InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology

While there‘s some debate about the level of threat mobile ­devices pose, there ‘s no question that the threat is growing. With readily available information about the devices in use, and often few corporate safeguards in place, mobile devices are turning out to be a lucrative vector for attackers looking for an in to enterprise networks. In this Dark Reading report, we ­explain how the threat is growing, what attackers are targeting and why you need to be concerned.

Security is a big issue, especially for small and midsize businesses, and it often makes sense for resource-constrained SMBs to look outside their own IT ranks for support. In this Dark Reading report, we examine the types of outsourced services available and provide advice to SMBs about evaluating their own needs and readiness to establish ­partnerships with third-party security providers. We also recommend ways to leverage existing products and services so that security ­budgets can be more effectively allocated. 

Salaries are up slightly —1.6% for staff and 2.4% for managers — while job security appears strong and satisfaction ­levels are high, with 66% of staff and 73% of managers ­saying they’re satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs.

Our 2013 State of Database Technology Survey shows IT teams finally gaining leverage thanks to cloud, virtualization, open source.

Pressures on federal IT salaries keep building: 42% of IT managers and 35% of staff say their pay has been frozen because of the economy, our ­survey finds. Despite those findings, government IT workers are generally satisfied with their compensation, and 45% of federal IT staffers and 47% of managers say they’re very secure in their jobs. But uncertainty lies ahead.

State Of Database Technology: When it comes to database deals, customers -- not vendors -- now have the advantage. Find out the results of our new Database Technology Survey.

Security continues to be information technology's hottest necessary evil, but the pressures of doing more with less are starting to wear on professionals.

Salaries for healthcare IT may not match some lucrative sectors — just over half, 53%, of staffers will collect bonuses in 2013, and a mere 18% of managers say they’re very satisfied with their total compensation packages. However, the flip side is a high level of confidence in continued employment, with 91% ­saying they feel very or somewhat secure in their present jobs.

The good news: Use of virtualization is up; 91% of those ­interested in an integrated database platform are using, piloting or investigating Hadoop; and 16% are leveraging cloud for their primary databases. But pricing is still a sore point, and ­security advances are elusive.

Salaries for IT pros in higher education have been stuck in ­neutral for some time, rising just 1.4% for managers and remaining flat for staff this year. But workers get satisfaction from job perks such as flexibility and time off.