Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from March 2003

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from March 2003

How to retire aging IT assets.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (CIO Magazine Tech Poll, Curtin University of Technology Web Site, Packaging Technology Article, University of Western Sydney Web Site, Waste Online Article) There are literally pounds of toxic waste inside a PC or server--lead,...

Hotel high speed: manage the risk.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Avolio Consulting Article, Mobile Computing & Communications Article, PCWorld.com Article, TheBoost.Network Article, USATODAY.com Article, Viator Networks White Paper) Business travelers typically don't enjoy the technological...

Beware spammer trickery.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (InternetWeek Article, Network World Fusion Articles) You have already invested considerable time and effort into a spam filter, and yet the message you are looking at on your computer screen is definitely not appropriate. How did...

The evolution of ColdFusion.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Aberdeen Group White Paper, Builder.com Article, DevX Article, Web Monkey Tutorial) Those who use Macromedia (formerly Allaire) ColdFusion know that it is a powerful tool for rapid Web application development. However, with the...

A guide to e-mail archiving.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Computerworld Article, Ferris Research White Paper, IDC White Paper, Iron Mountain Articles, ITworld.com Article, Network World Fusion Article, State of California Handbook) IDC predicts that e-mail messages sent per day will...

Network Cabling: Cat 6 really purrs.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Network Cabling Installations Article, Network World Fusion Article, searchNetworking.com Article, TIA Category 6 Consortium Web Site) Copper wiring standards are up and the costs of Gigabit Ethernet are coming down. What are you...

The best Web server you've never heard of ...
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Intranet Journal Article, NewsFactor Networks Article, PC Magazine Article, ZDNet TechUpdate Article) Anybody looking to build a Web server--say for your first corporate intranet--will want to know what is the best Web server...

Active Content: when good code goes bad.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Aberdeen Group Reports, Advisor.com Article, Microsoft Help and Support Web Site, NIST White Paper, SANS Institute Article, TECS White Paper) Web pages normally consist of text and graphics, but all too often they contain active...

Save money with contract management software.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (CobbleStone Systems Tool, Darwin Magazine Article, Entrepreneur.com Article, Internetnews.com Article) Your company might be wasting millions of dollars each year managing the myriad details of dozens of contracts with suppliers...

A quick look at ROI terms.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Computerworld Web Site) The challenge of defining and measuring the value of an IT investment has spawned a whole series of financial metrics. Computerworld magazine recently delved into the various ROI metrics, providing a neat...

Checklists for HIPAA Compliance.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Institute of Management and Administration Checklists) If your IT department is deep into working on compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), check out this set of HIPAA Compliance...

Best buys in CD-RW drives.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (PCWorld.com Buyer's Guide) Re-writable Compact Disks (CD-RWs) have revolutionized removable storage and swept a number of other formats into the dustbin of PC storage history. If you are looking to add a CD-RW drive to your PC,...

MS Access relational database primer.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (InformIT Chapter Excerpt) Microsoft Access is a handy and user-friendly tool for creating database applications. However, many Access users create such applications without really understanding what a relational database is or...

Terminate the spies on your PC.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (CNET Article, PCWorld.com Article) You are being watched. It is quite possible that hidden software on your Internet-connected PCs istelling advertisers and software companies about users' surfing habits. Called spyware or...

Communication through a badge? Sounds familiar ...
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Vocera Communications) Vocera sells a wireless LAN-based interactive voice response system that uses small badges for interpersonal communications. These hands-free badges will operate wherever an 802.11b deployment is running,...

Content management on the cheap.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (interactivetools.com) If you are getting headaches from maintaining Web site content, but don't want to invest in a complex content management system, then you may want to consider Article Manager from interactivetools.com....

Track down illicit Web content with Snitch.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Hyperdyne Software) Considering the legislation and liability surrounding unlawful Web content within the enterprise, you may need a way of knowing for sure what rests on your company's computers. Snitch Professional is a tool...

Free software that sorts your e-mail.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (SourceForge.net) POPFile is an open-source e-mail application designed to filter incoming messages and place them into predefined categories for personalized viewing. POPFile acts like a proxy between any POP3 mail client (i.e....

A bomb shelter for your PC.
March 4, 2003... Sources: (Phoenix Technologies) From the company that brought BIOS firmware to the world, the Phoenix Core Managed Environment (cME) promises full restoration and backup to computer applications. Programs and files within cME remain...

Channel the deluge of project requests.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (College of DuPage Web Site, gantthead.com Article, Northern Kentucky University Web Site, Salt Lake Community College Web Site, TenStep Web Site) A formalized project request procedure can help your department define, align,...

Make Sendmail patch a priority.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (E-Commerce Times Article, Internet Security Systems Advisory, InternetWeek Article, MSN Article, Sendmail.com Security Alert) Once a security vulnerability is identified, it doesn't take long for eager hackers to figure out an...

Stage fright: conquer your public speaking phobia.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Business Know-How Article, School for Champions Web Site, SelfGrowth.com Article, Stresscure.com Article) You could read dozens of great articles and books about how to prepare a killer speech. Unfortunately, many resources on...

How to digitize your paper documents.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Image Processing Tools.com Article, LaserFiche White Paper, Transform Magazine Article) Dreams of the paperless office have not yet been fully realized. Yet the costs of managing paper documents can be staggering. According to...

Microsoft enters the CRM arena.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (CNET News.com Article, CRMBuyer Article, CRMDaily Article, Great Plains Business Solutions FAQ, Network World Fusion Article) If you are managing IT in a small- to mid-sized company, chances are that you don't have Customer...

An ounce of intrusion prevention ...
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Aberdeen Group Report, Network World Fusion Article, PC Magazine Article, SANS Institute Article, TECS White Paper) Perimeter security appliances, such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems, are incomplete for...

Policy tip: the case for limited personal use.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Business 2.0 Article, CNET News.com Articles, ITworld.com Article, Robert H. Smith School of Business Article) "We are not a public ISP!" This has been the exasperated cry of more than one corporate network administrator in...

Free ASP.NET development tool.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (4GuysFrom Rolla.com Article, ASP 101 Article, O'Reilly Network Article) Microsoft is often called "Micro$oft" on news groups and bulletin boards because of the cost of its software. If you are developing Web pages using...

What's your backup strategy?
March 18, 2003... Sources: (availability.com Article, Computer Knowledge Article, The Elder Geek Article, Technology Strategists Article, Wagers & Associates Article, ZDNet Australia Article) Regular data backup is essential to any disaster recovery...

Counter the top web app security risks.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Advisor.com Article, Open Web Application Security Project White Paper) Web applications are fundamental to e-business initiatives, but developing Web apps is not without security risks. The Open Web Application Security Project...

A framework for Linux migration.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Ithaca Solutions White Paper) Once an organization has bought into the value proposition of open source software, the next question is, "How do we get from here (commercial software base) to there (open source software base)?"...

Top ten ink jet printers.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (PCWorld.com Buyer's Guide) If you are looking to buy a color ink jet printer for one-off color printing jobs, have a look at PCWorld.com's "Top 10 Ink Jet Printers." This resource provides full reviews and test results for each...

The latest in 10-Gigabit Ethernet switches.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Network World Fusion Article) If your future networking needs run toward the high speed, high bandwidth end of the spectrum, check out Network World Fusion's review of the first generation of 10-Gigabit Ethernet switches,...

Test suite for data center Linux.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (NewsFactor Network Article, Open Source Development Lab Web Site) Proponents of the Linux operating system have long claimed that Linux can do anything that commercial rivals, such as Windows and various UNIX implementations, can...

Create PDFs from Your XML data.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (XMLMill) XMLMill for Java is a generation tool that uses information from XML and XSL files to create PDFs. If you need to format information derived from different applications (ERP, CRM, etc.), enter your data in an XML...

Databases and the dashboard light.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Sybase, Inc.) DBXray for Sybase's Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) provides a solution to standard data management problems. Built by BMC Software as a performance monitoring option for ASE, DBXray simplifies and streamlines the...

Microsoft unveils pricing for Server 2003.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Microsoft Corporation) The release of Microsoft Server 2003 signals some important licensing changes that could save you money (see the Info-Tech article, "Microsoft Server 2003 Heralds Licensing Shift"). The key shift in...

Resurrect a dead cell phone.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Motorola, Inc.) The new Motorola FreeCharge generator eliminates phone power concerns because it's hand-powered. FreeCharge matches to cell phones via a model-specific adaptor. It has two key sources of power: a built-in...

Quantum cryptography device.
March 18, 2003... Sources: (Id Quantique) Heralded as the future of electronic security, actual quantum cryptography devices are now on the market. Swiss company Id Quantique has developed a series of encryption products based on quantum technology: the...