Can you turn energy reduction into cash generation?

You can! PG&Es demand response programs do it on your terms.

With demand response, your company can earn nancial incentives for occasional, temporary reductions in energy usage. Its a rewarding opportunity: Since 2006, participating companies have collectively received over $100 million. Our diverse demand response programs are designed to t around the operations of technology companies with energy-intensive, 24/7, always on power needs. In fact, demand response allows businesses to maximize energy management and reduces the risk of service interruptions at critical times. PG&Es energy experts will work with you to identify the program that best ts your specic business needs. Visit www.pge.com/eweek to learn how technology companies like yours are using demand response programs to maximize their energy management.

PG&E refers to Pacic Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. 2009 Pacic Gas and Electric Company. All rights reserved. These offers are funded by California utility customers and administered by Pacic Gas and Electric Company under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Page 13

R E A L L A B S . R E AL P R O D U C TS . R E AL R E S U LTS.

APRIL 5, 2010

STURDEVANT:: THE CLOUD CAN BE AN ALLY FOR IT

24

ISSUE: ISSUE ISSU E:

IN THIS

REVIEWS

MORE

CASPER SUITE UITE 7.2

18 1 8

SAFE, PRODUCTIVE SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social networking applications offer organizations both headaches and opportunities. Ensure that the pros outweigh the cons with the right mix of policy, education and technology.
BY MATTHEW D. SARREL

YOUSENDIT CORPORATE SUITE

30

XANGATI FOR ESX

36 3 6

Research In Motion BESX

The Express Edition of RIMs management server will bring device controls to more organizations.

12
POWERPIVOT IVOT

41 4 1

25

VOL . 27, NO. 7 $ 8 NEWSPAPER PERIODICAL

Smarter technology for a Smarter Planet:

Why the old ways of working arent working.

On a smarter planet, technology has made us more connected, but not necessarily more productive. As new global opportunities emerge, companies are finding that their internal processes arent as dynamic as the marketplace requires. In fact, employees spend up to 25% of their time just looking for information that should be readily available to them. Managers require visibility across their company in order to make fast, informed decisions. IBM can help optimize business processes to align with the way people actually work and provide a contextual, information-rich environment. By combining elements of business process management, collaboration and SOA solutions, employees can act on real-time insights and locate the right people to seize new opportunitieshelping to reduce costs. A smarter business needs smarter software, systems and services. Lets build a smarter planet. ibm.com/connected

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, Smarter Planet and the planet icon are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. International Business Machines Corporation 2010.

contents
This eWEEK
Weve created labs.eweek.com as a community where we and our readers can discuss and evaluate products.

8 10

Best of eWEEK.com
The best of eWEEK on the Web includes a blog discussing why Apple couldnt sue Google; slideshows on why software rules at IBM and 25 years of dotcom successes and failures; videos on Web browsing and security for WANs; and news stories on Google TV and a Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 9.
Operas co-founder Jon von Tetzschner

12
Tech in-Depth
When it comes to social networking, the pros outweigh the cons, but companies still need to protect against risks to data and image.

eWEEK (ISSN 1530-6283) is published twice monthly except combined issues in July, August and December by Ziff Davis Enterprise Inc., 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY, 10016-7930. Periodicals paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. TRADEMARK: Copyright 2010 Ziff Davis Enterprise. All rights reserved. eWEEK is a registered trademark of Enterprise Media Group Inc. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to eWEEK Customer Service P.O. Box 3402, Northbrook, IL 60065-3402. Printed in the U.S.A. Publication Mail Agreement No. 40009221 Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to P.O. Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 4R6. Canadian GST registration number 865286033 ADDRESS CHANGE OR SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE: Online, go to http://service.eweek.com, e-mail to ewk@omeda.com. Include your full name and subscription address; no attachments, please. Or call Customer Service at (888) 663-8438. SUBSCRIPTIONS/RENEWALS: Subscribe online at http://subscribe.eweek.com PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS / SINGLE COPIES: Contact Customer Service, contact information above. One year subscriptions rates (pre-paid only): U.S., $125; Canada, $155; foreign, $195. Single copy: U.S. $8; Canada $10; foreign $12. FOR ARTICLE REPRINTS AND E-PRINTS: Contact Wrights Reprints at 877-652-5295 or zde@wrightsreprints.com to obtain quotes and order reprints. PERMISSIONS: To reuse other materials from this publication or its Website, or use our logo, contact Rights and Permission Director, Ziff Davis Enterprise, 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY, 10016. E-mail: permissions@ziffdavisenterprise.com; phone: (212) 503-5438.

WE E K APR I L 5, 2010

contents
18
Labs@Work
JAMF Softwares changes to its Casper Suite bring Mac systems under central control. The Mac management suite enables IT managers to keep Mac systems up to date, while tracking inventory and license compliance. 20 SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor helps administrators get a better understanding of the performance and capabilities of their networks.

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20

24 Cameron Sturdevant advises IT managers to help the business operate on the most ef cient compute platforms even if its in a cloud. 25 Research In Motions BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express extends centralized security, conguration and application controls to any BlackBerry device. 30 YouSendIt makes e-mailing large or sensitive les secure and manageable by avoiding the pain of using FTP clients and servers. 34 Andrew Garcia discusses the problems created by mobile congestion and the importance of mobile device management.

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contents
36
Labs@Work (cont.)
36 Xangati offers different editions of its tool for managing VMware ESX and ESXi servers. 38 Alpha Fives tenth version lets developers create Web-based database applications using Codeless AJAX technology. 40 Debra Donston says the new eWEEK Labs Website is a community of informed IT people working together. 41 PowerPivot, an add-in for Microsofts forthcoming Excel 2010 spreadsheet, enables users to work with much larger sets of data.

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45

Products to Watch
The current products on the radar of eWEEK editors include Merus AP320i wireless access point, F5s BIG-IP Edge Gateway, Veeras Rapid Insight, Tripwares OutBook, Net Optics Director Pro, and the Sybase Mobile Sales and Mobile Work ow solutions.

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WE E K APR I L 5, 2010

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This

I
Jason Brooks

Creating a community
that weve designed specifically for this site. Between all the interesting products were pitched and all the innovative stuff we come across, there have always been a ton of worthwhile items that we havent been able to include in eWEEK print or online. Whats more, no matter how much trouble we take to evaluate products in our lab in real-world scenarios, theres really no substitute for learning about how IT professionals experience these products in their own environments. My hope is that the new Labs site will give us a way to get beyond these long-standing limitations by giving us a way to share more of the products we come across with our readers, and that this expanded coverage will give our readers a way to share with us and each other more of what theyre finding in their own product evaluations. Im looking forward to getting more feed back from our readers about where we should focus our efforts. Whats more, Im excited to be working on this project with Deb Donston, whos back this week on Page 40 to extend her own invitation to all of you to head to http://labs.eweek.com and see what were buildingwith your help. I know that spending a lot of time testing products is a luxur y that most IT people dont have, but if were able to benefit from each others testing experiences, I think well find that the testing time we do have will be more productive. ! eWEEK Labs Managing Editor Jason Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@eweek.com.
WE E K APR I L 5, 2010

was intrigued to learn that last month marked the 25th anniversary of the first dot-com domain registration. The milestone stands out for me because it highlights the fact that though the Web is far from a new development, it still presents us with many new challenges and opportunities, such as those that Matt Sarrel discusses in his Tech In-Depth feature on Page 12. That story describes what organizations can do to manage social networking securely. Its clear that were all still working through what the Web means for us and figuring out how we can work more effectively with it. The same goes for us at eWEEK. Ours was among the fir st publications with a Web presenceput in place, I might add, by Labs. By the time I got my start here in 1999, all our content was accessible online as well as off, and most of the communications we had with reader s and vendors took place over e-mail. But even with all those years with the Internet under our belts, were still sorting out the best ways to take advantage of the platform. Toward that end, Im excited to be writing about a project weve undertaken: a new Website at http://labs.eweek.com that weve built with the intention of expanding our audience of readers into a community thats organized around discussing and evaluating enterprise products and services. In a nutshell, were directing the flow of product pitches that Labs fields into this new site, where Labs analysts and readers alike can trade comments and questions, as well as share their experiences, using a review module 8

labs analysts and readers alike can trade comments and questions, as well as share their experiences.

at the most compelling technology presentations, led by the industrys brightest... without leaving your office.
Ziff Davis Enterprise eSeminars informative and interactive discussions on the technology that impacts your business.

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of . eWEEK com
SLIDESHOW

best
VIDEO

BLOG

APPLE COULDNT SUE GOOGLE

30 Reasons Why Software Now Rules at IBM

Once the stepchild of IBMs services business and systems unit, the Software Group now competes with IBM Global Services as the top money maker. IBM has transformed its business model, shifting to higher-value areas of software, improving the efficiencies of its business and investing in long-term opportunities. This slideshow identifies 30 reasons why software is big business at IBM. tinyurl.com/yfk3hte

Web Browsing

Opera is focused on disseminating its products for the one Web, as opposed to developing either mobile or desktop browsers, according to Opera co-founder Jon von Tetzschner. He believes Web browsing will become a common feature of smartphones, PCs and other devices such as televisions. Even so, Opera has lately focused on disseminating its mobile browser franchise. Hear what von Tetzschner predicts for the future. Go to tinyurl.com/yhwapgm

ne of the prevailing theories behind why Apple is targeting HTC in a patent infringement suit that largely targets phones running Googles Android operating system is that, well, HTC made the phones. We can ponticate that the real target is Android. If Android is the lifeblood of the smartphones that challenge Apples iPhone, the gadgets are the bodies. The funny thing is that while HTC owns the bodies, Google doesnt really own the blood. Android, of course, is open source. This point was called to my attention by Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, who told me: I would have to agree its ultimately an attack on Google. But suing HTC may be a result of the implementation issues. One reason would be that Google doesnt really own Android. Its a nebulous environment under the control of the Open Handset Alliance that manages the open-source pool. So until its put on a phone, there is no target to attack. Suing Google wouldnt make sense, since they really dont control it. Its the OEMs who choose the particulars. That is why Apples legal hammer falls on HTC in the legal venues of the International Trade Commission and Delaware courts. Dulaney said the lawsuit, which involves some 20 patents (including those for multitouch pioneered by the iPhone but leveraged on HTC-made devices), will go on for a long time. According to Dulaney (with my comments in parentheses), the only thing we know for sure is: Consumers will pay for the enormous lawyer fees consumed by this litigation. (Expensive phones and data services, anyone?) This is a game of brinkmanship until someone breaks. (Google and Apple have billions to play with, but HTC doesnt.) We tell customers to totally ignore this. Phones have a two-year primary useful life and a reasonably good transferability for core applications between OSes. (You always sync your e-mail and PIM to a server so you can move from phone to phone relatively easily.) If a customer is concerned about this, build applications in the browser. (It all comes back to Web apps, which is where Google wants to work and play anyway.) It will be interesting to see whether HTC will be prevented from making Android phones that people will want because Apple has locked up the best smartphone technology, or whether Apple will pursue Google. Google wont stand idly by. If the gloves werent off before, they are now. To read the full blog, go to tinyurl.com/yfqce3k
 W E E K A P R I L 5 , 20 1 0

10

STORY VIDEO

Visibility Security for Enterprise WANs

Stayed Tuned for Google TV

Blue Coat Systems executive Chris Webber describes how his companys security gateway appliance optimizes virtual machines over WANs to move business data as fast as workloads require. Thanks to increased efficiencies, WAN optimization can lead to substantial corporate savings in several areas, including power and cooling in the data center, staff time and capital equipment costs. Get more details in this video.
tinyurl.com/yal29ww

oogle, Intel and Sony are working on Google TV, a platform and service that will funnel search, video, Twitter and other Web applications through set-top boxes and onto televisions, according to The New York Times. The report came days after eWEEK reported that Google was testing a TV service to run TV, Web video from YouTube and other applications from a set-top box based on Googles Android operating system. Google has made a prototype set-top box to test the service, powered by Intels Atom processors and tested on televisions made by Sony, The New York Times said. eWEEK reported that the service, allegedly being tested on the Dish Network, would be accessed through a TV remote and a keyboard. The Times said Logitech was creating devices such as a remote with a small keyboard. Google TV will leverage a version of the Google Chrome Web browser, letting users search through the Web and video content just as if they were accessing the Web from their desktops and mobile phones. The applications would be paired with Googles digital ads. Twitter, Facebook and associated gaming applications would be fair game for Google TV. To read the full article, go to tinyurl.com/ydzvddz

SLIDESHOW

STORY

HTML5, SVG Support in IE 9

25 Years of Dot-Com Successes and Failures

In 1985, the domain name .com came into existence, helping to define the modern Internet. Within two years of the registration of the first Internet domain name, major tech corporationsalong with a host of smaller outfits had begun to make their mark on the World Wide Web. Their presence helped give birth to everything from search engines (Google, etc.) to social networks (Facebook, etc.) to a wide variety of online services. The Websites in this slideshow represent some of the biggest successes and the most spectacular failures of the past 25 years. tinyurl.com/ya5kacp
11

icrosoft has released a Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 9, which promises to be more interoperable than ever. At an IE9 test drive event on Microsofts campus, the company laid out its strategy for helping developers create the next generation of Web applications by delivering a new standards-based browser and by taking advantage of hardware innovations. Dean Hachamovitch, general manager for Internet Explorer at Microsoft, said the goal is to enable developers to use the same CSS, HTML and other Web technologies to take advantage of PC hardware. Microsofts objective was to produce a browser that supported the best interoperable HTML5 so the same markup can be used everywhere, to deliver hardwareaccelerated graphics and to deliver a high-performance browser. With IE9, Microsoft says it is delivering on all three goals. To read the full article, go to tinyurl.com/yk7yzft

iZX]^c"YZei]

Stay safe, productive on social networks

The pros of social networking outweigh the cons, but the risks to data and a companys image are still signi cant. So keep employees safe while they make use of these valuable tools

minute. And 350 million of them argument goes public, with your veryone knows that the use Facebook. employees railing against each other biggest thing on the Social networks provide a plethora over Twitter? And what will you do Internet these days is of informationalong with a rich when Joe in accounting Facebooks social networking. Busi- environment for attackers. It is all those photos of your CEO in a Speedo nesses and individuals too easy to write a Facebook appli- drinking beer and womanizing at use Twitter, Facebook, cation that pushes malware onto a the last corporate retreat? MySpace, Digg and Deliciousjust users computer, and I get direct This scenario scares information to name a fewto build and main- messages from malware bots on managers to death. And with good tain relationships. The question is, Twitter on a daily basis. reason. It was not very reassuring with whom? Friends, colleagues There are also legal risks, as when Mark Zuckerberg, founder and customers? Or criminals? well as threats to company and of Facebook, declared that the age At the core of the issue are two employee reputation. Its very easy of privacy is over. Is there a good factors: user idenway to ensure that your tity and user-conemployees dont use tributed content. Facebook in a way that Did you know causes the company that Jessica Biel is legal or PR problems? everyones friend Yes! Dont block; on Facebook? Or train and enforce. at least someone Given these threats, claiming to be some IT departments Jessica Biel is have decided to block s h e s c u r r e n t l y Attackers use fake accounts to lure users toward one of several rogue antivirus social networking the most counter- distribution points. Source: Barracuda Labs 2009 Annual Report sites completely. In feited celebrity on my opinion, this is an the Web. How many of your users to be frustrated at work and hop immature knee-jerk response, and would be ecstatic to become Biels on Twitter to complain. An excited the more appropriate choice is to friend, only to find out that the links salesperson has a good meeting train users on proper usage and then on her page lead to malware sites with a prospect and tweets about enforce those policies. pushing drive-by downloads? it, and the competition reads the Banning social networking tools For some strange reason, users tweet and moves in to undersell. is sort of like saying that because seem to think theyre completely Or maybe an employee leaves a Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bensafe online. How many times have meeting with hot insider news and gals died in a pick-up truck accident you heard someone say, It must be cant wait to update his Facebook we should outlaw all pick-up trucks. true. I read it on the Internet? Lets status with it. Seems sort of silly, doesnt it? face it, theres a sucker born every What do you do if an office CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
By Matthew D. Sarrel

12

 W E E K A P R I L 5 , 20 1 0

iZX]^c"YZei]
SOCIAL NETWORKING FROM PAGE 12

According to Forrester Research, business use of social media doubled from 11 percent to 22 percent between 2008 and 2009. There are many business benefits to using social networks. Davis Janowski of Investment News summed up how financial advisers are using social networks in an April 26, 2009, article: to attract clients, to develop relationship with [business partners] ... and also to display their expertise. Many companies are turning to Twitter to provide customer support. I even have a great story about Iams responding to my cat food concerns immediately via Twitter. Incidentally, I also have a negative story about Travelocitys half-hearted attempt at addressing my complaints about its excessive hold times. The ability to interact via social networking sites is not the only benefit offered. Perhaps the greater advantage to business is the abil ity to mine others interactions via social networking. What company doesnt want to know how its brand is perceived? Though the benefits of social media are great, so are the risks. In Forresters January 2010 report, Twelve Recommendations for Your 2010 Information Security Strategy, analyst Khalid Kark suggests that businesses address risks associated with social media, particularly less control over corporate data. One reason that IT departments are struggling to address the security risks presented by social networking is that there is no purely technical solution. This means that the traditional approach to security of throwing money at a bunch of point solutions isnt going to work. 14

The FaceTime USG 530 appliance enables administrators to assign Web content ltering rules and con ict resolution settings. A combination of technology and administrative controls is needed, as is the most dreaded of IT tasks: end-user education. At the heart of IT departments concerns is the fact that social networking can expose intellectual property, inside secrets and procedures to the public, and, worse, to competitors. To protect against these risks, IT organizations need to take a three-pronged approach: policy, education and technology. to prevent sexual harassment online. Employee use of social networks should be consistent with more general Internet acceptable-use policies. As always, excessive personal use cant be allowed to decrease office productivity. Limitations on the time of day (no uploading photos to Facebook during peak hours) and/or on the amount of time (a maximum of 1 hour a day) need to be established. Pay particular attention to policies concerning downloads, installation of unauthorized applications and employee responsibility regarding company information. Too many employees have a dangerous laissez-faire attitude toward security. Employee vigilance is a core component of a successful social networking security program, and employees must first accept responsibility for their actions. Employee responsibilities and guidelines should be consistentfrom policy to education to technology controls. While an acceptable-use policy is not a solution in and of itself, it is a necessary component of any Internet safety program. Its important to
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Policy
When setting policy, take into account both the type of business and the type of information being shared. Using social networks for customer engagements may have professional and ethical limitations that employees need to understand. For example, a medical doctor still has to comply with HIPAA, so friending a patient on Facebook and writing details of his surgery on his wall is out. In the world of finance, FINRA is very strict about how to represent solicitations via social networks. And make sure that employees know how

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iZX]^c"YZei]
SOCIAL NETWORKING FROM PAGE 14

draft a document that explains why employees must follow the policy, provide concrete examples of how to follow the policy and give details regarding the penalty for not doing so. All employees, regardless of rank or job task, must be required to sign a statement saying they have read the policy.

Education
In spite of the fact that most IT employees would rather be waterboarded with bamboo shoots under their finger nails while listening to Barbra Streisand singing in Yentl than explain something to a user, a solid social-computing safety training class is a powerful preventive mea sure that will yield benefits. Education can take place in a classroom setting or online. In either case, make sure you verify who took the class and who didnt. Employees need to understand the risks to their personal information as well as to corporate data and reputation. Training should start with an overview of the threats that are present, progress to the benefits of social networking, and provide detailed examples of what is safe and what isnt. Employees should feel free to ask questions because this is a gray area where many issues require clarification.

social networks. Of course, a multilayered, defense-in-depth security strategy should be maintained. This means protecting endpoints, servers, networks and network perimeters. Many of todays attacks use multiple vectors, so protection must be comprehensive. For example, an imposter may become a users Facebook friend and then e-mail him a link to a malware site. Security approaches that could be involved in countering this include e-mail filtering, Web filtering and desktop anti-malware. DLP

Ipoques PRX-10G Trafc Manager boasts deep-packet inspection capabilities for scanning incoming and outgoing traf c for threats. (data loss prevention) and network monitoring also play a role. In addition, more and more technology solutions are coming on the market in an attempt to address the security concerns presented by social networks. These range from background checks on Facebook accounts to sophisticated DPI (deeppacket inspection) network devices that scan incoming and outgoing traffic for threats. As expected, a combination of approaches is the most potent.

One example of such a product is the recently reviewed FaceTime USG 350. This 1U (1.75-inch) box monitors IM (instant messaging) and Web content, alerting and blocking when it discovers dangerous communications. In my testing, I coupled the FaceTime USG 350 with a Blue Coat Systems ProxySG 200 via ICAP to provide complete packet analysis, both unencrypted and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypted, and a client proxy solution. I easily configured a wide variety of hierarchical policies using regular expressions to prevent sharing of personally identifying information. For example, XXX-XX-XXXX blocks transmission of Social Security numbers via IM and posts to social network sites. Plus, with the ProxySG 200 I could enable Web content filtering and malware scanning. I configured my firewall to allow only Web traffic to flow to and from the ProxySG 200, and this combination of protections made me feel safer. Most businesses can benefit from social networking, so simply banning these sites does your marketing and customer relations teams a disserviceand leaves a huge door open for competitors. So dont block these sites. Instead, help minimize the risks presented by this growing phenomenon by embracing the triumvirate of security: policy, education and technology. ! Matthew D. Sarrel is executive director of the Sarrel Group, an IT test lab, editorial services and consulting rm in New York.

Technology
There are some technological approaches to protecting users on 16

This story can be found online at: tinyurl.com/y9qd6v5

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By Cameron Sturdevant

Bringing order

SolarWinds clears up network confusion 20

Mobile control

@work

RIMs BESX manages mobile device fleets 25

Casper Suite 7.2 keeps enterprise Macs in line

REVIEW: JAMF Softwares changes to its Casper Suite bring Mac systems under central control. The Mac management suite gives IT managers the ability to keep Mac systems up to date, while tracking inventory and license compliance
T managers looking to streamline Mac management should check out the new polish that JAMF Software has put on the latest version of its comprehensive Casper tool suite. With modules ranging from inventory and imaging to patch management and remote control, the Casper Suite brings legacy PC control to Mac systems. The Casper Suite includes a central management server and individual modules that handle client management functions, including inventory, imaging, patching, software distribution, remote control, settings management and licensing. Incremental changes in Casper Suite 7.2 add wizards and greater control of individual configuration settings on Mac systems. The suite is licensed per managed Mac client system, with a ballpark price of around $100 per managed system. (Discounts are available for nonprofit and educational institutions, as well as volume buyers.) 18

Here you see the management tab options, including policy and managed preference modules, both improved in this version of the Casper Suite. There is no separate charge for the central management server or administrative console access. Version 7.2 became available March 10. The functions in the Casper Suite are typical for a client management system and should be familiar to IT client management staffs. Managers of Mac client systems likely wont have much trouble getting up to speed on the suite, since JAMF mandates a two- to four-day on-site visit from its JumpStart team to ensure proper server configuration.
 W E E K A P R I L 5 , 20 1 0

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Windows client staff members who are looking for a way to manage Mac systems would do well to consider the Casper Suite. Another option is to consider the work of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance, a group of traditionally Windowsoriented toolmakers who are advocating for Mac adaptations to their tools. imported various preference manifest files from the Manifest Des tiny project, which was offered as a choice for preference file sources to control everything from secure trash file handling to the position of the dock on various Mac systems. Experienced Mac administrators should have little trouble creating and using the suites Managed Preferences Cut and paste templates and settings. Client management Much of the Casper suites always have a Suite remains unbit of Frankenstein changed from the previessence, and JAMFs ous version. Application Casper Suite 7.2 is no and operating system different. The compopackaging and distri nents are welded nicely bution tools worked together, however, and as expected. new wizards make the New wizards helped me create policy to install packages on my The remote control disparate tools less pain- Mac systems. system was easy to use. ful to set up. The inventory module I installed the Casper was accurate in moniSuite on my Apple toring both the physiXserve running Mac cal characteristics of my OS X Server 10.6. The various Mac systems and documentation is easy the software installed on to follow, and quickthose assets. start lesson plans are The suite also pro remarkably clear. Im vides software license accustomed to convomonitoring and usage, luted solution accel showing how m a ny erators and mile-long instances of various procedure lists when applications are run setting up Windowsning and when and oriented client man where the applications I added my Mac systems using the network scanner in Casper Suite 7.2. I agement suites. are used. The Casper was somewhat surprised that .104 got added; thats a VMware vSphere 4 Everything about host. I have to go check that out. Su i t e w r a p s u p t h e JAMF makes the firms whole operation with a Frankenstein seem young and fresh. from the JumpStart teams experience neat reporting module that makes I was up and running in about 4 during my policy creation testing. all this information available to hours without the help of a JAMF After several hours of tinkering, I was authorized users. ! JumpStart team. able to create a policy that installed My Mac test environment con- the Mac version of Microsoft Office Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be reached at csturdevant@ sists of a single Xserve, a Mac Pro, on selected test systems. a Mac mini and two MacBook Pro Casper Suite 7.2 takes a benevo- eweek.com. systems. The small number of sys- lent, enabling approach to end-user tems didnt allow me to test the management, and that is especially This story can be found scalability of the Casper Suite, but I true of the enhancements made to online at: tinyurl.com/yztylz3 did tour its functional areas and was the Managed Preferences module. I 19 impressed with the fit and finish of the management platform. The new policy assistant wizards made straightforward work of creating automated management tasks such as installing or removing software packages and running scripts. I probably would have benefited

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SolarWinds brings order to network confusion

REVIEW: Orion Network Performance Monitor helps administrators save time, while better understanding the performance and capabilities of their networks

By Frank Ohlhorst

istributed enterprise networks are one of the most difficult mechanisms to manage in todays IT environments. The combination of equipment, locations, software, personnel and policies can make it almost impossible for an IT administrator to comprehend what is happening on the network and how that affects busi ness operations. SolarWinds offers a solution to that dilemma in the form of Orion NPM (Network Performance Monitor), a software package that offers a visual representation of network performance and health. The current version, v9.5.1, began shipping last month and starts at $2,475 for the monitoring of 100 elements. An unlimited-license version can be purchased for $20,975. Orion NPM is an excellent management tool that demystifies enterprise networks and helps administrators save time, while better understanding the performance and capabilities of the networks they manage.

Orion Network Performance Monitor offers a browser-based console that uses AJAX technologies to present information in an interactive fashion. The home screen gives a high-level geographic view of the primary components of the network. Administrators can drill down on the various elements to get more information. with viable solutions to those problems. In other words, Orion makes network management proactive. The management console is fully configurable, allowing administrators to define a home screen that reflects all the elements that are most important to their particular infrastructure. The console can be divided into multiple views and offers an innovative feature called Top 10 Lists, from which administrators can pick predefined criteria, such as response time, wireless traffic, bandwidth utilization, CPU utilization, network traffic, packet loss and several other elements. Each list features visual elements, such as red, yellow and green icons, to relay status information to administrators quickly. Another innovative feature is the ability to map networks geographically. This enables administrators to define network locations on a globe or a map, with each sites status represented by a color. For example, if the network in London were experiencing an alert, the icon would be yellow. If the network were down, the color would be red, and green would indicate that there were no problems or issues.

What is Orion NPM?

The idea behind the product is simple: Bring all the critical information about how the network is functioning into an easy-to-understand visual management console. At a glance, administrators can determine how well the network is performing, immediately identify potential problems and come up 20

Getting started
I installed Orion NPM on a Windows 2008R2 server system that had Microsoft SQL server preinstalled. However, the product is designed to work on Microsoft Windows 2003 or 2008 Server with IIS and the .NET Framework installed. The product also needs SQL Server 2005 SP1 or
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SOLARWINDS FROM PAGE 20

later (express, standard or enterprise editions) to store historical data and generate reports. Although installing a product of this type can be a complex endeavor, following the included directions and deploying the product per company recommendations made the process relatively painless. The complexity of the installation is not unique to SolarWinds; most high-end monitoring products are complicated to set up. The basic installation will require some Windows networking savvy, but SolarWinds provides good documentation to overcome any hurdles. I found that the most complex portion of the setup process was registering all the networking devices with Orion. Although the product performs basic discovery of the network, its important to fully integrate the various routers, switches, firewalls and other networking hardware with Orion. That way, all the performance and status information can be polled from the devices. Whats more, SolarWinds offers additional modules that can assist in managing network hardware, so proper integration becomes critical. That said, as long as the product is installed and configured properly, an administrator should not have any problems with accessing the management console and monitoring devices, and setting up alerts or custom views.

every network device, helping to make communications with the various devices on the network straightforward. For network devices that fall outside the MIB, administrators can create a custom integration scheme using SNMP. That way, nonstandard devices can be polled and monitored. Although much of the integration capabilities and polling functions are important to how well the product works, administrators can ignore those capabilities once Orion is configured. Administrators will spend most of their time on the

to play detective, capture packets or run a particular vendors management product. Quick and simple seems to be the name of the game here. Of course, larger networks usually have multiple administrators responsible for different geographic areas. Here, Orion NPM helps keep things further under control by allowing senior administrators to create roles that limit what can be accessed by support staff. In other words, an administrator assigned to the home office (or headquarters) can have full access to the network, while an administra-

A top 10 list shows the monitored devices with the most activity or issues. Adminis Administrators can congure the top 10 list to display what they consider the most important monitored elements. Each element on the list supports drill-down, which allows an administrator to further investigate an issue without switching to another console. home page of the management console, and thats where all the action takes place. The network summary screen of the management console gives a good 10,000-foot view of the network, and, with a glance, most administrators can judge how well the overall network is performing. The products real power comes from the ability to drill down into a location, the devices located there, and the configurations and settings associated with those devices. That can reduce the weekly management load by several hours because administrators can point and click on a network to determine how a particular element is functioning and then drill down into that componentall without having tor located at a remote site may only have access to a specific section of the network or a single site. The products roles-based administration controls access to many of the products features, and they can be used to limit users to certain screens or reports, allowing granular control that can be applied to each defined user. Some networks are supported by a staff 24/7, but most others rely on a more traditional level of support, consisting of the 40-hour workweek. In those situations, Orion can be set up to forward alerts to notify those responsible for on-call troubleshooting. The first place to start with Orion NPM may be to create some baseline information, once the product
 W E E K A P R I L 5 , 20 1 0

Working with Orion

Orions intuitive console is powered by AJAX and is accessed via a Web browser. By leveraging AJAX, SolarWinds is able to offer a robust user experience that rivals other products that rely on a traditional desktop application to function. The management engine gathers information using polling technology that relies on an MIB (Management Information Base). SolarWinds MIB includes most 22

aVWh5ldg`
is completely set up and has access to the various pieces of network hardware. Ideally, a baseline can be used as a reference point to judge increases or decreases in network performance. The products pow erful reporting tools further help administrators identify problems, especially when used to compare historical performance to baselines. One of the most difficult issues administrators face is resolving intermittent problems that seem to creep up with no rhyme or reason. These problems can usually be attributed to unauthorized changes to network hardware, or the addition of new components or flaky equipment. Efforts to find their root cause can be fruitless. Orion NPM is a valuable tool in those cases. Administrators can use the included tools and triggers to track when a problem happens and then drill down to the cause of the problemperhaps finding that the problem is related to a high-traffic backup process or even a chatty NIC (network interface card) on a server that is used only occasionally. Orion NPM eliminates the trial-and-error approach to network troubleshooting, perhaps saving hundreds of hours a year.

NPMs Alerts console displays active alerts on the monitored devices. Alerts can range from dropped packet problems to failed interfaces. Each alert offers pop-up information when it is selected with the mouse. Administrators can drill down further by clicking on an alert to get more information. the reassignment of equipment to where its use can be maximized. Other advantages include faster problem resolution and centralized control. Most administrators are able to drill down to a problem very quickly and solve that problem with a few mouse clicks. Orion NPM is also a good solution for companies that are saddled with different management products from a variety of vendors. Its extensive MIB and ability to interface with SNMP bring a vendor-neutral slant to network monitoring, helping administrators eliminate multiple proprietary management products. That leads to reduced training costs, a faster management cycle and the ability to have a comprehensive view of the network. SolarWinds offers an array of plugins and add-ons, allowing administrators to increase the capabilities of Orion NPM without introducing more complexity. Orion NPM now provides views and resources that are tailored for virtual machines, specifically VMware ESX Servers. These new views and resources give administrators immediate insight into the performance of VMware ESX Servers and the hosted virtual machines. The latest version of NPM makes it easy to create custom alerts and build reports that offer VM-specific alerts and track the performance of virtualization solutions. Extensive reporting capabilities allow administrators to build reports for troubleshooting, as well as for upper management. ROI should be pretty easy to prove with the product by calculating the time the product can save during a typical workweek, which can range from a few hours on a small network to dozens of hours on a large, complex enterprise network. The product offers many other advantages to businesses, ranging from improving network availability to boosting network performance. For those running large heterogeneous networks, Orion NPM may be the must-have management tool today. ! Frank Ohlhorst is an award-winning technology journalist, as well as a professional speaker and IT business consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the technology arena.
This story can be found online at: tinyurl.com/yfembza

Product benefits
Orion NPM offers several advantages to organizations adopting the product, particularly the products ability to save time. Orion can reduce the administrative load associated with managing a network, thanks to the products comprehensive console and extensive reports. The product also helps improve security: A monitored network proves easier to secure and can identify unauthorized equipment or applications very quickly. Orion also is a valuable network-planning tool. Its ability to monitor and report on use, storage and traffic helps administrators better plan for network upgrades or even

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Dumping on the cloud

IT should help the business operate on the most ef cient compute platforms

Cameron Sturdevant

ve boiled down cloud computing from an IT perspective to this: Pay someone else to deal with your infrastructure problems. The trouble for IT is that we make a good part of our living by providing ongoing maintenance. But there is this pesky problem of the business bottom line. I wrote two years ago that server virtualization was becoming the norm for business efficiency. As virtual first server deployment policies spread, efficient management of virtual and physical resources is rising high above the cost savings that were credited to IT when virtualization was in its infancy. What I didnt suspect when I was writing in 2008but see more likely todayis that efficient management of physical and virtual resources in isolated, private data centers would face such stiff competition from cloud providers. Back then I wrote that server virtualization brings industrial production [methods] to the data center. One key to industrial production is placing a premium on creating products that are cost-effective in mass production. And there is nothing like a high-volume, multitenant physical data center for hacking down operational costs. In the case of server virtualization and the application workloads running on those servers, concentrating the creation and care of business-class workloads seems to be a great way to reduce business costs. Isnt the classic line: Whats your core business? Unless its building and running servers, outsource and get back to your business. Were somewhere in the middle period between isolated data centers and cloud infrastructure. A dizzying array of workloads still exceed the regulatory, performance or access capabilities of cloud offerings. But make no mistake: Were in the middlebetween things ended and things begun. IT infrastructure is traveling in territory where there is no resting place. As workloads migrate to the most cost-effective compute environment, there will be little room

it infrastructure is traveling in territory where there is no resting place.

for naysayers of any technical or experience level. Every day my e-mail box is stuffed full of point solutions for managing both physical and virtual compute, storage, network and security. The stillfractured landscape of management tools is an impediment to the full development of the cloud in isolated private data centers and public providers. The mishmash of management tools means its currently hard for IT managers to efficiently move workloads to a fully realized private virtual infrastructureone of the precursors to getting workloads ready to move to the cloud. But dont count on this situation lasting for long. Consolidation will happen. The business pressure is enough to drive forward the technical integration necessary to bring order to the management chaos. Since its better to stay ahead of an innovation wave than to be overwhelmed by it, I advise IT managers to truly become business enablers. Be the trusted adviser who looks for opportunities to optimize current business operations for virtualization and cloud enablement. Its OK to identify stumbling blocks and work for a resolution. Its not OK to be the commodore of the No Way Navy. Not every workload will travel at the same speed through this middle period. Some applications, such as e-mail, are already fully hosted. Many others are well on their way to being hosted. There will be some stubborn workloads, however, that will remain unsuited for movement to the cloud for some time. Just keep in mind that if your competitor successfully lowers operating costs by dumping their infrastructure problem on a cloud provider, the No Way Navy will surely sail off into an inglorious sunset. !
Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be contacted at csturdevant@eweek.com.
This story can be found online at: tinyurl.com/yg53oy9

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labs@work

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express manages mobile fleet

REVIEW: Companies can use BESX to help bring the entire mobile device fleet into compliance with regulations that affect the business
The second type encompasses supported. BESX is available for downesearch In Motions BESX larger businesses that are already load now at www.blackberry.com. (BlackBerry Enterprise running BES (BlackBerry Enterprise BESX only extends support to Server Express) breaks Server) for corporately owned assets. a subset of customers that could new ground with enter- They can use BESX to extend mobile use BES, as the new software only prise-grade mobile device man- device services and usage policies to works in conjunction with Microagement, extending centralized users bringing in personally owned soft Exchange Server, supporting security, configuration Exchange 2003, 2007 and application conand 2010. Smaller trols to any BlackBerry companies will also deviceregardless of find they can use BESX service typewithout with the Exchange any licensing costs implementation that for server software or comes with Windows client licenses. Small Business Server Companies can use 2003 and 2008. I perBESX for some of the formed my tests in most critical applicaconjunction with an tion and policy manSBS 2008 Standard agement plus security environment. controls to help bring Companies that the entire mobile need to support more device fleet into comthan 75 BlackBerry pliance with the various devices should opt to regulations affecting install BESX on their the business. own Windows Server. I BESX and BES cannot both be present in the same BlackBerry domain. There are two types of Companies wanting to leverage both for the device fleet must ensure that tested it with BESX customers that stand to the two platforms use separate databases. installed on a separate gain the most. The first Windows Server 2008 are small businesses that host their BlackBerry devices without incur- Service Pack 2-based server (Windows own e-mail environments and have ring the additional client licensing Server 2003 SP2 and R2 are also supalready standardized on BlackBerry costs it would take to add those users ported) virtual machine, outfitted with handhelds but could not otherwise to BES. two processors and 2GB of RAM afford RIMs higher-end manageBESX is free: There is no charge for which RIM states should be sufficient ment products (or those using RIMs either the server-side software or the to support up to 2,000 devices. old Professional Software). These client licenses. This allows companies However, companies looking companies can now bring their to focus on getting the server hardware to manage fewer than 75 devices corporately owned but unmanaged configuration best suited to handle can install the core BESX software devices under management. the expected number of devices to be CONTINUED ON Page 26

By Andrew Garcia

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BLACKBERRY BERR FROM BERRY MP PAGE 25 the mobile operators wont change be instantly familiar with both the directly on the Exchange server, their pricing terms down the road to architecture and the day-to-day manprovided it is outfitted with an addi- require additional fees for use with agement of BESX. For management, tional 1.5GB of RAM, which means a BESX deployment. BESX employs a carbon copy of BES that customers wont even need to 5.0s Web-based BAS (BlackBerry spring for Windows Server licenses Familiar architecture and Administration Service). BESX also to get going. management includes the BlackBerry Attachment RIMs documentation states that Anyone who has experience with Service (which converts supported BES and BESX cannot coexist in BES 5.0 (tinyurl.com/movhye) will attachments for viewing on devices), the same BlackBerry the BlackBerry MDS domain, so any comConnection Service pany looking to main(which facilitates tain them side by side access to online conshould make sure that tent and applications) BESX does not use the and the BlackBerry same database as a cur curRouter. I installed rently deployed BES each of these units implementation. on a single server, but BESX works with the components can BlackBerry devices probe split out to multiple visioned by the mobile servers for additional operator for either BIS performance. (BlackBerry Internet BESX does lack BES Service) or BES data 5.0s high-availability plans. Indeed, in my clustering capabilities, tests, my BIS-enabled and it doesnt integrate T-Mobile BlackBerry with the BlackBerry Bold 9700 test unit Mobile Voice System or did activate correctly BESX can be used only with Exchange (no Lotus). It works with Exchange Microsoft Office Comwith BESX, accepting 2003, 2007 and 2010including those iterations that come with Small municator. And, by my the appropriate service Business Server 2003 and 2008. count, BESX offers books from BESX in only 38 IT control addition to those propolicies (along with vided by the operator. 26 application control This lets employees policies) to govern gain the benefits of attached devices, comB l a c k B e r r y s b a c k pared with the more end services, without than 450 policies availnecessitating the extra able through BES. fees that operators Using BESX, I was commonly charge for able to easily cre enterprise BlackBerry ate an IT policy that services. (For example, required a device T-Mobile charges an password with an additional $5 per month enforced complexity for a BES data plan.) policy, disabled MMS Unfortunately, RIM (Multimedia Messagdoesnt control car ing Service) while rier pricing, so there BESX pulls users from Windows Active Directory daily, allowing BlackBerry keeping SMS (Short is no guarantee that administrators to easily nd users to add to BESX. CONTINUED ON P PAGE 28

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BLACKBERRY BERR FROM BERRY MP PAGE 26 users role within the company or engineers. And I could either use Message Service) enabled, disabled other factors. As with BES 5.0, BESX existing Active Directory credentials the device video camera while per per- pings the Windows Active Directory to log on to BAS, or I could cremitting still photos and required daily to automatically pull a list of ate distinct administrative accounts on-device encryption. As with BES users that can be added by an admin- local to the BESX system. 5.0, with BESX I could When used with set up a WiFi policy BlackBerrys running that specifies network 5.x versions of the name, wireless security mobile operating systype and a preshared tem, BESX can also key (or certificates if parse connections to needed), but those are protected file shares, set up and enforced via allowing users to a separate policy. remotely access their A full list of BESX data while on the road control policies can without needing a sepbe found online in arate VPN. BESX also the Policy Reference provides a much more Guide ( tinyurl.com/ usable interaction with Once a device activates to the BESX environment, administrators can ybd3gbk). Exchange than would view relevant device con gurationslike installed OS, PIN, carrier and BESX also can be phone number. otherwise be possible used to deploy and conwhen provisioned for figure Java applications BIS through the mobile for BlackBerry devices operatorwirelessly in the field. Administrasynchronizing Outlook tors can publish appliand Exchange contact cations to a share on a and calendar data in protected network and addition to e-mail. Plus, add it to the BAS appli5.0 OS clients can also cation repository, then manipulate Exchange create an application folder structures from control policy to dictate the device. the network connec In tests, security tions, device features features such as device and APIs to which an lock, password reset application has access Administrators can control password length, complexity and maximum and remote wipe on the device. worked as expected, try settings for devices in the eld. Administrators can with the events trig also centrally permit or deny users istrator to the BlackBerry domain, gering correctly on powered-on, the ability to add untrusted applica- but BlackBerry groups must be cre- network-connected devices within tions on their own and can define a ated within BAS (not using existing a minute after the command was policy to govern application control Active Directory structures). issued from within BAS. ! for those applications in bulk. Again like BES 5.0, BESX comes IT and application control policies with predefined administrative Senior Technical Analyst Andrew (and application distribution poli- groups with differing levels of Garcia can be reached at agarcia@ cies) can be applied directly to indi- access, oversight and control over the eweek.com. vidual user accounts or to groups BESX system. In tests, this allowed of users defined within BESX. This me to easily grant a different level This story can be found allows an administrator to craft dif dif- of control to front-line help desk online at: tinyurl.com/yhahtl8 ferent policies depending on the workers than I would to data center

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w e e k

c l a s s i f i e d s

labs@work

Managed file transfer made easy, secure (mostly)

Giving employees access

I tested the corporate version of YouSendIt, which is designed for enterprise use. (There are also versions for small and midsize businesses, and for individuals, including a Lite version thats free.) The corporate version lets you give your employees access to the file transfer capabilities of YouSendIt. You can also appoint other administrators REVIEW: YouSendIt makes e-mailing large, and track the usage levels of indisensitive files secure and manageable by avoiding vidual users or groups of users. Also, you can create groups of users in the pain of using FTP clients and servers whatever manner you wish, such By Wayne Rash transfers by managing the process as by job function, location or some he idea behind YouSendIts in a way thats intuitive, encrypted other criterion. (Each group will namesake technology is to and reasonably fast. need a group e-mail address.) make the chore of sending YouSendIt proved to be a great The corporate version also includes files, especially large or sen- solution for companies that need a drop-box feature that lets those outsitive files, easier and safer than it to send files securely, especially side your organization send material would be by just attaching the files large files. But if you are running to you in the same way youd send to an e-mail. There are many reasons Windows 7, especially the 64-bit ver- materialbut without having access for doing this: The most obvious is sion, beware: Youll probably have to to your YouSendIt account. that many e-mail servers have limits be satisfied with the Web interface. Pricing for the corporate suite for on how large an e-mail five users is $16.99 attachment can be, so if a month per user or what youre sending is too $999.99 a year; for 10 big, youre out of luck. users, $12.50 a month A less obvious reason per user or $1,499.99 a is that e-mail attachyear; for 15 users, $11 ments arent very secure. a month per user or Anyone with access to the $1,999.99 a year; for 20 e-mail server can open users, $10 a month per your attachment and user or $2,499.99 a examine it. This might year; and for 25 users, be OK if the attachment $9.99 a month per user is a photo of your Great or $2,999.99 a year. Dane, Twinkie. But its Larger licenses are nenot OK if the attachgotiated individually. ment is a patient mediIn its most basic cal record or credit card mode, YouSendIt information. is a Website that The reason YouSendIt File recipients get this page, with sender details and the senders message. includes a form on exists is to provide a way which you can add the to get large, numerous or sensitive The available applications and plug- e-mail addresses of your intended files from one place to another ins wont necessarily work for you in recipients, a subject line and any securely and easily. Its designed Windows 7, especially in the 64-bit comments, in addition to an upload to avoid both the pain of using an version, although a company repre- function that lets you choose the files FTP client and server for large files sentative did say that an update is in on your computer (or an attached and the security issues of all file the works. CONTINUED ON Page 32

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an application. But repeated attempts to install the Photoshop plug-in into the 64-bit version of Photoshop were unsuccessful, so that wasnt a problem. Occasionally, YouSendIt Express failed to send files with the 64-bit ver version of Windows 7. When that happened, shutting down and restarting the application sometimes solved the problem. I did not notice this problem with the 32-bit version of Windows 7. On its Website, the company is silent on its support for Windows 7, but discussions with a YouSendIt representative revealed that the company is working on full support. Unfortunately, that is not the only thing the firm is silent about. If you want YouSendIt to Taking the Express perform document trackIf YouSendIt ended Top: If you want to con rm whether you sent a le to someone, the ing, your recipient will lately. there, it would be a nice, Sent Items tab will present a list of everything youve sent lately need to have a YouSendIt Bottom: The most basic means of using YouSendIt is via its Website. but unremarkable means account. This information, of managing file transfer. This requires nothing beyond a browser and Internet access. however, is buried deep But theres more. A series of appli- 2007, YouSendIt shows up in the within the tech support information. cations are available for download Send menu choice. Unless you research these issues, you that enable you to install YouSendIt Its not entirely clear how it works are going to be disappointed. Express. The Express version resides in Photoshop, although I did find Overall, YouSendIt works well in on your computer and, in addition that in the case of the 64-bit version, its most basic form. However, be to having the same functions (with it doesnt work at all. The instruc- aware that to use some of its more nearly the same interface) as the Web- tions say that it converts some file specialized features, you need to be site, it allows you to attach entire types before sending. This means running an older version of Windows folders. Plus, there are plug-ins for that if youre taking photos using or be willing to wait until the company Adobe Photoshop and for Microsoft one of the RAW digital camera files updates its software to be compatible Office and Outlook, as well as other used by the pros, youll find yourself with current versions. ! ones that I didnt test. having to choose between formats Depending on the plug-in, these such as TIFF and JPEG. Contributing analyst Wayne Rash is a features are more or less useful. I tried sending the Nikon form of that veteran technology writer and reviewer. With the Outlook 2007 plug-in, for file type (an NEF file), and YouSendIt example, youre asked every time you insisted on the conversion. Since this send an e-mail with attachments if file type is used because its not modified This story can be found you want to use YouSendIt for those or compressed, this type of file transonline at: tinyurl.com/yfs5r7k attachments. With Microsoft Word mission may not be suitable for such
Y SENDIT FROM PAGE 30 YOU

server) to be sent. It also gives you the option of receiving a return receipt, and using a password and automatic tracking. Just click on Send and the file is on its way. Your recipients will get a link to the file, which they can download to their computer. If you chose to be notified of delivery, youll receive an e-mail message confirming that the files you sent arrived at their destination. Because of its storeand-forward nature, the YouSendIt process adds to your convenience by not requiring that recipients be around to receive the file. They can go to the site within the time limit you set and get the file at their convenience.

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stop making forced moves in your technology strategy

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aVWh5ldg`XdbbZciVgn aVWh5ldg`

Providing mobile service

You need to gure out when mobile congestion affects your clients and employees

Andrew Garcia

s smartphone adoption continues to increase, mobile operators are struggling to provide adequate levels of service as spectrum is oversubscribed or cell-site backhaul gets saturated. Companies need to arm themselves with the information to determine when their client base is adversely affected and their employee productivity is limited by this congestion. Those of us who work in San Francisco know all too well that AT&Ts service on a weekday can be hor horrendous for both data and voice. AT&T has acknowledged that it has a lot of work to do in markets like San Francisco and New York where smartphone data usage and iPhone adoption are uncommonly high (tinyurl.com/yzc5g5e). But AT&Ts problems arent confined to the iPhone. During last months RSA conference in San Francisco, a friend complained about the mobile phone service around the Moscone Center. She kept getting Emergency Calls Only messages on her Windows Mobile phone, which couldnt get service in the middle of downtown San Francisco. In 2008, I wrote a story about the different types of management IT administrators should have over their mobile device ecosystem (tinyurl.com/ykcc6pr), citing an up-and-coming area that I called service management. I referred to service management as paying the least buck for the bang, tracking smartphone usage to cull out and excise neglected devices or those needing different types of plans (like international plans) to better match actual usage. But over time, service management has begun to morph as well, adding intelligence and reporting to be able to track things like dropped calls and signal levels. When I wrote that story, service management was a niche offering. But now Im seeing a number of advanced MDM (mobile device management) platforms adding service management features.

im seeing a number of advanced mobile device management platforms adding service management features.

An interesting tidbit I came across during my attempt to review Boxtones device management suite involved service management reports that came with its Asset, Expense and Compliance Management module, which defines ROI and costs for smartphone usageand lack of usage. Inventory reports enumer enumerate last message sent and received. Low-use and no-use reports identify last contact date and the cost of inaction based on monthly per-device costs. Productivity reports identify a users volume of messages read and sent during nonbusiness hours, so managers can put a dollar value on nonbusiness-hour work. Other MDM vendors are growing their service management to encompass wireless performance in the field, which could help a company build a case with its current carrier about poor network performance. That could lead to cost savings. Mobile Irons Mobile Activity Intelligence tracks wireless network performance, logging and mapping dropped calls, signal strength and network coverage gaps (tinyurl.com/ykynuk8). Tracking this kind of data requires additional client-side intelligence. BlackBerry devices already have an ongoing dialog with an associated BlackBerry Enterprise Server that could help form the basis for these reports, but ActiveSync-connected smartphones typically do not. So a device-side client application to collect and report this data is needed. Mobile Iron claims to support WinWin dows Mobile, iPhone, Symbian and WebOS, which indicates that enterprises could extend their service management to any employee-owned devices that are allowed to connect to corporate resources. !
Senior Technical Analyst Andrew Garcia can be reached at agarcia@eweek.com.
A longer version of this column can be found online at: tinyurl.com/yhr89av

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Xangati gives virtual management a real advantage

REVIEW: Effective management is the key to delivering reliable services based on virtual server technology. Xangati brings such tools to the table

at a discounted rate of $9,999, which anaging an ESX or includes Xangati for ESX for up to ESXi server can be a 20 hosts and Xangati Management daunting task, espe - Dashboard Enterprise edition. cially when things go Xangatis role in the virtual arena wrong. Administrators trying to comes from an all-too-common A unique ability troubleshoot thorny issues need an problem faced by network adminWhat makes Xangati for ESX effective ally, a friend that can be istrators: needing to play detective unique is the products ability to counted on to always tell record activity on the the truth. network for playback Xangati is aiming to later. That proves to be be that trusted friend a valuable capability for to administrators manadministrators trying aging balky VMware to troubleshoot specific ESX and ESXi servers. issues or scheduleThe vendor makes its related problems. management tool availFor example, if there able in different editions is a certain time of the to meet the needs of day when VM perforboth small and large mance drops, an adminenterprises. istrator can record that The editions include period of time and then Xangati for ESX virtual The Xangati solution is launched and used directly within vCenter. review the recording to appliance, as well as see where the conges Xangati Management Dashboard to solve the various problems that tion happened or what caused the in Standard, Enterprise and Enter- seem to arise. While that situation slowdown. That capability could prise Plus editions. According to the may not be unique to administrators save days of investigative work company, Xangati for ESX edition can running VMware ESX and ESXi when troubleshooting a network be downloaded for a free 14-day trial servers, those individuals do face load or processor usage issue. or purchased at an immediate cost of an additional challenge: a lack of Administrators can quickly drill $299. Xangati Management Dash - integrated monitoring and manage- down into particular VMs to track board Standard edition is available ment tools that offer a fast way to activity and loadboth in real for $4,999, the Enterprise edition identify, track and ultimately solve time and using recordings. The goes for $9,999, and the Enterprise the problem. Xangatis products aim information, when displayed in Plus version is priced at $19,999. to do just that. real time, shows a scrolling activXangati is also offering a Starter Kit I downloaded Xangati for ESX to ity graph that gives a quick visual

By Frank Ohlhorst

take a look at what the product can offer a harried ESX administrator. Installation was straightforward and required only that I import the virtual appliance, which comes as an .ovf file, onto my ESX server. Once the virtual appliance is launched, Xangati for ESX is accessed via a Web browser. The products main console offers a status view of all the active virtual machines on the ESX server, along with the traffic traveling across the endpoints, locations, ports in use and many other critical trafficdriven elements. With the consoles help, an administrator can rapidly determine how well a virtual infrastructure is performing.

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reference of bit rates and endpoint to an ESX server, instead of to audit or security compliance policy counts. Most of the elements on any of the other components of a to make sure that the activity on the dashboard are customizable, virtual infrastructure. VMs is occurring only when it is which allows administrators to One cool feature is the products expected to. define views that best fit their par- ability to record activity on a schedThe Xangati for ESX dashboard ticular needs. ule defined by the administrator. integrates with vSphere and vCenter The key word here is clients, allowing adminviews: Xangati excels in istrators to quickly access offering a visual look at the dashboard from activity on a virtual infrawithin VMwares manstructure. The products agement tools. Although ability to offer informathis is a minor feature, tion on traffic traversit proves to be a major ing the network from timesaver by allowing endpoint to VM proves management chores to to be one of the most be consolidated. compelling aspects. Xangati for ESX offers All elements that a logical progression make up a virtual infrainto the realm of monistructure are incorpo toring and troubleshootrated into the products ing for ESX platforms. monitoring capabilities. Ad m i n i s t r a t o r s w i l l Xangati automatically groups all VMs and IP interfaces according This enables an admin- to the host in which they reside. This makes tracking top talkers find the ability to drill istrator to track exactly per ESX instantaneous. down into and record what is happening on a information about any virtual network. element that appears Among the critical on the dashboardan elements into which invaluable capability that Xangati offers a realspeeds the troubleshoottime view are the ing process and allows vSwitches located on an them to demonstrate the ESX host. vSwitches are effectiveness of a virtual usually hard to monitor infrastructure solution. in an end-to-end situaW h a t s m o r e , t h e tion, with administraproduct allows administors having to rely on trators to properly assign non-real-time analysis blame for problems that tools to determine how were once reflexively traffic is flowing from blamed on ESX. ! an ESX host through a Frank Ohlhorst is an vSwitch and ultimately This remote object viewer allows a Xangati admin to provide a award-winning technolto an endpoint. summary view to a VM or application owner. This is a feature of the ogy journalist, as well as a Incorporating that Xangati Management Dashboard appliance. professional speaker and information allows administrators to narrow down That proves very handy when trying IT business consultant with more whether a connectivity or perfor- to pin down performance issues than 25 years of experience in the mance problem is related to an during overnight backup sessions technology arena. ESX server or some other network or problems related to cross-site element. Thats a critical capability, synchronization chores needed for This story can be found especially since most performance business continuity. The recordings online at: tinyurl.com/yg6fqat problems are first attributed can also be used as part of an access 37

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Alpha Five v10 boasts Codeless AJAX

REVIEW: Now on its tenth version, Alpha Five incorporates what is probably the single most important feature yet: Codeless AJAX
Alpha Five is now on its tenth Alpha Fives built-in DBF databases or lpha Five Version 10, the version, which incorporates what is other database using additional drivers, latest version from Alpha probably the single most important such as SQL Server and MySQL. Then Software, lets you create feature yet: Codeless AJAX. Using you choose what fields you want to Web-based database appli- various wizards and property editors appear in the grid and how many rows cations using Codeless AJAX technol- in Alpha Five, you can quickly and the grid should display, and you let it ogy. The Alpha Five v10 Developer ver- easily put together a complete Web- roll. Those are the basic stepsthere sion sells for $349 (with a free 30-day based and AJAX-powered application are dozens of additional properties availtrial), and the Alpha Five v10 Application using no programming whatsoever. able for further customizationwhich Server is $599. You can are enough to create a grid purchase both for $799. that can appear on a Web Alpha Five is a datapage. It really is that easy. base development tool When I started trying out that has its roots in softAlpha Five v10, I was a little ware created nearly 30 skeptical because of the focus years ago. It was originally on the grid. I come from an one of the early database ASP.NET world, where Im tools that competed with used to seeing a huge toolproducts such as Foxbox filled with repeaters and Pro and, later, Microsoft forms and rich-text controls, Access. While most of the and I doubted that you could other tools are long gone, really use Alpha Five to make Alpha Five has continued more than just basic gridevolving and growing as based data applications. it keeps up with advancAs it turns out, the grid Creating Web-based, AJAX-powered grids is a snap in Alpha Five v10. ing technology. control is really much more Case in point: When it became Centered on the Web application than just a grid. You can configure each clear that the Web was here to stay, development cycle is the grid, an record to appear in a form layout, and Alpha Software added Web capa- AJAX control that can display data from there you can customize the look bilities to Alpha Five. While you in a browser in a grid fashion, letting of the individual fields. Whats more, previously could create only desktop users page through and sort the data. you can choose to display only single applications, you can now use it to As with any good AJAX application, records or multiple recordsand even create full-featured applications that the sorting and paging are confined columns of recordsgiving you power run in a browser, with an Alpha Five to the grid itself, without the user hav- very similar to the repeater controls that Web server running on the other ing to refresh the page. Instead, the ASP.NET programmers love. end. The server, in turn, connects refreshes happen in the background The grid has dozens of properties, to the databases and their tables and using JavaScript and AJAX. including styles for the overall grid as can dish out Web pages for accessing Creating a grid is easy. First, you spec- well for the individual fields. These the data in the browsers. ify the data connection, which can be fields can show images or text or rich

By Jeff Cogswell

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HTML text. The grids can be read-only or updatable; with updatable grids, the end user can type into the grid and open a full-featured WYSIWYG HTML editor for entering rich text right from within the browser. You can also create multiple grids and tie them together. If youre a programmer willing to roll up your sleeves, you can do even more. With those server-side directives, you can put in your own XBasic code, which works much like programming ASP.NET and PHP. You can use the good old BASIC print statement that consists of just a question mark. When you print something, the output of the print statement goes into the final HTML that gets sent down to the browserjust like the echo statement in PHP or the Response.Write statement in ASP.NET. If you dont want to use the components, youre that would update the other grid, but wasnt sure how to do it. That forced me to start uncovering an Alpha Five feature I hadnt yet discovered, and thats when it all started to come together. In the grid properties screen of the Alpha Five application, there are several places where you can add your own custom JavaScript. You can double-click any of these proper properties, and a window opens into which you type your JavaScript code. You do the work from within the property editors when possible, rather than writing the code directly into the pages. When you do it this way, everything fits together perfectly. The developers of Alpha Five have done an excellent job of anticipating where you would likely want to add custom code, and they give you places to do it rather than forcing you to hack apart the pages and insert your code yourself. When I followed this approach, everything worked beautifully. In the end, I had a full-feaMost of the dialog boxes in the designer have help tured application. Although I built right into them. went beyond the codeless free to create entire Web pages using all aspect to push the product to its your own custom server-side code. limits, I still wrote very little code. For programmers who really want Creating JavaScript code to take this product to its extreme You can also create JavaScript code limits, theres a full-featured code that runs on the client side, such as editor that enables you to create your in response to various grid events. I own XBasic code libraries. You can found myself getting a little confused use a rich built-in library, too. Your here because my urge was to open up original code libraries can then be the page and put my JavaScript right in loaded by both desktop and Webthere. But then I started getting lost. based applications. The XBasic code I wanted to write a JavaScript func- still runs only on the server, but any tion whereby when an entry form JavaScript code you create runs on finishes sending its data to the server, the client side. it would notify a grid to update itself. In the end, you can create applicaThe way I created the grid and form tions that are as powerful as the best was different from the usual Alpha Web applications out there. ! Five way of doing it, so the other grid wasnt getting updated automatically. Jeff Cogswell can be contacted at jeff. I wanted to write some JavaScript cogswell@ziffdavisenterprise.com. 39

Building a Website
In addition, there are other controls, including navigation controls, to help you build a Website consisting of multiple pages, and dialogs that encompass Web forms for data entry. In a matter of minutes, you can have a full-featured Web application running using no programming at all. The software-design process is simple: After designing your database and its tables, you create Web components individuallysuch as grids and navigation controlsand save them separately. Each component can be tested and previewed in an internal browser based on Internet Explorer. (But the final product can run on any of the major browsers.) Next, you create the Web pages, adding your controls to them. Once thats done, you publish your application, which copies everything (the pages, controls and database files) to the Alpha Five Web servers root directory using a publishing system that works really well and is easily configurable. The pages themselves work similarly to the way an ASP.NET or PHP page works. The pages consist of standard HTML and JavaScript mixed with server-side code enclosed in <%at%> tags. The server-side code gets executed by the Alpha Five Web server and is replaced by any HTML and JavaScript output. The server-side code includes directives for inserting the controls (which result in a good amount of HTML and JavaScript to handle the AJAX, but you dont need to modify or worry about any of that code), as well as additional code that uses the XBasic programming language.

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The power behind the new eWEEK Labs Website is the insight of enterprise IT pros

We want you
Debra Donston

f youve been a reader of eWEEK print for the last year or so, youve been following eWEEK Labs. In 2009 the publication was redesigned to focus squarely on reviews and product information, because thats what our readers said they wanted and needed. The need for independent product evaluations hasnt waned since then. If anything, its grown stronger, as the number of products being released increases and companies in-house resources for evaluating these products stay flat or decrease. Thats where the new eWEEK Labs Website comes in. At http://labs.eweek.com, youll find specs on hundreds of enterprise products and services, reviews from the eWEEK Labs staff and members of the community, and discussions on the topics that are the most compellingand of the most concernto IT professionals. Before the official beta launch of the eWEEK Labs Website, I asked some enterprise IT professionals to have a look at it and tell me what they thought. The IT pros I spoke with said they liked the simplicity of the sitethe fact that its focus was on products and reviews. They also said they appreciated that the reviews were easily digestible, with scoring that told them at a glance whether the product was worth investigating further. I asked the IT pros what more they wanted from the site, and all said they would prefer additional opportunities to interact with their peers. Several people I spoke with said there are multiple places out there that provide community platforms, but few if any that offer a (snipe-free) place where enterprise IT managers can feel free to share their experiences and ask questions. One IT pro, for example, said he would value discussions about research and evaluation. His organization just signed a contract for a new ERP system, and it was very difficult to find information about research conducted onand the evaluation ofsuch products.

a community of informed it people working together is a very powerful thing.

If there were a place where IT pros could discuss what theyre researching, how theyre developing their shortlists, what vendors have been like to work with and what kinds of discounts theyre getting, that would be huge, he said. Currently, users can comment on reviews and Product Cards, and well be adding forums in the very near future (among many other features). In addition to our growing community of eWEEK Labs members, Labs analysts and other tech experts will be joining the discussion. But the engine behind the Labs site consists of reviews. Our own staff of analystsJason Brooks, Cameron Sturdevant, Andrew Garcia and the newest member of eWEEK Labs, PJ Connollywill continue to generate reviews of products and services used in and across the enterprise. These reviews will appear on eWEEK.com, as well as on the eWEEK Labs Website. What will make the eWEEK Labs site especially valuable, however, are reviews from the people who know best how products perform in realworld scenarios and with real-world budgets: you. The IT pros I spoke with before the beta of the site was launched said they would be motivated to contribute if they knew they would be getting the same types of contributions from their IT peers. Thats the core of a vibrant community, and thats what were building with the eWEEK Labs site. We know how busy you are. We know there has to be something tangible in it for you and for your organization. We also know that a community of informed IT people working together is a very powerful thing. Id like to hear from eWEEK readers what it would take to turn you into eWEEK Labs writers. !
Debra Donston is Ziff Davis Enterprises director of Audience Recruitment and Development. She can be reached at debra.donston@ziffdavisenterprise.com.

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PowerPivot raises the bar on row limitations

REVIEW: Microsofts PowerPivot add-in for its forthcoming Excel 2010 spreadsheet enables users to work with much larger sets of data than is possible with Excel alone
in MySQL databases, through an Excel 2010 that I tested are still in icrosofts PowerPivot is ODBC driver. development, and I hit a few rough an add-in for the comPowerPivot comes with a new spots during my tests. On a couple of panys forthcoming language for crafting relational occasions, the data embedded within Excel 2010 spreadsheet expressions, called Data Analysis my test workbooks became corrupt, application, which first grabbed my Expressions (DAX). It resembles and I hit some snags with my tests attention by the way it enables users Excels existing functions capabili- with MySQL. to work with much larger sets of data ties, but is better-suited to the addWith that said, I expect that once than is possible with Excel alone. For ins database orientation. these bugs are squashed, Powerinstance, I used PowerPivot will prove a powerPivot to load and browse ful arrow in the quivers through a data set that ran both of IT administrators 3.9 million rowsabout out to provide their users four times Excels existwith more flexible access ing upper limitand to company data and of I had no more trouble business analysts looking scrolling around in the for more ways to crunch set than I would with a that data with famil familspreadsheet of only seviar tools. Whats more, eral hundred rows. there is a Sharepoint Typically, bumping up integration element to against the row limitaPowerPivotwhich I did tions of your spreadsheet not testthats intended application indicates that to provide PowerPivot a database is probably a users with easy ways to better tool for the job. share their analyses. But its tough for heavy spreadsheet users to give PowerPivot in the Lab up the familiarity of a I tested PowerPivot favored tool. with the beta release of I linked PowerPivot up to a MySQL database through ODBC. As compelling as Excel 2010 on a virtual PowerPivots speed with lots of For instance, DAX operates on machine running the 64-bit version rows is, the free add-ins knack for whole columns or tables, rather of Windows 7. Both the PowerPivot more effectively linking up Excel than on ranges or individual cells, plug-in and Excel 2010 are available workbooks with one or more data- so theres no need to drag formulas in 64-bit versions, but I stuck with base back ends is a big part of what across vast spreadsheet real estate or the 32-bit edition of Excel and the PowerPivot is meant to accomplish. twiddle with range definitions as the plug-in for my tests. Development I used the product to tap data in amount of data in a set changes. versions of Office 2010 and Power PowerAccess databases, in flat files and The versions of PowerPivot and CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

By Jason Brooks

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POWERPIVOT FROM PAGE 41 right .ACCDB file, and then choos- clickup until the graphical table Pivot are available for download at ing either to select from a list of selection and filtering tool, where microsoft.com/office/2010 and at the tables and views in the database I hit error messages. Through the powerpivot.com, respectively. If you or to select them through an SQL SQL query route, I could set up the intend to install only same sorts of condiExcel 2010as opposed tions as with the more to the complete Office wizardly option, just 2010 suitetake care not as easily. to install Office Shared After importing one Features alongside set of data into my Excel because PowerPowerPivot workbook, Pivot wont install propeach table appeared erly without it. in a tab at the bottom For my tests, I used of the interface, like sample data in the form sheets in a workbook. of Access databases and I could add new tables Excel worksheets from or views from different the Codeplex project at sources, remove any of powerpivotsampledata. the tables Id brought codeplex.com. I also in, and create relationtested with campaign ships between the tables fi n a n c e d a t a t h a t I PowerPivot enables Excel to take on much larger data sets. by clicking on one of downloaded from the the table columns and Center for Responsive indicating in a dialog Politics OpenSecrets. window the table and org project directly into column to place on a MySQL database. the other end of the Installing PowerPivot relationship. tacked on a new RibFollowing a tutorial bon tab in Excel for thats included in the the add-in. From that PowerPivot help file, I tab, I could launch into linked up a set of tables a separate window for detailing a fictional working with Powercompanys bicycle sales Pivot, with its own conto tables of industrytrols for importing and wide bicycle sales data. I manipulating data. could very quickly visuThe regular Excel alize the information spreadsheet environusing PivotCharts and ment doesnt go any- PowerPivots data import tools made it easy to identify which tables, Slicers, both of which where. PowerPivot data columns and records to pull in. made it fairly easy to lives within an Excel workbook, with query. With the list-based selection wander through the data looking sheets that can house PivotCharts route, I could pick out the tables for insights. ! and Tables that draw on the Power Power- to include, as well as filter which eWEEK Labs Managing Editor Pivot data, as well as feed that data records to input. through linked tables. When I pursued the same import Jason Brooks can be reached at PowerPivot sports a handy wiz- path to my MySQL-stored campaign jbrooks@eweek.com. ard for piping in external data from finance data (through an ODBC databases, flat files or data feeds. I driver that I had already installed This story can be found hooked my test worksheet up to an and configured in Windows), the online at: tinyurl.com/ykmvm34 Access database by browsing to the process was similarly point and

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Do you authorize, recommend, evaluate and/or specify IT solutions, products and/or services for your organization? c Yes c No

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Which of the following best describes your primary job title? (Check one only)
c 049 Project Manager c 045 Other IT Manager (please specify) ________________ staff & specialty of: c 061 IS or IT or MIS c 062 Networking/Communications/Infrastructure c 063 E-Business or E-Commerce c 064 Operations Support c 065 Information Systems/Data Center Operations c 066 Security c 067 Testing or Quality Assurance c 068 Product Development/Research & Development c 069 Data Center c 070 Engineering c 071 Software Application Design or Development c 072 Web Development c 073 Internet Content Development c 074 Support (Technical) c 060 Other (Technical) (please specify)________________ other: c 044 Internet Tech Consultant or Analyst c 122 Creative/Graphics/Artistic c 123 Computer Hardware or Software Distributor c 124 VAR or Systems Integrator coRPoRAtE MANAGEMENt c 014 CEO c 075 COO c 076 CFO c 077 CMO c 078 CCO c 036 President/Owner/Chairman/Partner Executive vP/senior vP/vP: c 079 Call Center Operations c 055 Finance/Accounting c 020 Engineering (Non-IT) c 080 Manufacturing (Non-IT) c 081 Operations (Non-IT) c 125 Facilities c 082 General Management c 083 Human Resources c 084 Legal or Compliance c 021 Marketing/Sales c 085 Product Development or R&D (Non IT) c 086 Purchasing c 087 Quality Control c 126 Real Estate c 088 Telecommunications c 089 Training or Education c 090 Business or Corporate Development c 017 Other Corporate Executive/Sr. VP/VP (please specify) __________________________ director/senior Mgr/head of: c 091 Call Center Operations c 092 Finance or Accounting c 093 Engineering (Non-IT) c 094 Manufacturing (Non-IT) c 095 Operations (Non-IT) c 127 Facilities c 096 General Management c 097 Human Resources c 098 Legal or Compliance c 099 Marketing or Sales c 100 Product Development or R&D (Non IT) c 101 Purchasing c 102 Quality Control c 128 Real Estate c 103 Telecommunications c 104 Training or Education c 105 Business or Corporate Development c 046 Other Corp. Director/Senior Mgr/Head (please specify) __________________________ Manager/supervisor of: c 106 Call Center Operations c 107 Finance or Accounting c 108 Engineering (Non-IT) c 109 Manufacturing (Non-IT) c 110 Operations (Non-IT) c 130 Facilities c 111 General Management c 112 Human Resources c 113 Legal or Compliance c 114 Marketing or Sales c 115 Product Development or R&D (Non IT) c 116 Purchasing c 117 Quality Control c 131 Real Estate c 118 Telecommunications c 119 Training or Education c 120 Business or Corporate Development c 047 Other Corp. Manager/Supervisor (please specify) __________________________ other c 024 Business/Financial Analyst c 121 Consultant c 132 Customer Service Representative c 015 Other (please specify)_________________

IT MANAGEMENT c 001 CIO c 002 CTO c 016 CSO/CISO c 004 CTA Executive vP/senior vP/vP: c 003 IS/IT/MIS c 006 Networking/Communications/Infrastructure c 007 E-business/E-commerce c 008 Operations c 011 Information Systems or Data Center Operations c 018 System Security c 019 Testing or Quality Assurance or Quality Control c 022 Product Development or Research & Development c 023 Data Systems Architecture c 009 Software or Systems Engineering c 056 Software Application Design or Development c 057 Web or Internet Development c 013 Other IT Exec VP/Sr. VP/VP (please specify) __________________________ director/sr Manager/head of: c 050 IS/IT/MIS c 051 Networking/Communications/Infrastructure c 052 E-business/E-commerce c 042 Operations c 025 Information Systems or Data Center Operations c 026 System Security c 027 Testing or Quality Assurance or Quality Control c 028 Product Development or Research & Development c 029 Data Center c 053 Software or Systems Engineering c 058 Software Application Design or Development c 059 Web or Internet Development c 054 Other IT Dir/Sr Mgr/Head (please specify) __________________________ Manager/supervisor of: c 030 IS/IT/MIS c 031 Networking or Communications or Infrastructure c 032 E-Business or E-Commerce c 033 Operations c 034 Information Systems or Data Center Operations c 037 System Security c 038 Testing or Quality Assurance or Quality Control c 039 Product Development or Research & Development c 040 Data Center c 041 Software or Systems Engineering c 043 Software Application Design or Development c 048 Web or Internet Development

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NON-COMPUTER INDUSTRY c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c 01 Manufacturing 02 Finance/Banking/Accounting/Venture Capitalist 09 Insurance/Real Estate/Legal 35 Federal Government 36 State and Local Government 08 Aerospace/Defense/Military 04 Healthcare/HMO/Hospital/Medical 06 Pharmaceuticals/Biotech/Agricultural/Life Sciences 33 Education: K-12 34 Education: College/University/Cont Ed 29 Retail (non-computer) 30 Wholesale/Distribution (Non-Computer) 11 Transportation (highway, air, railroad, maritime) 12 Mining/Energy/Utilities/Reneries 13 Engineering/Architecture/Construction 07 Tourism/Travel/Hotel/Restaurant Services 05 Entertainment/Publishing/Broadcasting 17 Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations 16 Non-Prot/Trade Association/R&D 19 Business Services/Consultancy COMPUTER RELATED INDUSTRY c c c c c c c c c c c c 20 Computer Manufacturing 31 Computer Retail 32 Computer Wholesale/Distribution 10 Telecommunications/Network Service Provider 23 System/Network Integrator or Provider/VAR 21 Data Processing Services/Outsourcing 18 Computer/Network Services Consultancy 25 ISP/ASP/Communications Carriers 26 Independent Web/Software Developer or Vendor 24 E-Commerce/E-Business Integrator or Provider 28 Security/Storage Provider/SAN Management 27 Other (please specify)______________________________

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Which of the following describes your role in the IT decisionmaking process at your company? (Check all that apply)
c c c c c c c c 01 Authorize Purchases 02 Evaluate/Specify Brands or Vendors 04 Create IT Strategy 05 Determine IT Needs 06 Align Business & IT Goals 11 Manage Vendor Relationships 12 Other Role in IT Decision Making Process 99 Not Involved in IT Decision Making Process

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How many people are employed in your entire organization? (Check one only)
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products to watch
eWEEK editors recommend new hardware, software and services that enterprise IT decision makers should have on their radars
Merus AP320i wireless access point
Merus latest AP320i access point, the first of its new i-Series suite of APs, provides high-speed per performance for 802.11n at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, while supporting legacy a/b/g devices. Built on Merus vir tual cell architecture, this is the companys most technologically advanced AP. It provides wireless ser service to enterprises with 99.99 percent availability and toll-quality VOIP assurance in a low-profile design with integrated antennas that support both wall and ceiling mounts. The new i-Series combines high-performance functionality, reliability and predictpredict ability in an unobtrusive form factor. www.merunetworks.com/corporate/
press_releases/index.php?articleID=030310

Veeras Rapid Insight

F5s BIG-IP Edge Gateway

BIG-IP Edge Gateway from F5 is a remoteaccess solution that delivers LAN-speed application performance for remote and mobile workers. The product integrates access optimization, site-to-site security and application acceleration for remote users. The device can support up to 600 log-ins per second and up to 40,000 concon current users, letting organizations scale cost-effectively as their mobile workforce grows. With the visual policy editor, users can create secure and granular accesscontrol policies on an individual or group basis, which can help cut CapEx and OpEx costs up to 75 percent. The prodprod uct also lets remote users access applicaapplica tions up to 10 times faster than without acceleration. www.f5.com/products/
big-ip/solution-modules/edge-gate big-ip/solution-modules/edge-gateway.html

Rapid Insight from Veera, a desktop reporting and analysis application, enables users to access data from several dif different formats and sources. With its graphical interface, users can build and modify reports, create data marts and generate analytic datasets with drag-and-drop capabilities. Instead of having to save multiple iterations of data, users can save a visual data process, which can be run, scheduled, modified and shared. The software can run as a 64-bit or 32-bit application. www.rapidinsightinc.com

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egdYjXihidlViX]
Tripwares OutBook

Tripwares travel software now lets users plan, book and manage business trips directly from Microsoft Outlook 2007/2010. Combining elements of Microsoft Outlook, Orbitz, TripIt and WorldMate, Tripware OutBook helps companies save money and time because all business travel can be handled with one tool, one profile and one itinerary. By using Tripwares software, companies dont need online travel agents, travel search engines and itinerary consolidators. In addition to Tripware OutBook, options include an admin arranger app, licensing and API.
www.tripware.com/outbook

Net Optics Director Pro

The Director Pro Fabric Access Switch from Net Optics is the first network access software that lets users prefilter data by deep-packet inspection of network traffic, which optimizes the performance of security and monitoring tools. Designed for enterprise data centers, cloud computing providers and telecommutelecommu nication operators, Director Pro adds to the features of Net Optics Director by including deep-packet inspection, dynamic load balancing and bidirectional port configuration.The DirecDirec tor Pro supports both 1G and 10G network links on the same platform, and can monitor and provide in-line access to the network on all ports. Director Pros bidirectional filtering permits the highest port density available today. In the case of port failure, its hot spare port will take over another ports packet monitoring, so that Director Pro never loses connectivity. www.
netoptics.com/products/product_family_ details.asp?cid=9&pid=225&Section=prod ucts&menuitem=9&tag=

Sybase Mobile Sales and Mobile Workflow

Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite extend the capabilicapabili ties of SAP Business Suite applications. Built on the mobile infrastructure of the Sybase Unwired Platform, these mobile solutions propro vide SAP customers with an out-of-the-box solution for mobilizing their SAP applicaapplica tions, while providing them with the flexibility to customize and expand the solution to meet their business needs. It can be customized to tap into a variety of back-end data sources, including databases, Web ser vices, files and any enterprise application that leverages ser viceoriented architecture. Using this software, enterprise workers can access full-featured, business process-driven applications and valuable data assets beyond the netnet worked office, so they can make informed and timely business decisions at any time, wherever they are.
www.sybase.com/partner/SAP

To submit a new or newly updated product for consideration, send a high-res image and product information (including release date) to eweekproductstowatch@gmail.com.
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