Microsoft Getting Into Health Care Software?

Microsoft has purchased a health care software company named Azyxxi. The program was developed by a group of doctors involved with Medstar Health, a conglomerate of hospitals and other health care related companies in the Baltimore-Washington area. The purchase includes hiring 2 of the 3 doctors that designed the program and about 40 members of the development team.

The Azyxxi software retrieves and quickly displays patient information from many resources, including scanned images, EKGs, XRays, MRIs, etc. It is currently used in only a hand full of hospitals.

There is a lot of hype going around about how this purchase puts Microsoft in the applications business instead of the traditional infrastructure business like operating systems and databases that it currently associated with. I disagree. The Azyxxi software IS an infrastructure program. It simply ties data provided by other applications together. This will help the health care industry. One of the biggest issues in automating the health care industry is the incompatibility of data generated by a wide range of applications. I see Microsoft's interest in eliminating this barrier at a infrastructure level and not at a traditional application level.

If Microsoft can accomplish this goal it will not only greatly benefit health care in general but also keep the cash flowing in in the future. It will be interesting to watch.

Internet Explorer 7 Will Be a "Critical Update"

Microsoft will release Internet Explorer 7 later this year if all goes as planned. They have decided to distribute IE 7 via Windows Updates as a Critical Update. This means that if you have Windows Updates set to automatic you will have IE 7 installed automatically. Their reasoning is that there are so many security related fixes and enhancements in IE 7 that it fits into the Critical Update category.

Is this good or bad? Well, obviously being more secure is a very good thing. But, IE 7 is quite a bit different. Although I really like IE 7's features (Tabs and RSS are my favorites), it is visibly different. You will need to play around with the new design a bit to get used to it. For a lot of users change can be difficult. I suspect that everyone will be just fine, after some interesting words and faces. And yes, some web pages may not work correctly so be aware.

If you are a Microsoft Enterprise Client, Microsoft has a tool that will temporarily disable the download so you can do your testing. Of course you are already testing with the beta release aren't you? Remember, we do not suggest that you run any beta software on production workstations. Beta software can and will cause problems.

Is Zune the iPod Killer?

Microsoft confirmed this week that rumors of an iPod like device will be coming from them are true. Zune is the brand name for a family of media devices that they will introduce. The rumors are that the first pieces of the family will be available in October or November. The first hardware devices will include a hard disk based media player which will support wifi wireless.

This is the typical Microsoft path. Let someone else innovate, see if the market is there, see where things can be made better, introduce their own products, watch the innovators struggle. Although I'm not sure that Apple will be an easy target. The iPod is like the Mac, the users are extremely loyal and will not change platforms. The vendors that are vulnerable are the Creative Labs, iRivers, and other vendors that produce "me too" portable media players.

As with all of these technologies, the winner will be determined by who has the best products and services. And is the best at a little thing called customer support.

Here's some more info on Zune. Get ready for a laugh!

Don't Let A Software Vendor Compromise Your Security

I've spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks working with various software vendors both on site and remotely. These vendors were in various stages of trying to install software on several of our Clients networks. I have to say that it amazes me that the skill level of some of these technicians is terrible. And their understanding of network security is non-existent.

Most of these people probably know their software very well (I would hope). But many of them know nothing about the servers or networks they are trying to install on. This can be very serious for the stability of your network as well as the security level. Most of these vendors think nothing of asking for the administrative password or asking me to open up folders to "Everyone". Many have installed software that has caused network related issues. (Ooops, sorry!)

For our Clients, watch those software vendors! They may not be as smart as you or they think they are. They can compromise the security of your data and/or cause harm to your network. Don't give them free reign.

For you software vendors, security is not something you should be compromising. Make your software works correctly, and train your installers better. Getting your software up and running at all costs is simply not acceptable.

Verizon Pulling The Plug On In-Flight Phones

Verizon has decided to discontinue its in-flight phone service on commercial airlines. I can understand why. How many people have you ever seen use them? The cost was ridiculous! Actually they probably see the writing on the wall. In-flight cell phone usage is getting close to being approved and several airlines are testing WiFi Internet service which will allow not only browsing but VoIP service as well. By 2010 Verizon expects to have the phones removed on all the airlines.

In the meantime Carnival Cruise Lines is beginning to offer cell phone service on one of their ships. You can use any cell phone anywhere the ship goes. Very cool. But what will this do to my vacation? They expect to offer it on all their ships eventually.