Security: Reconnex is out with a new Insider Threat Index, and Zero Day author Bob Garza takes a look. "Don't mean to depress you on a Monday, but it's all bad news. Is your company vulnerable?" he writes. Garza also podcasts his interview with the company.

App dev: Oracle looks to take on Eclipse with its new, free version of JDeveloper, a Java development tool; the database giant is also shipping an upgraded edition of its application server with a rules engine and an ESB. Due in beta later this month, the next version of Java, codenamed Mustang, will carry Web 2.0 functionality by expanding support for scripting languages.

Storage: Symantec moves ahead with a database appliance. Dubbed 'Big Brother,' the box is armed with software to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance. The company is still considering whether or not to sell the appliance's monitoring technology as a software product, an executive says.

The news beat: Microsoft has a new head of its MSN unit, but analysts still see the future as fuzzy -- particularly as to how the portal will fit into Microsoft's broader strategy as it builds out its Live brand of services. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security completes a cyber exercise, simulating an attack on an electric utility. And VeriSign introduces a new service that aims to reduce identity theft.

Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 13, 2006 04:56 AM