As if you didn’t have enough problems managing the software on the network; Google has just announced that a selection of its applications (Desktop Search, Picasa, Toolbar) will soon come free of charge on Lexar JumpDrive USB flash drives.
While for some home users, this might provide an attractive alternative to downloading these apps from the internet, the news is less likely to be welcome in corporate circles - where organizations are tending to run tighter ships when it comes to the software loaded onto PCs. Firewalls may already be configured to prevent the download of .exe or .zip files from the internet, but with software readily-available on USB flash drives, many organizations may find unwanted applications appearing on desktops across the network.
In separate news, Google has been pipped in the growth charts by Apple’s iTunes. With 30.8 million unique visitors in November 2005 - up from 19.6 million the same time in 2004 - iTunes experienced a 57% growth in traffic.
But with research from AOL suggesting that 51% of music downloads are illegal, it seems the legitimate side of online music is still in the minority. What many employers, however, fail to understand is that those organizations that turn a blind eye to downloading at work actually risk the wrath of the music companies themselves. There are signs that the recording industry may be showing less inclination to chase individual miscreants when it can get more money out of their employers.
