New data centres are more efficient than their predecessors, but they have to be reliable too. Peter Judge asks - what happens when the need for reliability clashes with the demand for efficiency?

Never mind security and cost. There's one question around cloud computing that could be a show-stopper, says Peter Judge. Do cloud services comply with regulations, and can you safely use them?

There's plenty of competition for VMware in making virtualised data centres, despite its strong lead. Is now the time to switch to Hyper-V or XenServer, asks Cameron Sturdevant?

You can't have it both ways, says Jim Rapoza. If Google expects users to pay for a service, then it can't call it a beta. Beta software is not ready for prime-time, by definition

ICT professionals tend to view globalisation as an inevitable and positive force for change. But, asks Simon Perry, what sort of a world does it get us involved in?

Companies need the freedom to get at their data, to choose hosted or in-house options and more. All this can be found amongst open source solutions - but  choose carefully, says Jason Brooks

The Web is a dangerous place, but if you try to keep your employees off it, you'll only make things worse, says Don Reisinger

There's a big buzz around the "new economy" of sustainable development. But is anyone actually sure that that means, asks Peter Judge:  Growth,  or no growth?

BT's poor results and shock redundancy plan have come about because of problems in its Global Services division, says Bathwick Group's Katy Ring. But there could be hope

Larry Ellison has committed Oracle to investing more in Sun's SPARC, apparently because he think servers are like iPhones. That's just silly, says Peter Judge