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Windows Vista! Office 2007!

Published on 2007-02-12 10:03:08 last updated on 2007-02-12 10:13:41

Microsoft finally releases its new operating system windows vista, which comes in five different versions. Also released is the new version of Microsoft Office 2007. Find out much more about windows vista at http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/products/windowsvista/default.mspx. It has cost 10 Billion Dollars to build and been delayed several times.

Vista offers a lot of improvements over Windows XP, but most of them are conveniences rather than essentials. Pros: Improved security. Slick Aero interface. Pervasive search. New APIs and hardware support. Better built-in apps. Cons: Hefty hardware requirements. Minor bugs and rough edges in UI. Lack of a killer app to compel adoption. Many features also available for Windows XP users just as downloads.

Microsoft Office 2007 information is available at http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/default.aspx including a free trial to download.

Though not new in Office 2007, the suite now uses a Zip-compatible XML-based file structure. In Office 2003, this format was available as an option; in Office 2007, it's the default. While you can still open and edit .DOC files in Word, files are automatically saved in DOCX format.

These new file formats are not backward-compatible with earlier versions, though Microsoft has said that a conversion add-in will be available for Office XP and 2003 users. There's no doubt that using XML helps other applications expose data contained in Office documents. The format also chops a document into several pieces, improving the likelihood of successful data recovery (with Office 2007, an inability to recover one portion of a file doesn't impair recovery of the rest, as is now the case).

What if you adopt Office 2007 but your clients, customers or collaborators don't? You will have to be diligent in saving files to the "standard" (non-XML) formats, such as DOC, XLS and PPT. For how long? Word 2000 and Word XP use is still heavy, which leads us to believe such diligence will be needed for several years.

Your Bottom Line For the individual user struggling to use Word, an intermediate user who wants to get more done with Excel or an office worker who could benefit from seeing multiple calendars at once, Office 12's new interface and updated graphics are welcome, but may not be sufficiently compelling to justify an upgrade. Pricing is available at www.microsoft.com/office/preview/pricing.mspx.

Microsoft Releases Twelve New Security Patches

Published on 2007-02-12 09:54:02 last updated on 2007-02-12 10:14:05

Microsoft on Tuesday plans to release a dozen security bulletins, including a "critical" one for its own anti-spyware and other security products.

The bulletins, part of its monthly patch cycle, will provide fixes for an undisclosed number of security vulnerabilities, Microsoft said in a note on its Web site Thursday.

The software maker plans to offer fixes for Windows, Office, Visual Studio, Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), and several of its security products, including its Windows Live OneCare package of antivirus, firewall and PC health tools and its Windows Defender anti-spyware.

At least four of the bulletins will be labeled "critical," Microsoft's highest severity rating. These type of security issues typically could allow an attacker to gain full control of an affected system with no or minimal action by the user.

Current Virus Threats 12/02/2007

Published on 2007-02-12 09:52:50 last updated on 2007-02-12 10:09:32

Virus Count Infection Ratio (%) Infection Ratio

01. Win32/Netsky.Q worm 0.045 %

02. Win32/Bagle.HE worm 0.012 %

03. Win32/Netsky.B worm 0.008 %

04. Win32/Zafi.B worm 0.006 %

05. Win32/Bagle.gen.zip worm 0.005 %

06. Win32/Sality.NAJ virus 0.005 %

07. Win32/Netsky.D worm 0.005 %

08. Win32/VB.NEI worm 0.005 %

09. a variant of Win32/TrojanProxy.Cimu... 0.005 %

10. Win32/Mydoom.R worm 0.003 %

Total clean messages 18.5 mil

Total messages 18.5 mil

Firms Failing To Protect Sensitive Data

Published on 2006-10-18 14:27:57

UK companies are "seriously failing" to control employee access to sensitive information, leaving their databases open to the enemy within, new research has claimed. A study published by Oxford-based database security firm Secerno revealed that almost two-thirds of UK employees have access to computer records at work. The report further alleges that over 40 per cent of staff have access to records that are not necessary for their job, while one in 10 has been tempted to abuse this access. Additionally, over half of employees have no restrictions placed on the information to which they have privileged access. Paul Davie, chief executive and co-founder of Secerno, said: "UK industry must get to grips with managing database security in order to avoid some of the well-publicised incidents which have already beset some US businesses." The survey was commissioned by Secerno and conducted independently by market research bureau Zoomerang. The sample group comprised office, shop, clerical and middle management staff in the UK. Half of the respondents were male and half female, and all were aged over 18.