Communications News articles from February 2005

Communications News archives from February 2005

Good advice.(Editor's Note)
February 1, 2005... How hard can it be? With all the buzz over voice-over-IP telephony (VoIP), throwing out the old phone system and its PBX challenges and installing VoIP sounds like a no-brainer, mused the CEO as he finished yet another conversation about...

Companies losing millions on telecom.(Trends)
February 1, 2005... For large enterprises, telecom billing errors can result in more than $8 million a year in lost profits. That's the word from a study conducted by the Aberdeen Group ("Category Spend Management"), which contends that "few enterprises have had...

Server Architectures--Multiprocessors, Clusters, Parallel Systems, Web Servers, Storage Solutions.(Publication)
February 1, 2005... Server Architectures-Multiprocessors, Clusters, Parallel Systems, Web Servers, Storage Solutions, by Rene Chevance, presents and compares various options regarding server architecture from the perspective of both an information technology...

Events.(Trends)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... Spring VON Conference e, Expo. March 7-10. San Jose. focuses on the convergence of the telecom and Internet industries. Topics include all IP communications, including how enterprises are deploying voice-over-packet technologies, www.von.com...

Pick and choose.(Trends)
February 1, 2005... Selective IT outsourcing is OK. Outsourcing entire IT operations is not. That is the message gleaned from recent IDC research on IT outsourcing trends, conducted for global communications services provider Equant. The research was conducted...

Police blotter.(Trends)
February 1, 2005... The software police are still looking. If your company still has unlicensed software on its computers, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) is apt to find you eventually. All it takes for your company to be assessed stiff fines is a disgruntled...

Feedback.(Trends)
February 1, 2005... In the December Trends article "Voice over IP on a Roll; I see several flaws. I am in the field and have tested VoIP both in LAN and WAN fields of operations. Current telephone on copper averages a reliability of five-9s (99.999%). Voice over...

The telephone: the new competitive business tool: how one business took advantage of voice-over-IP technology through a service provider's Web-based system.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... Jeff Shaddy, director of capital markets for Pacific Capital, a local commercial real estate finance company in Pleasanton, Calif., knows something about technology. In fact, his passion for high technology and its continuous stream of...

Application layer awareness is key: adding voice to converged infrastructure brings several challenges.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)
February 1, 2005... Communications is converging in the enterprise onto a hybrid network infrastructure. The result is a mix of technologies, vendors and security/management platforms, creating challenges for the new data/telecom/security group assigned to secure...

An IP telephony roadmap.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)
February 1, 2005... The drive to save money by converging voice and data networks in the mid-1990s fueled the voice-over-IP (VoIP) buzz. It also unintentionally sparked widespread uncertainty about the cost, dependability and complexity of deploying and...

Platform bridges communications gap: global company improves collaboration and efficiency with convergence solution.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)
February 1, 2005... Les Fondy, senior IT director for Ubisoft, understood the challenge. His employer needed a communications solution that would connect its sales force in 20 countries, as well as move the firm from its expensive and complex array of installed...

Five steps to reduce expenses.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)
February 1, 2005... Despite falling prices for telecom services, telecommunications still ranks as one of the top five corporate expenses. Organizations, however, can no longer rely on rate reduction negotiations te cut their telecom spending because service...

Just the right prescription: wireless phones are an integral part of hospital's all-digital network.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)
February 1, 2005... The Kansas Spine Hospital, located in Wichita, Kan.-specializing in neurosurgery, spinal surgery, pain management and radiology--is one of the first hospitals in the country to digitize patients' medical records, from prescriptions and clinical...

Buyers guide.(Special Focus: Voice Networks)(Directory)
February 1, 2005... The first portion of this Voice Networks Buyers Guide, the Product Guide, lists the various products in this category, and the companies that make those products. The second section, the Company Guide, provides phone and fax numbers, and Web...

Telephony procurement.(New products)
February 1, 2005... ICM e-Procurement is a solution set that helps customers obtain the most competitive prices for their communications equipment and services. By integrating e-procurement with the company's Intelligent Communications (ICM) model, users have...

Small business system.(New products)
February 1, 2005... BusinessPhone Compact is a prepackaged startup system for enterprises with between eight and 30 employees. As well as offering the full range of communications features, it includes a complete messaging solution, offering voice mail, automated...

Conference device management.(New products)
February 1, 2005... iVIEW NMS Version 2.1 delivers scalable, feature-rich, Web-based centralized management of videoconferencing networks, including Sony video endpoints. The solution enables an IT manager to manage an entire video network--from infrastructure to...

Remote NAT transversal.(New products)
February 1, 2005... For businesses connecting to home office workers and road warriors, Remote SIP Connectivity is an applications module for the company's line of SIP-enabled firewalls that enables far-flung users to leverage the benefits of SIP-based...

SIP-based communications.(New products)
February 1, 2005... The Convergence Applications Suite is a set of real-time communication applications run on a common Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard-based IP communications platform. The applications are designed to share common user information,...

Unified communications.(New products)
February 1, 2005... CallXpress 7.5 is a unified communications solution that provides employees with real-time access to the corporate voice and data infrastructure. A Centigram TUI emulation mimics the Centigram commands and eliminates the need for training the...

IP telephone sets.(New products)
February 1, 2005... Compatible with the company's Strata CTX and Strata CIX business communications systems, the IPT2010-SD and IPT2020-SD telephones deliver virtually all of the Strata CTX's functionality over IP. The IP telephones provide access to voice mail,...

New standard addresses needs: UL2024A provides a safety standard for the new generation of cable-routing systems.(Infrastructure)
February 1, 2005... As the use of fiber-optic cable has become more common, performance requirements for fiber-optic, cable-routing pathway systems have grown more sophisticated to meet the need for enhanced cable protection, economical installation and ease of...

CAT 6 and beyond.(Cabling and PoE Products)
February 1, 2005... Designed for both voice and data broadband applications, the Genesis CatLink 6 Plus cable has the capability to deliver 10 billion bits per second performance. It exceeds TIA/EIA current draft requirements for Category 6, having been tested to...

Redesigned SC connectors.(Cabling and PoE Products)
February 1, 2005... The enhanced-design Singlemode SC Connectors optimize performance on 1.6-mm to 2.0-mm cable. The 1.6-mm SC jumpers have been tested to Telcordia GR-326, issue 3; service life-part A, using standard match-cladding fiber. The new connectors also...

Reduce required splices.(Cabling and PoE Products)
February 1, 2005... VersaLite is a versatile indoor and outdoor plenum cable solution for campus environments. The flame-retardant cable meets stringent OFNP (plenum) rated requirements. By combining it with rugged jacketing materials, VersaLite can also be used...

PoE midspan.(Cabling and PoE Products)
February 1, 2005... The 3001 PoE Midspan is a one-port power hub that is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3af PoE standard. Designed for remote powering of wireless LAN access points and other low-port density deployments, the device eliminates the need for an...

PoE media converter.(Cabling and PoE Products)
February 1, 2005... The PSE-McBasic functions as a fiber-to-UTP media converter, as well as a power sourcing device, delivering both data and electric current to powered devices by using the twisted pair data cabling. The converter is a solution for both...

iSCSI arrays address storage needs: financial services firm's move from NAS provides virtualization technology and snapshot capabilities.(Storage)
February 1, 2005... A few years ago, Mesirow Financial in Chicago took an initial look at Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN) technology, only to characterize its alternatives as ranging from the outrageous to the ridiculous, in terms of cost of purchase,...

What are IP SANs?(Storage)
February 1, 2005... Internet protocol (IP) SAN technology can offer a simpler and less-expensive alternative to Fibre Channel-based solutions for IT organizations searching for a reliable SAN-based approach to enterprise backup and disaster recovery. IP SANs also...

Wireless connects public agencies: libraries, police departments and even mobile first responders provided with high-speed access.(Wireless)
February 1, 2005... Back in his days as a Force Recon Marine, Jim McCormick, the technology director for Caroline County in eastern Maryland, would never have guessed his "adapt, improvise, overcome" training would have such relevance to his civilian job. In a...

Analyzers aid VoIP-WLAN rollout: retransmissions, dropped packets among the problems associated with voice-over-wireless networks.(Internet/WAN)
February 1, 2005... Adoption of voice over IP (VoIP) over wireless local area networks (WLANs) in corporate and university environments is gaining momentum. Unlike data, however, VoIP is far less tolerant to momentary delays and errors common to WLANs, and such...

Firm taps into IP system.(Internet)
February 1, 2005... What course of action is left for a business that faces the possibility of being forced to shut down its headquarters for an entire week? Infinity Consulting Group. an IT services firm, pondered this question in the months preceding last fall's...

Prevent faults in your IP network: methodical predeployment testing can assure voice, data and video play well together.(Testing & Monitoring)
February 1, 2005... Discovering the lone router misconfiguration that was killing your new IP telephony service ought to amount to good news. Not so if the discovery comes as a result of a failed conference call with a key customer from one of your company's...

Secure PC control.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... NetOp Remote Control v7.65 allows administrators to reach any Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Sun Solaris, CE device or legacy OS/2 and DOS PC from their own desktop, Pocket PC, Internet browser or even a USB Flash drive. The software allows for...

PC remote control.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... NetSupportManager Version 9.0 is a PC remote-control software solution that includes new features to improve desktop management and support initiatives of IT professionals in corporations, educational organizations and government institutions....

Rackmount LCD.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... The RM-KB-LCD15 is a rackmount LCD, keyboard and integrated touchpad that features a dual-slide rack system to minimize the space used. The unit includes a 102-key PS/2 keyboard with integrated touchpad and a 15" LCD active matrix monitor that...

High-definition extension.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... The CAT5-5000 HD is a KVM extender capable of spanning distances up to 150 feet. The unit is capable of sending DVI digital video plus USB and optional digital audio signals over CAT 5 cables, offering an alternative to some of the costs...

Four-port KVM.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... The HP USB/PS2 KVM Switch is a four-port integrated keyboard, video monitor and mouse system for managing multiple USB and PS2 devices from a single console. Available in a compact rackmount or tabletop configuration, the switch supports...

CAT 5 extension.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... The Servis CAT5 Extender System allows a host system's KVM switch to be operated by a remote console with audio support at distances up to 200 m away. The modular system provides any size data center with the bandwidth needed to transmit...

Browser-less secure KVM.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... Global-Link provides secure transmission of high-resolution video, keyboard and mouse using TCP/IP. The solution utilizes zero-compression, browser-less, frame-differencing technology for remote, secure, interactive visualization, presentation...

Remote power management.(Remote management and connectivity)
February 1, 2005... SecureLinx SLP is a power-management system that gives system administrators 24/7 control over the power to their business-critical data center equipment from anywhere in the world. Available in both eight- and 16-port models, the SLP combines...

Simplify your distributed network: optimization products improve worker productivity for companies with multiple networks.(Guest Column)
February 1, 2005... IT managers in distributed organizations are facing two seemingly irreconcilable challenges. First, they must achieve cost savings, increase control over existing data and resources, and enhance network security-all by consolidating network...