Jaikumar Vijayan

The software vulnerability exploited last week by the Witty worm is only the latest in a growing list of flaws being discovered in the very products users invest in to safeguard their systems.

Using small suppliers or companies owned by women or minorities in the IT supply chain can give buyers better access to specialized skills and more opportunities for cost reduction, said CIOs from several large organizations at a conference in Chicago this week.

Despite the challenges, implementing a product lifecycle management capability can give manufacturing companies a competitive edge in a recovering economy. According to users at a conference organized in Orlando, Fla., in February by PLM software vendor MatrixOne Inc., the benefits include faster time to market, lower costs and more component and technology reuse.

Despite the challenges, implementing a product life-cycle management capability can give manufacturing companies a competitive edge in a recovering economy, said users at a conference organized last week by PLM software vendor MatrixOne Inc.

Though software vendors tout the use of product life-cycle management tools as a way to improve manufacturing efficiencies, many companies are continuing to drag their feet when it comes to adopting PLM products.

The rapid growth of so-called phishing scams has left IT managers, industry groups and technology vendors scrambling to deal with the e-mail fraud problem.

The disclosure this week of critical vulnerabilities in voice-over-IP products from several major vendors shows why companies need to pay close attention to security when deploying IP telephony technologies, analysts said.

Several critical vulnerabilities have been discovered in voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and videoconferencing products based on the H.323 protocol that's used in IP telephony applications to exchange audio and video communications.