Erin Joyce

Microsoft has unveiled new provisioning and secure-sign-on services for connecting to wireless networks for Windows XP users as of the first quarter of 2004, a move that could entice more customers to upgrade their operating systems from prior versions such as NT and Windows 2000. Called Wireless Provisioning Service (WPS), the new feature is designed […]

Voice services deployed over IP networks are growing steadily in the enterprise, by as much as 10 percent a year in some sectors, according to the Yankee Group. But noticeably absent in these much-ballyhooed enterprise offerings are industry-standard quality of service guarantees, networking experts say. Without an improved networking protocol that helps converged voice and […]

Voice over IP service provider Vonage is claiming a victory for regulation-free IP telephony services, albeit cautiously, after a court ruled late Tuesday that it does not have to register as a telephone company in order to conduct business in Minnesota. A federal judge approved a request by Edison, N.J.-based Vonage that the Minnesota Public […]

A prominent technology analyst for Merrill Lynch is urging Sun Microsystems to slash as much as 15 percent of its workforce and focus on being a niche player in mission-critical computing — or risk joining the “carcasses” of formerly-great companies DEC and Data General at the bottom of a tech “ravine.” In an open letter […]

America Online is rolling out new anti-spam battle axes for users of Mac OS/X and older AOL versions such as 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0, in what the ISP calls a second line of defense against the daily onslaught of spam. AOL officials said the upgraded filters enable users to deploy techniques such as receiving mail […]

America Online has launched KOL, a new version of its service for kids, which gives more control to parents with AOL accounts — and fewer reasons for members to switch to another ISP. The new KOL service is geared for kids aged 6 to 12 but also includes a version of the AOL service for […]

IP telephony player Avaya has purchased the professional and managed services business units of VISTA Information Technologies, a move that will help Avaya keep pace with the global growth in outsourced call centers that deploy IP technologies. Financial details of the purchase, which is expected to close in October, were not released. However, the deal […]

HAWTHORNE, N.Y. — Concern over data security in enterprise wireless networks is not the obstacle blocking the adoption of pervasive and mobile computing systems, according to the director of IBM’s software group. No, the key concern for companies mulling mobile computing investments remains the same: “business model, business model, business model,” said Steve Mills, senior […]

That rumbling sound off in the distance? Call it the coming rollout of Voice over IP services for consumer and (eventually) enterprise markets in the fourth quarter and throughout next year. While many enterprise networks are examining the feasibility of deploying IP-based telephony applications over data networks, cable providers are sprinting to get new telephony […]

IBM and electronic security system provider GE Interlogix are teaming up on an alliance that will link a company’s enterprise network with security systems in the office building where it is housed. The deal calls for GE Interlogix to integrate its own security software with IBM’s enterprise management and application server software. The idea, the […]

It’s official: AOL is off the corporate nameplate of the world’s largest media company, AOL Time Warner, as it repositions itself to reflect a media conglomerate doing business in the post Internet-boom era. As previously reported by internetnews.com, the board of directors of AOL Time Warner voted to remove AOL from the corporate name Thursday. […]

NEW YORK — Cablevision is moving to become the first cable operator to roll out commercial voice over IP services to its customers with a launch planned for later this month, an official of the New York-based company said Wednesday. At a flat rate of $34.95 per month for unlimited local and long distance calling […]