Space Agency signs managed network contract

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with telecoms provider Interoute for the provision of a fully managed network service, reports Computing.co.uk.

The service will use Interoute's multi-protocol label switched (MPLS) WAN to connect ESA sites across Europe and Canada that store data from ESA's earth observation (EO) satellites.

ESA's head of EO Ground Segment Strategy Management Office, Eugenia Forcada-Arregui, says: "We need an efficient and secure, large bandwidth network to archive and distribute data from both current and future EO satellite missions."

The US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke urged China on Sunday to remain open to US and other foreign technology as it ramps up investment in clean energy to fight global warming and secure its economy, states CNET News.

"China, given the incredible challenges that is has, should in my view be taking the best technology from wherever - whether it's China, the US, Europe, Japan, or anywhere else," Locke said at the start of a trade mission to open doors for US clean-energy firms.

The US and a number of other countries have concerns about China's local innovation policies, which could restrict foreign participation in Chinese clean energy projects.

One of the Internet's most resilient and crimeware-friendly networks was knocked offline on Friday, after the plug was pulled on its upstream service provider, writes The Register.

Russia-based Proxiez-Net lost its connection to the Internet at about 3am California time, according to Zeus Tracker, a Web site that monitors the status of ISPs used to control PCs infected by the notorious Zeus crimeware package. Before it was disconnected, the 'bulletproof' provider hosted 13 known Zeus command and control channels, making it the most Zeus-friendly ISP, Zeus Tracker statistics show.

Zeus Tracker leaders don't yet know the reason for the outage, but one of them said Proxiez-Net's upstream provider, Digernet, has also had its Internet connection severed.

In the wake of Apple's release of the iPad, many firms are modifying their tablet plans, says SF Gate.

On stage at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas in January, Samsung executive Doug Albregts showed off the Korean electronics giant's new e-book reader. It had a 10-inch display, a slide-out control pad, and could download books from Barnes & Noble. Users would be able to make notes and doodle on the virtual page.

"Our goal at Samsung, whenever we enter a new arena, is not simply to join the conversation, but to transform and lead in a new direction," Albregts told the audience.