Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from November 1999

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from November 1999

How to Build a Web Searching Arsenal.
November 2, 1999... (An Info-Tech Research Group Guide, and NetWorker and PC World Online Articles) "The Internet is a lot like a large university library with no card catalog, no librarians, and all the books scattered across the floor" -...

ATM or Gigabit Ethernet: Which One is Best for You?
November 2, 1999... (Solutions Integrator and Datamation Articles) If you haven't already, you may soon have to consider implementing high-speed networking technologies. Internet telephony, media-rich Web sites, Internet teleconferencing, server-based...

Will Digital Amnesia Be your Next Y2K-type Crisis?
November 2, 1999... (Computer World and TechWeb Articles) The current Y2K crisis was brought on by a failure to project the impact of IT practices two or three decades into the future. Are you creating a future Y2K-type crisis by not having a long-term digital...

TCO of Handhelds: The High Cost of "Inexpensive" Gadgets.
November 2, 1999... (A PC World Article) Handheld computers and PDAs are rapidly taking hold in the corporate landscape. A relatively low price makes them an attractive alternative to notebooks for some mission-critical applications. However, a $300-500...

OLAP: Turning Data into Information You Can Use.
November 2, 1999... (Cognos and OLAP Council White Papers) The term "OLAP" is in broad use these days, but the details surrounding what it is and what it does are still unclear to most IT managers who have not been directly involved in implementing an OLAP...

Do's and Don'ts for Overcoming IT Stereotypes.
November 2, 1999... (A VNU.com Article) IT managers are politically naive, lack imagination, and do not empathize with the rest of the business. At least that is the way they are sometimes perceived by the rest of the enterprise, says research conducted by...

Public Key Infrastructure 101.
November 2, 1999... (Network Magazine and Security Portal Articles) Public Key Infrastructure schemes are not just for banks and large corporations. There is broad consensus that PKIs are necessary for e-commerce to take off, and that means everyone needs to...

Y2K Communications: Have you Covered All your Bases?
November 2, 1999... (A Beyond Computing Article) Communicating your Y2K due diligence efforts and progress to key stakeholders is almost as important to your Y2K plan as testing, upgrading, and contingency planning. In the final flurry leading up to the new...

Virtual Private Networks: Keeping up with the Joneses.
November 2, 1999... (An InternetWeek Online Survey) Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have taken flight. Are you on board? A recent InternetWeek readership survey of 200 IT managers looked at how your colleagues are using, or planning to use, VPN technology....

From AS/400 to Lotus Domino: IBM Redbooks Can Help.
November 2, 1999... (IBM's International Technical Support Organization) IBM's International Technical Support Organization (ITSO) publishes technical Redbooks in support of "technical professionals of IBM, Business Partners, customers, and to the marketplace...

How to Find Your Ideal Web Host.
November 2, 1999... (Various Web Sites) Corporations outsource their Web site hosting for a number of reasons, ranging from lack of internal resources to more intangible benefits like the ability to focus on the core business. Even large corporations'...

Netware 5: A Six Step Action Plan for Successful Migration.
November 2, 1999... (An InfoWorld Article) The benefits of upgrading to Netware 5 include streamlining of network protocols, better storage through Novell Storage Services, as well as symmetric multiprocessing and better memory management. The InfoWorld Test...

E-Commerce Webopedia.
November 2, 1999... (Internet.com Web Site) As if IT management did not already have to deal with the label of being obscure and jargon happy, the world of e-commerce is crowding the IT vocabulary with even more acronyms and terms. From MPOA to digital...

A Guide to Building Your Firewall.
November 2, 1999... (SunWorld Articles and the Computer Security Institute Web Site) If computer security solutions aren't implemented properly, not only do they deliver little or no value, they can also bring a false sense of security. Simply buying and...

PROCESSORS : Intel's Coppermine Leaps Ahead of Athlon.
November 2, 1999... A. Intel's Coppermine Leaps Ahead of Athlon (Intel Corporation) Intel has released a new line of Pentium III processors featuring architectural enhancements and running speeds ranging from 450 MHz to 733 MHz. This new line of processors...

STORAGE : IBM Unveils 43GB Drive.
November 2, 1999... A. IBM Unveils 43GB Drive (IBM Corporation) IBM has announced the launch of a new family of high capacity hard drives that include the 10,000 RPM Ultrastar 72ZX, the world's highest capacity drive at whopping 43 GB. Other new drives...

E-COMMERCE : A Virtual Back End Fulfillment System for Your E-Commerce Site.
November 2, 1999... A. A Virtual Back End Fulfillment System for Your E-Commerce Site (2000Logistics Inc.) It's one thing to sell something online - now you have to figure out how to deliver it. 2000Logistics Inc. says back end order processing and...

SOFTWARE : Mainsoft Enables WinNT Applications on Linux.
November 2, 1999... A. Mainsoft Enables WinNT Applications on Linux (Mainsoft Corporation) One of the factors that is slowing adoption of Linux as a mainstream commercial operating environment is the fact that the most popular applications have not been...

OPERATING SYSTEMS -- NetWare 5.1: New Web Application Server.
November 2, 1999... A. NetWare 5.1: New Web Application Server (Novell, Inc.) A public beta of NetWare 5.1 is scheduled for release next week. This is Novell's most ambitious attempt to penetrate the Web application server market. The new NetWare, code...

SECURITY : All-In-One Biometrics Solution.
November 2, 1999... A. All-In-One Biometrics Solution (BioNetrix) Managing a complex corporate authentication infrastructure can be a very expensive task. According to Gartner Group, large companies spend as much as $340 per year, per user on resetting...

LEISURE.
November 2, 1999... Do you want to replace your old boring screensaver with something that's both exciting and useful? How about participating in a worldwide Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the same time? By downloading and installing free...

ASPs: Should you Consider Renting your Software?
November 16, 1999... (Upside Today, Network Fusion, and CMPnet Articles) Application Service Providers (ASPs) are set to take the IT world by storm. ASPs have already gained respect as a less expensive way to deploy high-end enterprise applications, and the...

Differentiate: Add Audio to your Site and Make an Impression.
November 16, 1999... (A Business 2.0 Article) All's quiet on the Web front...literally. To date, broadcast audio hasn't seen a lot of action on corporate Web sites, yet traditionally it has been "an integral persuasive element of the branding and buying...

The Straight Goods on the Department of Justice vs. Microsoft.
November 16, 1999... (A Gartner Group Article) In short, a U.S judge has determined that Microsoft is a monopoly in the operating systems market. So what does this mean for your IT department? For starters, this case and its subsequent decisions should...

Don't Wait for your Customers to Test Your Web Site.
November 16, 1999... (Datamation and CNET.com Articles) As you are reading this article, someone's e-commerce site is crashing under the holiday rush. This holiday season's online sales are expected to bring in $4 billion, according to Forrester Research, Inc....

To Move Up the Corporate Ladder, Learn Finance.
November 16, 1999... (An InfoWorld Electric Article) To get funding for your IT projects, it's imperative that you learn to talk the language of business - finance. If done well, a business case presentation that shows you know the score could also be a big...

From IPX/SPX to TCP/IP: Seven Steps to Ease Migration.
November 16, 1999... (A NetworkWorld Article and Novell Research) Native support for the TCP/IP protocol is a major new feature of Novell NetWare 5. Yet moving to IP will mean weaning your network off of its traditional IPX/SPX support. According to Novell,...

An Intranet Game Plan: Provide Task-Based Tools.
November 16, 1999... (A NetworkWorld Article and Novell Research) An intranet can be a powerful force for making your organization more efficient, but to do so, it must be centered on tasks and business processes. Before you break ground on a new intranet...

Managing a Diverse Workforce.
November 16, 1999... (An InfoWorld Electric Special Report) Managing diversity is a "must have" HR skill of the next millenium. Experts agree that having a diverse work force actually holds a measurable competitive advantage. Teams made up of professionals from...

Trend Watch: The New I/O Standard.
November 16, 1999... (A CNET.com Article) The days of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) are numbered, but until very recently we haven't known what would take its place. Meet InfiniBand, a new high speed I/O solution that's the result of a recent...

Keeping Up-to-date with LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol).
November 16, 1999... (LinuxWorld and WebServer Online Articles) Many companies have a mix of operating systems and servers across the enterprise, which means they also run a number of proprietary directory services. Maintaining and synchronizing directory...

Web Development Tools: Evaluate Them Here.
November 16, 1999... (A ZDNet Resource) The era of static Web sites with minimal interactivity is over. If you haven't thought of building an interactive database-driven Web site yet, you are at risk of being defeated on the Internet battlefield. Choosing the...

Las Vegas Comdex: Catch the Big Show.
November 16, 1999... (A PCWeek Feature Page) Not everyone will get to spend next week in Vegas, but you can still catch most of the Comdex action from the comfort of your own office. Here's a suggestion: plug in online and listen to some of the Key Note...

How to Become an Interviewing Guru.
November 16, 1999... (InfoWorld Electric, HR-Guide.com, and Curry Business Systems Web Sites) Interviewing well is a learned skill, and with the high-profile shortage of skilled IT labor, you need to be more sure than ever of a candidate's abilities before...

Build your Windows NT Security Arsenal.
November 16, 1999... (NTSecurity Web Site, Microsoft Web Site) If you are running an NT shop, you know how many security issues you have to deal with. In this battle, every bullet counts. Replenish your ammo at http://www.ntsecurity.net. Affiliated to Windows...

SOFTWARE : Macromedia Debuts New Version of Web Design Tool.
November 16, 1999... A. Macromedia Debuts New Version of Web Design Tool (Macromedia, Inc.) The release of Dreamweaver 3 / Fireworks 3 Studio brings some hot new features to these extremely popular Web Design tools. Here are some of the highlights: ...

HARDWARE : Capacity on Demand a Boon for Growing Data Centers.
November 16, 1999... A. Capacity on Demand a Boon for Growing Data Centers (Sun Microsystems) Not all companies can afford to make big server investments up front in anticipation of future needs that may be hard to predict. To combat this problem, Sun has...

HARDWARE : Intel 820 Chipset Finally Released.
November 16, 1999... B. Intel 820 Chipset Finally Released (Intel Corporation) After a number of delays, Intel finally introduced the 820 chipset at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas. It was planned as the first desktop chipset to enable high-performance...

SERVICES : Competitive Intelligence Services Storm the Internet.
November 16, 1999... A. Competitive Intelligence Services Storm the Internet (AdRelevance Inc. and NetRatings Inc.) If you need to know how your competitors are spending their Web advertising dollars, or if you are looking for more information to increase...

SECURITY : SecurePage Keeps Web Pages Fit for Public Consumption.
November 16, 1999... A. SecurePage Keeps Web Pages Fit for Public Consumption (Creative Digital Technology) Your Web site is your face to the world, and keeping its content looking and performing like you originally intended is critical for your company's...

INTERNET : OpenDesk Delivers Open Source Apps Over the Web.
November 16, 1999... A. OpenDesk Delivers Open Source Apps Over the Web (www.OpenDesk.com) OpenDesk.com delivers a hybrid of two of the hottest developments in computing this year: Application Service Provision (ASP) and Open Source software development....

LEISURE : Laughing Out Loud...Electronically.
November 16, 1999... NetCustomize's eLOL - electronic Laugh Out Loud - is a free joke service that you can access through a small icon on your taskbar. When you rate each joke after you read it, the program tries to learn your personal tastes. The more jokes you...

A Complete Guide to Building Rich Media Web Sites!
November 30, 1999... (An Info-Tech Research Group Feature Article) We've all seen those dynamic sites that use moving graphics, audio, and video to present you with a much more exciting online experience. Why not follow their lead and incorporate an audio walk...

How to Save Money on Cellular Phone Services.
November 30, 1999... (A Gartner Group Research Note) Cell phones have been a part of the enterprise for some time, yet over 70% of organizations that contract cellular services have yet to implement a formal cellular use policy. Not only does this mean that...

Storage Area Networks: A Relief for "Info Glut".
November 30, 1999... (Datamation and NetworkMagazine.com Articles) E-commerce, online transactions, and data warehousing have driven data storage demands through the roof. Servers on the average LAN (local area network) can't keep pace in an environment that...

Ten "Must Ask" Questions for Hiring Great Help Desk Staff.
November 30, 1999... (A TechRepublic Article) A tight labor market makes it hard enough to find skilled IT employees. It can be even harder to find the individual who combines sound technical knowledge with the communication, interpersonal and problem-solving...

Balance your Spare Parts Supply - A Management Plan.
November 30, 1999... (An IT Support News Article) Managing replacement parts is a tricky business. If a computer in your enterprise goes down for lack of a part, the time it takes to get it up and running again can be measured in lost revenue. On the other...

Strategies for Maximum Web Scalability.
November 30, 1999... (An Intelligent Enterprise Magazine Article) There is no shortage of stories about companies whose Web sites have failed under stress, becoming victims of their own marketing or e-commerce success. To avoid being the next Victoria's Secret...

Outsourcing: Focus on Business Wins.
November 30, 1999... (A Software Magazine Article) Buying IT services from external providers has traditionally been seen as a means of saving money. But a wise use of outsourcing can impact much more than a column in the balance sheet. If done in concert with...

Quality of Service: Where Should you Start?
November 30, 1999... (An IT Pro Article) Network Quality of Service (QoS) ensures that certain types of traffic have enough resources available, such as bandwidth, to get where they're going. QoS is not only critical for time-sensitive traffic types, like...

How to Align IT with Business Goals in the Dark.
November 30, 1999... (A Datamation Article) The ability to clearly align IT with business goals is central to getting project approval and allocating the IT budget. Yet many executives are not always forthcoming about the company's true strategic mission. Here...

Server Satisfaction Survey Puts Sun on Top.
November 30, 1999... (A Computerworld Survey) Servers are the cornerstone of your network, and depending on which ones you pick, you could end up with either a worry-free, streamlined operation or one that makes your hair turn prematurely gray. ...

An E-Com Strategy One-Stop-Shop: E-Guide.
November 30, 1999... (A ClearCommerce Guide) There's a plethora of information and advice out there on e-commerce, but trying to stitch these pieces together to help you form a comprehensive strategy could take up a lot of time that your company just can't...

StatMarket Puts Web Stats At Your Fingertips.
November 30, 1999... (StatMarket.com Web Site) How many times does the average surfer return to a Web site? When is rush hour on the information highway? Who are the top ISPs and percentage of the total Web traffic are they getting? For at-a-glance answers to...

IT Ethics - Do the Right Thing.
November 30, 1999... (InfoWorld Electric and CIO.com Articles, and Various Web Sites) With tightening budgets, increased pressure to do more in less time, and decreasing staff loyalty, the temptation to cross the ethical line might be too great for some IT...

Buying PCs? Use these Resources!
November 30, 1999... (Windows Magazine and Smart Computing Articles) PCs are one of the biggest investments most IT departments have to make, but the expenditure rarely ends there. If a PC goes down, the average corporate employee's work will grind to a halt,...

Want a Hiring Secret? Use the Web.
November 30, 1999... (A PC Computing Article) Soliciting and sorting through resumes in search of that perfect IT candidate can be an expensive and time-consuming task. Thankfully, there's a new generation of job sites and Web-based recruitment services that...

OPERATING SYSTEMS : New Linux Flavor Debuts.
November 30, 1999... New Linux Flavor Debuts (Corel Corp.) Corel, the Canadian company that brought us WordPerfect Office 2000 and CorelDraw, has released its own version of the Linux operating system. There are three versions of the Corel LINUX OS package...

SOFTWARE : Data Mining Gets an Update.
November 30, 1999... Data Mining Gets an Update (Mindmaker, Inc.) A huge database of information is not of much use if you don't have the tools to figure out what it all means. Mindmaker debuted Version 3.0 of its DataScope data mining software at Comdex....

PERIPHERALS : With FaxTel, You May Never Have to Pay for Faxes Again.
November 30, 1999... With FaxTel, You May Never Have to Pay for Faxes Again (FaxTel, Inc.) FaxTel debuted Fax Box, a $399 device that lets you send faxes for free by translating input from a fax machine into an e-mail format, and then sending it via the...

SERVICES : eWanted.com: A Different Kind of Auction Site.
November 30, 1999... eWanted.com: A Different Kind of Auction Site (eWanted.com Corp.) In a traditional auction, potential buyers bid on an item until the price goes up to a point where there is one bidder left. At eWanted.com, the bidding is done by the...

DEVICES : SpiderReader and SpiderTags Track Assets.
November 30, 1999... SpiderReader and SpiderTags Track Assets (Wireless Mountain Laboratories, Inc.) The Wireless Mountain E-Code Spider RFID system won the PCWeek Best of Show award. PCWeek said the product has great "potential to boost productivity and...

WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS : Broadband Takes To the Air.
November 30, 1999... Broadband Takes To the Air (Cisco Systems, Inc.) Cisco unveiled the first products in its recently announced Broadband Fixed Wireless Ecosystem. The $21,850 WT27000 Wireless Technology Suite "delivers two-way data, voice and video...

LEISURE.
November 30, 1999... The Tao that is seen Is not the true Tao, until You bring fresh toner. This pearl of ancient Oriental wisdom was found at the GNU Project's Web site. Thorough analysis of Japanese haiku poetry reveals that long before Bill Gates was...