Hiring someone outside the company to store, manage and protect all a company’s data is a gutsy thing to do, for any storage executive or administrator. And this decision usually is not made in a vacuum. Virtually all companies who outsource their storage apparatus must have either the CEO, president, or a senior vice president sign off on it. Organizations would rather have their own employees responsible for protecting this information as opposed to relying on a third-party service provider who has some level of guarantee.

Trend Micro is making the latest version of its all-in-one defense against Web-based threats available Jan.29. Trend Micro Client Server Messaging Security 3.5 is aimed specifically at meeting the security needs of SMBs (small and midsize businesses), company officials said. Offering protection against spyware, rootkits and bots, the new product also features automated checks to identify outdated Windows machines, without the added requirement of visiting individual desktops.

Researchers at IBM have created a new shield for personal information in an effort to prevent identity theft online. Code named Identity Mixer, or Idemix for short, the software was crafted by IBM researchers at the company’s laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, and will let customers purchase goods and services online without revealing their personal information.

Lenovo Group believes that less can be more. The PC maker is scheduled to roll out its latest small form factor desktop–the ThinkCentre A55–which company officials said is 64 percent smaller than its traditional desktop offering. The new PC will also offer a range of new features that Lenovo hopes will attract users concerned about the amount of space a traditional desktop can take up in cramped office.

Data storage and security vendor Symantec introduced a new integrated information security and archiving suite of applications that offers consistent enforcement of content control policies across a Microsoft-centric enterprise–from email gateway security to archiving. Using Symantec Information Foundation 2007, IT professionals can proactively prevent the risk of data loss and policy violations while responding to legal e-discovery requests.

Adobe Systems is expected to detail plans to submit its Portable Document Format specifications to the International Organization for Standardization, a body of particular importance to governments and large corporations. Subsets of the PDF format have already been standardized, including one for archiving documents. But Adobe customers, particularly governments, have told Adobe that making PDF an ISO-approved standard would raise their level of confidence that the format would be around in the long term, said Kevin Lynch, Adobe’s chief software architect.

Elcomsoft has added support for more applications and files formats to Elcomsoft Distributed Password Recovery. The program offers administrators a comprehensive solution for recovering passwords to documents and files when employees forget their passwords, or when they deliberately add passwords to documents in an effort to sabotage their companies. In addition to supporting Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF files, PKCS#12 certificates, PGP and LM/NTLM hashes used in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 logon passwords, the program now supports PGP Whole Disk Encryption, Microsoft Money and OneNote, Intuit Quicken, Lotus Notes ID files, and MD5 hashes.

Middle managers around the world are dissatisfied and feel stagnant in their positions, according to an annual survey released Jan. 9 by Accenture, a global management consulting and outsourcing company. In a survey of more than 1,400 middle managers in nine countries, only four out of 10 respondents said they were "extremely" or "very" content in their current places of employment.

Neoware announced the beta release of its new Neoware Device Manager, the thin client industry’s next and best device management software solution. A software tool that greatly simplifies device management from a single console, Neoware Device Manager allows a single IT professional to track, configure, upgrade, clone, and manage up to thousands of individual devices from a single location.

Ars Technica has a very disturbing report about limitations on Windows Vista upgrades. Fundamentally, if you buy the Windows Vista Upgrade (rather than the full version), you will now be restricted from performing a full, fresh Windows install. Since we consider a fresh Windows install an absolute necessity from time to time (what with security issues, rootkits, etc), the Windows Vista Upgrade product is fundamentally limiting. Given that it requires that you upgrade on top of what might well be a compromised Windows XP install, you’re already starting off badly. Even though you’ll save a few dollars, we think purchasing the Windows Vista Upgrade with this limitation is ultimately a complete waste of money.