Tim Gray

Infrastructure provider VeriSign announced today the $40 million acquisition of network security firm iDefense, in an effort to expand its managed security services. VeriSign, which is known for its digital commerce and communication products and services, said it will fold iDefense into its security services division. iDefense will take on the VeriSign name and continue […]

Investment firm Merrill Lynch said the online experience is only getting better for consumers, and it expects business operations on the Web to tally a 20 percent increase in e-commerce and 14 percent rise in online travel bookings growth from the second quarter of 2005. Those numbers far exceed the total U.S. commerce and travel […]

Former WorldCom founder and CEO Bernard Ebbers was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison for his role in the massive accounting fraud that brought down the telecom giant, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Ebbers, 63, was found guilty in March on charges he ordered the telecom’s finances inflated to […]

NEW YORK — The solution for stamping out e-mail-based scams may never be complete, but as evidenced at the E-mail Authentication Implementation Summit 2005 on Tuesday, insiders appear more resolved than ever to work together towards that goal. The event, organized to bring together a diverse collection of e-mail analysts and providers, featured discussions and […]

Dutch media giant and information firm VNU has agreed to purchase data provider IMS Health for $7 billion, solidifying its position as the world’s largest market research company, the companies announced today. VNU, parent company of market research kingpin ACNielsen, added the world’s premier supplier of health care market information to its roster for $600 […]

Threats targeting instant messaging and P2P networks exploded last month, as reports jumped nearly 400 percent, according to security firm Akonix. The second-quarter increase, the largest hike since Akonix has been recording threats, saw hackers launching 53 new assaults, prompting the Akonix Security Center to issue 23 security policy updates. The firm said it used […]

Google , Goldman Sachs and the Hearst Corporation have ponied up a combined $100 million to invest in Current Communications Group, hoping to rapidly expand the reach of broadband throughout the country. Current Communications, a Germantown, Md.-based company providing broadband over power lines (BPL), said the investment would offer consumers a faster alternative outlet for […]

More accusations against Microsoft’s alleged heavy- handed business dealings with competitors surfaced last week, when Go Computer filed an antitrust suit against the company that stemmed from actions nearly 20 years ago. Jerry Kaplan, the founder of Go, an early entrant into the pen-based computing business, claims Redmond’s strong-armed tactics led to his company’s ultimate […]

With all the new and free services America Online is offering lately — and all the media to manage — a little help on organizing that information wouldn’t hurt. Enter Plaxo, the Web-based contact management service. The company has struck a deal with AOL that lets AOL customers and AIM users import, export and synchronize […]

Next stop for the Google toolbar is the open-source Mozilla Firefox browser, according to an e-mail posted on the Mozilla site. The July 1st e-mail, posted on Mozilla’s developer site, was penned under the name of Google engineer Fritz Schneider. “I thought I’d drop you a note to give a heads up on something Google […]

America Online is spreading the musical wealth to a chorus of outlets and online partners that will take part in the Live 8 concert on July 2. Live 8 concerts will take place on Saturday in Philadelphia, London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, all in the name of poverty relief. Other venues included Johannesburg, Ontario, Rome […]

In another move designed to expand the premium content offerings in its JupiterImages division, Jupitermedia , the parent company of internetnews.com, announced on Friday a $63.2 million cash deal to acquire California-based stock photography firm PictureArts Corporation. The deal includes PictureArts properties Brand X Pictures, FoodPix, Botanica and Nonstock, as well as its image distribution […]