Skyway West Recommended April 23rd to 29th

Each Monday we’ll pass on links to articles we thought were well worth reading from the previous week, kind of a Digg-lite for those who live where we do (British Columbia, Canada), work like we do (high speed business internet), and think like we do (internet trends, internet privacy, cutting-edge technology, etc.). If you don’t want to wait ’til Monday, we usually tweet and link to these as we come across them…

ARS Technica: The iPad as an IT professional’s tool

When I think about the iPad as a sysadmin’s tool, I don’t think about it in terms of can/can’t. Obviously, the iPad can be a sysadmin tool. Heck, I used Windows Mobile 6 phones as sysadmin tools. It wasn’t a lot of fun, but if you were really far from a laptop, tin cans with string, or a sharp stick and soft dirt, you could do it. Prior to getting my first iPad, I used my iPhone to some effect. The truth is you can use an iPhone (or really, any smartphone) as a sysadmin tool as long as you have a decent Web browser and few key apps. But it is not a particularly enjoyable experience. Read More…

IT World Canada: Tools to Check if Your WiFi Network is Secure (BTW: Highly Unlikely)

Attempting to “hack” into your own wireless network can help you spot potential Wi-Fi security vulnerabilities and figure out ways to protect against them. Here are some Wi-Fi hacking techniques and the tools — nearly all free — you can use for penetration testing. These tools will help you uncover rogue access points, weak Wi-Fi passwords, and spot other weaknesses and security holes before someone else does. Read more…

USA Today: Google Drive joins the battle of the cloud

Google Drive is finally in gear. The oft-rumored — and delayed — data-storage service made its debut April 24th, adding the biggest name to a high-tech scrum over consumers and small businesses. Read More…

USA Today: Comparing the big Cloud Storage Services

The cloud just got more crowded. The latest to join is Google and its data service Google Drive, which lets users store documents, photos and other content in the cloud. For example, users can create a file on their computers, then access it and make updates on smartphones or tablets. How does Google Drive compare with similar cloud-based services? Read More…