Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from February 1999

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from February 1999

Realizing the Benefits of Technology.
February 9, 1999... (A DMR Consulting Whitepaper) Realizing concrete benefits from technology initiatives is by no means guaranteed. The problem is not a shortage of management theories and approaches, but rather finding the time to develop and implement a...

How Many Printers are Optimal?
February 9, 1999... (GartnerGroup and Network Computing Articles) Waiting for printing jobs is probably a huge time waster for many people in your organization. Getting the right mix of printers in the right locations sometimes seems more like an art than a...

Creating Policies to Support Mobile Users.
February 9, 1999... (GartnerGroup and CIO Magazine Articles) The rapid growth of the mobile computing market has been mirrored by a corresponding shift in the mobile device support demanded of corporate IT departments. Despite oft-cited benefits like increased...

Load Balancing: Options & Alternatives.
February 9, 1999... (InformationWeek and InternetWeek Articles) The limits of today's Web servers are being stretched as a result of an exploding Internet population and the growth of e-commerce activity. One solution that helps bypass the limitations of a...

References: A Formula to Reduce Hiring Mishaps.
February 9, 1999... (An InfoWorld Electric Article) Reference checks can be used for more than verifying the information on someone's resume. A thorough reference interview process can put someone's work experience into a context, shedding a lot of light on...

Tips to Avoid Y2K Litigation.
February 9, 1999... (Current Technology Magazine and CIO Magazine Articles) As Y2K glitches multiply, attorneys are increasingly convinced that no "company will be able to stay out of the courtroom - either as plaintiff or defendant." In fact, Lloyd's of...

Futuristic Technology...
February 9, 1999... (Various Sources) Curious about what will be the next big cool technology to hit the market? Here are some interesting technologies that are coming down the pipe... * "Smart Tablet" or "Pharmacy-on-a-Chip": Researchers at MIT have...

European Union Privacy: How it Affects your Business.
February 9, 1999... (A Privacy International Resource) The European Union's data protection directive, which went into effect on October 25 of last year, seeks to both standardize and provide a high level of privacy protection for individuals across all EU...

Print Across the Internet.
February 9, 1999... (A Windows Magazine Special Report) The poor quality output of most faxes, the difficulties that crop up in opening e-mail attachments, and the expense of using over-night couriers to deliver important documents are all hassles that you...

Over-Engineer your Network....
February 9, 1999... (A Gartner Group Article) Usually it is a good rule of thumb not to over buy. Purchasing top-of-the-line versus mainstream PCs, for example, can easily result in increased costs without any corresponding increase in productivity or...

NetWare-to-NT Migrations Can Be Expensive.
February 9, 1999... (A Giga Information Group Study) An independent study conducted by Giga Information Group of a group of Fortune 1000 and mid-sized firms reveals that, for NetWare 4.0 shops, an enterprise-wide migration to Windows NT Server 4.0 "will cost,...

Network Infrastructure 101.
February 9, 1999... (A CNET Builder.com Spotlight) Does someone in your organization need a quick "101" on the ins-and-outs of networking? If so, check out the CNET Builder.com spotlight on Network Infrastructure at...

Small and Medium Businesses Should Consider the AS/400.
February 9, 1999... (A D.H. Andrews Group Whitepaper) IBM has revamped its AS/400 approach to better meet the needs of small-and medium-sized businesses. Next week, IBM will introduce a single consolidated family of four AS/400 servers running on IBMs new...

"SuperHuman" Software and the Groupware Battle.
February 9, 1999... (Lotus and Microsoft Articles & Papers) With IBM's marketing juggernaut in full force you are certain to begin receiving inquiries about "super-human software." For a quick summary of the key features and benefits of Lotus Notes R5 have a...

INTERNET/INTRANET : InstantObjects Premieres e-Business App Suite.
February 9, 1999... A. InstantObjects Premieres e-Business App Suite (InstantObjects, Inc.) InstantObjects e-Business Platform is a suite of integrated business intelligence applications that let you easily create high-end e-commerce Web sites and...

INTERNET/INTRANET : Extend Site Accessibility with BrowserHawk 2.0.
February 9, 1999... B. Extend Site Accessibility with BrowserHawk 2.0 (cyScape, Inc.) cyScape has released BrowserHawk 2.0, a server-side Active X component that eases site development and use by automatically detecting the capabilities of hundreds of...

SOFTWARE : New Linux Kernel Released.
February 9, 1999... A. New Linux Kernel Released (The Linux Kernel Archives) Version 2.2.0 of the Linux operation system kernel is now available. This important update features support for x86, SPARC, Alpha, Ultra, m68k, and PowerPC; improved sound and...

SOFTWARE : Inference Ships k-Commerce Support 4.0.
February 9, 1999... B. Inference Ships k-Commerce Support 4.0 (Inference Corp.) Inference has released the first application in its k-Commerce product line, k-Commerce Support. k-Commerce Support 4.0 is a conversation-based customer support application...

SOFTWARE : NetKeeper Upgrades Help Desk Captain.
February 9, 1999... C. NetKeeper Upgrades Help Desk Captain (Multima Corp.) NetKeeper Help Desk Captain 6.16 offers an out-of-the-box, integrated help desk and LAN inventory solution that helps streamline the hectic help desk support process. ...

SECURITY : Asset ID Protects Notebooks.
February 9, 1999... A. Asset ID Protects Notebooks (IBM) IBM has taken a step forward in notebook inventory and security with the introduction of its "radio frequency-based security and asset tracking technology," Asset ID. The technology works by...

NETWORKING : Test Your Network with Chariot 2.2.
February 9, 1999... A. Test Your Network with Chariot 2.2 (Ganymede Software Inc.) Ganymede's Chariot 2.2 offers application layer testing of complex multi-protocol networks, helping you more accurately diagnose network problems by distinguishing between...

NETWORKING : ON Command CCM Remotely Configures PCs.
February 9, 1999... B. ON Command CCM Remotely Configures PCs (ON Technology) ON Technology's ON Command CCM can centrally take command of any network PC in order to install and configure OSs, applications, and desktop parameters, eliminating the need to...

UTILITIES & YEAR 2000 TOOLS : ZAC 2001 -- A Y2K Tool Plus.
February 9, 1999... A. ZAC 2001: A Y2K Tool Plus (Network Associates, Inc.) Zero Administration Client (ZAC) 2001 from Network Associates is a comprehensive two-in-one desktop inventory management tool and file-level Y2K compliance checker designed to earn...

UTILITIES & YEAR 2000 TOOLS : Netcool/NT Service Monitors for the Enterprise.
February 9, 1999... B. Netcool/NT Service Monitors for the Enterprise (Micromuse Inc.) Micromuse has added another member to its family of service-level management tools, this time geared towards deploying and monitoring NT in the enterprise. The...

UTILITIES & YEAR 2000 TOOLS : Expose Server Vulnerabilities with DNS Expert 1.3.
February 9, 1999... C. Expose Server Vulnerabilities with DNS Expert 1.3 (Men & Mice) DNS Expert 1.3 from Men & Mice scans name and mail servers for vulnerabilities that can expose you to DNS spoofing attacks and mail-relay abuse. DNS Expert features...

STORAGE : Ventana SAN Manager 2.0.
February 9, 1999... A. Ventana SAN Manager 2.0 (Gadzoox Networks, Inc.) Gadzoox Networks has released Version 2.0 of its "proactive" storage area network (SAN) management software, the Ventana SAN Manager. Ventana 2.0 monitors network traffic,...

HANDHELD DEVICES : Windows CE Now in Color.
February 9, 1999... A. Windows CE Now in Color (Microsoft Corp.) Microsoft has shipped to hardware manufacturers a new color-enabling version of its Palm-size PC operating system, Windows CE. The new color display is much easier to read than monochrome and...

LEISURE : Valentines Day.
February 9, 1999... Consider surprising your significant other by putting in a little more effort than usual into Valentines Day. Start with a look for ideas at http://love.msn.com/ and check out http://food.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_valentine99/valentine.html...

Buzzwords and the Abuse of Expert Power...
February 23, 1999... (ZD Net & The Idea-Group Articles) In the recent past, information technology was a proverbial "black box" and technical decision and issues were left to the "techies." Now, with multi-million dollar IT marketing campaigns and Internet...

Fax over IP: Not Fancy, but Effective.
February 23, 1999... (A TMCnet Article) A low risk, low hassle way to save money is always a good thing, and this is exactly what fax over IP offers. While Internet faxing is anything but cutting edge, it's worth your while to investigate how you can shave a...

Internet Service - Providing More than FAQ's.
February 23, 1999... (An AberdeenGroup White Paper) The opportunity to provide improved customer service through the Internet is an untapped source of competitive advantage. Yet, to date most organizations have yet to use the Web to improve the quality of...

Watch the Y2K "Slush" Fund...
February 23, 1999... (A ComputerWorld Article) Take some time to look into the use, and possible abuse, of your company's Y2K budget. With the imperative and unquestionable need to fix Y2K problems, the potential to abuse the Y2K budget exists. Make sure...

Developing a "Metadirectory" Strategy.
February 23, 1999... (Internet Week, Network Computing Online & Inter@ctive Week Online Articles) Expect the metadirectory marketing hype to increase as vendors turn up the heat in an attempt to commit companies to their own metadirectory solutions before...

Understanding Router Accelerators: 101.
February 23, 1999... (A Data Communications Article) Rapidly aging Cisco 7000/7010 series routers that max out at 25,000 packets per second are still being used in tens of thousands of networks, possibly even yours. Given their limitations, 7000/7010 routers...

Web Fonts...No More Excuses.
February 23, 1999... (A Webreview.com Article) Font limitations have inhibited Web page development from the get-go. It's been a simple fact of life that if a visitor to your site doesn't have the font that your site specifies, they won't be able to see it,...

Everything You Need to Know about Intel Pentium III...
February 23, 1999... (InfoWorld Electric, Intel Inc. & Privacy International) Despite all the controversy, the Intel Pentium III processor featuring the Processor Serial Number will still be launched on February 26 as originally planned. Here are the facts on...

Securing Your Windows NT Servers.
February 23, 1999... (A ZDNet Article & Microsoft Resources) Windows NT security can be an administrative bugbear, but those looming problems are not only fixable, but also completely preventable. Case in point: a Windows NT hole was recently discovered by...

The Internet Audience.
February 23, 1999... (A Pew Research Center Study) Having a firm grasp on who's surfing the Net is an important part of understanding the target market and developing an effective Internet strategy for your company. A recent study by The Pew Research Center of...

Understanding IP Quality of Service.
February 23, 1999... (A Nortel White Paper) Considering "the escalating cost of bandwidth complicated by the increasing number of networked users," many corporations are looking to incorporate IP Quality of Service (QoS) measures into their networks. If...

Comparing Wireless LANs.
February 23, 1999... (A Network Computing Buyer's Guide) Wireless LANs are no longer a technology of the future. While still priced at a premium compared to standard LAN gear, a wireless LAN offers unprecedented efficiency and ease-of-use to the latest in...

Biometric Security.
February 23, 1999... (A PC Magazine Review) Biometric technology may seem straight out of science fiction, but taking advantage of a user's unique physical characteristics to grant or deny access is becoming an increasingly popular security choice which offers...

Test Your Disaster Readiness.
February 23, 1999... (A Data Communications Article) "Can your company recover from a computer systems disaster? Can you Prove It?" These are the two important questions being asked by Prove It!, an innovative new Web site that helps IS/IT Professionals and...

Beta version of Internet Explorer 5.0.
February 23, 1999... (A Windows Magazine Article) Internet Explorer 5.0, now in beta, will soon be in the browser spotlight. So what can you expect from this latest upgrade? Windows Magazine put the IE 5.0 beta through its paces, and was favorably impressed....

SOFTWARE : Service Level Suite Manages ERP Apps.
February 23, 1999... A. Service Level Suite Manages ERP Apps (Envive Corp.) Envive is shipping version 2.0 of its Service Level Suite, a set of tools designed for managing SAP AG's R/3 enterprise resource planning applications. The suite consists of three...

SOFTWARE : Create in 3D with trueSpace4.
February 23, 1999... B. Create in 3D with trueSpace4 (Caligari Corp.) trueSpace4 from Caligari offers "photorealistic" 3D modeling and animation capabilities advantageous for corporate presentations and product design. Highlights in this version of...

SOFTWARE : Go Data Mining with Discovery Suite.
February 23, 1999... C. Go Data Mining with Discovery Suite (Digital Archaeology, Inc.) Discovery Suite from Digital Archaeology lets business users create a fully functioning multi-source data mart or data warehouse ideal for complex marketing applications...

INTERNET/INTRANET : Linkbot Pro Site Checker.
February 23, 1999... A. Linkbot Pro Site Checker (Tetranet Software Inc.) Tetranet has updated its award-winning Web site maintenance tool, Linkbot Pro. The latest version, 4.0, includes HTML syntax validation, error log analysis, JavaScript scanning...

INTERNET/INTRANET : Internet Message Center 2.3.
February 23, 1999... B. Internet Message Center 2.3 (Mustang Software, Inc.) Internet Message Center (IMC) is "an intelligent e-mail transaction platform" that handles incoming corporate e-mail and Web-based inquiries, routing it to the appropriate "pool"...

SECURITY : ExtraNet Center Offers Extranet Security.
February 23, 1999... A. ExtraNet Center Offers Extranet Security (Aventail Corp.) Aventail has introduced ExtraNet Center, a comprehensive extranet management and security solution. Using policy-based authentication and traffic encryption, ExtraNet Center...

NETWORKING : Wireless Access for Windows CE Devices.
February 23, 1999... A. Wireless Access for Windows CE Devices (Sierra Wireless Inc.) AirCard 300 for Windows CE "enables wireless access to enterprise networks, intranets, e-mail and the internet" for users of Windows CE-based handheld computers. The...

NETWORKING : Gigabit Ethernet Hits the Desktop with SmartSTACK ELS100-24TXG.
February 23, 1999... B. Gigabit Ethernet Hits the Desktop with SmartSTACK ELS100-24TXG (Cabletron Systems) Cabletron has brought high performance Gigabit Ethernet switching to the desktop with the release of its SmartSTACK ELS100-24TXG workgroup switch. The...

UTILITIES & SERVICES : Linux Technical Support.
February 23, 1999... A. Linux Technical Support (LinuxCare) With the rapid growth of the Linux operating system, there has been an increased demand for comprehensive Linux support. Help has arrived. LinuxCare is a service that seeks to combat the...

UTILITIES & SERVICES : EZ-GIG Eases Hard Drive Swaps.
February 23, 1999... B. EZ-GIG Eases Hard Drive Swaps (Apricorn Inc) Version 3.3 of the EZ-GIG Data Transfer Utility Kit from Apricorn lets you transfer the contents of your notebook's old hard drive to a new upgraded hard drive with ease. By simply...

HANDHELD DEVICES : Palm V and Palm IIIx Debut.
February 23, 1999... A. Palm V and Palm IIIx Debut (3Com Corp.) 3Com has unveiled two new additions to its Palm handheld computing family, the Palm V and the Palm IIIx organizers. The Palm V, a mere 4 ounces, features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and...

LEISURE : Television & The Internet.
February 23, 1999... TV and the Internet are on a collision course. Check out http://www.softwaremag.com/Oct98/sm108ebs.htm for an interesting run-down on "The Web and the Remaking of Television."