EMC unveils all-SSD array, one app to manage all flash

EMC today released its first, purpose-build, all-solid state drive (SSD) array that is based on its XtremIO acquisition last year, as well as new software that identifies server flash throughout a data center and allows it to be managed under one interface.

Additionally, EMC has released six new PCIe flash cards for use in data center servers.

XtremeIO all-SSD array

Referred to as "Project X" prior to its release today, EMC's all-SSD XtremIO Array is based on a clustered architecture, allowing multiple SSD modules to be added, increasing performance and capacity linearly, said Josh Goldstein, vice president of marketing and product management for EMC's XtremIO unit.

Unlike EMC's current all-flash appliances, which are filled with PCIe cards (i.e. Project Thunder), the new XtremIO Array uses serial ATA (SATA) SSDs, which come in a 2.5-in. hard-drive form factor. None of the hardware is proprietary, Goldstien said, allowing EMC to keep data center integration capabilities higher. The SATA SSDs, like SAS SSDs, are dual ported for resiliency.

Using random 4KB blocks, a single XtremIO Array node can achieve 250,000 read- and 100,000 write-IOPS, Goldstein said.

EMC's XtremIO all-SSD array

"We precondition the arrays before we recorded the performance numbers," Goldstein said. "We fill the array nearly to capacity with data to simulate a flash system that you're already overwriting with data. This is a much more stringent test the new arrays will undergo."

Along with high performance, the XtremIO array comes native with automated thin provisioning capabilities, which means volume sizes can automatically expand as an application may need. The thin provisioning is also granular in that volumes can expand in 4KB blocks to ensure thrifty use of flash capacity, Goldstein said.

The array comes with inline data deduplication, which means an algorithm checks to ensure data sets being stored to the array is not the same as content already there. "The only thing being written to flash on the XtremIO system are unique I/O blocks," Goldstein said.

For data protection, XtremIO has a proprietary algorithm that is similar to RAID 6 (capable of protecting data with up to two flash card failures), but with the performance of RAID 1, Goldstein said.

The XtremIO array is built on a scale-out architecture not dissimilar to EMC's Isilon scale-out NAS array.

The new arrays are being marketed for use with applications requiring extremely high levels of random I/O performance, such as such as OLTP databases, server virtualization and VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure).

The SSD array offers sub-millisecond latency, fully random transaction patterns with all data services enabled and operating while filled nearly to capacity.

EMC's all SSD-array announcement follows a similar one by NetApp last month. NetApp announced the EF540 all-flash array, also a purpose-build, all-SSD array.

New PCIe flash cards

Along with all the new product releases, EMC also announced it was changing all of its flash product names so that they would all come under the EMC Xtreme Family mantle. Accordingly, its VFCache PCIe flash card line for servers will now be called XtremSF cards.

EMC announced six new XtremSF cards that include four enterprise-class multi-level cell (eMLC)-based cards and two single-cell level (SLC) cards. All of the PCIe cards are in half-height, half-length form factors.

The eMLC cards come in capacities of 550GB, 700GB 1.4TB and 2.2TB. The SLC cards come in 350GB and 700GB capacities.

XtremSF server flash card

The new XtremSF server flash cards offer up to 1.13 million I/Os per second performance using 128KB blocks and deliver two times throughput of their predecessors with eight PCIe I/O lanes. Using 4KB and 8KB block sizes, the flash cards offer up to 200,000 and 120,000 IOPS, respectively, according to Barry Ader, an EMC senior director of product management.

XtremSF server flash card performance chart

The new flash cards also reduce server CPU utilization by as much as 50%, because the flash controller handles the flash management functions instead of the server chip.

"They are twice as fast as anything else in the marketplace," Adder said.

Flash management suite

Along with a new SSD array and PCIe flash cards, EMC announced that later this year it will be releasing new software that can discover NAND flash in a data center and bring it under a single management interface.

The XtremSW Suite works with either MLC or SLC-based flash, and can offer the ability to pool resources. The software suite will offer advanced data services for flash to be used as memory and DAS, Ader said.

The software will also allow the flash cards to be used in conjunction with a storage area network (SAN) to boost performance.

Mark Peters, an analyst with research firm ESG, said it is the software that sets EMC's announcement apart from other NAND flash-based hardware, such as NetApp's all-SSD array or server flash cards from FusionIO. Vendors regularly leapfrog each other with the performance of their storage systems, he said.

"Much as there is a lot of brand loyalty in enterprise storage, the game will ultimately be won and lost on software, not hardware, which is why the two most critical parts of this announcement in my view .... [is] the XtremIO Software Suite ... and the fact that XtremIO is essentially a software platform and does not demand proprietary hardware," Peters said.

Steve Duplessie, founder and lead analyst at ESG, agreed, saying that users need to think about a portfolio-approach to flash -- in the server, in the array, or as an all-flash array -- using intelligent software to leverage those assets.

"EMC has had this philosophy since it first entered the flash game, and hasn't wavered," Duplessie said.

XtremSF 550GB and 2.2TB eMLC capacities are available globally, and the 700GB and 1.4TB capacities will be available in the second quarter of 2013. EMC said it will extend the XtremSF family with even higher capacity offerings in the future.

EMC offered no pricing on any of its products.

Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at @lucasmearian or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed. His e-mail address is lmearian@computerworld.com.

See more by Lucas Mearian on Computerworld.com.

Read more about storage hardware in Computerworld's Storage Hardware Topic Center.

SAP pins future hopes on growth of Ariba business network

After 12 successive quarters of double-digit growth at SAP, co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe is now pinning his future hopes on the company's recently acquired Ariba e-commerce network.

Recent growth has been fueled by SAP's HANA in-memory platform, the company's fastest-growing product ever, Snabe said, adding that the entire Business One suite can now run on HANA, not just its analytics functions.

But although HANA has specialized hardware requirements, SAP will not move into hardware sales: That will be left to partners, working to detailed specifications from SAP, he said in a news conference at the Cebit trade show on Tuesday.

Following the successful deployment of in-memory applications, the company is now turning its attention outward, Snabe said.

"We have 41 years' experience of optimizing within companies," he said. "Now the next phase is optimizing relations between companies. We can do that with Ariba."

He cited a study by McKinsey in early 2011 that found networked companies 50 percent more likely to have increased sales, higher profit margins, and market share growth.

"Ariba is our response to this trend," he said, adding that the Ariba network links one million trading partners in 190 countries. "Imagine the power of combining this network with the installed base of SAP."

As Ariba is integrated into all SAP products, customers "will only have to decide whether they want this benefit," he said.

Network members spend around US$450 billion in-network annually, according to SAP, which takes a slice of that spending as the network enabler. In the third quarter of 2012, the last before SAP closed its acquisition of the company, Ariba reported network transaction revenue of $47.3 million and subscription revenue of $95.3 million.

In return for those fees, customers are able to reduce transaction costs by automating many elements of the purchasing process, doing away with fax and email and eliminating the rekeying of data.

Snabe cited the example of Caterpillar, for which the SAP network accounts for 98 percent of spending. In the seven years it has been in the network, it has seen purchasing costs fall 70 percent, he said.

In addition, he said, "On the buyer side, we see a 1 percent to 8 percent reduction in total spend, and better discounts."

On the seller side, benefits include increased revenue, lower processing costs, and up to 70 percent faster payments. "That means better liquidity," he said.

He announced a new Ariba customer, Fleurop, a partner network for 7,000 German florists. They are seeing average savings in administrative costs of ¬35 ($45) per flower arrangement ordered in-network, he said.

Snabe reaffirmed the company's decision, made in 2010, not to sell its own hardware.

"Customers want choice. They aren't interested in being locked up in a stack with no choice, and suffering price pressure as a result," he said.

He acknowledged that company did recently offer a HANA-optimized, SAP-branded server through its website, but said most servers for HANA will be provided by SAP partners.

"We don't want to be a hardware company," he said. "We think it's better to specify the hardware requirements for HANA in sufficient detail that you can be sure it will work."

In addition to talk of strategy, Snabe mentioned improvements to SAP's Customer OnDemand offering for marketing and sales staff. This has been extended with a new home page, offline capabilities for the related iPad app, and the addition of a self-service portal with telephony integration and a link to social commerce company Bazaarvoice.com for customers of SAP's customers.

Cebit, at the fairgrounds in Hanover, Germany, runs through Saturday.

Peter Sayer covers open source software, European intellectual property legislation and general technology breaking news for IDG News Service. Send comments and news tips to Peter atpeter_sayer@idg.com.

After SlideRocket, will VMware sell other enterprise collaboration products?

VMware, the virtualization specialist that has recently built up an enterprise collaboration software stack through acquisitions, has sold off one of those companies, but at least two analysts say it's unlikely VMware will retreat from that market.

SlideRocket, whose cloud application is designed to let users post and share slide presentations, has been sold to ClearSlide, which makes cloud-based software for managing sales professionals' interactions with customers, ClearSlide announced on Tuesday. VMware had indicated in its latest earnings call in late January that it intended to sell SlideRocket as part of an effort to refocus its product lineup.

VMware bought SlideRocket two years ago, as part of its strategy to compete in enterprise collaboration, which also involved acquiring email and collaboration software vendor Zimbra and enterprise social-networking provider Socialcast, as well as developing a cloud file-sharing product now called Horizon Suite.

Asked whether the SlideRocket divestiture means VMware will distance itself from the enterprise collaboration market, a spokesman reiterated VMware's intention to focus on three areas: data center software, hybrid cloud and end user computing.

"For all other related products including Zimbra and Socialcast, we remain committed to our customers' success and to continuing the same level of service and support that they are accustomed to receiving," the spokesman said via email.

Gartner analyst Chris Wolf doesn't see VMware discarding other enterprise collaboration software like Socialcast and Horizon.

"Collaboration is a key component of VMware's Horizon strategy. Horizon's long term vision is to allow users to seamlessly work and collaborate across Windows, Web, and mobile applications," he said via email.

Zimbra, meanwhile, plays a core role in VMware's move up the stack to the application layer, according to Gartner analyst Matt Cain. As long as VMware continues to make "applications part of their strategy, we believe Zimbra will be a part of that effort," Cain said via email.

For its part, ClearSlide has big plans for SlideRocket, which has more than 1 million users and will be integrated with ClearSlide's software.

With SlideRocket, ClearSlide plans to give its customers -- primarily sales professionals -- a tool to create highly interactive presentations that contain not only text and images but also video, audio, analytics and rich media, the company said.

Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at@JuanCPerezIDG.

Strangest Apple Store robbery yet: Thieves attack with bear spray

Vancouver police are investigating a brazen robbery at an Apple Store Monday night in which three male suspects allegedly sprayed 40 people with a chemical mix designed to ward off bears as they swiped an undetermined amount of Apple laptops, iPads and iPods.

According to the National Post in Canada, police are still looking for the suspects, who fled by car and dumped some of the items they swiped before doing so. A handful of the people hit at the Oakridge Mall with the cayenne pepper-based spray were treated by paramedics, according to the National Post.

[ LOOK BACK: The ugly, scary year in Apple iPhone, iPad thefts ]

Theft of Apple devices has become a serious concern for device owners and law enforcement. An armed robbery of an Apple Store in Paris on New Year's Eve involved more than $1 million in stolen goods. 

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in December pointed to thefts of iPhones and iPads as being the main reason crime numbers have inched up in the Big Apple.

2012 was marked by a wide variety of ugly Apple product thefts, including at stores, on the streets and at airports. There was even a report of thief stealing an iPhone from a baby. 

Bob Brown tracks network research in his Alpha Doggs blog and Facebook page, as well on Twitter and Google +.

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

IDC: Windows 8 a factor in lower 2012 PC sales

The final numbers are in showing that PC makers shipped fewer machines last year than in 2011, andWindows 8 is among several factors being blamed by IDC for the decline, which is expected to continue this year.

Looking back IDC found that in 2012 total worldwide shipments of PCs was down 3.7%, including desktop and portable PCs.

[ IN PHOTOS: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer said what?

TEST YOURSELF: The Windows 8 quiz

NAVIGATE: 12 essential Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts ]

The trend was worse in mature markets -- the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Japan -- with a dip of 4%. Emerging markets -- Asia/Pacific, Latin America the Middle East and Africa -- were down 1.4%.

Limited interest in Windows 8 led last year to a dismal fourth quarter, IDC says in its latest Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Volume dropped 8.3% in Q4 2012 compared to Q4 2011, wiping out a potential bump during the normally robust holiday sales quarter, IDC says. That's the largest drop ever recorded for a holiday season.

IDC described the reception of Windows 8, which launched in October, as "underwhelming." Also contributing to the slow fourth quarter were tight IT budgets and a continuing poor world economy.

Hurting the potential lift that Windows 8 might have provided was the lack of components for touchscreen devices -- the type of machine Windows 8 was designed to work best on. That makes the touchscreen devices that are available seem expensive compared to non-touch devices, IDC says.

Still, Windows 8 could help PC sales rebound somewhat late this year, says Rajani Singh, a research analyst at IDC. "IDC expects the second half of 2013 to regain some marginal momentum partly as a rubber band effect from 2012, and largely thanks to the outcome of industry restructuring, better channel involvement, and potentially greater acceptance of Windows 8," he says. But it still won't be enough to register growth; IDC projects worldwide PC sales in 2013 to drop another 1.3%.

The end of support for Windows XP should force more PC upgrades later this year as well, which could help bolster shipments later in 2013, Singh says.

The study doesn't include tablets because they aren't the functional equivalents of PCs, but their popularity among consumers helps siphon off dollars that otherwise might be spent on PCs, says Loren Loverde, vice president for Worldwide PC Trackers at IDC. "Growth in emerging regions has slowed considerably, and we continue to see constrained PC demand as buyers favor other devices for their mobility and convenience features," Loverde says.

Long-term shipments of PCs shows better but still modest growth, the report says, projecting a 9% increase between 2012 and the end of 2017.

Tim Greene covers Microsoft for Network World and writes the Mostly Microsoft blog. Reach him at tgreene@nww.com and follow him on Twitter @Tim_Greene.

Read more about software in Network World's Software section.

Java security woes to stay with businesses for a long time

Zero-day vulnerabilities, delays in receiving patches and continuous cyberattacks are enough to make any large company want to toss the buggy Java plug-in from browsers. But that seemingly simple solution is not possible for the majority of businesses, which still use the platform for running Web-based Java applications, experts say.

Businesses were reminded of Java's problems on Monday, when Oracle released an emergency patch to fix two flaws in Java 7 and Java 6, including one hole that security experts warned last week was already being exploited by cybercriminals. Oracle acknowledged knowing about the more serious flaw since Feb. 1, but was unable to get a patch out sooner.

On the same day, a Polish security firm notified Oracle of five more vulnerabilities in the latest version of Java. Those flaws would be difficult to exploit, since they would have to be linked together to bypass Java's anti-exploit sandbox technology.

Nevertheless, Java has become a key target for criminals and a major headache for corporations. The fact that the technology is cross-platform has made matters worse, because malware can be written to infect Windows, Mac or Linux desktops and notebooks.

"Java has certainly moved to the forefront for many enterprises as far as patching and vulnerabilities are concerned," Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer for Qualys, said on Tuesday.

The reason businesses cannot remove the distressing Java from browsers is because many organizations run Web-based internal business applications that require the technology.

[Also see: Oracle speeds up Java patching cycle]

"Disabling Java in browsers would break access to these applications," said Chenxi Wang, an analyst for Forrester Research. "For that reason, not many have gotten rid of Java in their environment, despite the fact that Java has been the target of mass market malware exploits for years."

In addition, the technology IT administrators use for enforcing corporate policies does not include disabling or enabling Java for specific people in an organization. "This lack of enterprise controls is causing major heartburn for IT teams," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle.

Besides not having an easy off-switch, some organizations are just plain slow at upgrading Java plug-ins. "Some have only just added it to their patching regimes,"said Glenn Chisholm, chief security officer of Cylance.

Many companies are starting to tackle the Java problem. Some are looking at application virtualization to provide Java in a browser for a single session, which is then destroyed and recreated when needed again, Chisholm said.

Security vendors are also providing help. Kandek recommends setting up whitelisting within Internet Explorer, so only pre-approved applications can run. Dan Guido, a consultant with iSec Partners, hasposted an hour-long YouTube video that shows how to automatically switch between Chrome for browsing the public Internet and IE for accessing internal applications.

Such creativity is the direction organizations will need to go to avoid a Java-caused security breach. "Java is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving for attackers," Storms said.

Read more about application security in CSOonline's Application Security section.

Sen. Durbin plans to press for H-1B restrictions

WASHINGTON - The comprehensive immigration proposal being fashioned in the U.S. Senate may give new opportunity for H-1B critics to try to impose new restrictions on the visa. Then again, it may not.

The situation is murky.

The Senators who developed the chamber's latest comprehensive immigration effort outlined their framework at a press conference Monday, but offered few details about how their plan would actually work or what will be included in their bill.

A leading critic of the H-1B visa, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill), one of the eight senators drafting the comprehensive plan, said he didn't know whether the H-1B visa will be included in the bill.

Durbin, along with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), have sought a number of restrictions on temporary worker visas.

The pair has offered bills in previous Congressional sessions that include a so-called 50/50 provision that would limit the number of visas available to a company to half of its workforce. Indian outsourcing firms are especially concerned about a 50/50-like provision in an immigration bill.

Durbin, meeting with reporters in a hallway after the press conference, said that if the H-1B visa is taken up as part of comprehensive reform, "I would certainly want to sit down with Chuck and offer this (Durbin and Grassley's previous bill) as an amendment because I think what we're doing there is reasonable."

Durbin said that he and Grassley want provisions that would "give Americans the first chance for the job."

The debate over the H-1B and STEM green card is embroiled in details.

Questions about prevailing wage levels, preference for U.S. workers in hiring, and limits on the number of any H-1B visas a company may use as well as the overall cap number would be critical issues in any immigration bill.

"We are only a part of the way done -- there are loads of pitfalls," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), at the press conference, of the comprehensive effort.

Schumer, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and some of the other senators speaking today said little about how their efforts at reform could impact technology companies.

The framework released Monday explicitly calls for green cards for advanced degree graduates of U.S. universities, but doesn't mention the H-1B visa at all.

Sen. Marco Rubio, who is part of the Schumer-led bipartisan group on immigration reform, is one of the senators behind an effort to raise the H-1B cap to a minimum of 115,000. Under an escalator clause,the cap could reach 300,000.

Rubio was asked at the press conference how his tech immigration proposal squares with the comprehensive effort.

Rubio's yet-to-be introduced bill includes a green card STEM visa plan similar to what the comprehensive framework calls for.

"Let's be clear this is outline of principals," said Rubio, the details yet to be crafted. "The principals quite frankly are very similar if not the same," in the comprehensive framework to the bill he is part of.

Patrick Thibodeau covers SaaS and enterprise applications, outsourcing, government IT policies, data centers and IT workforce issues for Computerworld. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @DCgov, or subscribe to Patrick's RSS feed . His e-mail address is pthibodeau@computerworld.com.

Read more about gov't legislation/regulation in Computerworld's Gov't Legislation/Regulation Topic Center.

VMware to cut 900 jobs in 'realignment' as growth slows

VMware said Monday it will cut 900 jobs in a move to focus more on high potential businesses, as profits remained strong but growth slowed.

The company said the job cuts, revealed as part of its earnings release for last year, will come in areas such as SlideRocket, its online presentation software. VMware emphasized that it was still expanding, and said it planned to add a net 1,000 jobs in 2013.

CEO Pat Gelsinger called the move a "realignment of resources" on an earnings call. VMware has added about 6,700 workers over the last three years, and will focus on software-defined data centers and hybrid cloud services, he said.

"This includes shifting talent to new roles that support our growth opportunities as well as some targeted head count reductions," he said.

VMware currently has about 13,800 workers.

The company said it had a strong fourth quarter, booking a net profit of US$206 million, up from $200 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 22 percent to $1.29 billion.

VMware, which claims its software is used by all of the Fortune 100 companies and 96 percent of the Fortune 1000, added the business environment in the U.S. has been difficult, and it faced a decline in contracts from the federal government in 2012.

The company faces increasing challenges from companies like Microsoft, which is moving into virtualization as part of the current shift toward "cloud-based" computing. VMware will also come up against allies like Cisco as it moves into software-defined networking through moves like the acquisition of Nicira.

For 2012, the company booked a net profit of $746 million, up 3 percent from the previous year, even as revenue rose 22 percent. In the current year, VMware said it targets a revenue increase of between 14 and 16 percent.

Gelsinger said the company would continue to pursue mergers and acquisitions, as well as strategic alliances.

VMware plans to exit some businesses and close some of its facilities as part of its realignment. Total costs of those moves are expected to cost the company up to $110 million

In 2012, VMware acquired Nicira, a startup working to simplify the creation of virtual networks and services that operate separately from physical hardware. VMware paid a total of $1.2 billion in the deal, announced in July.

Earlier this month, VMware lost its longtime Chief Technology Officer Steve Herrod, who left to become a managing director at the venture capital firm General Catalyst. Herrod joined VMware in December 2001, shortly after the company released its first product.

New Office suite for consumers available now

Microsoft will begin selling worldwide on Tuesday the new consumer version of the Office suite, making it available both via a subscription model and perpetual licenses.

Consumers have historically bought Office in the traditional way, which allows them to pay for the suite once and keep it forever, but Microsoft has made it clear it is partial to the subscription model, where licenses are renewed annually.

"We think the cloud is the future," said Oliver Roll, general manager of communications for the Microsoft Office Division.

The subscription version, called Office 365 Home Premium, will cost US$99.99 per household annually. The software is downloaded -- and later regularly updated -- from a Microsoft data center. The license lets the buyer install the suite on up to five Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs or tablets, and Mac OS computers. Multiple people in the household can use the suite, each with his or her own account.

The perpetual license version, called Office Home & Student 2013, can be installed on only one Windows or Mac OS computer. It costs $139.99. By comparison, Office Home & Student 2010 costs $149.99 for one household, and includes the right to install the software on up to three PCs.

Both Office Home & Student 2013 and Office 365 Home Premium come with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

However, Office 365 Home Premium includes other goodies, like 20GB of online storage in SkyDrive, 60 Skype world calling minutes per month, Publisher, Access and Outlook. Office Home Premium is available in 162 markets and 21 languages.

Microsoft is also announcing the availability of Office 365 University, which is for university students, faculty and staffers, and can be installed on up to two Windows or Mac OS computers for a $79.99 four-year subscription. It includes the same features and components as Office 365 Home Premium.

With the subscription model, Microsoft is moving away from the historical three-year release cycle of Office, and focusing instead on updating the suite regularly and pushing the changes down to users via the Internet.

"This is the new generation of Office, where it is a service first," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said back in July, when the company released the public beta of this new Office suite.

However, it should be noted that with Office 365 Home Premium most of the software still resides locally on users' machines. In that sense, it's not like its competitor Google Apps, whose applications are hosted on Google data centers and accessed by end users via browsers.

Microsoft does have a scaled-down version of Office that is web-hosted and accessed via browsers called Office Web Apps. Access to it is included as part of Office 365 Home Premium because it is part of SkyDrive.

Office Home & Student 2013 and Office 365 Home Premium have been redesigned to work best with the new tile-based Windows 8 interface, which is optimized for touch screens like those found in tablets but can also be used with keyboards and mice. Along the way, Microsoft has earned applause from analysts and reviewers for simplifying the suite's user interface, which in the past has been criticized for being cluttered and confusing.

Many improvements in the applications themselves have also been well received, including a "read mode" in Word designed to enhance the reading experience, and a PDF "reflow" capability for opening and editing PDF files. Excel's user experience has been made more friendly, and more powerful data analysis tools have been added.

Although Office 365 Home Premium isn't fully cloud-hosted nor browser-based, it is tightly integrated with SkyDrive, so that users are able to save files online. The suite also lets users save their settings and preferences to the cloud and synchronize them across different computers. There is also a feature called Office on Demand that lets users stream a full version of Office on the fly to PCs they don't own for use during one-time sessions.

Microsoft's Roll had no news to share regarding the possibility of a full Office version for iOS devices. He reiterated that Microsoft has developed individual SharePoint, SkyDrive, OneNote and Lync iOS applications, and that Office Web Apps can be accessed via any browser, including Safari on iPads.

Microsoft plans to begin selling the business editions of the new Office at the end of February, and will have full details then about those products.

It previously announced that Office 365 Small Business Premium will cost $149.99 per employee per year, for up to 25 employees. Each employee will be able to install the suite on up to five Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs and tablets, and Mac OS computers. Office 365 Small Business Premium includes all the applications in Office 365 Home Premium plus Lync Online and InfoPath, as well as Exchange Online -- shared calendars, 25GB mailboxes with virus and spam protection -- and SharePoint Online, which includes 10GB of cloud storage overall plus 500MB per user and tools to create websites.

Meanwhile, the perpetually-licensed Office Home & Business 2013 and Office Professional 2013, will cost $219.99 and $399.99, respectively. They include the same applications as Home & Student 2013 but they add Outlook, and Office Professional 2013 also includes Publisher and Access.

The company hasn't offered new pricing information for the new Office 365 suites for large companies. Like Office 365 Small Business Premium, the new Office 365 suites for enterprises will be based on the new 2013 versions of Exchange, Lync and SharePoint. The existing Office 365 suites for SMBs and enterprises are based on the 2010 versions of those products. Some existing Office 365 suites also offer the option of buying a full-featured Office 2010 suite via a subscription.

Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at@JuanCPerezIDG.

RSA: How to steal encryption keys off hardware chips and smart cards

According to Cryptography Research technical director of hardware security solutions Pankaj Rohatgi, researchers will demonstrate "leaky crypto" associated the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) approved under the National Security Agency (NSA) Suite B program. NSA Suite B has been approved for use in top-secret communications in defenseapplications, he noted.

"It doesn't matter what manufacturer it is, any circuitry leaks information if you observe emissions out of the circuitry," says Rohatgi on the topic of "leaky crypto."

In what he calls a proof-of-concept demonstration, in a matter of a few minutes or less, the Cryptography Research team will show how to grab the symmetric key using electromagnetic-probe techniques that will involve a direct connection to the FPGA.

Once the key is seized, the system is compromised. "What we're saying is, if you want to be resistant to these attacks, you need to know how to protect against them," Rohatgi says.

In a separate RSA session, the security firm will discuss protections based on research done to find countermeasures. This "side-channel testing" was done jointly with another firm, Riscure. Some of thismaterial has been shared already with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Test suites are being made public so that people can use them and the public is invited to contribute to improve them.

In one crypto-leaking demo that's planned, the target will be smart cards doing elliptic-curve cryptography. Smart cards are often used today for identification, and if you can extract the key, you can potentially commit fraud, Rohatgi pointed out.

Companies themselves can test for the kinds of side-channel attacks Cryptography Research will be identifying in leaky crypto, and much of the main defense really boils down to one thing: better math. "It boils down to doing the math differently," says Rohatgi, saying there are subtle tricks such as introducing noise into the side channel so that even if the information leaks, it doesn't have value to an attacker.

Ellen Messmer is senior editor at Network World, an IDG publication and website, where she covers news and technology trends related to information security. Twitter: MessmerE. E-mail: emessmer@nww.com.

Read more about wide area network in Network World's Wide Area Network section.

Sony to sell US headquarters, will make $685 million

Sony will sell its U.S. headquarters to raise US$685 million in cash, parting ways with an iconic New York building it has occupied for 20 years.

The Japanese electronics manufacturer, which has sworn to return to profitability after a record loss last year, said it will move out of the Sony Tower within the next three years. The sale is part of a global restructuring that also includes cutting thousands of jobs worldwide and shuttering factories at home.

The sale price for the property is $1.1 billion, and Sony will book its profits from the deal in its earnings for the current fiscal year.

Sony's U.S. headquarters, with its swanky Madison Avenue address in New York City and distinctive ornamental crown, is a famous part of the city skyline. The company also uses the building to boost its brand image, offering free admission to a four-story technology museum called the Sony Wonder Technology Lab.

The company first leased the property from AT&T in 1992 and spent millions upgrading, then bought it outright in 2002. At the time, Sony was trying to expand its business and reputation beyond electronics, acquiring the record and film companies that currently make up its entertainment holdings.

In a press release, Sony said the sale was made as part of "a range of initiatives to strengthen its financial foundation and business competitiveness and for future growth."

The building will be sold to a group of buyers led by commercial property management company The Chetrit Group. The deal is expected to close on March 15, and Sony said it will evaluate how profits from the sale affect its profit forecast for the fiscal year, which ends the same month.

Sony has forecast a net profit of ¥20 billion yen ($220 million) this year, which would be its first full year without a loss since the period through March 2008.

Chat platform Line hits 100 million users, adding 3 million per week

Line, the messaging platform that is now ubiquitous in Japan, has hit 100 million users worldwide in 19 months.

The platform, which is mainly accessed through smartphone apps, has over doubled its user base since June, when it had about 45 million people using it.

Over 80 percent of Line users log on at least monthly, and it is currently adding 3 million users a week, said NHN, the company that operates the service. The platform launched in June of 2011 and is trying to expand aggressively, using tie-ups with famous figures like rapper Snoop Dogg and Korean pop star Psy.

Line is chiefly a group chat platform with apps for phones and computers. It allows users to send "stickers," large colorful icons, as messages, offering many for free but selling some designs through iTunes and Google Play.

The app has become a standard way to trade contact details and keep in touch for the younger generation in Japan, where it has about 42 million users. It is generally seen as easier to use across different devices and platforms than other chat services, and less intrusive than full-fledged social network services.

In Japan, a number of local firms have launched similar services to try to compete. These include comm from mobile game firm DeNA, and a new chat service to be launched by game platform operator Gree.

Like other similar apps, Line uploads phone book data on handsets when it is installed (giving users an opt-out), which has helped fuel its growth.

The platform also allows for Internet calls and has upgrades that allow users to share pictures, greeting cards and play online games. NHN has also moved to expand it from a chat service to more of a social network, announcing in July it will give users their own home screens and timelines.

NHN is based in South Korea, where it operates the popular online search portal Naver.

India's Wipro benefits from recovery in offshoring

Wipro's fourth-quarter IT services revenue grew 4.8 percent year on year, reflecting an overall recovery in offshoring to India.

The Indian outsourcer said Friday revenue from IT services in the quarter was US$1.58 billion, as its customers "leverage technology to drive revenues and productivity."

The company has forecast that revenue from IT services could reach $1.6 billion in the current quarter.

IT services accounted for 78 percent of the total revenue of the company, which also has other businesses such as in consumer care and lighting.

Revenue growth in the IT services business was higher in rupees at 13 percent year on year, because of the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the dollar.

The IT Services business had 142,905 employees, after an increase of 2,336 staff in the quarter. It added 50 new customers in the quarter.

Wipro decided in November to move its non-IT businesses out of the company to give it a higher focus on IT services. The plan is expected to come into effect from its next fiscal year, starting April 1.

The company's Indian competitors, including Tata Consultancy Services, the largest outsourcer in the country, and Infosys, the second-largest, have also reported good results in the wake of an improved outlook for offshore outsourcers.

Revenue at TCS increased by 14 percent year on year to nearly $3 billion, while net profit of $652 million was up 14.8 percent from a year earlier.

The offshore market for outsourced services is expected to grow by 12 to 15 percent this year, as more customers are expected to increase IT spending, said Sudin Apte, principal analyst and CEO of Offshore Insights.

Wipro's overall revenue grew in rupees by 10 percent, while net profit grew 18 percent. The company does not break out net profit for its IT services business.

John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com

How to Use Your iPhone to Make Free Calls Via Facebook

iPhone users in the U.S. and Canada can now use Facebook's Messenger app to place free calls to Facebook friends.

While Facebook doesn't charge you to use the new feature, it does eat up megabytes from your data plan unless you're connected to WiFi. The social network started testing this feature over WiFi and cellular data for Messenger users in Canada earlier this month. It's not currently available for Android or BlackBerry users.

To use the feature, both you and the friend you want to call must have the Facebook Messenger for iPhone app installed.

To place a call, open the Messenger app and search for a friend. Tap the Info button in the top-right of your friend's conversation page to bring up the screen shown at left. If your friend is using the Messenger app, the "Free Call" button will appear in bold; if not, it will be greyed out.

To place a call, simply tap the "Free Call" button. If your friend's phone is locked, he or she will receive a push notification alerting them of your incoming call. Once they unlock their phone, they can tap to answer the call. Your friend's phone will not ring as if it were receiving typical call.

I tested the VoIP calling feature with a friend and it worked surprisingly well. While my phone was connected to Wi-Fi, my friend's was not, and the quality of the call was excellent--even better than normal cellular calls I receive when I'm at home.

Receiving a free call from Facebook Messenger on the iPhone

Facebook's voice calling feature may not be practical for everyone--I could find only one friend who uses Facebook Messenger with whom I could test the feature, and if you're not expecting a call, it's easy to miss the push notification.

Despite those limitations, Facebook Messenger for iPhone could have some practical applications: You're likely Facebook friends with those you call most often, and if staying within your monthly minutes allotment is difficult, this feature can free some up.

Also, if you don't have a landline at home, Facebook's calling feature could be a good backup. And if, like me, you don't have great mobile service at home, this feature might be a good solution.

Have you used this free calling feature? Let me know in the comment section below.

Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking, social business and enterprise collaboration for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com