IT shops have been struggling to understand and manage data growth for a long time, mainly since the explosion in connected devices took off early in the last decade. With increasing data storage demands resulting from an influx of new content types—rich digital media, social media and machine-generated data—small and midsize businesses have been challenged to incorporate sophisticated methods to back up critical company data. For a great many types of small businesses, it just doesn't make sense to go out and buy all the storage hardware, software and services that were required before the advent of cloud backup, which now has a track record of about seven years. It is the right time for SMBs to look at cloud backup for at least a portion of their overall storage. Our main resource for the following slide show is Tom Gelson, cloud strategist for Imation's Scalable Storage group, who explains why.
Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard each introduced a mountain of new PCs in the last few weeks. Speed, thanks to new Ivy Bridge processors from Intel, was a major focus for HP, Lenovo and other PC makers, along with features like smaller footprints, smarter cooling technologies, super-quick boot-up times and enterprise-grade security solutions—all important features for business users and the IT professionals who have to keep track and maintain their company’s PC fleet. However, of course, the most fun announcements are for the machines that make a person instantly wish his or her IT manager were shipping one their way (in exchange for their current phonebook-like laptop). Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, hit on this in a May 21 research note. Gottheil wrote, "For PCs, consumerization means business users (who are consumers when they are not at work) will demand PCs that share the characteristics of the PCs they buy for personal use: good design, light weight, good battery life, instant-on, good audio." Hear, hear! Below is a collection of recently introduced desktops and notebooks from the likes of HP, Lenovo, Dell and Asus most any business user would be happy to find on her desk—at work or at home.
F# is a strongly typed, functional-first programming language for writing simple code to solve complex problems. From the business perspective, the primary role of F#, pronounced F sharp, is to reduce the time-to-deployment for analytical software components in the modern enterprise. For example, F# makes it straightforward to tackle the complexity of components such as calculation engines and data-rich analytical services, while facilitating the construction of correct, robust and efficient software. Together, these give concrete business advantages through the rapid investigation of problem spaces and the seamless, nonintrusive deployment of the resulting components. One key to this is F#'s interoperability with all .NET languages and libraries, which also provides developers with an incremental path for adopting F#. F# 2.0 is both open source and shipped as part of Visual Studio 2010. A preview of F# 3.0 is currently available in Visual Studio 11 Beta. The F# language originated in Microsoft Research and has been available since 2007. In the past five years, F# has continued to grow in popularity, and Microsoft has detailed how the language has helped solved complex programming problems in industries as diverse as banking, insurance and energy. Following an expert talk on the use of F# at Microsoft’s recent Lang.NEXT 2012 conference, Donna Malayeri, Microsoft’s program manager for F# came up with 10 reasons developers should look at F# for certain projects. Here, eWEEK shares Malayeri’s Top 10 list and shows why developers should check out F#.
Data centers are designed for reliability, usually at the expense of efficiency. The failure to design for efficiency increases capital and operational expenditures. It can also result in finite resources being exhausted, thereby creating a situation in which relentless growth threatens to outpace the enterprise’s ability to financially sustain that growth. Quantifying the power efficiencies of a data center may appear to be something pretty esoteric, but rest assured, it is all very scientific. Two metrics instituted by the Green Grid industry group are now beginning the lengthy process of becoming international industry standards. First, there is power usage effectiveness (PUE). This is a ratio of total facility power divided by IT equipment power. Ideally, it should be less than 2-to-1. The closer to 1-to-1 this metric is, the better. Then, there is data center infrastructure efficiency (DCiE), which is a percentage calculated by multiplying IT equipment power by 100, divided by total facility power. The bigger this percentage is, the better. A data center's DCiE should never be more than 1. With this in mind, here are 10 steps IT and facility managers can take to improve efficiency without compromising reliability. Our expert resource for this slide show is Clemens Pfeiffer, CTO of Power Assure and a 25-year veteran of the software industry.
Memorial Day is right around the corner, which means that summer is finally here. With the warm breezes and lighter, longer days comes the perfect opportunity to load up your iPhone—and possibly your iPad—with some fresh new apps to embrace the summer weather. From flashlights to organizers, GPS mapping systems and fitness apps, the Apple App Store has everything you need to maximize your summer plans, be they in the office (ugh) or at the beach (yay). Best of all, most of these apps cost less than a dollar, and some are free, so whether you’re making last-minute travel plans, checking in on the Olympic Summer Games in London (USA! USA!), or just checking the weather to see whether your mobile office is moving to the balcony tomorrow, this list should get you primed for sunning in shorts and working in shirtsleeves—just the way we know you like it.
The recent success authorities have had in taking down dangerous botnets has helped drive down the amount of spam flooding into business and consumer email accounts. In a report on security in 2011 released late last year, Cisco Systems found a “steep decline” in the volume of spam since August 2010, with the number of spam messages falling from 379 billion a day to 124 billion. And the picture was pretty good in the United States, which dropped from being the No. 1 source for spam in 2010 to No. 9 in 2011, according to Cisco. The amount of money generated annually from spam also was cut in half, dropping to about $500 million. However, that doesn’t mean that the security threat from spam is disappearing. According to a survey released in March by GFI Software, almost half of the U.S. businesses responding to the survey said they had experienced data breaches due to employees clicking on malicious emails, and 70 percent said their anti-spam solutions are marginally effective at best. Forty-four percent of respondents said their organizations had sustained a data breach due to spam email, 52 percent said the volume of spam flowing into their organizations had grown over the past year, and 32 percent said it remained the same. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they receive too much spam. So what can business workers do to protect themselves against malicious and dangerous emails? eWEEK has assembled a few ideas here that security professionals and IT administrators can use as a checklist to help stop the next potential data breach.
It seems as if many of us didn’t really have much of a winter in 2012, but suffice it to say we’re all a lot happier that the longer days and warmer weather are on the schedule for the next few months. Unfortunately for you, you’ll also be working through most of the dog days of summer waiting for that vacation to start in earnest. Now that Memorial Day is almost here, and with it the unofficial start of the summer, eWEEK has put together a list of must-have gadgets that can keep you mobile and fully functional, whether you’re on the road, on-site or trying to sneak out early to grab some sun at the beach. From tablets, such as the new iPad, to portable speakers, to the latest in smartphones and ultraportable laptops, and even mobile photo printers, we’ve got you covered so you can at least enjoy a little summer sun and maybe even get some work done, too.
In the mobile space, it’s tough for some companies to get noticed. Companies like Apple, Research In Motion and Nokia tend to have their names plastered all over the place, while other firms, like Pantech and LG, hope to stand out from time to time. The only surefire way to be noticed nowadays is to offer up a high-quality smartphone that combines powerful features and a slick design. There are several smartphones on the market right now that deliver on that combination and see their sales soar because of it. However, there are just as many smartphones that, for one reason or another, just aren’t delivering the same value proposition as their high-powered alternatives. In the process, they’re left to hope that they can stay afloat. In the following slides, both sides of the coin, winners and losers, will be on display. For every high-quality, top-notch smartphone, another of lesser quality will be listed. And for those who might not agree, the best part is, all the following devices are shipping now, although smartphone shoppers should check availability for their favorite models. They should be able to at least try out the handsets themselves at local dealer stores to find out if the following assessments are spot on or fall short. Take a look at the five winning and five losing smartphones that are on store shelves now.
Microsoft says advances in touch, 3D and high-definition display technologies have created new possibilities, from changing the way people watch movies to how we take pictures. In the enterprise, collaboration has also been redefined, thanks to these technical advances, with large-scale touch-screens helping employees stay productive while making it possible to interact with colleagues in new ways, no matter where they are located. For Microsoft, the current Windows 7 and the upcoming Windows 8 operating systems hold the key to combining these various technologies and changing the way people work and consume media, while giving a whole new meaning to the concept of the "consumerization of IT." Windows 8 is a chance for Microsoft and its partners to put the PC back at the center of people’s lives, while also expanding into tablets—an area Apple has dominated with the iPad. On May 21, Microsoft shared details on the multi-monitor experience for Windows 8. "From the very first public release and demonstrations of Windows 8, we have shown improvements over Windows 7 for multi-monitor scenarios and have shown how we support new Metro-style apps within a multi-monitor environment," said Microsoft’s Windows president Steven Sinofsky. "We have continued to develop and refine features for multiple monitors and have significantly enhanced the experience as we move to our next milestone, the Release Preview." Here, eWEEK looks at what Windows 7 has to offer both business users and consumers, and previews what people can expect from Microsoft Windows 8 and what the company has done since the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and earlier versions of the new operating system.
Apple’s iOS 5 platform is starting to get a little old. Although it launched less than a year ago, it’s showing its age as newcomers, like Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, have entered the market with some nice new features. The ball is now in Apple’s court either to stick with iOS 5 for the time being and try to improve it with an interim upgrade or offer up iOS 6 as an entirely new generation of the software. Given Apple’s history, it’s quite likely that the company will unveil iOS 6 at some point in the next month or two. A likely date would be during the Worldwide Developers Conference. So, rather than waste its time trying to improve an operating system that’s about to be replaced, the company is probably devoting much, if not all, of its energy to iOS 6. While it’s hard at work on iOS 6, perhaps it would be a good idea to remind Apple about some of the flaws in iOS 5 and some of the things that most iPhone and iPad users would like to see in the new version of the mobile operating system. Apple’s iOS 5 platform is nice and all, but let’s face it: There’s always room for improvement. Take a look at this slide show to find out what sorts of features should make their way to iOS 6 in order to impress today’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners.
On May 15, Adobe Systems officially released Adobe ColdFusion 10 software, the company’s premier server-side technology designed to allow developers to create more dynamic and interactive Web applications for enterprises using the Java Enterprise Edition (EE) platform. ColdFusion 10 now offers built-in support for HTML5 and helps boost performance using Tomcat integration and enhanced caching. With the new hotfix installer and scheduler, ColdFusion 10 Enterprise Edition allows enterprise developers to improve productivity, while strengthening authentication and encryption techniques to make Websites more secure. ColdFusion is relevant to not just existing developers but to any Web developer for its smart built-in solutions and the core benefit of productivity. For example, ColdFusion 10 Enterprise Edition application server is designed to rapidly build enterprise-ready Java–EE applications. Adobe ColdFusion 10 also works as a server-side technology designed to enable developers to create more dynamic and interactive Web applications for enterprises using the Java EE platform. ColdFusion was developed by brothers J.J. and Jeremy Allaire at the Allaire Corp. and introduced in 1995. Macromedia acquired Allaire in 2001, and in 2005 Adobe acquired Macromedia and inherited the ColdFusion technology. Here, eWEEK looks at 10 reasons Web developers should check out the latest version of Adobe’s software.
It's no secret that explosive data growth and shrinking IT budgets are putting pressure on companies to find creative storage solutions to meet their organizational demands. Despite vocal naysayers from the spinning-disk school, tape storage—which turns 60 years of age in 2012—continues to hold its own, by and large, throughout enterprise IT. This, of course, is due to its significant cost advantages, reliability and continued improvement in capacity, speed and ease of use. While many organizations are already familiar with tape’s traditional uses—backup, disaster recovery and compliance—most probably don't realize that modern applications now enable tape to be used as an active file archive and as low-cost network-attached storage for latency-tolerant data. For access to large quantities of stored data, tape's role in big data, cloud, high-performance computing and IT operations is expanding dramatically. These markets take advantage of the integration of tape's historical benefits (cost effectiveness and media longevity) and updates (data-integrity verification and file-system interfaces) to use tape to protect large data sets. A recent ExecEvent Tape Summit in San Francisco, organized by storage analyst Greg Duplessie, highlighted these points, as did a webinar produced by the LTO Program May 15. Here's a list of data points, as presented by both organizations, that are aimed at setting the record straight against the unfounded claims of tape’s obsolescence that have long been spread by disk-storage advocates.
In a world full of mobile devices, what else can smartphone makers do to distinguish their phones from the others? When it comes to the latest wave of smartphones, a large, high-quality display is a major selling point and clearly the most visible component of the handset. As more users connect to the mobile Web to view and download content—video content, in particular—having a larger screen translates to a better viewing experience. It now appears that Apple also might move to a larger screen for its upcoming iPhone 5. On May 16, several reports surfaced that the next generation of Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone would feature an enlarged 4-inch screen. This compares with the 3.5-in. display the iPhone has featured since its first iteration. Apple is far from the only handset maker figuring out that bigger is better. Samsung, LG and other OEMs are offering mobile devices that stretch screen sizes to the very limit of design—and often to the edge of the smartphone itself.
When it comes to starting a business, location can be everything. If you’re a restaurant, you want to be on a highly visible and well-traveled street, whereas an IT distribution company might want to be closer to an airport or major highway. Most important can be the actual city you pick to start your business, which is why Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, conducted a two-month survey of more than 6,000 small-business owners nationwide. The survey offered insight into the United States' business regulatory climate and the nation's economic health, as well as breaking down which cities are the best (and worst) when it comes to things like training programs, hiring costs, networking programs, tax codes, zoning, health and safety, licensing and overall friendliness. The results may surprise you. Here, eWEEK takes a look at what cities are the best bets for starting a small business during these challenging economic times when budgets are stretched to the max.
Facebook is slated to go public May 18, and when it does, it will post the biggest Web initial public offering in history, possibly the biggest IPO of all time. Several people at the company will become instant billionaires, while many more are poised to become millionaires. The event is arguably the biggest IPO since Google went public in 2004, and could very well prompt other prominent Web companies, like Twitter, to at least consider bringing their shares to the open market, as well. But it didn’t happen overnight. In fact, since Facebook’s founding in 2004, the company has made a host of decisions that have helped it grow and eventually get it to a point where it’s now the world’s largest social network with 901 million active users around the world. Like so many other prominent companies, Facebook has a very interesting story and the road to success, while bumpy at times, was remarkably fast and steady. Take a look at some of the decisions Facebook and its leader, Mark Zuckerberg, made over the last several years to help it get to its IPO day.
Recently, 10gen released the official MongoDB Native NodeJS Driver. eWEEK Labs put the driver to the test, and found that it was easy to use and very fast. The coding requires an approach typical of Node.js programming, whereby callback functions are provided to support the asynchronous nature of both Node.js and MongoDB. Using the straightforward API, we were able to perform standard database operations, such as inserts and queries. With proper indexing, we found that the operations were extremely fast. Additionally, the installation is simple with only a couple of lines of commands in the Linux shell, and the documentation is extensive.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of IBM's magnetic tape innovation that solved the brittle tape dilemma and catapulted data storage from paper punch cards into the era of modern computing. On May 15, IBM announced that AlphaTV, a leading television network in Greece, has overhauled its storage infrastructure with IBM high-performance, high-capacity tape solutions for greater efficiencies, faster access to video and the ability to store more video in dramatically less space. AlphaTV has been broadcasting since 1996, creating and storing all forms of video entertainment, from soap operas and documentaries, to movies and sporting events, and creating a vast video archive along the way. Initially, AlphaTV archived its programming on Sony Beta SP format video cassettes that stored up to 90 minutes of content. Not long after, in need of storage that offered greater density, it turned to DVCPRO format videos that stored up to 120 minutes. But even that format was not allowing the network to keep pace with its ballooning archive, a storage infrastructure that by 2011 spanned more than 1,507 square feet. To get greater control of this infrastructure, AlphaTV turned to IBM and its Linear Tape File System (LTFS) and IBM Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Ultrium 5 tape drives, which can store up to 3 terabytes, with 2:1 compression in a single cartridge. With this solution, AlphaTV has been able to store more content in far less space. Greece’s AlphaTV is but one example of the many organizations that use IBM’s storage tape technology. However, it took six decades to get to this point. To chronicle how IBM developed and then refined its tape storage technology, eWEEK first turns the clock back to 1952, when Big Blue developed the IBM 726, which solved several problems businesses faced when storing their data.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook officially debuted May 15, perhaps indicating that—despite jokes to the press about being the world's second-largest PC maker but having little brand-name recognition in the United States—it's ready for some attention. The carbon fiber–crafted X1 Carbon, at 3 pounds, is the industry's lightest 14-inch Ultrabook, according to Lenovo. It's also beauty, brains and a bit of brawn: There are third-generation Intel Core processors, Intel vPro technology for better enterprise security and management, a RapidCharge option that gets the battery to 80 percent in 30 minutes, user-friendly perks like Dolby Home Theater v4 audio, and a roll cage that helps the travel-ready notebook to exceed some military specifications. From a conference in Las Vegas, Lenovo also showed off updates to its T, X, L and W Series ThinkPad laptops—models that vary from emphasizing portability to workstation intensity. The new ThinkPads follow Lenovo's May 8 introduction of still more PCs—ThinkCentres and Edge Series machines—likewise running Intel's Ivy Bridge Processors. The new ThinkPads will arrive in early June, minus the X1 Carbon, which is slated, more vaguely, for sometime this summer.
Intel on May 14 unveiled the latest of its Xeon server processors, including the E3-1200 v2 lineup, the first server chips based on the vendor’s Ivy Bridge 22-nanometer design, which offers Intel’s 3D Tri-Gate transistor architecture. The low-power chips—with power envelopes as low as 17 watts—are aimed at single-socket systems and microservers, a small but growing market that looks to become a key area of competition between Intel and ARM Holdings. Intel also unveiled the E5-4600 and E5-2400 chip families, both with a focus on high performance and high power efficiency. Intel officials say that businesses can add more processors to their infrastructures—by migrating from two-socket systems to four-socket servers running E5-4600 chips, or from one- to two-socket servers with the E5-2400—while lowering their capital, operating, power and cooling costs. Server OEMs, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, introduced new and upgraded systems running on the new Intel Xeons. Dell got a jump on things earlier in the month, when it rolled out its PowerEdge C5220 microserver running on the E3-1200 v2 chips. Here, eWEEK takes a look at some of these new Xeon-based systems.
The Internet Society named 33 Hall of Fame inductees last month, grouped as Pioneers, Innovators and Global Connectors, who helped make the Internet what it is today. Launched 20 years ago by Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the Internet, the Internet Society has the mission to keep the network open and free. The first 33 Internet Hall of Famers were inducted at the Internet Society's Global INET 2012 conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 23. Commenting on the 2012 Internet Hall of Fame inductees, Internet Society President and CEO Lynn St. Amour said, "This historic assembly of Internet visionaries, innovators and leaders represents an extraordinary breadth of vision and work. While the inductees have extremely diverse backgrounds and represent many different countries, each individual has an incredible passion for their work. The 2012 Internet Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments and advancements of 33 talented people who have made significant contributions to the design, development and expansion of the Internet." In Part 1, eWEEK listed a series of Internet Pioneers and Innovators; in Part 2, we list several Innovators and Global Connectors, including founder Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the basic infrastructure of the World Wide Web while at CERN.
Launched almost 20 years ago by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, two of the founding fathers of the Internet, along with others, the Internet Society has the mission to keep this unique network open and free. Today, that mission is under unprecedented pressure from powerful political, corporate and social forces that want to shape the Internet for their own agendas. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and global censorship activities are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many attempts to forever change the face of the Internet as we know it today. Considered the world’s trusted independent source of leadership in Internet issues, the Internet Society, which commemorated its 20th anniversary with its first major global event last month, Global INET, provided technical advice on policy discussions and helped shape the Internet as we know it today. The organization is also home to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an organization made up of engineers who produce Internet standards, related to TCP/IP, which has formed the basis of communications protocols on the Internet and the World Wide Web since their inception. For example, the IETF developed Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to replace IPv4 addresses, which are expected to run out in the near term. In addition, during the recent SOPA debate, the Internet Society acted as a resource to the general public in providing guidance about the technical implications of Domain Name System (DNS) filtering and other technological stipulations included in the proposed legislation. Here, in two parts, eWEEK takes a look at the first-ever Internet Hall of Fame Inductees. Since there are 33 inductees this year, eWEEK broke down the group into several different categories: Pioneers Circle, which recognizes individuals who were instrumental in the early design and development of the Internet; Innovators, which represents individuals who made outstanding technological, commercial or policy advances and helped to expand the Internet’s reach; and Global Connectors, who are individuals from around the world who have made significant contributions to the global growth and use of the Internet.
Virtualization software maker Citrix has come a long way in the last five years or so, from fundamentally a virtual desktop vendor into a full-service cloud infrastructure provider. The lengthy list of news announcements at Citrix Synergy 2012, held at Moscone Center West in San Francisco from May 8-11, bears out this impressive development as a company. Not only is the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company continuing to sell virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) systems and partner with such key companies as Hewlett-Packard, NetApp and IBM, but it also is branching out into collaboration software, mobility packages for iPads and other devices–even advanced printing software. Citrix is also making a strong move into cloud computing services with one of its prominent new ventures being Citrix CloudPlatform, which the company describes as the "first commercially supported cloud orchestration system based on Apache CloudStack." Here is a list of 10 key data points from the conference.
Just because you’re a brilliant, tech-savvy entrepreneur or IT worker doesn’t mean you have to dress like a Wall Street executive. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of Facebook who prefers hooded sweatshirts and jeans to power suits. The media paid a lot of attention this week to a comment by Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Securities, who said Zuckerberg’s attire showed a lack of maturity. Pachter's comments dovetailed with the Facebook road show, as Zuckerberg and his executives offered a glimpse of the company before the social network's initial public offerings. But Zuck is not the first tech entrepreneur to buck the trend of business suits for a more casual, and dare we say, iconic look. While fashion mavens may debate the runway-readiness of a hoodie, other high-tech geniuses like the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, and Bill Gates (you’ve heard of him, no?) have adopted their own—let’s call it unique—style of dress. Let’s take a look at some of the IT entrepreneurs who have made their mark, for better or for worse (sometimes way worse), on the world of CEO fashion—and one classic example of the ultimate hipster genius.
Cards and flowers on Mother’s Day are so old-fashioned. Today’s mothers are much more likely to need handy accessories for their mobile devices, and this is a perfect way to express your love with a gift that will last—and actually be useful to her. Long gone are the days of drab, cheap-looking notebook and smartphone cases. The protective casings found from vendors like Incase and RadTech offer both style and substance, with shockproof protection and a stunning array of colors, designs and materials. You can choose from bamboo, leopard print and even limited-edition cases from incredible artists from around the world. Barnes & Noble even offers a donation to the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation for one of its cases for the Nook e-reader. Whatever her style, there is guaranteed to be a cover out there that is sure to please her—after all, Moms really do deserve the best.
Hewlett-Packard, which is still ranked as the global leader in PC shipments, introduced a truly overwhelming number of devices May 9, from a Shanghai event coinciding with the CTIA Wireless event in New Orleans. Showing off something between might, muscle and indecisiveness, it's tough to think of a niche that HP didn't address, introducing hardcore business notebooks running the latest Intel processors, colorful notebooks with tactile finishes for consumers, workstations in various form factors for aggressive jobs like manipulating engineering files, consumer-facing monitors for deployments such as in shopping malls, single- and double-display solutions for retail and hospitality environments, monitors for offices, and displays for the home or home office. Perhaps most notably, HP also introduced new Ultrabooks, as well as "Sleekbooks"—a marketing term for notebooks that basically look like Ultrabooks and share their 19.8mm-thin chassis, but don't meet Intel's reference design criteria for the Ultrabook term. What all these machines have in common, says HP, is an emphasis on smart design and keeping footprints and prices to a minimum. Here, eWEEK offers a sampling of what HP will begin shipping in June and into the fall.
The Fluke Networks AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer Pro provides network technicians and engineers with 802.11n and more widely deployed 802.11a/b/g WLAN sniffer capabilities that effectively show the current WiFi configuration. Newly refined testing tools, including a multidestination ping, traceroute and FTP module, take some of the tedium out of running basic network tests. Multimedia tests can also show how well the WLAN will deliver video and other multimedia files so that network engineers can make configuration changes that provide predictable performance that satisfies end-user expectations. After the AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer Pro software is installed on a laptop with a supported wireless LAN card, a technician can use the tool to gather site survey information, including radio-frequency (RF) coverage and signal distribution. AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer Pro includes the usual collection of in-depth analysis tools, such as live capture of network traffic and the ability to decode traffic for diagnostic analysis. AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer Pro is designed for on-the-go use by technicians who are likely traveling to retail locations or moving around WLAN campus installations. The tool goes beyond simple sniffer troubleshooting, making it useful for network engineers who are conducting site surveys or diagnosing network problems as 802.11n access points are added to an existing network.
NEW ORLEANS — Not too long ago, “wireless” meant having a cell phone that could be used to make calls and send text messages. That has changed significantly over the past couple of years, with the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets, and the billions of dollars wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile have spent to upgrade their network infrastructures. That competition is only expected to intensify as these carriers build out Long-Term Evolution (LTE) 4G networks in the coming year. Wireless now has become a way of life for consumers and is quickly becoming the way organizations do business. That was evident at the CTIA Wireless 2012 show here May 8, where—along with the latest mobile computing devices from the likes of Samsung Mobile, HTC, LG Electronics and Toshiba—was everything from wireless pet-tracking systems to cloud-based personal traffic devices. The devices also are coming in all shapes and sizes, from traditional smartphones to tablets the size of Toshiba’s 13.3-inch Excite 13. In addition to the various devices, there also was an emphasis on wireless security, which is a growing concern. As smartphones and tablets become more popular with consumers and business users alike, they also will become more attractive targets for cyber-criminals.
Lenovo, the world's second-largest PC maker, unveiled a number of new business PCs May 8. These ThinkCentre and ThinkVision PCs run Intel's new Ivy Bridge chips and feature small footprints, 15-second boot-up times—thanks to Lenovo Enhanced Experience 3 (EE3) technology—smart cooling methods and, in some cases, multi-screen functionality. Including form factors that range from slim all-in-one desktops, to tiny towers, to golf-ball-height mini PCs, these Lenovo PCs will arrive between June and September at price points between $439 (for the ThinkCentre Edge 72) and $699 (for the ThinkCentre Edge 92z). Designed for small and large business users, their names are an alphabet soup that will surely drive IT managers mad. In its other mobile endeavors, Lenovo introduced an Android-running Smart TV in China May 8, and the company recently broke ground on a facility that will house its smartphone and tablet efforts. The company is also energetically pursuing "other mobile Internet terminal markets." One hopes it lets some clever marketing folks contribute to the naming process.
Managed file transfer is a well-accepted way for organizations to share business files point-to-point, quickly, reliably and securely. This is a subject that requires attention, especially when it comes to thorny issues, such as enterprise security and compliance. MFT uses different types of applications to securely transfer data from one computer to another. This small but important area of IT management earned attention in recent years after IBM bought Sterling Commerce for more than a $1 billion, and MFT specialist Ipswitch merged with Message Way. Over the years, despite having lost a bit of its novel cachet, MFT is as effective as ever. But now, due to greater demands for the secure transfer of data through cloud systems, MFT is being refreshed as it morphs and expands to play a critical role in moving large data sets (the so-called big data)—as well as traditional business files—through the cloud. Here, eWEEK offers some key data points about MFT, the cloud, and big data. Our expert source is Robert Fox, director of B2B/EAI Software Development at Liaison Technologies in Alpharetta, Ga. Liaison Technologies cleanses and validates business data for master data management purposes and securely integrates and manages complex business information on-premise or in the cloud.
Android-supporting smartphone makers have vowed to make fewer but more distinctive devices in an effort to compete in a market that already offers business users and consumers many different options. Increasing numbers of smartphones, in increasing sizes—not to mention names that echo or build on earlier models—can make the options seem a blur of deep-black displays, curving design work and multicore processors. How can a user differentiate? Which is the right smartphone to get? Here, eWEEK brought together three newer Android phones, each running 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and capable of running on a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network. While each has features that bring the others to mind, these smartphones also have details that set them apart. The HTC One X went on sale on the AT&T network May 6 for $199. The Samsung Galaxy S III was introduced May 3 and will arrive in the United States this summer, though carrier news and pricing are still unknown. And from the CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans, which started May 7, Verizon introduced the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE, which will arrive in "the coming weeks" at a price that's yet to be determined. Are these phones distinct enough? Would a user switch networks for one? Alternately, could a $50 price tag, or possibly a waning interest in Android, get you to consider the Samsung Focus 2? Running Microsoft Windows Mobile 7.5, it was also introduced May 7.
Coyote Point's latest application-delivery controller comes as a virtual appliance. Called Equalizer OnDemand, the company has made it simple to insert application acceleration and management capabilities into virtual infrastructures, especially those running VMware products. Equalizer OnDemand works with both ESX and ESXi virtual server hosts and is managed via a browser-based GUI.
What a tangled Web of litigation, close friends, enemies, software licensing, open-source interpretation and intrigue this case proved to be. A jury in Federal District Court for Northern California in San Francisco delivered a partial victory for Oracle by determining that Google had violated Oracle’s copyrights related to Java language APIs used to develop the Android mobile operating system. But the Jury failed to reach a verdict on the essential question of whether or not Google had made “fair use” of the APIs and was therefore protected at least partially from liability. As a result, a trial that supposedly had the potential to set a major standard in software development law ended in a muddle that only further court decisions can resolve. At the copyright and patent trial in federal court, which began April 16, Oracle charged Google with stealing 37 APIs in its Java software suite to help build the highly successful Android mobile device operating system. Oracle is seeking about $1 billion in damages and a possible injunction against Google using the software. In only four years, Android has become the most popular mobile operating system for smartphones and other mobile devices in the world. Android, released in 2008 by Google to partners such as Samsung, HTC and other manufacturers for smartphones and tablet PCs, now runs on more than 300 million mobile devices. Google believes that with this litigation, Oracle is unjustly trying to horn in on the profits from the OS. Here, eWEEK highlights the key figures and data points thus far in the trial, which is expected to continue into June with deliberations on the separate patent infringement issues in the case.
Telehealth technology, which leverages wireless and enterprise networking, is changing the model of how we think about going to the doctor. It can help patients avoid traveling long distances to hospitals and clinics, particularly when they reside in remote or rural areas. The technology can also reduce overcrowding in hospitals. By combining Webcam and inputs from standard medical instruments, such as an ophthalmoscope, peak flow meters and blood glucose meters with Internet connectivity, doctors can get real-time data on patient health from afar and share the results with specialists on hospital networks. At the American Telemedicine Association show (ATA 2012) in San Jose., Calif., from April 30-May 1, companies such as AT&T, Cisco, Consult A Doctor and Polycom demonstrated telehealth technology. The health care industry hopes to reduce costly readmissions by remotely monitoring patients when they leave the hospital. In addition to avoiding hospitalization, telehealth and remote monitoring allow patients to remain in their homes longer and avoid being moved to elder-care centers. The telehealth market will grow to about $1 billion by 2016 and $6 billion by 2012, according to a Sept. 15, 2011 report by InMedica, a unit of IMS Research. Here, eWEEK showcases some of the latest telehealth technology that allows doctors and patients to connect remotely.
The threat landscape on the Web is becoming more perilous. Security software maker Symantec, in its annual "Internet Security Threat Report" released April 30 found that even as the number of vulnerabilities in 2011 fell by 20 percent over the previous year, the number of malicious attacks grew 81 percent. The trend is similar to what Hewlett-Packard saw. In its "Top Cyber-Security Risks Report," announced April 19, HP officials also found that the number of vulnerabilities last year fell by 20 percent, but that the risks involved in those vulnerabilities grew. HP also found that the number of cyber-attacks more than doubled in the second half of 2011. And small and midsized businesses (SMBs) are in the thick of it. More than half of the targeted attacks seen in 2011 were aimed at organizations with fewer than 2,500 employees, and almost 18 percent targeted companies with fewer than 250 employees. The Internet has been a boon for SMBs, making it easier than ever before to do business. But it also raises the threats to smaller companies and their IT departments. The biggest risk is seeing their intellectual property, customers’ information or financial transaction data fall into the wrong hands. SMBs need to protect themselves, and Symantec has some ideas how.
The Samsung Galaxy S III, which uses the 4.0 version of Google’s Android operating system, or Ice Cream Sandwich, got its official rollout in London May 3 with much fanfare, and demonstrated how far the smartphone market has come. Calling, messaging, emailing, Web browsing, high-definition video, two cameras—these are all on board, of course, and should perform perfectly. However, these features are far from what Samsung had spent big bucks to show off. "At Samsung, we believe a phone should be more than smart, and that is where the Galaxy S III comes in," said Jean-Daniel Ayme, a Paris-based Samsung vice president, introducing the device. What's more than smart? Intuitive, proactive—a phone that jumps to the right conclusions. Understanding that important emails or calls have been missed, the S III buzzes a specific way in a user's hand to alert him or her. It recognizes friends in photos, helping people to share and organize content, and—with its front-facing camera—it watches the user, staying alert when it knows that someone is looking at it, even if he or she hasn't touched the display in a while. The S III, said Ayme, "knows precisely what we are doing, and it follows our intentions." To help illustrate some of this new mobile technology, eWEEK takes a first look at the new Galaxy S III smartphone.
After a long wait and considerable speculation, Samsung finally unveiled the Galaxy S III smartphone May 3. And by all accounts, it’s quite impressive, boasting a 4.8-inch PenTile Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) display, an 8-megapixel camera, and up to 32GB of storage, initially. Add that to the Bluetooth 4.0 support, near-field communication, or NFC, for making mobile payments along with the quad-core Exynos 4 Quad system-on-a-chip, and it’s clear Samsung has its sights set on Apple with its latest handset. Still, the device won’t be coming to Europe until later this month and North America till next month. So, for the next several weeks, there will be many customers who will want a new handset and just don’t have the time (or desire) to wait for Samsung’s latest device. For those folks, finding a new device now that can at least come close to competing against the Samsung Galaxy S III is extremely important. Luckily for those people, the following slides will provide them with all the devices they might want to consider before heading down to the store. The Galaxy S III isn’t here yet, but the following smartphones in this slide show are available right now. Each one will deliver something that will appeal to customers.
The 21st century road warrior hardly resembles the post-apocalyptic anti-hero Mad Max, the fictional film character who roared across the dystopian Australian landscape in the 1981 George Miller thriller “The Road Warrior.” But there’s no argument that the demands placed on real-world road warriors are any less stressful than being chased by a roving band of marauders. After all, that’s your competition, so you better know where you’re headed. With today’s businesses embracing bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs and the prevalence of smartphones, tablets and an ever-increasing number of applications, road warriors are more mobile than ever. When you’re on the road, chances are you’ll need to find an app to help you navigate the highways, city streets and airports of your final destination. One of the most popular places to find these types of applications is the Apple App Store. Here, eWEEK has pulled together a list of iPhone apps designed to get you from home to the Thunderdome, or beyond.
Nowadays, all the talk around the technology space has something to do with tablets or smartphones. Products like Apple’s iPhone and iPad or even the Amazon Kindle Fire are captivating consumers and enterprise users, alike. And PCs, once the focus of so much excitement by consumer and business buyers have taken a backseat. But that doesn’t mean that PCs should be forgotten. Quite the contrary, because there are a lot of advanced new desktops, notebooks and netbooks with the fastest available processors or other features that make them more power-stingy, but make users more productive than ever. And let’s face it: There’s nothing quite like buying that really great computer that lasts years and works whenever it’s called on. Here, eWEEK takes a look at 10 PCs that deliver plenty of features and power for the money. From touch-enabled desktops to netbooks, the following PCs will satisfy any need. Read on to find out what PCs are definitely worth buying in 2012. You are sure to find a model that lets you do a lot more than any smartphone or tablet.
BlackBerry World 2012 in Orlando, Fla., attracted more than 5,000 attendees, who got the royal treatment from Research In Motion, which offered a head-swirling number of buffet tables, tiered dessert trays, wired broadband connections, power strips and, most head-swirling of all, a leave-your-wallet-in-your pants evening at Universal Studios. There, the attractions included a colossal roller coaster on which each rider could choose the genre of music they'd like to scream to, endless food and drink, and a DJ performance of MTV proportions facilitated by a BlackBerry PlayBook and a new Pacemaker DJ app. Still, for those who paid their way into the event, the Solutions Showcase—filled with RIM partners looking to show off their wares to enterprise shoppers and potential business customers—may have been the bigger playground. There was a police cruiser, one of only five in the world outfitted with a PlayBook; a Porsche 911 with at least three PlayBooks inside and the capability to interface with solutions from companies, including SAP; bring-your-own-device (BYOD) solutions providers; and Spider Man phone cases. Still, it seemed a rather modest, or at least subdued, show floor, befitting a company where the next major offering is possibly still six months away.
There's no question about it: The ability to conduct business on the go, anywhere and at any time, is already an essential competitive element in most businesses. As more sophisticated and powerful mobile devices enter the market every few months, more companies and their employees want to use these devices for business purposes. This means companies need to seriously consider mobilizing their most important business applications to adjust to the growing mobile workforce. Here are 10 best practices for mobilizing enterprise applications. Our expert resource for this slide show is Regev Yativ, president and CEO of Magic Software Americas, which provides software as a service (SaaS) application and business integration platforms.
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