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Infrastructure may be cool again thanks to SDN, but network guys aren't having all the fun: 48% of the 543 respondents to our latest State of Servers poll mix and match server vendors, and 40% are intrigued by rack-based designs, like the one being developed by the Open Compute Project. But it's not all fun and games, as 63% say high virtualization/consolidation ratios are stressing their gear.

The next steps in going virtual up and down the stack, from network to desktop: Automation and finally taking hypervisor security seriously. The two go together, because if you're going to trust production systems to run without human intervention -- a must for delivering IT services on demand -- you'd better be darn sure attackers can't gain control.

Avoiding budget surprises is a top priority for IT. Two main keys: Spend smart up front, then tightly manage enterprise software licensing and maintenance.

Apple’s latest smartphone ushers in a new hardware package paired with an updated OS. Here’s what enterprise IT teams charged with supporting employee mobility need to know about Maps, security, Passport vs. NFC, networking and more.

Our 2013 Big Data Survey shows we’re not lacking facts, figures or the tools to wrangle them. So why do just 9% rate themselves as extremely effective users of data? And how do we expect to improve when just 31% have a wide array of business users accessing information and just 20% plan to grow their dedicated analytics teams?

It can be a good time to be an enterprise architect, if you have the right mix of skills. While just 8% of survey respondents say the position will be one of their most significant staff increases, 74% say a shortage of workers has impacted their adoption of enterprise architecture technology.

As email-borne exploits grow increasingly sophisticated, all the time and money spent shoring up back-end network access channels could be for naught. Here's how to defend against attacks that prey on your end users. The first step: Know what you're up against.

Want to accept credit cards without excess hassle and expense? With more smartphones incorporating NFC, it makes sense to consider new payment apps that deliver convenience for customers with reasonable fees for sellers -- two are even free. We run down systems from Dwolla, Intuit GoPayment, Kuapay, LevelUp, Square and Tabbedout.

It's a good time to be a big data and analytics expert: demand is high and supply is low. Eighteen percent of big data-focused companies in our survey want to increase staff in this area by more than 30% in the next two years, but 53% expect it will be hard to find people with the required skills. Find out how companies in diverse industries are coping with the shortage.

While 69% of respondents citing server, storage and data center engineering and management as a top area of planned staffing increase say hiring levels will rise 10% or less, these numbers belie a vibrant environment fueling demand for engineers with virtualization and cloud expertise and a knack for innovation. And, 61% say they pay for training, a nice perk.

Nearly 600 business technology pros took time to share their perceptions. Some highlights: 85% like the company’s security stance, and 61% see Cisco as a leader in data center switches. Yet just 25% will increase use of the company’s gear vs. 27% open to or actively replacing. Here's why.

With 10 Gbps Ethernet standard and 40 and 100 Gbps on the way, one big question is whether firewalls, intrusion-detection systems, packet analyzers and other monitoring systems can keep up. If not, your need for speed might prove deadly.

As enterprise IT gears up to battle mobility run amok, vendors are employing some sleight of hand, using a mix of acronyms to disguise few comprehensive offerings. We took the pulse of this hot area, asking 40 providers tough questions about cost, capabilities, deployment options and more. Our research shows little distinction between products that are designated as BYOD and those that are MDM, MAM or something else altogether. So now what?

Infrastructure-as-a-service lets companies focus on their core competencies, instead of on installing and maintaining computer hardware. But with so many vendors in the market, how do you know which one is the best fit for your company? We look at 9 IaaS providers and 10 services categories to help IT pros answer that question.

Most IT teams have synthetic monitoring of their websites down. Now it's time to extend that vigilance to client-server applications.

Tried-and-true methods like defense in depth can provide breathing room while you get a secure SDLC in place -- a job still facing 56% of our 475 respondents. And they'd better get moving, because 51% of those with secure SDLC programs on their radar have developed and/or assumed responsibility for securing 11 or more Web apps.

Worried about controlling access to all the cloud applications your employees use? IT has a variety of options to help manage cloud-based identities, including Active Directory synchronization, federation and purpose-built cloud services that provide single sign-on for online applications.

The use of network monitoring tools in a security context can help companies fill gaps in protection as well as identify potential problems. Companies that aren't using network monitoring tools may find it easier to justify their use and cost when security capabilities are figured into the mix.

Only 43% of non-IT people consider their IT teams integral to the business, our survey finds, and 54% consider IT a support or maintenance organization and not an innovator. But 59% say technology's becoming more critical to the business.

In this report, we recommend database security strategies and tools for smaller enterprises and workgroups -- as well as for smaller databases -- that have a big stake in protecting their data but don't have big budgets or skilled, and dedicated, security staff.

IT organizations we surveyed believe this new approach to networking can reduce costs and improve network efficiency and security. So why have only 4% of them implemented SDN? Maybe because 32% cite 'confusion' over vendor strategies as a barrier to adoption. In this report, we aim to cut through the confusion and help IT organizations develop an SDN strategy.

Security isn't necessarily the first thing people think of when they consider enterprise directories. But directories can be used in a number of ways to tighten and extend your organization’s security. In this report, we examine enterprise directories -- through the lens of Microsoft Active Directory -- and their potential as a solution for a wide array of security initiatives.

Most of our 564 survey respondents farm out some IT functions, often to a mix of suppliers. But don't immediately think "Asia": Just 4% exclusively use offshore firms. And among consumers of outsourcing services, 54% support legislation that would penalize U.S.-based companies for moving IT jobs overseas.

Windows 8 continues the work that Microsoft undertook with Windows 7: to build a more secure operating system and browser from the ground up. The new OS makes significant changes around application controls to limit the fallout of exploits. It also offers improved password management tools, a beefed-up anti-malware package and more encryption options.

With all the hoopla surrounding Windows 8, the recent release of Server 2012 is flying way under the radar. And that's a shame, because it has a lot to offer. Here are five features that could tempt you to jump sooner rather than later--and five that shouldn’t sway you.