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Rising Enterprise Data Disasters Blamed on Human Error

Paul Lilly — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:24:14 -0600

A rising number of data flubs has caused some to question whether the benefits of cloud computing truly outweigh the risks, but is that really a fair assessment? The eggheads at Kroll Ontrack don't think so, who point out that the recent spike in data losses with corporate enterprises is simply the result of human error.

"While advanced storage options such as virtualization and cloud computing offer corporations storage optimization, human processes are still at the root of these solutions, instructing the technology as to how to perform," said Phil Bridge, managing director at Kroll Ontrack UK. "The complextity of these systems often requires a steep learning curve. With reported IT spending at a low, human error is increasingly common."

According to Kroll Ontrack, some of the biggest mistakes attributed to the human element include pulling the wrong drive while trying to pull a failed disk in a RAID array, accidentally deleting a business-critical database and restoring it with a corrupt or incomplete backup, attempting to force failed drives back online when rebuilding a bad array, accidentally deleting files, volumes, virtual machines, or a SAN LUN with no backup in place, and reformatting the wrong SAN LUN during a server migration.

Murphy's Law: Building an Open Source America with Open Source Data

David Murphy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500

A coalition of some of the biggest names in the OSS world have banded together to create Open Source for America, a brand-new advocacy group that's going to try and highlight the advantages of open-source software to help achieve the goals set out in President Barack Obama's push for an open-data government. But as we pause to "ooh" and "ahh" at the list of companies and open-source celebrities contributing to the new group--Novell, the Mozilla Foundation, the EFF, Tim O'Reilly, and Mark Shuttleworth, amongst many others--let us not forget the uphill battle that the concept of "openness" tends to face in the government sector.

I'm not suggesting that the OSA's cause is anything but noble: Instead of pitching open-source as a replacement to proprietary code, the group wants to level the playing field and allow both to equally compete for governmental contracts. That does have practical implications for the common person. Increased savings and reliability will allow resources spent for upkeep to be shifted to additional needy sources, and open-source software should--in theory--be easier and quicker to deploy than proprietary code given the larger user base that could feasibly assess and contribute to such a project. When it comes to efforts like standardizing a way to share a patient's health records across a wide swath of federal, state, local, and private organizations, multi-tiered cooperation and speedy results are a good thing.

Nevertheless, I just can't find myself getting that excited over open-source software when we still have fundamental issues of transparency and openness in governmental data. There's a wealth of information out there that's free and easily accessible to the public. But that doesn't mean that legislators, agencies, and departments are going out of their way to make this information as useful as it could be. In fact, it was only as recently as two months ago that the U.S. Senate opened up its own voting records for third-party applications and mashups.

Open Data's in the House

The House of Representatives and Senate have both used XML to exchange legislative documents since 2000. It's pretty easy to find XML feeds for the bills passing between the two legislatures via The Library of Congress's THOMAS database--the central information repository for all legislative activity in Congress. Pulling up an XML listing of how the votes fell out in the House is also simple, although you'll have to jump to the Office of the Clerk for that information. The Senate, not-so-much. Up until May, when a formal request by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint was finally accepted by the Senate Rules Committee, this information was restricted to straight-up HTML feeds.

Why is any of this important? Because third parties wishing the use the data to track things like voting records and attendance, filibustering, and comparisons between legislators would have to input this information manually in order to get an accurate database for external applications or data mashups. These amalgams, in turn, offer increased access to the legislative record for your average, everyday American who has no time to scan over arcane THOMAS listings to discern the status of a piece of legislation or, come election time, a Congressperson's legislative activity.

Representative Melissa Bean, Democrat of Illinois, put it best in an interview with Politico. “Coming out of the business world, I think results matter. How can people really track results if they don’t even know how their representatives are voting?” she said. Bean, in turn, has introduced legislation that would compel the Office of the Clerk to create an electronic list of all votes taken in the house organized by member. This feature, currently lacking in the XML feeds for roll call votes, would allow visitors to quickly and easily discern exactly how and when a particular member has voted throughout the congressperson's tenure.

Free Data Federalism

And this is just the situation in the U.S. Congress. Check out Data.gov, the brainchild of the Obama administration's first-ever CTO, Vivek Kundra. Specifically, head on over to the "state/local" portion of the site to see just how many states in the union have begun to offer up official archives with machine-readable datasets (like XML) for public consumption. I'll spoil the answer for you. Not counting the District of Columbia, there are two: California and Utah. To be fair, there's a varying degree of open information accessibility in the individual state legislatures--New York, for example, has pushed past RSS-feed-like XML feeds and offers full APIs for data access. It's a move that many wish to see enacted at the federal level.

In a perfect world, the results of our representative democracy would be available for perusal by any member of the public. But when I say available, I don't just mean locked away in some complicated, searchable database. Let the third-party world of application developers, information enthusiasts, and political junkies sift through the deliverables and create their own compelling derivatives for public consumption. Based on the impressive results that have come from the laborious combination of automatic and manual data entry, I can only imagine the kinds of benefits that an average citizen could acquire as a result of a truly "open" government. Open-source software is a great discussion point. Let's throw a bigger bone to open-source data, too.

A few data-crunching sites worth surveying:

Govtrack.us

Fillibusted

e-PaperTrail

OpenCongress

Maplight

Toshiba Introduces New Portable Hard Drives For Added Protection

Andy Salisbury — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:20:39 -0500

Toshiba has taken note of the importance of digital security these days, and with that thought in mind they’ve released several new external hard drives for those that are hoping to keep their tracks thoroughly covered.

With the introduction of their new portable external hard drives, they’re hoping to make data security something that’s easily accessible to everyone (just so long as they have one of their drives). The drives will feature NTI BackupNow EZ software (for Windows users), which will allow the backup of an entire system with a click. It’ll also be able to scan your computer, and provide a personalized recommendation on the best way to cover your files.

There will also be password protection with up to 256-bit encryption. All of this will be accessed through a graphical interface, which Toshiba expects will make “backing up digital data easier than ever.”

“We’ve increased the level of protection offered by our personal storage products, while making them easier to use,” stated Manuel Camarena, product manager for consumer storage at Toshiba Storage Device Division. “Data backup usually isn’t a consumer’s first thought, but it is the most important consideration for preserving a lifetime of digital memories, entertainment libraries and the entire computer system. Enhanced backup features combined with password-protected encryption create a true digital safety net that any consumer can use to protect against system failure and unauthorized access to their digital content.”

These drives are available now in 500GB and 320GB flavors, and will run you $149.99 and $119.99 respectively.

Image Credit: Toshiba

Freeware Files: Five Apps for Dealing with Data, Data, and More Data

David Murphy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:30:24 -0500

Dealing with your data is a critical part of the Windows experience. "No, really," you ask? I know, I know. But the kinds of file operations you perform on any given day represent the bread and butter of your operating system. You drag your pictures around, copy and paste your documents to other places, maybe send a file or two over email. It's simple stuff. That's not a value judgment, just a comment about the basic functionality that everyone uses on a modern OS.

When you're ready to step out of this minor league of file management and head into the majors, you'll find a host of freeware applications waiting to hit a pitch or two. These applications take the common elements of your Windows file operations and inject them with a dose of raw energy. For example, you can customize and jack up the very process of copying files from one directory to another. You can also beat back Windows' default system for batch file renaming and instead transform a large number of files with very specific titles and extensions. You can even map out just how much space your files take up on your drive, giving you the perfect opportunity to catch up on some spring cleaning across your battered hard drive.

While these kinds of processes are a mainstay of this week's roundup, I'm also taking a look at two additional programs that pack additional functionality into your operating system as a whole. So what are you waiting for? Quit your file transfers and get ready for a brand new world.

RichCopy

What it does: Copying files is a simple process, right? What if you're copying a ton of files across PCs and your network connection has a hiccup? What if you want to keep a specific set of attributes on a duplicated set files identical to the originals? What if you have a folder full of all sorts of files, but only want to copy those with specific file names or extensions? RichCopy eases your life in these ways, and more, by offering you the chance to customize the copying process with more parameters than you'll ever find in the good ol' Windows drag-and-drop mechanism. And the best part? RichCopy was actually developed by Microsoft's Ken Tamaru.

Download it here!

ADRC Data Recovery Tools

What it does: Saves your butt. No, really. Did you frak up and accidentally shift-delete a bunch of files you were working on? Try to recover them using this freeware collection of DIY "save thyself" tools. Not only can you possibly recover files you've deleted, but the program also comes with tools to rip the contents of a dying hard drive, as well as backup options akin to a Norton Ghost drive clone. I recommend you check out the latter instead of having to resort to the former to save your missing stuff!

Download it here!

SpaceSniffer

What it does: There are a number of graphical utilities for determining what's taking up all the space on your hard drive. So what makes SpaceSniffer unique? For starters, the program is an executable--slap this freeware file on a flash drive and carry it around to any PC you use. The intuitive, graphical view of your drive's contents teams up with powerful filtering functionality to allow you to conduct comprehensive analyses based on inputs you specify. See how much of your movie collection needs to hit the recycle bin and refine this search process to dig down into the nuances of your file archives even further! SpaceSniffer gives you a lot of options to work with.

Download it here!

ReNamer

What it does: Right-click on a batch of selected files in Windows, hit rename, and the OS will automatically append whatever name you create to the files you picked--automatically adding an ugly (1), (2), (3), et cetera, to the end of said files. Yuck. The freeware application ReNamer rips apart this sad scheme and grants you the ability to mass-rename files in a number of customizable ways. For example, you can change the cases of letters to anything you specify, develop rules for serializing the numbers that get appended to your files, and conduct find-and-replace operations for any part of the file name you want to change. When I say that the sky is the limit with ReNamer, I'm serious: this is the Up of helpful freeware applications.

Download it here!

SIW

What it does: This one isn't exactly file-related per se, however, the System Information for Windows application still gives you a ton of information about your PC as a whole. From substantial hardware and software inventory analyses, to built-in realtime monitors for your system's resources, to a fairly thorough suite of network tools, SIW is the kitchen sink of information utilities. It gives the default Windows task manager quite a workout. Best of all, this app doesn't require an installation at all--slap this on a flash drive and you'll be able to fire up a wealth of information about connected PCs with one quick double-click of the mouse. Time saved: limitless.

Download it here!

Have any awesome freeware apps that I've missed in one of these roundups? Want to talk shop? Show off a file or two that you ReNamed? I'm but one, 140-word message away: @Acererak.

Researchers Claim Shuttle Memory Tech could Save Data for Billions of Years

Paul Lilly — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Led by physicist Alex Zettl, a team of eggheads from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkley have demonstrated a form of nanotube archival memory capable of storing memory bits for a billion years, the researchers say.

The team put together a prototype device based on a nanoscale iron particle moving along a carbon nanotube like a shuttle. It measures about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair and was created in a single step pyrolysis of ferrocene in argon at 1,000C. Technical details aside, the team says the steps it took are compatible with today's semiconductor manufacturing techniques.

The end result is a device that can be written to and read from using conventional voltages, however remains years away from practical application. Nevertheless, the promise of long-lasting data retention could be huge for large-scale archival applications in the future.

Much more info here, along with the abstract (in PDF form) here.

Internet Soon to Contain 500 BILLION GB of Data

Paul Lilly — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:45:41 -0500

We often preach the importance of maintaining a good backup scheme, but when it comes to the internet, such a task would now be incredibly overwhelming. Just how much data are we talking about? According to the guardian.co.uk, enough to fill a stack of books stretching from Earth to Pluto 10 times over. Put into a different perspective, it would take one top-end iPod for every two people on the planet to back up the entire internet.

In more concrete terms, the amount of data online now sits at 487 billion gigabytes. And get this - that number is expected to double in size in the next 18 months, according to technology consultancy IDC. Compare that to in 2007, when the IDC estimated the world's digital content to be at 161 billion gigabytes.

The rapid rise in data can be largely be attributed to digital cameras, cell phones, and the social networking phenomenon.

"Devices such as camera phones, and the web 2.0 services like social networking sites have created a nation of digital hoarders," said Mike Altendorf, managing director of EMC consulting, the firm who sponsored the research.

Image Credit: miltonalexander.com

Tweaking Your Data to Make it Pretty and Useful

David Murphy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0600

How do we usually receive our data? In boring textual updates, be it the current time, the contents of an RSS feed, or a ton of 140-character Twitter updates. And when this information turns graphical, like an icon of a folder on our desktop to signify a grouping or combined storage location, there's no way to edit this representation with any kind of updated contextual information. How do you assign relevance or urgency to a desktop icon? You can rename it, or drag it to a different, "I remember that this corner of my Desktop is urgent" part of your screen, but that's it.

In short, there are limitations on the news feeds and data organization that we encounter on a daily basis. And that's why we turn to third-party developers to help us visualize this data and add context to our actions. More than that, data visualizations are just downright cool -- why scan an RSS feed for CNN, for example, when you can have the news drop down onto a map based on its source? Why use Google calendar when you can pretty up your desktop with a slick, visualized clock/scheduling utility?

These are the situations we're exploring in our latest freeware roundup--apps that add relevance, functionality, and beauty to your desktop and your data.

MappedUp

What it does: This awesome visualization aggregates the RSS news feeds from a ton of different sources, outputting the latest stories on a large map of the world. Instead of just watching the news scroll in, you're actually seeing where the news takes place in either an Active Desktop app or screensaver. Not only is this an elegant approach to keeping on top of what's going on in the world, it's every bit as useful (and customizable via tags or RSS selections) as scanning through your news Web site of choice.

Download it here!

PolarClock

What it does: Does this reinterpretation of a standard clock give you any more information than a normal clock? Not really. But the cyclic rotation of this date-and-time visualization tracks these elements as if they're filling up a large, circular progress bar. The seconds of each minute don't just tick by, for example -- they fill a timeline until a minute switches over and the entire process begins anew. It's a pretty way to display time in a screensaver form that's far easier on the eyes than Windows' default.

Download it here!

Pacecar

What it does: This Firefox extension allows you to isolate the data on a Web page that you want to read, dimming all other eye-catching elements that fall outside of your target area. This helps you eliminate annoying distractions by centering your focus on the exact section of the page you want to take in. Pacecar isn't reinterpreting data for you. It's giving you the chance to reinterpret the entire delivery mechanism and tweak it to your own interests. Neat, eh?

Download it here!

Folder Marker

What it does: Although this program only works on Windows XP and the 32-bit edition of Windows Vista, Folder Maker is an excellent way to assign more context to your standard desktop icons. Using this one-click program (ok, maybe two clicks), you can assign different icons to folders to designate them with different priorities or functions (like planned work, half-done work, and done work). You can also arbitrarily change the folder icon to a different shade of color, ideal if you want to keep the files for Job #1 red, Job #2 blue, Job #3 purple, et cetera. Short of renaming your folders and dragging them into special desktop zones, we can't think of a better way to assign relevance to your work.

Download it here!

Darkstat

What it does: Finding a pretty way to present your network traffic is a tough sell. But one of the more elegant, easy-to-use applications we've stumbled across is Darkstat. This packet-sniffing app runs on your router and captures all the data that's passing between it and your connected PCs. It can then output this information in a pretty graphical format, detailing the bandwidth of time periods ranging from the last 60 seconds to the last 31 days. Figure out your heavy network usage patterns and who knows -- perhaps you'll notice someone BitTorrenting over your public WiFi connection in the wee hours of the morning.

Download it here!

Facebook to Sell Data on Users for Market Research

Andy Salisbury — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:07:39 -0600

It looks like Facebook is finally planning to capitalize on all that precious information that its 150 million users put on their profiles by creating one of the world’s largest market research databases.

“I had tons of people saying 'this could be so incredible for our business'. It takes a very long time to do a focus group, and businesses often don't have the luxury of time. I think they liked the instant responses,” stated Randi Zuckerberg, Mark’s sister and Facebook’s global markets director, regarding the possible monetization of the social networking site.

Some experts say that this move comes in the wake of a double whammy of economic troubles brought on by their failing advertising revenue and the ever-growing cost of electronic data storage.

Image Credit: Telegraph.co.uk