What: Wireless encryption code (WPA) has been recently been cracked by researchers
Posts to Which it is Related: Pretty much any article on our site
Bottom Line: WPA, a popular wireless encryption protocol widely used today by both home wireless internet users and business wireless internet users, has been compromised. A group of researchers found a way to gain access to the information a wireless router is sending to a computer or device by using a mathematical technique that only takes 15 minutes to crack. WPA was always considered a very secure wireless protocol, much more secure than its predecessor WEP (think back to the TJ Maxx security breach where thousands of customers’ credit card numbers were stolen to gauge how unsecure WEP was and the implications of WPA being cracked). How is this relevent to virtual teams? The article states that the breach of WPA would effect enterprise customers the most. Since many virtual devices and other mobile business devices connect to “secure” networks using WPA, the security breach would effectively make these devices insecure and useless to these business users. Businesses will be less apt to adopt mobile work and virtual devices in the future because of this.

What: An article discussing the effects of Web 2.0 on the recent presidential campaign
Posts to Which it is Related: The Reason Why Email Should Not Be Used For Collaboration, Articles on Virtual Worlds
Bottom Line: As the article states, not since the election of John F. Kennedy, where the television medium changed the way in which elections were won and fought, has technology come along to have such a startling impact on a presidential campaign.  Before this election, mediums such as Youtube, Facebook, iReport, etc. did not excist or were not popular enough to make much of an impact in a presidential election. These sites have effectively changed the way voters get their political news – immediately, unfiltered, and at any time. It is easily shared and easily accessible to everyone. The networks are quickly learning – NBC aired the news of Colin Powell’s Obama endorsement on MSN.com before it aired it on the West Coast; in addition, almost every news outlet has major interactive election features online that are promoted during news broadcasts. Obama used the internet to raise millions of dollars that surely contributed to his campaign victory. It was also Obama’s campaign that constantly experimented with web videos, documentaries, and Facebook groups. Obama’s virtual campaigning extended beyond the web – virtual ads were featured in Xbox 360 sports games from EA. On a personal note, this was the first election that I voted in and I found myself getting 95% of my news on the internet, watching various videos, and researching the candidates through their websites. I had fun using the interactive election features on the CNN website and was highly engaged in this election. In conclusion, the popularity of the virtual medium has changed the way that elections will be run for a very long time.

What: NY Times article expressing a current trend in consumers demanding laptops that boot in less than 30 seconds
Posts to Which it Is Related: Posts on collaboration technology
Bottom Line: One of the biggest gripes computer users have with their machines is that they take too long to boot up. Most machines take between 45 seconds and a minute to boot up. Manufacturers are now touting machines that boot up in less than 30 seconds; however, the author of the article (and I agree) states that this is still too long. His argument: many users are using their computers or laptops for quick web browsing and to check email, a process that takes a few minutes at best. Waiting over a minute for a computer to start and then another minute for a network connection to be made, for the web browser to load, etc, makes no sense when a user is using the computer for a minute. It is highly frustrating. The author goes on the say that computers should start as quickly as smart phones and grant the same type of instant access. I could not agree more- I find myself using my iPhone on my home network when I want to quickly check my favorite websites or shoot someone an email. It makes more sense timewise. Manufacturers are struggling to create computers that boot quickly but need to use gimmicks to get computers to boot in under 10 seconds. For instance, certain computers will load a mini version of Windows Vista while the full version loads in the background. The mini version does not allow all processes to run – just web browing and email.