Application Security: Features

The hype around cloud computing would make you think mass adoption will happen tomorrow. But recent studies by a number of sources have shown that security is the biggest barrier to cloud adoption. The reality is cloud computing is simply another step in technology evolution following the path of mainframe, client server and Web applications, all of which had -- and still have -- their own security issues.

Many organizations are embracing SOA as a way to increase application flexibility, make integration more manageable, lower development costs, and better align technology systems to business processes. The appeal of SOA is that it divides an organization's IT infrastructure into services, each of which implements a business process consumable by users and services.

With spam hampering staff productivity and increasing helpdesk calls, Sydney-based plumbing suppliers company Plumbers' Supplies Co-operative Ltd has replaced an open source e-mail security solution with an network gateway appliance.

If you're one of the 63.7 million people playing the popular Farmville game on Facebook, you've probably noticed a change in how you earn points. FarmVille's parent company, Zynga, agreed last week to remove deceiving mobile subscriptions and "scammy" offers that lure players to register for services in exchange for game currency, which helps players to advance in the game.

Security researchers are warning that Web-based applications are increasing the risk of identity theft or losing personal data more than ever before.

IPhone lovers and other smartphone users should take heed: A security researcher showed ways to spy on a BlackBerry user during a presentation Wednesday, including listening to phone conversations, stealing contact lists, reading text messages, taking and viewing photos and figuring out the handset's location via GPS.

It has been a week since hackers released software that could be used to attack a flaw in Windows Vista and Server 2008, but Microsoft and security companies say that criminals haven't done much with the attack.

Chris Hoff, one of the most respected voices on the topic of virtualization and cloud security, once told me in an interview that people should shut up about securing the cloud because, in his opinion, there's no such thing as cloud security.

CIOs and CSOs could do well to consider the monetisation cost and overall profitability of security risks when considering how to safe guard their organisations, according to the findings of a new report from IBM’s Internet Security Systems X-Force research and development team.

Apparently the everpresent cloud computing marketing messages aren't working quite well enough: Tech buyers still have major concerns regarding cloud-based benefits and security issues, many of which have not eased during the past year.