Communications News articles from March 2003

Communications News archives from March 2003

Phone (un)etiquette. (Editor's Note).(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... First, let me say that my Father is one of the most courteous people you will ever meet. As children, my brothers and I were taught "Yes, sir," "No, sir," and other forms of respect daily. My Father is almost never discourteous intentionally....

Enterprises continue network upgrades. (Trends).(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2003... Prevailing wisdom says that the market for voice and data networking products is moribund, at best, or even non-existent. While the flow of "customer win" reports is slower than two years ago, announcements of new installations for a variety of...

A necessary evolution: new standards ease personal and business transitions to unified communications. (Guest Column).(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2003... In the early 1990s, adoption of e-mail communication-first internally, then externally-grew with increased Internet usage. Use of voice mail and fax messages also continued to grow. Amalgamating the three message types was first attempted by...

Look doc, no wires: hospital CEO Curtis James selects a wireless network as a no-headache remedy for physician care. (Cover Story).
March 1, 2003... Complying with federal mandates to provide accurate and secure electronic patient information should not be an issue for the oldest hospital in Birmingham, Ala. Since the early 1990s, St. Vincent's Hospital has focused extensively on...

Which wireless infrastructure? Applications, architecture, security and growth affect ROI possibilities. (Special focus: wireless).
March 1, 2003... The ideal wireless networking infrastructure is shaped by the growing demands of your business. When considering the co-adoption strategies of Wi-Fi wireless-IEEE 802.11 b, 802.11g and 802.1 la-four considerations should be made to generate the...

Buyers guide. (Special focus: wireless).(Enterprise Wireless Buyers Guide, the Product Guide)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2003... The first portion of this Enterprise Wireless Buyers Guide, the Product Guide, lists the various products this category, and the companies that make those products. The second section, the Company provides phone and fax numbers, and Web...

Rugged wireless phones. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Eliminating the need for a separate two-way radio system and less expensive than cellular, the EP-436 cordless phone system can be used as a stand-alone PBX, or behind a wired PBX to offer wireless mobility. The system provides three times more...

Wireless repeater. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Extend the wireless network range up to 50% further with the AirPlus DWL-900AP+ 802.11 b bridging wireless access point. The device can be configured to perform in any one of five modes: as a wireless access point, as a point-to-point bridge...

SCADA networking. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Pathfinder Lx wireless internetworking controller is a next-generation networking tool for building reliable remote industrial and utility SCADA Ethernet and TCP/IP-based wide-area wireless networks. The controller integrates all the...

Secure CF card. (Wireless products).(Socket Communications)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The low-power Wireless LAN CompactFlash Card now supports 802.1x, enabling authentication at both client and server levels for Pocket PCs and other mobile devices. Support for 802.1x security features lessens the vulnerabilities associated with...

Broadband wireless access. (Wireless products).(Alvarion's BreezeACCESS VL)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Operating in the 5.725 GHz to 5.850 GHz bands, and facilitating data rates up to 54 Mbps, the BreezeACCESS VL is a non-line-of-sight OFDM-based point-to-multipoint system. Targeting small to midsize enterprises and multitenant unit markets, the...

Mobile Internet access. (Wireless products).
March 1, 2003... The TracNet 2.0 mobile high-speed Internet system provides mobile Internet connectivity for vehicles and boats, even when in motion. The system offers download speeds reaching 400 kbps, and includes 802.11b wireless and Ethernet connections to...

Strong authentication. (Wireless products).(Interlink Networks' Secure. XS.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Secure WLANs from unauthorized users and intruders with Secure. XS. Using standards-based, strong 802.1x authentication, the software enforces user authentication before granting network access. The solution creates unique encryption keys for...

WLAN security. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Vernier Networks System 6500 is a scalable solution that provides centralized management for network security and resource usage policies that are enforced at the edge of the wireless network. Together, an Access Manager 6500 and a Control...

Secure WLANs. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For the security and management of WLANs for small to midsize enterprises, Dolphin is a software-only, server-based solution that runs on standard, off-the-shelf hardware platforms. The system works with any standards-compliant 802.11b or...

Indoor optical link. (Wireless products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The ConnectPoint 100 combines the security of wires and the flexibility of wireless to provide a quickly deployable, reusable Fast Ethernet connection. The indoor Free-space optical networking product extends common Ethernet and Fast Ethernet...

Red flags. (Internet Security).
March 1, 2003... Security concerns are the current "red flags" for many network and IT managers, and at the top of their "to do" lists. Preventing unauthorized access to enterprise networks from external or internal sources, and dealing with the problems...

County secures Internet-based access. (Internet Security).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The security group for information technology services (ITS) in Johnson County, Kan., led by manager Aaron Goff, wanted to serve its citizens better by improving access to information by authorized personnel. Secure remote access to essential...

Card speeds connectivity. (Internet Security).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Lowering communications costs was one of the first duties assigned to Tony Karakashian when Rochester Midland Corp. (RMC) hired him as network manager. RMC's network includes 15 branches across the United States and Canada, each with between 10...

Bluetooth tracing. (Testing and monitoring).(Berkeley Varitronics' Mantis wireless receiver)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Like most network managers, Texas Health Resources' (THR) Andy Sutton is committed to using advanced technology to address his organization's business problems. For Sutton, the core challenge was the range of issues spanning information...

Bluetooth tracing. (Testing and monitoring).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Mantis is a wireless receiver designed for identifying, installing and optimizing Bluetooth wireless devices and connections. The instrument locates any nearby Bluetooth devices and follows their frequency-hopping signature to allow...

Bluetooth sniffing. (Testing and monitoring).(Frontline Test Equipment's FT$ for Bluetooth)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... This tool for field-test applications enables technicians to identify Bluetooth protocol-related problems as they occur, at any point in the data stream. FT$ for Bluetooth is a PC-based protocol analyzer capable of sniffing data in three ways:...

Wireless analysis. (Testing and monitoring).(AirMagnet's AirMagnet Laptop )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Running on Windows 2000 and XP operating systems, AirMagnet Laptop is a suite of tools for 802.11b and 802.1x networks, including wireless administration, installation surveying, security assessment, connection troubleshooting and performance...

Mobile testing. (Testing and monitoring).(Agilent Technologies' J6800A Network Analyzer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The J6800A Network Analyzer is a portable system that includes two time-synchronized data-acquisition systems, each supporting any LAN or WAN/ ATM plug-in line interface module. The analyzer includes a full PC running network-analyzer software...

Portable monitoring. (Testing and monitoring).(Ixia's IXIA 250 field-portable chassis)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The IXIA 250 field-portable chassis is a tool for field operations teams that are deploying or troubleshooting networks. With an integrated LCD TFT touch-screen display, keyboard and mouse, the self-contained unit can run every Ixia application...

Flexible rack system adds benefits: hodge-podge cabinetry and steel replaced by advanced racking design. (Infrastructure).
March 1, 2003... As senior network technician for the network services division of payments titan TSYS in Columbus, Ga., Steven Thillen still sees value in uniformity and clean, orderly ranks--virtues he once helped instill into new recruits as a drill sergeant...

VoIP through NAT devices. (ComNet 2003).(Jasomi Networks' PeerPoint Enterprise Edition)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Voice-over-IP solutions are rapidly making their way into enterprise telephony systems, but only recently have end-users started considering the security of those implementations. PeerPoint Enterprise Edition from Jasomi Networks allows VoIP...

High-performance copper cabling. (ComNet 2003).(General Cable's GenSPEED 6600 Category 6e)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Now that the Category 6 standards have been approved, several cabling companies have introduced their CAT 6 products. General Cable's GenSPEED 6600 Category 6e enhanced cable is one of the first and provides enhanced capabilities that make it a...

IP telephony. (ComNet 2003).(Altigen Communications' AltiServ2 all-IP PBX phone system )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... As enterprises upgrade their voice networks and continue to extend those networks to remote and branch offices, voice-over-IP solutions are gaining momentum. The AltiServ2 all-IP PBX phone system from Altigen Communications is a relatively...

Network management. (ComNet 2003).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Monitoring and managing local networks is an increasingly important task, as end-users seek ways to maximize the investment in their current networks. NeuralStar Enterprise from Ai Metrix is a software suite that monitors and manages...

Cable trays. (Cable management).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Designed for 24" raised floors, the RF System is a raised-floor, cable-management system that features a modular design for easy installation and cable access. The system is self supporting, with a vertical support that does not compromise...

Cable guide. (Cable management).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new woven sleeve, CableGuide, protects and manages telecommunications cables during installation. The system installs into occupied or unoccupied duct space, allowing numerous cables to be pulled at once or individual cables to be placed one...

Patch cords. (Cable management).(IBDN GigaFlex PS6+ modular cords)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The IBDN GigaFlex PS6+ modular cords are four-pair 23 AWG UTP cords that provide channel bandwidths of 250 MHz and 300 MHz when mated with IBDN 2400 and 4800LX systems, respectively. The design features a small footprint for use in high-density...

Flush poke-thru. (Cable management).(Wiremold's Walker RC4 Series )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Walker RC4 Series flush poke-thru device now exceeds forthcoming UL standards for scrub water exclusion. The redesigned device also meets the current and more stringent tile floor requirement, making it approved for use on tile/terrazzo,...

Cable management.(RIT Technology's Patch View 3.0)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Patch View automatically collects and analyzes connectivity data, providing IT administrators with comprehensive real-time information concerning network assets (switch ports, servers, work stations and the network cabling infrastructure) and...

The new IT bypass: hosted apps give business units new freedom. (The Bottom Line).(Column)
March 1, 2003... PCs and LANs did not take hold because IT executives thought they were a great idea. They grew because departments and work teams wanted to solve problems and IT was not being responsive. In fact, it wasn't until after users proved the business...