Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from April 2003

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from April 2003

Taking control with Web Content Management Systems.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Info-Tech Research Group White Paper) Who creates the content posted on your company's Web site? Chances are it's created by business users, the way most content has always been. So why is all of this content funneled through your...

Enforceable password policy no longer a pipe dream.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Center for Password Sanity Article, Microsoft TechNet Article, searchSecurity.com Article, TechRepublic Article, ZDNet Article) Passwords are so common in today's society that we rarely give a second thought as to what role they...

A money-saving metric for programmers.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Computerworld Article, Cunningham & Cunningham Web Site, Rothman Consulting Group Article, StickyMinds Articles) Your IT shop is working on a development project, a project where fixing one bug apparently causes even more bugs to...

Detecting signs of employee defection.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Computerworld Article, gantthead.com Article, iMakeNews Article, Information Technology Association of America Survey) Factors such as stress, overwork, boredom, and lack of opportunity often lead a valued employee to seek work...

PDA platforms: Palm vs. Pocket PC.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (About.com Web Site, CNET.com Hardware Review, ITworld.com Article, PC Magazine Article, SiliconValley.internet.com Article, ZDNet Article) Selecting and purchasing a standard PDA for users within the organization can be tricky....

So you've decided to monitor web usage ...
April 1, 2003... Sources: (InformationWeek Article, ITworld.com Articles) The market for Web monitoring software has been booming in recent years as more companies have sought to keep tabs on Web and e-mail usage. While there are many very effective...

The truth behind storage media lifespans.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (DLM-Forum White Paper, McMaster University Web Site, New York University Guide, Public Records Office of State of Victoria White Paper, SilverAce Article, State Records Office of Western Australia Article, ZDNet Australia Article) ...

Lindows: not what you might think.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (eWeek Article, InformationWeek Articles) A year ago, Lindows made a splash as a possible desktop OS replacement for Windows that could run Windows software. A year later, Lindows does have a potential role in your enterprise, but...

Power up your site's search engine.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Network Computing Article, SearchTools.com Web Site, Suntek Article) If you have a large Web site, Web store, or corporate intranet, you definitely need a powerful search engine tool. Get a better grasp on what it takes to be a...

MS licensing changes boost partition savings.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (CNET Article, Computerworld Article, Dell PowerSolutions Article, IBM White Paper, InformationWeek Article, InfoWorld Article) Server processor partitioning, already being deployed as a cost saving measure in many organizations,...

Business Intelligence ETL evaluation toolkit.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (The Data Warehouse Institute Report) According to The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI), as much as 60 to 80 percent of a Business Intelligence initiative is devoted to the design and development of extract, transform, and load...

Windows Server 2003 tutorials.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (ServerWatch Tutorials) The official release of Microsoft Windows Server 2003, formerly known as Windows .NET Server, is only a few months away. If you think Microsoft's successor to the Windows 2000 Server is in your future,...

The verdict: ASP customers are happy.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Information Technology Aassociation of America Report) A few years ago, Application Service Providers (ASPs) were the next big thing. Now that the hype has passed, it is time to take stock. This is exactly what the Information...

Nuts and bolts of Linux VPN set-up.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (InformIT Sample Chapter) Planning is essential in the construction of a Virtual Private Network to serve your remote users. In this sample chapter, "Linux VPN Fundamentals," authors Brian Hatch and Oleg Kolesnikov provide the...

Comparing `cheap' network management tools.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Network Computing Buyer's Guide) Network management gear is not cheap when you consider that even low-end solutions can cost thousands of dollars. The high end of the market runs into the tens of thousands of dollars. The...

Notebook backup for the road warrior.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (CMS Peripherals) Available in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60Gb versions, the ABSplus is an Automatic Backup System providing storage and restoration options for notebooks. Although testing shows that an initial backup can take up to seven...

Find your site's weaknesses with WebInspect.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (SPI Dynamics) WebInspect, the latest in Web application assessment tools from SPI Dynamics, is designed to find cracks in your site before a potential attacker can. This plug-and-play product emulates 14 of the most common Web...

A new model for Telework.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Telework Software) While traditional models of telework involve workers on the periphery with remote access to centralized office information, Telework Software suggests a reverse configuration. The TeleWORKS product turns the...

Protect your system from end-user changes.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (Hyper Technologies) Even if end users that prefer personalized icons and screensavers are not a chief concern for system administrators, random changes to network and hardware settings can be very frustrating. Hyper Technologies...

Saving e-mail from disaster.
April 1, 2003... Sources: (MessageOne) MessageOne, a Texas-based startup, has developed a new solution for backing up e-mail and other messaging services, thus preserving business continuity in times of crisis. Unlike previous backup services that can cost...

Strategies for optimizing LAN performance.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Info-Tech Research Group White Paper) If your local area network (LAN) is slow and sluggish, chances are that it is in serious need of retuning. Do you know what your strategy will be for tracking down and correcting the...

Project Triage: make the right cut.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Boston Consulting Group Article, CRMBuyer.com Article, META Group Article, State of Maine Web Site) Your budget's been slashed and you've been told to scrap initiatives that were enthusiastically approved only three years ago....

Encrypt your sensitive e-mail communications.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Healthcare Informatics Online Article, NewsFactor Network Article, SANS Institute Articles) Close to one billion people currently use e-mail, yet almost nobody encrypts their messages. Organizations are increasingly obligated by...

Remote user self-help saves money.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Compaq White Paper, Network Computing Article, Network World Fusion Article) Support calls to the IT department are costly enough without having to travel offsite to bail out a remote user. Teach your remote users how fix their...

Killer Web sites: look beyond usability.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Agency.com Webinar, ClickZ.com article, Consumer WebWatch Report, UsabilityMustDie.com Articles) A lot has been said about the need for Web sites to adhere to usability best practices. But usability does not equal usefulness, nor...

Housebreaking your prodigy.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (CIO Insight Article, Darwin Magazine Article, HBS Working Knowledge Article) Nearly every manager has dealt with this type of worker: brilliant but socially inept. Despite their intellect, prodigies often run into problems at the...

Get past cool factor of Tablet PCs.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Microsoft Bcentral Article, PCBuyer's Guide, PCWorld Article, PC Magazine Article, PenComputing.com Article) The Tablet PC is starting to make headway in the portable computing market. While high on the "cool factor," the Tablet...

Storage networks for the rest of us.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Enterprise Storage Forum Article, Nishan Systems White Papers, SearchStorage.com Articles) If your storage needs are ballooning, but you aren't big enough to consider a Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN), the solution you...

Server! Heal Thyself!
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Internet News Article, Network World Fusion Article, NewsFactor Network Article, ZDNet article) "Self-healing server" sounds wonderfully organic, as if you could whack the server with a hammer and it would gradually repair itself...

Cut costs with Internet faxing.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Kevin Savetz Web Site, Line56.com Article, Lycos Help & How-To Article, Microsoft bCentral Article) Most companies still use fax machines for transmitting and receiving documents. As these machines age, the costs associated with...

Buying a server: top ten tips.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (PC Magazine Buying Guide) Servers are the linchpins of your IT hardware infrastructure. When purchasing a server, you want to carefully consider a number of criteria to make sure you're getting a prize and not a lemon. PC...

Success factors for portals and web applications.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Line56.com Research) If you are developing your Web application strategy, the results of the Line56.com Portal and Web Application Critical Factors Study will provide you with some useful benchmark data. Line56.com Research...

Tips for dealing with angry customers.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Missouri Business Development Network) Dealing with angry customers is not something done only by sales and service representatives. As an IT provider in your organization, your department deals with the internal IT customer....

Web form tutorial for ASP.NET.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (InformIT Article) Microsoft's ASP.NET raises the bar on what you can do in creating an ASP Web site. However, you can't get far if you don't have a handle on basic form creation. This 23-page tutorial at InformIT walks you...

Beginner's guide to DBM products.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (ComputerUser.com Article) If you are going to get an enterprise Web site to do more than present static Web pages, you are going to need a database management system (DBMS). This brief article from ComputerUser.com, "One size...

Laptop docking that saves your neck.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Sherpaq) As more professionals replace their desktops with powerful new laptop computers, they are noticing one luxury of desktops that is often overlooked. When working at a desk, laptops don't allow for a comfortable seating...

A Mail Server for under $1,000?
April 15, 2003... Sources: (IceWarp) Although IceWarp's product doesn't have fancy packaging and slick marketing, the easy-to-install Merak Mail Server does provide high-performance service at a competitive price. With full multi-domain support and top...

Perform live data migration.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (Vicom Systems) Released by Vicom Systems, the Data Migration Engine (DME) for OEM SAN solution providers allows for data migration independently of host servers. DME reduces downtime by keeping to a minimum the impact of storage...

Untiring commercial letter-folders.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (BuyerZone.com) The process of folding letters and stuffing envelopes for a big mail-out can be as tedious and exhausting as it is time-consuming. If your company is involved in such mail-outs on a regular basis, commercial...

Track down documents by content.
April 15, 2003... Sources: (PX Technologies) Tracking down poorly organized documents and files on a network is difficult enough, even more so if you're trying to find what is in the document, rather than just where it is. Wintility Pro is a cataloging tool...