This Week on Tom's IT Pro: 6/29/12

This Week on Tom's IT Pro: Virtualization Certification, Xeon E5 Servers, IBM Analytics, Cloud Computing, Intel CPU Flaw, Enterprise Apps, Yammer, RedHat, MindSpeed, Oracle, OS Support Costs, Hacking Back, and more.

• VIDEO: Move Ahead With Server Virtualization Certification

Server virtualization is hot and it’s at the heart of data center convergence. Learn more about it and the top 5 training options.

• Microsoft Suggests Move to Win 7 Due to High XP Support Cost

IDC study lays out reason why businesses should switch to a newer operating system, such as Windows 7.

• The Hacked Now Hacking Back

Interest growing in retaliating against attacks by hackers, and not just building walls of protection.

• Only Two Windows Supercomputers in the Top500 List

Microsoft has been pushing HPC agenda for some time; most recently with Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

• HP's Moonshot Drops ARM, Goes With Intel Initially

HP to introduce Moonshot low-power servers with Intel's Centerton processors.

• Trio of Xeon E5 Server Systems Battle It Out

Comparison of new rackmount server systems from Intel, Supermicro and Tyan (MiTAC) based on Intel's Xeon E5-2600 Series CPUs.

• IBM Ties Real-Time Business Analytics Into Social Networks

IBM offering new predictive analytics software as part of its Smarter Analytics initiative.

• Where's the Cloud Headed? Think “Minority Report”

Pervasive personal processing will lead to a level of data and processing independence never before.

• US-CERT Warns of Intel CPU Flaw

Intel CPUs are vulnerable to a privilege escalation hack when running 64-bit operating systems.

• Gartner Forecasts Gloomy Enterprise Software Market

Analysts have little hope that market conditions for enterprise application software will improve anytime soon.

• Monitoring Cloud-Based Application Performance

You still have to manage performance when moving applications to the cloud.

• It's Yammer Time for Microsoft: $1.2B Deal Confirmed

Microsoft has agreed to purchase enterprise-based social network Yammer.

• Red Hat Intros JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6

New platform helps businesses take enterprise application development and deployment into the cloud.

• Mindspeed Launches ARM CPUs for Switches and Routers

Mindspeed, which builds processors for network equipment, has released a new version of its Comcerto SoC.

• Oracle's In the Cloud: So Are Threats to Its Business Model

Oracle has spent seven years retooling their code to make it work in the cloud.

• The Top Remote Access iPhone Apps for IT Pros

Free and paid iOS apps that can make it a lot easier to do your job when you're on the go.

• Don't Panic in Quest for IT Knowledge and Skills

IT training and certification expert advises a reader good in computer skills but limited in IT education.

• Low- Tech, No-Tech and Google Hacking

Simple tools and methods hackers use to get information, and how to protect your data from prying eyes.

James Alan Miller is Managing Editor of Tom's IT Pro. He is a veteran technology journalist with over seventeen years of experience creating and developing magazine and online content. Founding editor of numerous business and enterprise computing sites at the internet.com network, James headed up the After Hours section at PC Magazine, as well as hardware and software sections of various Windows publications.

See here for all Tom's IT Pro articles written by James.