Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from July 1999

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from July 1999

Moving from CIO to CEO.
July 13, 1999... (ComputerWorld Article, Forbes Magazine Article) The rest of the business world is finally figuring out what CIOs have known for some time - that Chief Information Officers are natural contenders for the job of CEO. Web sites and e-commerce...

Buying Software? Don't Get Duped.
July 13, 1999... (A CIO Magazine Article) Many of today's software implementations are major financial undertakings. The fact of the matter is, however, many IT managers frequently buy software that's doesn't live up to vendor promises. What can you do to...

Bluetooth Bites Into Wireless.
July 13, 1999... (PCWeek Magazine and Technology Review Magazine Articles) "It is not just a question of connecting to the other side of the globe. It is as much a question of connecting to the other side if the room." - Ericsson Mobile Communications ...

Combat Costly Employee Burnout.
July 13, 1999... (ComputerWorld Article, National Center for Policy Analysis Item) Employee burnout is a hot topic in IT these days, and for good reason. The costs associated with burnout are very real: * Research shows that as hours worked goes up,...

Java Speed Comparison.
July 13, 1999... (JavaWorld and PlanetIT Articles) The enthusiastic adoption of the Java programming language in the enterprise has been hampered by slow performance results. But the Java promise of "write once, run anywhere" could have a big impact on the...

What If Your Vendors Are Lying About Their Y2K Readiness?
July 13, 1999... (IT Managers Journal Article, Orlando Sentinel Article) So, you're all set for the turn of the millenium. Your Y2K conversion is complete and you've even checked out all your vendors. Would you believe us if we told you that half of them...

What Consumers Need to Know about the Future of the PC.
July 13, 1999... (Forbes Article, Economist Article) 25 years has passed since the advent of the PC and the machine is as important in the corporate environment as ever. This status report will provide you with a solid understanding of where the PC industry...

CIO's 50 Best-of-the Web.
July 13, 1999... (A CIO Web Business Magazine Feature) CIO's Annual WebBusiness 50/50 spotlights the "best-of-the-best" sites the Web has to offer. What separates these leaders from the rest? Simply this: "They make it easy, pleasant, even downright...

Attract and Keep IT Talent: Manage Pay Inequity.
July 13, 1999... (Computerworld Articles) The skilled labor shortage in IT is a well-documented fact, and many IT managers are forced to fork out big bucks to attract the IT expertise they need. Unfortunately, if not handled with sensitivity, the resulting...

Getting Ready for Windows 2000?
July 13, 1999... (PlanetIT and PCWeek Online Articles) The final beta (Beta 3) for Windows 2000 is now available, and a number of organizations are going to invest in the new operating system early. Regardless of whether you plan on being a W2K pioneer or...

Power Presentations - A Tutorial.
July 13, 1999... (An Edge Online Tutorial) Giving presentations is a necessary evil for any manager, so you might as well develop some expertise to build your own confidence and become a more effective communicator. Check out this power presentation...

A Buyer's Guide that Goes Beyond Tech!
July 13, 1999... (An Inc. Online Tool) As an IT manager, your purchasing job is not limited to technological gadgetry and software. For a resource that addresses the true scope of your buying responsibilities, take a look at the Buyer's Guide offered by...

IPv6 Info Page.
July 13, 1999... (The IPv6 Home Page) The current version of the Internet Protocol (IP) that we all take for granted (Version 4) is a granddaddy by computer standards, now approaching its 20th birthday. Its successor, IPv6, which will greatly expand the...

Creating Killer Web Sites.
July 13, 1999... (A ZDTV Article, and Creating Killer Web Sites and Web Style Guide Web Pages) Knowledge of effective Web design principles is a mandatory part of your IT staff's skill set. Even if you outsource your Web site development efforts, you still...

SOFTWARE : DecisionStream Helps You Form a Business Intelligence System.
July 13, 1999... A. DecisionStream Helps You Form a Business Intelligence System (Cognos Inc.) DecisionStream from Cognos lets you extract and transform data from multiple sources into subject-area data marts. In plain English that means users will have...

HARDWARE : Y2K Scanner Detects Non-Compliant E-mail Attachments.
July 13, 1999... A. Y2K Scanner Detects Non-Compliant E-mail Attachments (Centennial and Trend Micro) Many organizations that think they are Y2K compliant may find themselves using non-compliant data transferred by e-mail from customers, suppliers and...

INTERNET/INTRANET : New Software Identifies Causes of Site Performance Problems.
July 13, 1999... A. New Software Identifies Causes of Site Performance Problems (Service Metrics) If your Website is critical to your business, or if you have concerns about how your customers perceive the performance of your site, you might want to...

INTERNET/INTRANET : LearningSpace Anytime Offers Live Interaction in a Virtual Classroom.
July 13, 1999... B. LearningSpace Anytime Offers Live Interaction in a Virtual Classroom (Lotus Development Corp.) Lotus has released LearningSpace Anytime 3.0, a complete platform for knowledge delivery and enterprise learning management. If you're...

NETWORKING : Wireless Bridge Connects Buildings up to 25 Miles Apart.
July 13, 1999... A. Wireless Bridge Connects Buildings up to 25 Miles Apart (Wave Wireless Networking) * Features advanced MAC (Media Access Control) layer filtering, IP routing capabilities and data encryption. * Supports point-to-point and...

SECURITY : Console Gives Clear Picture of Security Across the Enterprise.
July 13, 1999... A. Console Gives Clear Picture of Security Across the Enterprise (e-Security) If your company is like most, it employs security applications from multiple vendors. The Open e-Security Platform (OeSP) enables you to link all of the...

STORAGE : Storage Outsourcing on an As-Needed Basis.
July 13, 1999... A. Storage Outsourcing on an As-Needed Basis (StorageTek) Digital data continues to grow exponentially and storage management costs are increasing alongside. If your company is having difficulties managing your own storage needs,...

LEISURE : The Dialectizer.
July 13, 1999... This site had the entire Info-Tech office in stitches when we translated our own Web page into "Elmer Fudd". When you visit the site, you are prompted to enter a URL and then choose a language from a pull down list that includes Swedish Chef,...

Creating an Efficient Supply Chain is Easier than You Think.
July 27, 1999... (GartnerGroup Research Note) Big companies are not the only ones who can save huge amounts of money by making their supply chains more efficient. Establishing electronic connections with trading partners is a no-brainer when it comes to...

The Department of Commerce, IT Labor, and Available Grants.
July 27, 1999... (A Dept. of Commerce Report) Shortages of skilled IT labor have hit your department. What's causing the problem? Short product lifecycles in IT make training new staff seem like a poor return on investment. By the time a new staffer is...

Retain Your Domain in 60 Seconds or Less.
July 27, 1999... (PlanetIT Article) A domain name is like a brand name for your company. A URL uniquely identifies your corporation or objective. For this reason, it is an important asset to protect. Here is a fast and easy tip that you should follow up on...

Microsoft Active Directory vs. Novell Directory Services.
July 27, 1999... (An InformationWeek Online Article) Microsoft is embroiled in yet another product battle, this time with Novell over who will be the leader in directory services. These services let administrators find and identify users and resources on a...

New Y2K Legislation - What it Means to You.
July 27, 1999... (CIO Commentary, Planet IT Article) On July 21st, President Clinton signed "The Year 2000 Readiness and Responsibility Act" into law. Some reviews have been positive, painting the act as a restraint on greedy plaintiffs and lawyers who are...

A Comprehensive Guide to Increasing Your Web Site's Availability.
July 27, 1999... (A SunWorld Article) The look and feel of your Web site is exactly where you want it to be. The word's out that you're open for business and you expect your site to be a major point of contact with the outside world. What if your site's...

Organize Your Intranet.
July 27, 1999... (A TechWeb Article) Electronic business document creation is on the rise, and its clogging up corporate intranets that have evolved from electronic bulletin boards to full-fledged information sharing hubs. But it's a serious task to tame...

Change Management Do's and Don'ts.
July 27, 1999... (Inside Technology Training Article) Guiding your company through change is one of the most difficult challenges you will ever face. It requires business acumen, project management skills, and most importantly, the ability to communicate,...

Tools for Managing the Human Side of IT Security.
July 27, 1999... (CIO Magazine and SunWorld Articles) As more individuals require access to different pieces of the enterprise to conduct their business, new points of vulnerability will open up in your security infrastructure. Yet all the hi-tech security...

Telework Guide.
July 27, 1999... (An AT&T Guide) With today's connectivity options, working from home is becoming an increasingly popular and realistic alternative to the hassles of commuting to and from the workplace. Not only does it give the employee more flexibility...

Help Desk Solutions.
July 27, 1999... (An ACD Call Center Tutorial, and New York State Office of Technology and Cliff Oxford White Papers) Your help desk may be the only point of contact many employees have with your IT department. Because of this fact, is essential that your...

Linux Focus Report.
July 27, 1999... (A TechRepublic Report) Still can't make up your mind about Linux? TechRepublic has compiled a sizeable 48-page focus report called "Linux: The Penguin is Red Hot." Zeroing in on Linux's enterprise-readiness, this report is comprised of...

How to Get Found on the Web.
July 27, 1999... (Smart Computing and searchenginewatch.com Articles) Fine-tuning your Web site to pull the maximum amount of traffic is both an art and a science. To turn your site into a Web magnet, one of the big things you can do is carefully craft your...

What to Look for in as ISP.
July 27, 1999... (A Data Communications Article, and CNET and internet.com Guides) E-commerce has changed forever the way we do business. A reliance on electronic sales brings with it dependence on the networks that run you Web site. If you are in the...

SOFTWARE : Pricey Suite Handles Bulk of Business Marketing Functions.
July 27, 1999... A. Pricey Suite Handles Bulk of Business Marketing Functions (Rubric Software) The Rubric E-Marketing Data Mart is an add-on to the company's EMA 2 Web marketing suite which essentially automates many types of E-Marketing processes,...

SOFTWARE : Reflection X Unifies Platforms at the Desktop.
July 27, 1999... B. Reflection X Unifies Platforms at the Desktop (WRQ Inc.) If you use more than one type of platform in your office, chances are you'll be very interested in Reflection X. This powerful connection enables PC based Windows users to...

HARDWARE : Hard Drive Provides High Performance Storage.
July 27, 1999... A. Hard Drive Provides High Performance Storage (Maxtor) With the growing popularity of storage-hungry applications such as digital photography, video, and music and of course, Internet content, many computer users are clamoring for...

INTERNET/INTRANET : Internet Tool Tracks Browsing History.
July 27, 1999... A. Internet Tool Tracks Browsing History (Inventix Software) If you do a lot of Web searching in your business, this is an inexpensive and useful tool. The Internet Cartographer 2.0 maintains a complete history of all your Internet...

INTERNET/INTRANET : Annoying PopUps Begone!
July 27, 1999... B. Annoying PopUps Begone! (SFX Software) Popups are the annoying windows that suddenly appear when you visit some Web sites. PopUp Killer would be the freeware that is configured to automatically close Explorer or Netscape windows...

NETWORKING : Breakthrough Optical Networking System Promises to Boost Capacity.
July 27, 1999... A. Breakthrough Optical Networking System Promises to Boost Capacity (Lucent Technologies) Using beams of light to transmit information through the air, Lucent Technologies' WaveStar OpticAir system promises to dramatically boost the...

SECURITY : New Line of Gateways Provides Multiple Secure VPNs.
July 27, 1999... A. New Line of Gateways Provides Multiple Secure VPNs (TimeStep) TimeStep has introduced Permit/Director suite 2.0, a set of virtual private network management tools that include an integrated public key infrastructure for automated...

LEISURE : Virtual Mythical Beast Watching.
July 27, 1999... Just for fun, check out http://www.lochness.scotland.net. This site provides a live Web camera that continually updates pictures of the famous Scottish Loch. You can stare endlessly at the view as you wait for Nessie to show up, and if she...