Communications News articles from February 2009

Communications News archives from February 2009

Cabling's sentinel.(Viewpoint essay)
February 1, 2009... The cabling infrastructure industry might be considered the "canary in the coal mine" as it relates to the overall health of the IT market. Data center cabling, enclosures, raceways, media converters and such are the underpinnings of all IT...

More WLAN.(SHORT TAKES)(Survey)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... A research survey conducted by AirMagnet found more than 92 percent of those polled plan to extend their wireless LAN deployments in 2009 despite the current state of the economy. Of those organizations expanding their networks, 15 percent wilt...

Readers' choice: top articles of 2008.(Best of 2008)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to reader response, these are the top articles published in Communications News in 2008: 1 February cover story: When Do You Take the Plunge? How one university implemented an automated...

The new security threat.(Security)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Substantial growth in user-generated content has opened new opportunities for Internet security threats, according to a report by Commtouch. The report is based on the automated analysis of billions of e-mail messages and Web sites at...

Systems management a priority.(Business Process)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Unlike other IT initiatives slated for elimination this year, spending in systems management and data centers is expected to increase in 2009, according to ASG software solutions, a provider of business systems-management (BSM) software. ...

Events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... Wireless & Mobile Summit, Feb. 23-25, Chicago, presents advice, best practices, how-to insight and objective analysis to help enterprises keep up with wireless and mobility technologies. www.gartner.com CIO Impacts Forum 2009, Feb. 25, Los...

Networking, Second Edition.(PUBLICATIONS)
February 1, 2009... Networking, Second Edition, by Jeffrey S. Beasley, provides a look at computer networking and advanced concepts in Ethernet networks, router configuration, TCP/IP networks, security, optical networks and VoIP. www.pearsonhighered.com

Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager Part 2 (CIPT2).(PUBLICATIONS)
February 1, 2009... Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager Part 2 (CIPT2), is a self-paced learning tool that provides the knowledge needed to install and configure a Cisco Unified Communications Manager solution. www.ciscopress.com

Chained Exploits: Advanced Hacking Attacks.(PUBLICATIONS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Chained Exploits: Advanced Hacking Attacks, by Andrew Whitaker, Keatron Evans and Jack Voth, offers insight and detailed information on today's "chained" attacks, how they work and how to counter them. www.informit.com

IP address management is key: an IPAM solution can buttress a disciplined network management approach.(IP Connections)(internet protocol)
February 1, 2009... Effective management of the IP network requires a set of disciplined processes and tools to plan, deploy and manage converged IP services. A key component among this set of tools and processes is IP address management (IPAM), which is employed...

Green LEEDs to gold: HSBC's expansive new IP network combines data, voice-over-IP, wireless, facilities-security and videoconferencing capabilities.(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)(internet protocol)(Cover story)
February 1, 2009... When HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Co.) consolidated its North American corporate headquarters into a new 560,000-square-foot facility in Mettawa, Ill., a bedroom community of Chicago, management had two top-of-mind issues-longterm...

Credit union cashes in on UC: centralized call center features help improve member service and ensure calls are answered quickly.(Conferencing)(unified communications system)
February 1, 2009... Employees at Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU) understand that handling every call smoothly and effectively every day is vital to WSECU's success as a member-owned financial cooperative. Across its 19 statewide branches, WSECU...

Campus connects 'face to face': hosted videoconferencing system brings experts to the classroom and the boardroom.(Conferencing)(The Lyles Center at California State University)
February 1, 2009... The Lyles Center at California State University-Fresno often taps into the breadth and depth of business and entrepreneurial experts and faculty across the university system to bring meaningful, real-life experiences into the classroom or into...

SIP-to-cellular gateway.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... MultiVOIP GSM MVPGSM-2 lets users route voice calls between cellular GSM and SIP-based VoIP networks. A backup connection to remote VoIP sites is also provided in case of external Internet failure. There are two ports for communicating over a...

Smart phone.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(BlackBerry Curve 8900)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a thin, light-weight smart phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. Features include a 2.4", 480 x 360-pixel, light-sensing display; 3.2-MP camera with auto focus, digital zoom, flash, image...

Softphone plug in.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(CounterPath Solutions)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Bria for Microsoft Outlook integrates softphone technology into Microsoft Outlook, providing all-in-one access to VoIP and personal information manager services. Appearing as part of Outlook's toolbar, the solution has a non-intrusive VoIP...

Contact center solution.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... OpenScape Contact Center facilitates the deployment of virtualized contact center capabilities, while leveraging existing investments and skill sets. Hosted as a secure multitenant platform on one enterprise server or managed services server,...

Hosted PBX service an option.(Conferencing)(private branch exchange )
February 1, 2009... In many small businesses today, the choice for callers is to talk to a general answering machine or to leave a name and number with someone else at the company. Voice mail is not included, because often the private branch exchange (PBX) phone...

Touch-based smart phone.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(Palm)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Palm Pre touchscreen handset has a 3.1", 320 x 480-pixel display. The phone includes a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, and can be flipped n its side for accelerometer-sensed widescreen browsing. Features include EV-DO Rev. A, 802.11b/g...

Unified communications monitor.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In addition to supporting voice and video quality metrics in Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 environments, NetQoS Unified Communications Monitor 2.0 supports diagnostics and reporting for Cisco IP telephony environments. The...

Tips for a UC plan.(TELEPHONY PRODUCTS)(Verizon Business)(unified communications)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... For many organizations, the challenge of migrating to enterprise-wide UC can be daunting. Verizon Business offers the following tips when planning a UC deployment: Invest in advanced IP networks. Networks should be equipped to accommodate...

Unified fabrics reduce power use: InfiniBand enables high-speed data transfers and is suitable for virtualization.(Power Management)
February 1, 2009... With the growing demand for greater computing and storage capacity in the data center, one of the most important and challenging problems IT faces is how to address escalating power requirements. To address the power challenge, data center...

Wallmount cabinet.(INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS)(ACCESSPLUS II Type 1)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Able to handle network equipment weighing from 250 pounds to 500 pounds, the ACCESSPLUS II Type 1 wallmount cabinet meets UL, CSA, NEMA and IEC industry standards. Latch-free sides permit flush-mount installations in tight spaces and corners....

Networking/security gateways.(INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS)(SRX 5600 and 5800)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In addition to offering firewall services, the Juniper Networks SRX 5600 and 5800 dynamic services gateways deliver key services, such as an intrusion-prevention system, distributed denial-of-service protection, network address translation,...

Computer room cooling.(INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS)(Liebert CW)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Available in upflow and downflow configurations, the Liebert CW chilled water-based computer room air conditioner (CRAC) delivers precision cooling and humidity control matched to the needs of the data center equipment. Cooling capacities are...

Strain-relief bushings.(INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS)(RDD Pigtail Lockit)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Available in 6/6 nylon, RDD Pigtail Lockit Strain Relief Bushings absorb forces of pull, push, twist and flex to securely anchor, insulate and protect cables at panel entry points. Easily installed with fingertip...

Test for our future speeds.(Power Management)
February 1, 2009... The low cost and high performance of Gigabit Ethernet, or 1,000 Mbps, has caused the copper structured-cabling market to now only recognize Category 5e and higher cabling, which is the minimum necessary to support Gigabit Ethernet speeds. More...

Maximize virtualization ROI: lens maker sees savings with consolidation solution.(return on investment)
February 1, 2009... Based on previous experience, Steve Baxter, director of regional IT for Americas for CooperVision, knew that elements of virtualization within select development and production environments could be the answer to address the rapid growth of the...

Endpoint virtualization rising.
February 1, 2009... In a typical organization, managing the use of a vast array of different endpoint devices can cause IT administrator headaches and cost the organization real dollars-not only in the resources expended by the IT team trying to solve...

Layer 4-7 traffic testing.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... With Spirent Avalanche/290, IT managers can characterize the network prior to deployment to ensure it meets security, capacity, performance and end-user quality-of-experience demands. The portable load-testing solution simulates up to 250,000...

Application performance.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(Observer 13)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Observer 13 provides complete network visibility and the tools to identify, investigate and resolve problems. Troubleshooting can be done in real-time or retrospectively to reduce mean time to resolution and increase network performance....

Network-monitoring service.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... To help maximize network efficiency, availability and uptime, Brocade Network Monitoring Service (NMS) provides end-to-end 24/7 monitoring, alerting and reporting about the health and status of data center resources. To help manage growing,...

Visible fault locator.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(Gao Tek)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The hand-held GAO 811 visible red laser diode fault locator finds faults in fiber jumpers, patch panels, enclosures, connectors and couplers. Suitable for use in optical network installation and maintenance, the device makes fault location...

Application monitor.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(AVIcode)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... AVIcode Advisor delivers a high-level view of application behavior and health status, including an overall application quality assessment, and actionable intelligence to help optimize the application environment and prioritize troubleshooting...

Optical time-domain reflectometer.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(The Noyes M650 OTDR )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Noyes M650 OTDR is a compact, QUAD OTDR with an integrated visual fault locator (VFL, 650 nm), optical power meter, and a large transflective touch screen display, suitable for both indoor and outdoor operation. With short dead zone and...

Remote network monitoring.(Testing & Monitoring Products)(Tiger Access Managed Services Platform)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Tiger Access Managed Services Platform, a family of integrated hardware and software solutions, enables IT administrators to remotely and securely monitor and manage networks through a Web browser. The platform can support comprehensive...

Optimize network performance: today's management and monitoring tools can help prevent costly downtime.(Network Performance)
February 1, 2009... The character of an enterprise network, as well as the sophistication of available network-analysis tools, has changed radically since the first use of Ethernet. Today, companies use the Internet for disseminating information and for...

The virtual contact center.(Network Performance)
February 1, 2009... The pressure to provide 24/7 access to customer service, across multiple languages and time zones, has created contact center hot spots in regions such as India, the Philippines, the Caribbean and South America. At the same time, the need to...

Docking station.(General Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Voyager Quad Interface SATA I/II Hard Drive Docking Station turns any 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I/II hard drive up to 2.0 TB into a fully bootable and hot-swappable external drive solution. Enabling read/write data speeds of...

PoE media converter.(General Products)(Power-over-Ethernet)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... To provide power to network devices over an existing CAT 5 data connection, the Gigabit Ethernet Power-over-Ethernet (POE) media converter is capable of handling speeds up to Gigabit Ethernet and can be located more than 100 meters from the...

Disaster-recovery software.(General Products)(Sonasoft)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... SQL Server Data Protection and Disaster Recovery includes configurable predefined templates for backup, replication and recovery. With the ability to add new databases to pre-existing plans automatically, the software can protect databases...

Workload management.(General Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... PlateSpin Workload Management includes four applications that enable users to profile, migrate, protect and manage server workloads between physical and virtual infrastructures in heterogeneous IT environments. In addition to 32- and 64-bit...

Mobile call center management.(General Products)(Smoothstone IP Communications)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The mobile version of Intelligent Call Control Suite allows administrators using Apple's iPhone 3G and iPod touch to control their corporate call centers from anywhere, anytime. iPhone users can manage call queues across multiple locations in...

Online backup service.(General Products)(Decho Corp)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Tailored for businesses using Macintosh desktops, notebooks and servers, MozyPro for Mac offers automatic and secure online backup of critical business information to protect against hard drive failure, computer loss/theft and natural...

Network-management SaaS.(General Products)(Taro Software)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Accessible from any Web browser, IsItUp 6.42 helps companies monitor the status of their networks. Functionality covers critical applications and infrastructure, and alerts can be relayed via pager, e-mail or execution of user-defined programs....

NAS server.(General Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The two-drive DS209+ SATA NAS server, with up to 3 TB capacity, can be configured for RAID 0/1 and is capable of reading at 42+ Mbps and writing at 36+ Mbps. Features include a gigabit LAN port, external storage expansion via an eSATA port, two...

Database virtualization.(General Products)(Xeround Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Providing real-time, scalable database virtualization, Xeround Intelligent Data Grid 2.8 unifies data across multiple networks and businesses. Self-healing architecture ensures continuity of service, while SQL and transaction support allow...

Wireless perimeter protection.(General Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... To limit data eavesdropping, "parking lot attacks" and offline analysis, RF Barrier uses IEEE 802.11 WLAN technology to block RF signals from the corporate network as they exit the building, without disrupting internal operation. Delivering...

Flash drive security service.(General Products)(IronKey)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... IronKey Silver Bullet Service enables enterprise security administrators to remotely manage IronKey secure flash drives over the Internet. The service provides a variety of options that prevent access to data on the device when it is lost,...

Network IP camera.(General Products)(Lorex Technology)(LNE30O3)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Connected to a router or active wall port on the local network, Easy Connect Network IP Camera LNE30O3 lets users remotely monitor sites through a secure, password-protected connection. Automatic detection enables the camera to be running in...

Energy-efficient servers.(General Products)(iX-Earth iX-1282 and iX-2216)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] iX-Earth iX-1282 and iX-2216 servers are powered by dual Intel 64-bit Xeon quad- or dual-core processors with 1,600/1,333/1,066 MHz FSB. Model iX-1282 offers up to eight cores, 64-GB max low-voltage RAM, and eight...

Software-based IP PBX.(General Products)(3CX)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Featuring a user-friendly management console, version 7.0 of 3CX Phone System for Windows enables users to configure their own extensions with call-handling rules based on caller ID and time of call. Able to handle 50,000+ calls per day, the...

Rugged wireless keyboard.(General Products)(iKey DW-860)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Housed in a polycarbonate case, the NEMA 4X-rated DW-860 rugged wireless keyboard has a built-in battery compartment with a sealed cap for access to three AA batteries. An integrated HulaPoint II joystick-like...

Airflow management.(General Products)(Simplex Isolation Systems)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... AirBlock data center curtains are designed to offer enhanced cooling efficiency and savings in energy costs. Vinyl curtains and clear partitions are built to separate cold air aisles from warm air aisles, directing cool air where it is needed...

Network behavior recording.(General Products)(VE Network Catcher v4.6)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Capable of agentless remote recording through a Web browser, VE Network Catcher v4.6 records network behavior from any remote endpoint back to the data center or any other location, and automatically communicates behavior recording back to the...

Are green phones the answer? Discarded devices can leak lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic substances into the soil and water supply.(GreenTech)
February 1, 2009... Cellular phones are one of the most pervasive modern technologies in the world, with more than four billion cell phone subscribers worldwide, according to a recent study by the International Telecommunications Union. One billion handsets...