InfoWorld articles from March 2004

InfoWorld archives from March 2004

SAS scales up -- and down.(SAS Institute Inc.)
March 1, 2004... sas institute is expected to improve its BI platform this month by adding better ETL (extraction, transformation, and loading) functionality and increasing reporting capabilities. Meanwhile, rivals Hyperion, Informatica, and iWay are making...

HP, IBM bulk up server lineups.(Hewlett-Packard Co., International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Hewlett-Packard and IBM last week added new servers to their respective existing families. IBM is pushing its eServer p690 server line higher, with a system containing a 1.9 GHz Power processor and capable of holding as much as a terabyte of...

Microsoft previews InfoPath update.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Microsoft is giving users a chance to test enhancements to its InfoPath XML forms manager. Called InfoPath 2003 Service Pack 1 Preview , the update not only bundles software fixes, but also adds a host of new features for security,...

PeopleSoft unveils demand-driven modules.
March 1, 2004... As manufacturing production schedules are increasingly tied to customer demand rather than long-range forecasts, enterprise vendors are ramping up their SRM (supplier relationship management) applications. PeopleSoft has targeted its suite...

Web conferencing deepens collaboration.(Raindance Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Raindance Communications this week will unveil an integrated Web, audio, and multipoint desktop video conferencing platform that aims to simplify online meetings while enhancing collaboration tools. Raindance Meeting Edition IP conferencing...

Code catcher in a box.(HBGary, BugScan)
March 1, 2004... A programmer, even a good programmer, can produce insecure code. Not because of a mental slip-up, but simply because the programmer is focusing on solving the problem at hand (and meeting a deadline) rather than safeguarding that code from...

Web conferencing meets the desktop.
March 3, 2004... Web conferencing has tapped a vein in the enterprise, and vendors are rushing in to quench the need for easy-to-use, real-time collaboration tools that meld with desktop tools and applications. The need may be significant. Frost & Sullivan...

Model N launches revenue management suite.
March 3, 2004... ##Ephraim Schwartz Taking a cue from major enterprise software vendors such as SAP and Siebel, who are hyping their integration platforms, revenue management vendor Model N will unveil the Model N Technology Platform and Revenue Management...

Diving into portals' distinguishing characteristics.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 3, 2004... Portals are no longer just jazzed-up intranets. Now that many applications are Web-enabled, portals are becoming the enterprise desktop and replacing the familiar browser. Dive below the surface, and you'll find a portal's distinguishing...

Portlet standard predicament.
March 3, 2004... Two new industry specifications may standardize the logical separation of portal applications -- aka portlets -- from the portal servers that use their services. The benefits of such a separation are clear, but the choice of whether to adopt...

SANbox 5200 introduces stackable switches to FC world.
March 3, 2004... There are some ingenious ideas that make people slap their foreheads and ask, "Why didn't I think of that?" QLogic built the SANbox 5200, its new FC (Fibre Channel) switch around one such idea: applying the concept of stackable switches, quite...

The open-source alternative.
March 3, 2004... Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll need a pricey portal for your enterprise or departmental project. The big-ticket suites arguably offer larger feature sets and broader support, but they're by no means the only deal in town. ...

Competing standards may shake up e-mail.(Microsoft, Sendmail, and Yahoo introduced new technologies)
March 8, 2004... Emerging anti-spam initiatives are causing tectonic shifts in the once staid world of Internet messaging. Microsoft, Sendmail, and Yahoo each have introduced technologies designed to reduce spam. With Microsoft's Caller ID, e-mail...

FileMaker boosts workgroup database.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... FileMaker on Tuesday plans to introduce the FileMaker Pro 7 product line, an upgraded version of the company's workgroup database featuring a new relational architecture and an expansion of data capacity to 8TB. Version 7 features storage...

Permeo oversees application access.(Application Security Gateway)
March 8, 2004... Permeo's Application Security Gateway gives enterprise managers the means to provide pinpoint control over how internal users access external networks and how remote users access the network. With Permeo ASG, you no longer have to worry about...

IT asset management gains steam.
March 15, 2004... Known as IT portfolio management or enterprise service automation, the movement to track both the cost and business value of IT assets is off to a roaring start in 2004. This week Niku unwrapped a portfolio management suite, and last week...

Microsoft bolsters management tools.
March 15, 2004... Microsoft will shed light on its forthcoming MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager) 2004 product and will preview a beta of SUS (Software Update Services) 2.0 at its Microsoft Management Summit this week. Attendees will also get details on...

Windows Server update to precede Longhorn.(Microsoft Corp.)
March 15, 2004... Deviating from its Windows Server product road map, Microsoft said that it plans to ship an updated version of its Windows Server 2003 before the Longhorn version of the server operating system expected by about 2007. "It is likely that we...

APC conquers datacenter heat stroke.
March 15, 2004... Faster silicon is spreading through the datacenter like avian flu through a henhouse. Devices that didn't have processors now do, and devices that had processors all along now have more, which are getting faster by the month. The result?...

Candidates unclear on tech issues.
March 22, 2004... a heated debate over offshore outsourcing has already begun, but other technology-related issues are not expected to be major factors in this year's U.S. presidential election. Unlike the 2000 election, when Democrat Al Gore trumpeted his...

Streaming right along with AppExpress.
March 22, 2004... On-demand application deployment technologies build on the concept of software as a service. For Internet service vendors, that means potential new revenue streams; for enterprises, it means lowering applications' TCO (total cost of ownership)....

IBM's ESB plans emerge.(enterprise service bus)
March 29, 2004... Over the next 12 to 18 months IBM plans to begin introducing a series of products that will help solidify its ESB (enterprise service bus) strategy. The technologies will more closely integrate IBM's messaging protocols with its high-level...

Microsoft charts apps map.(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... Microsoft gave an overview of forthcoming product updates from its Business Solutions group and talked up an expansion of its Microsoft Business Network collaboration initiative last week. Products to be updated this year include Microsoft...

HP, IBM Team With Novell on SuSe.(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... IBM can now preload SuSe Linux Enterprise Server across its full range of servers, including eServer iSeries, pSeries, xSeries and zSeries, and its eServer BladeCenter systems, Novell said on Wednesday. Novell will continue its development and...

Nokia to Launch 40 Products in 2004.(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... Nokia launched a record 40 products last year and said it intends to keep up that level of releases in 2004 as the market recovers. The company plans to focus on three areas in 2004: expanding mobile voice, driving consumers' use of multimedia,...

ADC Buys Network Gear Maker.(ADC Telecommunications Inc., Krone Communications)(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... As part of its efforts to build out its network infrastructure business, ADC Telecommunications said it will purchase the Krone communications division of GenTek for approximately $350 million. IT is a first major step in ADC's plans to grow...

Shunra unleashes an enterprise testing Storm.(Shunra Software Ltd.)
March 29, 2004... Back in the days when analog modems were the kings of telecom, network techs would use "line simulators" to evaluate connection performance under variable conditions. The idea was that, by reproducing all the worst-case scenarios in the lab...