ideas – from videoconferencing and mobile communications to robotics and bionics – are being used in our daily lives. During the next four months Sydney's Powerhouse Museum is playing host to one of the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia combined with real-life examples of how such technology is being applied for business and social advancement.

Over a million dollars in damages. Sixty per cent of a city government locked out of its own network. One disgruntled IT tech. Whatever you think of Terry Childs, he’s an IT pro who sure understands how to do more with less!

All's fair in love and war . . . and browsers