Microsoft’s goal of getting governments across the globe to embrace its Office Open XML format has hit roadblocks in both the United States and abroad. In the United States, legislation was introduced in Texas and Minnesota the week of Feb. 5 to mandate the adoption of open document formats that will essentially preserve all documents in an open, XML-based file format that is interoperable among diverse internal and external platforms and applications.

Roughly two months after the initial launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft software development leader Ben Fathi said his company is pleased with the security, performance and feedback it has received regarding its newest operating system. Seated in a quiet briefing room removed from the pressing mass of humanity coursing through ongoing RSA Conference 2007 being held Feb. 5-10, Fathi, corporate vice president of development of Microsoft’s Windows Core Operating System Division, appears at ease, and even happy discussing the topic of Vista security.

Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002. Experts said the unusually powerful attacks lasted for hours but passed largely unnoticed by most computer users, a testament to the resiliency of the Internet.

Though Microsoft has made leaps in security over the years, even more challenges lie ahead as additional devices go online, company executives said Tuesday. Only last week, Microsoft released Windows Vista and Office 2007, promoted as the most secure versions of the operating system and productivity products yet. And it has been nearly five years since company chairman Bill Gates sent out his "Trustworthy Computing" memo, which said the software maker was turning its focus to security. But that doesn’t mean Microsoft products are now watertight, said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at the company.

Stock in Dell was rising Monday on news that founder Michael Dell plans to remain as CEO for several years, trim the number of managers reporting directly to him and eliminate bonuses. Dell pointed to several problems with the company, including an overgrown bureaucracy and operating expenses that had grown too fast.

Read this OutlookPower article.

Germany’s High Court has handed down a landmark decision banning police from installing spyware on computers of suspected criminals without their knowledge. The decision, announced Monday, is a blow to the plans of German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble to give the Federal Criminal Police Office greater power to monitor terrorists and other criminals online, and peek inside their computers. Two other federal judges had differed over whether police should be able to hack into the computers of suspected criminals and install spyware. In February, one judge approved police hacking. But another barred the practice in November, resulting in an appeal by federal prosecutors.

Efforts to make the net less risky for children are being marked by the fourth Internet Safety Day on 6 February. Events are being held in 31 nations and a blogathon will record activities held as far apart as Australia and Canada. One UK event sees the launch of a training scheme to give those working with children experience of the risks associated with net use.

Security tools that work with Windows Vista have failed tests to see if they can detect viruses circulating online. Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare security tool was one of four products that failed independent tests carried out by the Virus Bulletin. The security testing group found that Live OneCare missed far more active viruses than any other program tested.

HP introduced several new hardware and software products Feb. 5 intended to augment virtualization capabilities and improve security in its overall storage lineup. Announced at the HP Asia Pacific StorageWorks Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the offerings include enhancements to the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array, the first embedded switch from Cisco for HP BladeSystem, a new NAS (network-attached storage) gateway and advanced encryption for HP Data Protector Software.