Communications News articles from July 2005

Communications News archives from July 2005

Wi-Fi for all?(Editor's Note)
July 1, 2005... Is wireless Internet access the next public utility? Are public Wi-Fi spaces a public necessity, like water and sewer service? Should tax-payer dollars be used to help support municipal Wi-Fi networks that could be, and usually are offered by...

Faster Macs.(SHORT TAKES)(NetVault from BakBone Software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... When the Las Vegas Review Journal upgraded its Macintosh environment, it also wanted to leverage the greater functionality of Mac OS X, streamline the administration of Apple's Xserve line of server hardware and bolster overall backup-and...

A Hallmark VPN.(SHORT TAKES)
July 1, 2005... Hallmark Canada has deployed the Juniper Networks NetScreen firewall/virtual private network (VPN) and intrusion detection-and-prevention (IDP) solution to secure the company's network infrastructure and connect remote sites and workers to the...

Buyers, vendors not on same page.(Trends)
July 1, 2005... There is a perceptual gap between enterprise decision makers and IT solution providers in a number of critical technology areas, according to a report from consulting firm THINKstrategies. Enterprise decision-makers say that IT solution...

Events.(calendar)(computer networking)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... BICSI Fall Conference, Aug. 22-Aug. 25, Nashville, offers educational courses for IT professionals, and an exhibition featuring cabling and infrastructure products for the enterprise, www.bicsi.org VoiceCon, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, San Diego,...

Wireless research.(SHORT TAKES)
July 1, 2005... Broadband wireless products from Proxim Corp. are providing the wireless network foundation for a research project at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., to determine the impact of high-definition content delivery on education and home life....

Schools stop viruses.(SHORT TAKES)
July 1, 2005... Parma City Schools in Ohio has chosen the Vexira Antivirus solution from Central Command to protect the school district against the latest viruses, spyware and other threats. According to Mike Hartenstein, executive director at Parma City...

E-Rate assists schools.(Trends)
July 1, 2005... Much has been expected of the E-Rate program, created as a result of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ensure that schools and librarie have affordable access to advanced telecommunications services. For many, however, reality has not met...

ComNet returns.(Trends)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ComNet is back. The former enterprise-oriented conference, which saw its fortunes diminish the past few years before the 2005 event was cancelled, has resurfaced as ComNet Summit. Rescheduled for Nov. 28-30 in Washington, the resurrected event...

Investing in 10-gige.(SHORT TAKES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... When Calamos Asset Management Investment Co. of Naperville, III., moves into its new offices this summer, the company's data center will include 10Gigabit Ethernet network connections to servers and desktops throughout the new building....

Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation, Second Edition, by John Vacca, provides an overview of computer crime.(PUBLICATIONS)
July 1, 2005... Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation, Second Edition, by John Vacca, provides an overview of computer crime, including forensics from information security issues, seizure of data, date recovery, and a CD-ROM with demos of the...

Definitive MPLS Network Designs, starts with a technology refresher for each technology involved in MPLS networks.(PUBLICATIONS)
July 1, 2005... Definitive MPLS Network Designs, starts with a technology refresher for each technology involved in MPLS networks, including VPNs, TE, QoS, multicast, pseudowires, network recovery and IPv6. It then provides a series of design studies showing...

Wireless in transition.(Trends)
July 1, 2005... Enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) networks are at a crossroads, according to a recent In-Stat report, shifting away from the deployment of so-called "fat" access points (AP) toward a more centralized management approach. The newer enterprise WLAN...

Security strong.(Trends)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Worldwide network security appliance and software revenue was up 5% between the last quarter of 2004 and the first quarter of 2005, and is forecast to grow 27% to $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2006, according to Infonetics. Total annual...

Foundation 4 success: real estate firm leverages IP telephony to escalate growth and manage resources.(Company Profile)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... Located in Northern Virginia, one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, Samson Realty continues to experience a level of growth that would have most executives' heads spinning, according to David Ridley, managing broker of the...

Siemon exceeds one million 10G-ready copper ports world-wide.
July 1, 2005... Launched in January 2003, Siemon's 10G ip[TM] structured cabling system was the first telecommunications cabling solution guaranteed to support operation of the pending IEEE 802.3an 10GBASE-T application. Today, more than 1,000,000 Siemon...

Coordinated effort: firm's new data center and headquarters network benefits from suppliers' involvement and assistance.(Outsourced Services)
July 1, 2005... When GMAC Insurance accelerated its St. Louis, Mo., headquarters move from May 2005 to October 2004, network communications manager Wayne Goede found himself in a race against the clock. His challenge: to design and build a new network...

IT drives quality services: CIO, service provider focus on data, internal customers in network management overhaul.(Outsourced Services)
July 1, 2005... When Al Porco arrived as chief information officer in June 2003 for Kings County Hospital Center (KCHC), located in the center of Brooklyn, "There was an opportunity for IT to become a primary driver in elevating the quality of health care...

Manage servers with IPMI: most rack-optimized servers and blades include some form of a built-in server processor technology like IPMI.(Remote Management)
July 1, 2005... For decades, the challenge for network and IT managers has been to deliver high service levels at the lowest possible cost. Since IT and networking hardware can fail, one way to reduce costs and improve performance is to provide a way to...

Big deployments, better solutions: legacy wireless LAN solutions may not provide adequate coverage for today's network users.(Wireless)
July 1, 2005... Many organizations are looking at extensive wireless LAN (WLAN) deployments throughout their facilities. Most WLAN vendors, however, offer access points (APs) and controllers based on hardware technology that has not changed significantly since...

The myths of VoIP deployments: there are a number of common pitfalls to avoid to help assure the success of your project.(Voice Networks)
July 1, 2005... While voice-over-IP (VoIP) technologies can bring significant benefits to an organization, all deployments carry risk. IT managers should understand the three most common myths of enterprise VoIP deployments, as well as what to expect during a...

Bank tries hybrid IP approach: analog phones working in concert with an IP network boost internal efficiency and customer service levels.(Voice Networks)
July 1, 2005... An aging phone system, company growth, the addition of new offices/branches, and a desire to boost customer service while keeping an eye on the bottom line meant only one thing for Resource Bank: a new communications system was in order. ...

Advanced IP PBX.(Voice Products)(Private branch exchanges)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Cypreon IP PBX, version 2.1, includes support for a mouse/keyboard/touch screendriven attendant application, active call and name/number primary rate interface (PRI) display, off-premise dialing, silent call monitoring, and automatic route...

Hosted PBX service.(Private branch exchanges)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Packet8 Virtual Office VoIP-hosted PBX service includes three new optional calling features-Virtual Extensions, Metered Extensions and Toll Free Local Number Portability. The Virtual Extension feature allows businesses to customize any...

Unified communications.(Voice Products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... CallXpress 7.7 provides remote access to unified communications and collaborative applications through laptops, cell phones, PDAs and BlackBerrys. The new version is enhanced with easy-to-use telephone user interface options, increased unified...

Distributed call support.(Voice Products)
July 1, 2005... ShoreTel5 Release 2 includes foreign-language editions supporting the international offices of global enterprises and expanded legacy integration for easier VoIP migration. A distributed architecture extends the power of the new features to...

WLAN handsets.(Voice Products)
July 1, 2005... The optiPoint WL2 professional family of 802.11 WLAN telephones is deployable and manageable from any wireless data and voice network. Built as a native 802.11g device and compatible with legacy 802.11b systems, the handsets are session...

Why fiber links fail: dirty connections and poor polishing can be identified with cable testing tools.(Cabling Infrastructure)
July 1, 2005... Most information transport systems contain fiber links that are critical to total network performance. The cost of a failed fiber link, as measured in network downtime, is enormous. Ensuring that top-quality cabling is properly maintained...

Enforce the 'no smoking' policy: limited-combustible fiber-optic cables resist the spread of fire and smoke: limited-combustible cables such as the one above do not ignite as easily or burn independently under the same fire conditions that a plenum cable will ignite and propagate flames.(Cabling Infrastructure)
July 1, 2005... The advent of client-server computing in the early 1980s and the development of the LAN to support the rapid increase in the use of personal computers since then has drastically increased the amount of installed communication cabling. As a...

Compact directional antenna.(Cabling Infrastructure Products)
July 1, 2005... The MD24-12 sub-compact outdoor directional antenna features a small package that offers both a low profile and low wind loading. The 2.4 GHz high-gain antenna is rugged and weatherproof, using UV-resistant ABS plastic construction, and is...

Angled patch panels.(Cabling Infrastructure Products)
July 1, 2005... The Uniprise Angled Panels (UNP500 and UNP600) are for use in telecommunications rooms, equipment rooms and data centers. The panels are designed for quick and repeatable configuration of Category 5e and Category 6 circuits. The panel backs...

Optical cable testing.(Cabling Infrastructure Products)
July 1, 2005... The OptiVisor 400 Optical Time Domain Reflectometer provides full OTDR testing in a rugged, portable unit. It provides testing flexibility with field-interchangeable multimode, single-mode and combination modules, which can be easily switched...

Network addressable power control.(Cabling Infrastructure Products)
July 1, 2005... The IPC36xx Series of intelligent power controllers is a standalone network appliance that does not require an expensive master controller. The unit provides individual on/off control of eight outlets. Power is controlled remotely via Ethernet...

EMI shielded connections.(Cabling Infrastructure Products)
July 1, 2005... The Swivel EMI Adapters allow for a full 70 degrees of cable re-orientation that turn a standard panel-mount adapter into a multipositional swivel for flexible cable grooming. Available in LC duplex, SC simplex or MPO simplex, the adapters...

Event analysis and reporting.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... Simplify event-log review, filtering and auditing with Event Analyst. Not merely an event-log entry viewer, the tool is for rapidly filtering through logs, examining logs and providing a report of log activity. Administrators can examine...

Password management.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... Version 1.4 of the Password Auto Repository (PAR) provides individual accountability, dual control and a strong audit trail for the changing and release of shared administrative IDs, such as "root" on UNIX and "administrator" on Windows....

Hosted security.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... The Gateway 4.0 service replaces traditional firewall and IDS monitoring services with a network-based service that eliminates the need for future capital expenditures and integration costs. A suite of more than 50 pre-integrated security...

Client device management.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... The LiveState Client Management Suite is a comprehensive configuration and lifecycle-management solution for client devices in highly distributed, heterogeneous enterprise environments. The suite enables IT administrators to gain control of the...

DNS and DHCP appliance.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... DNSone Version 3 is an appliance-based solution that provides nonstop domain name system (DNS) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) services for enterprises. The module provides features that improve security, integration, reporting...

Active intrusion protection.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... The NitroSecurity IPS product family consists of the NS-IPS-150, NS-IPS-300, NS-IPS-600, and the NS-IPS-1200. The systems are designed to identify and neutralize internal, as well as external, attacks in real time, with 150-Mbps to 1.2-Gbps...

Filtering appliance.(Product Spotlight: Network Security)
July 1, 2005... The R3000IR combines the power of the company's R3000 filtering appliance with the advanced reporting capabilities of 8e6's Enterprise Reporter on a single hardware platform. The minitower product is designed for organizations up to...

Trust the chip advantage: software-enhanced trusted PC platform solves many of today's security challenges.(Guest Column)
July 1, 2005... New advances in PC hardware and software dramatically increase IT security and address some of the most common computer security challenges facing enterprise and government IT managers today. A better kind of PC, called a "trusted personal...