If you’re like many federal IT professionals, your understanding of application performance management (APM) has probably been rigidly shaped by the limited definitions put forth by analysts and other industry experts. Those groups tend to place APM in a very narrow, easily consumable box. To them, it’s software that incorporates analytics, end-user experience monitoring, and a few other components.

Forget all of that.

By Chris LaPoint, VP of Product Management, SolarWinds

Altruistic hackers are slowly becoming more prominent in pop culture, specifically in TV shows in which they are young geniuses using their skills to help those in need. Their derring-do involves taking control of everything from airplanes to traffic signals, all in the name of good. And they do it with style.

SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, recently released the results of their 2013 SolarWinds Security and Compliance Survey. Over 160 IT professionals were polled and their answers revealed fears about the present and future, on both cybersecurity and the influx of new technology.

Government IT has been characterized by long term monolithic systems that fail to deliver. Part of the problem is approaching IT as a complex durable good, like a battleship, with complete specifications, known life-cycles, and defined missions. Fighter aircraft have six generations of evolving technology and missions, each having known maintenance cycles, life spans, and changing requirements based on future planning and doctrine, as well as, mission feedback. IT has none of that because it has no duty cycle or doctrine. IT can be obsolete on delivery, regardless of development timeframe. IT delivery can redefine all previous requirements. IT has very little longevity, even if successful on delivery.

This year’s RSA conference was a deluge of technology centered on the usual security suspects with an addition of recent year themes surrounding the challenges of cloud computing. Two years ago the conference was all about cloud, last year it was “Bob and Alice” (the challenges of compliance vs. defection surrounding lack of trust in cyberspace).This year’s “Mightier than the Sword” theme was the next logical step towards cyber warfare. After all, regardless of the strength of security controls, the presence of global information availability coupled with the absence of trust inevitably tends toward war. Perhaps it is time to work on this “trust” problem. After all, it’s all about risk… right?

“Good security doesn’t stop with just an anti-virus client and a perimeter firewall.” Government Security News (GSN) recently published an article written by DLT Engineer, Aaron Payne, about bringing “Security back to the basics: Managing the threat” that addresses the concern that there are many layers necessary to keeping enterprise IT systems secure.

With Windows 7 being implemented across the world, initial reviews coming in have been positive for the latest Microsoft Operating System.   Much like 2000 was to NT, and XP was to, dare I mention, ME, Windows 7 is a huge improvement from the Apple’ish OS of Vista.

Last week Symantec announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Gideon Technologies, Inc. Gideon Technologies should fit well in the Symantec security suite, judging by initial press releases and Web feeds based on the two technologies. Gideon’s ability to provide automated IT security and risk management with Security Content Automation Proto