Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from March 2004

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from March 2004

64-bit extensions redraw processing map.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Ars Technica Article, Computer Business Review Article, CNET News.com Article, ExtremeTech Article, InformationWeek Article, Sudhain.com Article, Xbit Laboratories Article) AMD's 64-bit extension technology shook up the high-end...

Doing your best to dodge a DDoS.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute Article, Computerworld Article, EarthWeb Article, Secure Dynamic White Paper, The Encyclopedia of Computer Security Article) Coping with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack,...

Dispel the travel expense blues.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Baseline Magazine Article, Brandon University Policies, CFO.com Article, Florida Institute of Technology Policy, Loyola University Chicago Policy, The University of Tulsa Policies) If your company has employees that travel for...

RFID: know the hurdles ahead.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Baseline Magazine Article, CNET News.com, Article, Computerworld Article, EarthWeb Article, TechWeb Article) Before you embark on any journey to the promised land of a trendy technology, always make sure you have a map that marks...

An antidote for toxic IT.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Monster HR Article, The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business Article, TechRepublic Articles, Unique Development Articles) An employee is testing your patience, and you really have to take action. The person is...

The lowdown on serial ATA.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Explosive Labs Article, InfoStor Magazine Article, Intel White Paper, Storage World Article, STORAGEsearch.com Web Site) Serial ATA, or SATA, is going to be the major storage technology development of 2004. Before you endure...

App testing: did someone forget security?
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Dr. Dobb's Journal Articles, OWASP White Paper, Technical Info dot Net White Paper) Application security testing usually involves penetration testing and simulating attacks against the entire network once the software has gone...

Swarming: the good witch of P2P.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Computerworld Article, CIO Update Article, Groove Networks Article, University of Oregon White-paper) P2P (peer-to-peer) networking can sometimes be synonymous with illegal activity. However, it's now proving to be a very valuable...

The dangers of portable memory.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (ComputerWeekly.com Article, SC Magazine Article, silicon.com Article) The market for compact, portable memory devices has grown dramatically over the last few years. As a result, consumers are starting to bring these tiny storage...

Linux shops: do you know what time it is?
March 2, 2004... Sources: (CrossNodes Article) Linux has a cool tool called ntpd (network time protocol daemon) that you can use for the tricky, but important, task of synchronizing the time across your network. Unfortunately, says the author of this...

A web services management primer.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Developer.com Article) There is probably no computing term out in the wild today that sparks more head shaking confusion than "Web Services." It is hard enough to understand and explain what Web services are, let alone how they...

Assess outsourcing security risks.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Computerworld Article, BITS.org Spreadsheet) A consortium of top U.S. financial services firms has released a set of guidelines for evaluating the security risks of outsourced IT. The guidelines, organized into a 33-page Excel...

Get help for your information architecture.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (InformIT Article) Back in the days of brochure Web sites, organizing information was a no-brainer. You had a home page and maybe a few second-level pages. To build a rich and deep information application, however, you need to give...

High quality QA.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (InformationWeek Web Site) Quality assurance in software is critical. To help you in your quest for maximum quality, the editors of InformationWeek have put together a page of useful quality resources. "In Search Of......

Microsoft set to unveil BizTalk Server 2004.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Microsoft) Aimed at connecting systems, individuals, and trading partners through manageable business processes, Microsoft is scheduled to release its new and improved BizTalk Server 2004 on March 2nd. This third version of...

Firefox lights up web browsing.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Mozilla) Firefox 0.8 is an award winning pre-release version of the next generation browsing technology from Mozilla. Some key features of the spanking new browser include: * Tabbed browsing--Open several pages in 'browsing...

SafeBoot provides superior data protection.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Control Break International) SafeBoot Enterprise edition is a security suite that protects data stored on PCs, laptops, or PDAs from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. SafeBoot features: * Portable media...

Autonomic computing takes off.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (IBM) IBM is trying to build a world in which computers self-diagnose themselves and fix problems before you even know they exist. To further this vision, IBM recently released an Eclipse-based Autonomic Computing Toolkit to help...

Open-source database gets an upgrade.
March 2, 2004... Sources: (Firebird) Firebird 1.5 is an open-source relational database that has been in the works for four years. It offers many ANSI SQL-92 features running on Linux, Windows, and a variety of Unix platforms. * Firebird is based on...

SAS makes storage devices play nice.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (CMPnetAsia Article, Hewlett-Packard White Paper, Internet News Article, Storage Network World Article) Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is destined to make enterprise storage devices more efficient, and 2004 is the year when the great...

Is your IT storeroom a toxic waste dump?
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Back Thru the Future Computer Recycling Web Site, Computerworld Article, InfoWorld Article, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Web Site, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and the Basel Action Network Report) You might not think of...

Follow the Bouncing E-mail...
March 16, 2004... Sources: (EmailLabs Article, Ezine-Tips.com Articles, FreshAddress Whitepaper, Intevation Article) You slaved away creating the perfect e-mail message for distribution. Was it delivered? Ensuring that your messages are getting to their...

App dev: stay loose for long-term gains.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Builder.com Article, Doug Kaye Publication, IT World Article, JohnHagel.com Article, Loosely Coupled Article, McDowall.com Article, RDS Strategies LLC Article) Loosely coupled software development delivers business agility by...

Managing virtual teams.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (About.com Article, gantthead.com Article, InfoWorld Article, Stanford Business Magazine Article) Your developers are in Dubai, quality control is in Toronto, the Web design team is working out of New York, and you're on the road....

Give applicant tracking a hi-tech facelift.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Deploy Solutions Articles, Electronic Recruiting Exchange Article, iLogos Research Article, Recruiters Network Article, Workforce Management Articles, Vault Article) If your company is still operating its recruiting practices out...

How to hire a security expert.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (E-Commerce Times Article, InternetWeek Article, McKinsey Quarterly Article, Phoenix Consulting Group Article, Securacomm Article) As wireless network holes, software flaws, and data thieves continue to make companies vulnerable to...

Backups for your backups.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Datamation Article, Network Magazine India Article, Storage Networking World Online Article, Techworld Article) A company is only as stable as its last backup. With this credo in mind, one cannot avoid daily backups and still...

Buying CRM? Get your RFP here!
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Info-Tech Consulting Articles and Methodology) Issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a software acquisition project is an excellent way to objectively compare software solutions. This article is the first in a series that will...

A step-by-step audit for everything.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (AuditNet Web Site) Auditing your systems and processes in an important part of a range of IT management initiatives. This resource from AuditNet will help you get a handle on what needs to be done for over a hundred different...

Desktop support: 76 windows tips.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (PCWorld.com Article) "I thought I knew it all," says Scott Dunn in his PCWorld.com tips round-up "76 Ways to Get More Out of Windows." "But it seems like every time I turn around I find a new and better way to move a file, fix a...

16 Sarbox solutions.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (CFO Magazine Buyer Applications for ensuring compliance with government regulations, like the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, are a huge growth area right now. This resource from CFO Magazine offers a comparative table view of 16 vendors...

Hardened Linux gets even harder.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Info-Tech Research Group Article, Internet News Article, National Security Agency Web Site) The United States National Security Agency (NSA)--now there's a name with a lot of baggage whether you are a student of history,...

Free security benchmarks.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Center for Internet Security Tools, Processor Article) How secure are your systems? To answer that question, you need to compare a given system as currently configured against security best practices. In short, you need a security...

Webwasher scrubs IM and P2P.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Webwasher, Akonix) Webwasher's new Instant Message Filter for its Content Security Management Suite allows network managers to control the use of instant messaging and P2P programs for security and productivity reasons. Features...

Make your content eSafe.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Aladdin Knowledge Systems) eSafe 4, from Aladdin Knowledge Systems, is an easy-to-use gateway-based service that provides fully integrated content security. Its multi-layered content security: * Protects against attacks from...

Thin clients go mobile.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Maxspeed) Maxspeed has designed an ultra-thin, ultra-light laptop for thin client mobile access. The Maxbook 810 weighs only 2.9 pounds, including the battery, giving this computer the "freedom to roam." With a wide-area wireless...

Identity management for MS environments.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Sun Microsystems) Sun Microsystem unveiled its new Sun Identity Manager, formerly known as Waveset Lighthouse, at this year's RSA Conference in San Francisco. This new technology is designed specifically for Microsoft products...

Security at your fingertips.
March 16, 2004... Sources: (Fujitsu-Siemens) Are your employees always forgetting their computer log-on passwords? Well, now they never have to remember them again. The Fujitsu Siemens KBPC ID keyboard includes a capacitive-sensing biometric fingertip...

Eliminate surprises with a downtime policy.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 1. Eliminate Surprises with a Downtime Policy (FCW.com Article, Harris Kern's Enterprise Computing Institute Article, weibull.com Article) If you think that unplanned system outages are what's really hurting your company, think again....

Beware the blue snarfs.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 2. Beware the Blue Snarfs (ZDNet UK Articles, CNET News.com Articles, A.L. Digital Article, The Register Article, PC Magazine Article, Wired News Article) A new threat for wireless devices that use Bluetooth technology, called...

Looking for assurance in Software Assurance.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 3. Looking for Assurance in Software Assurance (ComputerWeekly.com Article, ZDNet article, Windows Server Magazine Article, Ars Technica Article, Computerworld Article, PC World Article, Microsoft Guide) The next major release of...

Moving from RPG to J2EE on iSeries.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 4. Moving from RPG to J2EE on iSeries (iSeries Network Article, Midrange Computing Press Article, InfoWorld Article, eServer Magazine Article) Many an AS/400 developer has suffered from an "out with the old, in with the new" management...

Improve your testing team's performance.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 5. Improve Your Testing Team's Performance (ADTmag.com, InformIT Article, SQAtester.com Article, StickyMinds.com Articles) The assertion that "anyone can test" is false. In fact, the success or failure of your software testing...

10-gigabit ethernet: worth another look.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 6. 10-Gigabit Ethernet: Worth Another Look (CNET News Article, Network World Feature, Intel White Paper, Network World Fusion Article) The standards for 10-Gigabit Ethernet have been around for a couple of years now; however, two...

What 'good communication' really means.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 7. What 'Good Communication' Really Means (BiNusCareer.com Article, Brian Tracy International Article, International Cyber Business Services Article, TechRepublic Article, The Business Journal of Milwaukee Article) You've heard it a...

The role of wireless in DRP.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 8. The Role of Wireless in DRP (Advisor.com Articles, Database Trends and Applications Article, Disaster-Resource.com Article, Wi-Fi Planet Article) There are an adventurous few who are considering how to leverage wireless investments...

An RFP for ERP.(Insight, Analysis & Advice)
March 30, 2004... 9. An RFP for ERP (TechRepublic Article, Accuvar Article, Inventoryops.com Article, MC Press Online Article) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are a significant enough investment to require the formality of a Request for...

Five VoIP questions to ask.(Tools & Resources)
March 30, 2004... 1. Five VoIP Questions to Ask (Communications News Article) So you think you're ready for a Voice over IP telephony service in your organization. Did you know that as many as 85 percent or more of today's router-based enterprise data...

Work out the costs of RFID.(Tools & Resources)
March 30, 2004... 2. Work Out the Costs of RFID (Baseline Magazine Article) With huge retailers like Wal-Mart behind it, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is coming to a supply chain near you. You may be genuinely interested in RFID for...

All-in-one security appliances reviewed.(Tools & Resources)
March 30, 2004... 3. All-in-One Security Appliances Reviewed (Network Computing Buyer's Guide) Small businesses and remote offices don't have the people and resources to invest in a complicated network security infrastructure. But that doesn't mean that...

A mother of a search engine.(Tools & Resources)
March 30, 2004... 4. A Mother of a Search Engine (Momma.com Web Site) In trying to find those golden info needles in the hay stack that is the Internet, you just can't have too many search tools. Here is another search engine to add to your arsenal. ...

Get a picture of workspace security.(Tools & Resources)
March 30, 2004... 5. Get a Picture of Workspace Security (CSO Magazine Interactive Tool) The typical work space--office, cubicle, or desk in a public area--could expose numerous security holes, from that password taped on the monitor to the e-mail...

AT&T enters Web services market.(New Products & Services)
March 30, 2004... 1. AT&T Enters Web Services Market (AT&T) AT&T has entered the enterprise network services market with Webservice Connect, a Web services offering to help corporations and government agencies share data with their customers, suppliers,...

Trend Micro's anti-spam wins accolades.(New Products & Services)
March 30, 2004... 2. Trend Micro's Anti-Spam Wins Accolades (Datamation, Trend Micro) Datamation has declared Trend Micro's Spam Prevention Solution (SPS) the best anti-spam product of the year. Because it's no longer efficient to add to the increasing...

Sony WORMs its way into storage.(New Products & Services)
March 30, 2004... 3. Sony WORMs Its Way Into Storage (Earthweb, Sony Electronics) Sony recently introduced its WORM-enabled Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) solution for permanent storage. Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) is ideal for long-term data backup...

Hitachi's 400 GB hard drive.(New Products & Services)
March 30, 2004... 4. Hitachi's 400 GB Hard Drive (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) Hitachi recently released Deskstar 7K400, a 400GB 3.5-ATA hard drive that is suitable for nearline storage. While the Deskstar 7K400 can't compete with drives using...

HP introduces next generation of PCs.(New Products & Services)
March 30, 2004... 5. HP Introduces Next Generation of PCs (Hewlett-Packard) Hewlett-Packard has made things even simpler for its business customers by introducing two new desktop PCs and reorganizing its commercial PC ranges. The PCs are now grouped...