Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter articles from October 2002

Info-Tech Advisor Newsletter archives from October 2002

The official Top 20 security risks.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Government Computer News Article, InfoWorld Article, SANS Institute) Recently the SANS Institute and the FBI released their annual list of "The Twenty Most Critical Internet Security Vulnerabilities--The Experts Consensus." Far...

The dark side of anti-spam.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (InfoWorld Article, Network World Fusion Articles, Paul Graham Article, Random Hacks Article, Security Magazine Article) An effective anti-spam solution is measured by the percentage of spam it blocks. But what if some babies are...

One-on-one training techniques.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Earthweb IT Management Article, Edward Lowe PeerSpectives Article, Fast Company Article, gantthead.com Articles) If you are training a new employee yourself, do you know where to begin? Will you simply dictate their job to them,...

Disk-to-disk: backup's speed demon.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Computerworld Article, CrossNodes Article, NetworkStorageForum Article, Storage Engine Article) Most organizations rely on tape for server backup purposes. However, emerging disk-to-disk (D2D) technologies could one day give tape...

Customer support: be auto-responsive.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Jupiter Research Report, ZDNet Articles) In addition to features like knowledge bases and IM bots, e-mail auto-response is a highly effective customer service tool. Using e-mail response effectively is an often-overlooked...

Clean up SOAP performance.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (IBM developerWorks Article, InfoWorld Article, perl.com Article, Shweta Bhargava et al. White Paper) If you're planning on running or developing Web services using SOAP, you may be in for a sluggish and potentially costly...

Pressure-cookers choke creativity.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Computerworld Article, Harvard Business School White Paper, HBS Working Knowledge Article) IT professionals are creative people, and successful managers draw maximum creativity from their IT teams. Artificially tight schedules...

Content + Open Source = Savings!
October 14, 2002... Sources: (New Architect Magazine Article, ZDNet Articles) A large-scale enterprise Content Management System (CMS) can cost from $25,000 up to $450,000 to purchase and implement. For smaller companies, and companies with modest or...

When software auditors come a-knockin' ...
October 14, 2002... Sources: (searchWin2000.com Article, Foley & Lardner Article, Damon & Morey LLP Article, Holland & Hart LLP Article, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP Article) A June 2002 BSA piracy study showed that 25 percent of business application software in...

Your security in the big picture.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Info-Tech Research Group Summary, The President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board Draft) There is no doubt that network security is a top priority for most, if not all, IT shops. While your primary security focus is...

Get started with portfolio management.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (gantthead.com Tool) Project Portfolio Management (PPM) allows you to collect and control your entire suite of IT projects as a single set of interrelated activities. PPM is based on the same theories as those governing financial...

Build your own Java product comparison.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Network Computing Buyer's Guide) So you have decided to use Java for your next development project. What Java development package are you going to use? Network Computing has created "Java Development Tools," a buyer's guide...

Learn security--fail this test.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (ZDNet Test) Chances are that if you, or any employee in your company, takes CNET's "Digital Defense Test," you will fail. The test consists of ten questions that probe your vulnerability to viruses, hackers, and system crashes....

How to use Adobe PhotoShop.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Webmonkey Tutorial, About.com Tutorial, WinPlanet Article) IT professionals have less use for graphics programs than, say, marketing professionals, but the time may come when you need to modify an image for a document or Web...

SP2 for Office XP.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Microsoft Corp.) Microsoft's Service Pack 2 for Office XP is an amalgamation of all the bugs, patches, hot fixes, and security problems that have been addressed since the product was released. In addition to this, SP2 will also...

Red Hat rolls out Linux 8.0.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Red Hat, Inc.) With Version 8.0 of Linux, Red Hat has its eye on improving Linux's appeal to SMEs for desktop applications. Version 8.0 settles the long-standing choice between the Gnome and KDE graphical interfaces by developing...

Connectix Virtual PC for Windows 5.0.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Connectix Corp.) The ability to run multiple operating systems on a single workstation offers many benefits for some IT shops. Virtual PC for Windows 5.0 from Connectix lets you do just this. Virtual PC includes: * Support...

Tiny Trojan Trap.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Tiny Software, Inc.) The Tiny Trojan Trap is a standalone security product that employs "sandbox" technology to protect workstations from malicious code downloaded off the Web. Sandboxing creates a separate, enclosed environment...

StorageTek serves up big, fast tape drive.
October 14, 2002... Sources: (Storage Technology Corp.) StorageTek says that its new T9940B tape drive will be the largest, fastest drive on the market. This monster-inwaiting has a native capacity of 200GB, or 400 to 600GB with compression. Transfer rates are...

How to conduct a brilliant job interview.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (How-To Network Article, Online Women's Business Center Article, Rice University Human Resources Article, WetFeet Articles) Hire people, not resumes and not bags `o skills. Bob Lewis in the IS Survival Guide, (Sams, 1999) In...

Get smart with VPN security.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (ActivCard White Paper, Datakey White Paper, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Documentation Web Site, RSA Security White Paper) Although Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) incorporate encryption and tunneling protocols to secure data...

Privacy: is your site P3P compliant?
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Builder.com Article, Network World Fusion Articles, phpMyTools.org Article, Progressive Policy Institute Article, World Wide Web Consortium Web Site) It's a well-known fact that the protection of personal information is...

DTS: SQL Server's secret weapon.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (InformIT Articles, Microsoft MSDN Library White Paper, SQLDTS.com Tutorial and Web Site) Data Transformation Services (DTS) are a group of tools for extracting, transforming, and loading data, allowing for the centralization of...

Boutique vendors are no small potatoes.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (CIO Magazine Article, Red Herring Magazine Article, Technologyevaluation.com Article) The strength of boutique vendors (BVs) lies in their ability to fully concentrate on a solitary aspect of technology to the exclusion of all...

Route IP traffic to the express lane.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Business Communication Review Article, Computerworld Articles, Network World Fusion Article, RouteScience Web Site) As companies strive to maximize existing Internet and WAN connections, the case for route control devices becomes...

Deciphering code commentary.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (AskTog Article, InformIT Article, WebmasterBase.com Article) Poorly written code comments--though they may be technically correct--usually provide information without context. Whether you are writing code or are the individual...

Hide your data in plain view.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (CIO Insight Article, Computerworld Article, PC Magazine Article, Virginia Journal of Law and Technology Paper) Concerns such as data privacy laws, copyright protection, and secure transmission issues have come under intense...

Design a data storage strategy.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Computer Technology Review Articles, ComputerWeekly 360 Article, searchStorage.com Article, TriSys Web Site, ZDNet Articles) If constant data flow is the pulse of your company's core business, then IT must assume the task of a...

Free Network Configuration eBook.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (AlterPoint Guide) IT management priorities come and go, but managing the network remains the bread and butter of many operations. AlterPoint has a 10-page guide that contains a collection of helpful tips for the network manager....

Resource meter nixes Windows crashes.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (ExtremeTech Article, Russeltexas.com Web Site, TechRepublic Article) Multi-tasking in multiple Windows was one of the things that was supposed to make the Windows operating systems a productivity boon to most users....

Web services offerings: the long view.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Intranet Journal Articles, TechMatrix Directory) TechMetrix Research has predicted that Web Services adoption is going to occur rapidly. In order to help IT professionals get a handle on what resources are out there for developing...

Microsoft FrontPage: tips from the masters.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Intranet Journal Article) With its polished Microsoft Word-like interface and site-building features, Microsoft FrontPage is a popular World Wide Web editor for users ranging from novice to expert. Regardless of what end of the...

Personal tech Buyer's Guide.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (PCWorld.com Buyers' Guide) If you are in the market for any part or accessory related to personal desktop technology (from motherboards and monitors to hard disk drives), be sure to bookmark PCWorld.com's "2002 Buyers' Guide,"...

Excel management plug-in.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Nobilis Software, Inc.) Managing and organizing spreadsheets for non-IT users are the main goals of Ci, an Excel plug-in from Nobilis Software. Ci can be loaded onto workstations for individual use, or be centrally managed by the...

Google your e-mail with ZOE.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (ZOE Web Site) Zoe is an open-source application--developed by Raphael Szwarc--that archives, organizes, searches for, and retrieves every e-mail sent through its server function. Zoe, in effect, "Googles" your e-mail messages in...

NIC-based firewalls for your laptop.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (3Com Corporation) 3Com has developed an embedded firewall card for laptops and notebooks based on network interface card (NIC) hardware. 3Com contends that hardware-based firewalls are inherently more secure than perimeter...

Monitor IM traffic with NetworkVantage.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (Compuware Corporation) NetworkVantage from Compuware is a tool for network administrators that monitors traffic flow throughout LAN and WAN infrastructures. This system tracks up to 2000 applications and protocols and supplies...

Free Windows security suite.
October 28, 2002... Sources: (MXC Software) MXC Software freely provides iSafeguard, a security suite for Windows applications that uses strong authentication and encryption methods. In addition to protecting your files, iSafeguard supports a broad range of...