Processor Newspaper Volume 32 Number 17

2010·14.4 MB·English

by  Sandhills Publishing

P.O. Box 85518
Lincoln, NE 68501-5518
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
August 13, 2010
Volume 32 Number 17
www.processor.com
Products, News & Information Data Centers Can Trust. Since 1979
In This Issue...
Reliable, Continuous
FOCUS
VoIP, Videoconferencing
& Unified Communications
We weeded through the surplus of information Uptime & Availability
surrounding VoIP, videoconferencing, and uni-
fied communications to come up with tips and
advice in four key areas.
Communication Considerations......................................8
Face-To-Face Communications From Near Or Far......10 NEC’s Fault-Tolerant Servers Give Insurance Company
Choose The Right VoIP Or UC System........................12
Peace Of Mind When It Comes To Serving Its Customers
VoIP & UC Pitfalls........................................................13
A Well-Organized Data Center
by Kris Glaser Brambila according to Jodi Shely, system administrator one of the main reasons the company chose
What does it take to keep your data center • • • II at BCBS of Nebraska and vExpert 2010 for NEC. “The NEC servers outperformed the
organized and tidy? We talked with experts BLUECROSSANDBLUESHIELDof Nebraska the VMware User Group board of directors. current products being offered,” she says.
to come up with tips related to is the leading healthcare provider in the “Scalability, redundancy, and performance And Shely would know. Previously, BCBS of
the overall layout, equipment state, serving nearly 717,000 individu- Nebraska was using servers provided
setup, cabling, and more. als. Founded in 1939, the company by an NEC competitor, and although
offers health insurance to families, Shely says the servers worked well
individuals, and companies of all sizes. enough, NEC’s fault-tolerant servers
Apparent in its mission statement, offered more of the benefits and relia-
BCBS of Nebraska strives, above all, bility BCBS needed.
to provide the health and wellness
Service & Installation
solutions that its customers will find most are three of the highest key points that we use
beneficial, giving them the reassurance and [NEC’s] servers for,” Shely says. BCBS of BCBS of Nebraska was also looking to be
See page 26. peace of mind promised in BCBS’ slogan: Nebraska uses NEC’s Express5800 A1160, taken care of by its server manufacturer.
“One Less Thing To Worry About.” which features a four- or six-core Intel Xeon “[NEC] provides great support and reliabili-
Like any business that handles critical 7400 processor and up to 1TB of total memo- ty with their server maintenance [and] server
PHYSICAL
information, BCBS of Nebraska must keep ry when using four modules together. troubleshooting,” Shely says. As far as
INFRASTRUCTURE
track of sensitive information about its cus- The Express5800 A1160 is just one exam- downtime goes, Shely explains, BCBS of
■The idea ofdark data centersis not new. A 1989 tomers and must depend on the availability ple of the fault-tolerant servers from NEC. Nebraska has only experienced one server
IDG Communications technology roundtable in Germany of that information at all times. That funda- The company recently announced that its outage in more than a year, and that wasn’t
referred, somewhat wistfully, to the dark data center as mental need has always existed, but with- Express5800 R320a and 320Fd models sup- even an error with the server. “We had one
“a distant dream.” ................................................page 7 out the proper infrastructure, BCBS of port VMware vSphere natively, giving orga- issue, and that was due to third-party agents
Nebraska can’t wholly serve its customers nizations more uptime for their most critical running Windows Server,” she says.
■Technologies and power-management processes
to the company’s standards. That’s why virtualization applications. Regarding the Shely is appreciative of NEC’s support.
exist that will help you not only reduce data center
nearly four years ago, BCBS of Nebraska announcement, NEC’s Mitsch states that “They’re Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes
energy consumptionbut also slash costs........page 14
began investigating the use of the family of every CIO should be taking the time to under- to an issue,” she says. “If you have an issue,
■Product Spotlight:Portable Cooling............page 16 fault-tolerant servers offered by NEC. stand how the new fault-tolerant systems can you immediately get somebody,” she says.
benefit their business, “as they deploy mis- Implementing NEC’s fault-tolerant servers,
■Product Spotlight: Fault Tolerance
sion-critical, performance-oriented applica- Shely says, was a cinch. “They actually had
Overhead Cable Management ..........................page 18
NEC’s fault-tolerant servers are built to tions into the virtualization environment.” somebody come onsite,” she says. “They
■Developed by former data center owners as industry keep your company’s critical data and appli- Shely says the Express5800 A1160 servers were here through the entire implementation
standards,Uptime Institute’s Tier Classification cations running at all times. According to will see a larger implementation at BCBS in and provided awesome follow-up.” Shely
Systemapplies globally....................................page 20 Mike Mitsch, manager for NEC’s IT Platform the near future. “I think that we’re going to says that NEC is still following up to make
Group, fault-tolerant servers are most useful start seeing more scalability with these fault- sure its systems are running the way BCBS
NETWORKING & VPN for companies that store vulnerable informa- tolerant servers when it comes to Active wants them to. “They’re not just one to leave
tion. “Fault-tolerant systems have been used Directory and SQL servers and applications you with a product and walk away. They sup-
■FrontRange makes service management, customer
in the most mission-critical applications, such being isolated,” she says. “That server is real- port it until it’s fully implemented and then
service, and asset management software ....page 21
as 911 systems, air-traffic control systems, ly going to start to take off once people start provide support afterwards,” she says.
■Managing change in a data center requires a great [and] areas for financial data, where absolute- to see what kind of fault tolerance they want Because of NEC’s fault-tolerant servers,
deal of perseverance. Here, industry experts address the ly no data can be lost,” he says. That includes to put on applications in remote locations.” BCBS of Nebraska can maintain its reliable
best way to track changes and understand how they the healthcare insurance industry. Shely says that BCBS of Nebraska is more services for customers without the worry of
impact a data center........................................page 22 After researching NEC, BCBS of Nebraska than satisfied with the servers. The servers’ unexpected and costly downtime. “We’ve
purchased multiple fault-tolerant modules, performance is gotten more than what we expected out
■Cloudbursting acts as a sort of “spillover” that enables
of the fault-tolerant systems,”
enterprises tonab additional resources as neededto
Shely says. P
handle peak or unanticipated demands..............page 23 NEC Fault-Tolerant Servers
■Designing a small business networkcan be a com-
A line of reliable servers that use redundant modu-
plex and challenging project. Here are some things to
lar hardware and Intel Xeon-based technology to
keep in mind so that you can get the most productivity
provide continuous uptime.
out of a smaller network ....................................page 24
“[NEC] is Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to an
STORAGE issue. If you have an issue, you immediately get
■Product Spotlight:Disaster Recovery ........page 30 somebody, which is really important to Blue
Cross,” says Jodi Shely, system administrator II at
BCBS of Nebraska.
The Processor.com home page is frequently updated with
new articles and hardware news to help you keep current.
[phone] | www.necam.com
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Also In This Issue... News
STORAGE CONT.
❙ recommendation came after it was determined exceeded that of Windows Vista for the first
■By adopting a well-thought-out approach to the vari- Cloud Ranks At Top Of Security Risks
that it would be too difficult to identify which con- time in July 2010. In June, Vista held 14.68%
ous data your company generates, you can optimize
According to a survey of security professionals sumers overpaid for Intel-based computers dur- of the market to Win7’s 13.7%; in July, howev-
every stage of storage, from creation through end-of-
conducted by the RSA Conference, most enter- ing the time period in question, if any. er, the numbers were 14.34% and 14.46%,
life. Here are some tips to help you....................page 32
prises see cloud computing as their primary ❙ respectively. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s older but
Cisco, Multiven Settle Suits
■Nexsan’s DeDupe SG is designed for data protec- security risk, ranking cloud concerns above still popular operating system Windows
tion and disaster recoveryapplications that demand employee mobile device usage or social net- A 2008 lawsuit brought against XP still commands 61.78% of the
high-performance deduplication........................page 33 working attacks. Concerns with the cloud revolve Cisco by Multiven has been settled. market. Altogether, Windows operat-
around controlling access to data, maintaining In the suit, Multiven accused Cisco ing systems claim 91.32% of the
■Regardless of whether a disaster might ever strike,
regulatory compliance and data integrity, and of discouraging competition by market. Apple’s Mac OS X has
businesses must be ready to take those crucial first
commingling of corporate data on shared serv- requiring its customers to pur- just 5.06% of the market and
steps to get back on their feet............................page 34
ers. Despite the security concerns, however, chase a SMARTnet device in actually saw a slight dip from
83% of respondents said their organizations order to gain access to vital June (5.16%). Linux operating
SECURITY intend to migrate more business processes to bug fixes, patches, and systems claim just 0.93%, down
■PortWise Access Manager lets companies grant the cloud in the coming year, and 49% of those updates for its software, in addition to other from 1.07% in June 2010.
secure remote accessto company networks without surveyed say that securing data in the cloud is anticompetitive behavior. For its part, Cisco ❙
Quest Software To Buy Surgient
compromise........................................................page 35 their primary security spending priority. claimed that other companies had been provid-
❙ ing software updates for Cisco equipment and Quest has announced plans to acquire private
■Hiring a third party to seek out possible network vul- Intel Settles With FTC . . .
that its customer’s were not forced to purchase cloud software developer Surgient of Austin,
nerabilitiescan benefit your enterprise’s security process-
The Federal Trade Commission and Intel have SMARTnet. Cisco countersued Multiven, but Texas. The patented Surgient Automation
es. However, there are risks with paying someone outside
agreed on a settlement in an antitrust complaint both parties have now dropped their claims and Platform for deployment, management, and
your enterprise to penetrate your network............page 36
that charged Intel with illegally using its dominant agreed to pay their own legal fees. Further automation of private cloud computing infra-
■Network Box is a managed security providerwith market position to stifle competition. The settle- details of the settlement were sealed. structure will become a key component of the
the goal of making Internet security available and afford- ment prohibits Intel from giving computer manu- ❙ virtualization management software vendor’s
Internet Explorer Gains Market Share
able to enterprises of all sizes............................page 37 facturers benefits for exclusively using Intel lineup, which includes Foglight and Vizioncore,
chips. It also prohibits the chip maker from retali- For the second straight month, Microsoft’s Quest says. Already deployed in 160 locations,
ating against manufacturers that buy chips from Internet Explorer posted a gain in the Web the platform enables IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-
SERVERS
other suppliers or from redesigning its chips for browser market, according to Net Applications. service) implementations, dynamic workload
■Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska depends on
the sole purpose of harming a competitor. The With 60.74% of the market, IE easily outpaced migration, and system provisioning within orga-
NECFault-Tolerant Serversto provide the company
settlement also requires Intel to set up a $10 mil- its closest competitor, Firefox, which holds nizations. The deal is expected to be finalized
with continuous uptime........................................page 1
lion fund that will allow software vendors to 22.91% of the market. The uptick in IE use is within the third quarter of this year. Quest
■Product Spotlight:Rackmount Servers......page 38 reconfigure their products so that they perform a change from the past year, where the brows- Software is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
better on chips made by other manufacturers. er lost ground every month and eventually ❙
HP Settles DoJ Investigation, Suits
MESSAGING ❙ . . . & Sidesteps Antitrust dropped to 59.75%. In July, both Firefox and
Chrome lost a bit of ground, with Firefox losing HP has agreed in principle to settle with the
& TELEPHONY Class Action Suit
0.9% and Chrome losing 0.08%; conversely, Department of Justice over an investigation of
■The days of enterprises outfitting mobile workers
Although it ended up settling with the FTC over Safari and Opera both increased their respec- its GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract and
with a de facto smartphonemay be over. When off the
antitrust charges, Intel came away with a win in tive market shares from 4.85% to 5.09% and allegations related to a complaint originally filed
clock, employees have their own phones and “smart”
a different antitrust matter. Vincent J. Poppiti, 2.27% to 2.45%, respectively. by former Accenture executive Norman Rille,
devices, and few get excited by the prospect of carrying
the special master in charge of almost 80 class ❙ the company said in a press release. The crux
multiple devices..................................................page 40 Windows 7 Surpasses Windows Vista
action suits filed against Intel, advised that the of the legal matters was the question of whether
lawsuits should not be certified as a class action, According to Net Applications, Windows 7’s HP, among others, paid millions of dollars to
CLIENTS which will likely lead to the cases’ dismissal. The percentage of the operating system market influence systems integrators in order to receive
■Cloud-based SaaShas been a boon for enterprises preferential treatment regarding contracts with
looking to quickly deploy business applications without WATCH THE the government. Although it admits no wrong-
recruiting an army of expensive consultants and sup- STOCKS This information provides a quick glimpse of current and historical stock doing, HP says it will accept a one-time charge
port personnel..................................................page 42 prices and trends for 13 major companies in the technology market. of 2 cents per share against its third-quarter
results to settle in full.
■Next Generation Logistics freight management soft-
❙
waresorts routing options, ensures carrier compliance, and % change from New Guidelines For Full Virtualization
Company Symbol Year Ago July 22 $ Aug. 5 $ previous issue
offers customizable shipment reporting....................page 43
AMD AMD $3.69 $7.61 $7.50 ▼1.45% The NIST (National Institute of Standards and
CA Technologies CA $21.53 $19.10 $19.79 ▲3.61% Technology) released a new set of guidelines
DATA CENTER Cisco Systems CSCO $22.31 $23.27 $24.17 ▲3.87% that covers common security concerns with
MANAGEMENT Dell DELL $13.16 $13.40 $13.13 ▼2.01% technology when implementing full virtualiza-
■The Cloud Security Alliance’s CloudAuditwill create Google GOOG $450.36 $484.81 $508.10 ▲4.8% tion. In its “Guide to Security for Full Virtuali-
an automated method for service providers to show cus- HP HPQ $42.21 $46.07 $46.35 ▲0.61% zation Technologies,” NIST’s suggestions are
tomers the controls they have in place..............page 43 IBM IBM $117.38 $127.47 $131.83 ▲3.42% designed to help companies take full advan-
tage of virtualization to increase efficiency and
■Many bad practices that have plagued on-premises Intel INTC $18.70 $21.78 $20.67 ▼5.1%
reduce costs. NIST indicates that most perfor-
McAfee MFE $42.73 $31.58 $32.51 ▲2.94%
software paradigm are happening similarly in the SaaS
mance and security problems can be traced
Microsoft MSFT $23.46 $25.84 $25.37 ▼1.82%
world. Enterprises must apply best practices for evaluat-
back to the planning or management controls
ing solutions for their data centers......................page 44 Oracle ORCL $21.21 $24.31 $24.29 ▼0.08%
set in the initial stages of the virtualization pro-
Red Hat Software RHT $21.93 $32.34 $33.25 ▲2.81%
ject, so data centers and organizations should
The Processor.com home page is frequently updated with Symantec SYMC $15.27 $15.19 $13.09 ▼13.82%
carefully consider security when planning the
new articles and hardware news to help you keep current.
NOTE: This information is meant for reference only and should not be used as a basis for buy/sell decisions. installation and configuration of the system.
Visit www.processor.com today.
August 13, 2010 Processor.com Page 3
News
UpcomingITEvents
Are you looking to learn more about data center
❙ ❙ year, the TCV (total contract value) of IT out- or IT topics? Network with some of your peers?
Report Examines Cloud Computing United States Questions Consider joining a group of data center
sourcing activity dropped 30% in the second
Usage Numbers China’s Tech Policies professionals. If you have an event you’d like
quarter, according to the TPI Index. In announc-
listed, please send an email to
Mimecast polled more than 500 IT decision The latest U.S. Chamber of Commerce report ing results of the index, Mark Mayo, partner and [email protected].
makers in the United States and UK and found states that the United States is concerned about president of TPI Global Operations, says the
that 51% now use some form of cloud comput- China’s policies regarding new homegrown overall industry picture for the remainder of the
- AUGUST -
ing, up from 36% in Mimecast’s 2009 survey. industries and warns China it could be abusing year is cautious, with a “modest” third quarter
AITP Southwest Missouri
Additionally, 66% of respondents are consider- its market pull of tech company transfers. The expected. The Americas experienced the best
Aug. 17
ing increasing or starting cloud computing ser- new report is the next in a series of official com- first-half performance in TCV since 2006, up 30% Springfield, Mo.
vices, and the United States was ahead of the plaints about China’s federal and commercial primarily because of activity in the United States. aitpspringfield.org
UK (70% to 60%) in the percentage of respon- policies regarding technological innovation; ❙ • • • • •
Mobile Broadband To Expand ISSA St. Louis Chapter
dents who were considering cloud computing other letters came from the Business Software
Aug. 17
services. Of the available cloud computing ser- Alliance, Consumer Electronics Association, A new report from Pyramid Research and Heavy
St. Louis, Mo.
vices, security and storage were the most pop- National Association of Manufacturers, Tech Reading expect the global mobile broadband stl.issa.org
ular with large enterprises, while email was America, and more than 12 other groups. The market to expand to 1 billion connections by • • • • •
most popular with midsized companies. U.S. International Trade Commission is also 2012. According to Pyramid, the driving forces Oklahoma City AITP Chapter
Aug. 17
❙ investigating China’s perceived plan to threaten behind the rapid growth are smartphones and
Majority Of iPhone 4 Customers Oklahoma City, Okla.
U.S. firms, an investigation requested by the cellular modems that let users consume more
Are Satisfied www.aitp.org/organization/chapters
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. /chapterhome.jsp?chapter=40
According to a recent report from research firm ❙ • • • • •
Salesforce.com, Microsoft Settle
ChangeWave, the majority of iPhone 4 users AFCOM Central Ohio
Patent Dispute Aug. 18
are “very satisfied” with their phones, despite
Columbus, Ohio
widespread coverage of antenna-related prob- Microsoft, which originally filed suit against
www.afcomcentralohio.org
lems with the new devices. Almost one-third of Salesforce.com over a cloud computing dispute
• • • • •
respondents said that the new phone exceeded concerning software efficiency patents, has set- AITP Omaha
their expectations, while half said that it met tled its infringement case with the San Francisco- Aug. 19
Omaha, Neb.
expectations. In spite of the positive survey based company. Salesforce.com retaliated
www.aitpomaha.com
results, analysts note that the overall satisfac- against Microsoft’s original suit, claiming its .NET bandwidth-hungry content such as video and
• • • • •
tion ratings of the iPhone 4 actually fall short of and SharePoint technologies violated patents applications. A second report from ABI Research ISSA Upstate South Carolina
the ratings for the iPhone 3GS: 82% of users of Salesforce.com holds, but the smaller company claims that mobile data usage is growing rapidly Aug. 20
that device reported being “very satisfied” with it has agreed to compensate Microsoft based on but revenues aren’t keeping pace. ABI reports 1001 Keys Drive #100
Greensville, S.C.
and 17% reported being “somewhat satisfied.” the strength of the tech giant’s software portfolio. that data usage in North America will increase
www.upstate-issa.org
❙ Microsoft’s aggressive pattern of licensing out its at a compound annual growth rate of 55%, but
Amazon Web Services Revenue • • • • •
own patents has led the company to form more mobile data revenues will only grow at a CAGR AITP Tarheel
May Top $500 Million This Year
than 600 licensing agreements with companies of about 18%. For this year, ABI estimates that Aug. 23
Amazon.com’s cloud computing division is such as Apple, HP, and Samsung. the average mobile data user in North America 4290 Mashie Drive
Pfafftown, N.C.
experiencing record growth as more and more ❙ will consume 159MB of data.
Rise In Online Health Research www.aitp.org/organization/chapters
companies look to move mission-critical func- ❙ Study Looks At Online Activity /chapterhome.jsp?chapter=295
tionalities to the cloud. The AWS (Amazon Web More people than ever before are using the
• • • • •
Services) group includes 12 separate storage, Internet to search for health-related information, There’s been a shakeup in the ranks: According ISSA Des Moines
application, and development offerings, but pre- according to results from a Harris Interactive poll. to a new Nielsen survey, people now spend Aug. 23
3920 SW Camden Circle
cise revenue figures have been hard to come The study found that the number of people using more time on social networking and gaming
Ankeny, Iowa
by because Amazon doesn’t break AWS rev- the Internet to learn about health issues rose online than they do on email. In June 2009,
www.issa-desmoines.org
enues out; instead, it lumps them into the “other from 154 million in 2009 to 175 million this year. Nielsen’s survey of American Internet users
• • • • •
revenues” figure. However, UBS Investment Harris says that the number of people who use revealed that visiting social networking Web ISSA Baltimore
Research analysts have predicted that AWS the Internet—79%—has not changed significant- sites accounted for 15.8% of our time spent Aug. 25, 4:30 p.m.
Sparta Inc.
revenue will hit $500 million in 2010 and about ly over the years, but the percentage of those online, email accounted for 11.5%, and online
7110 Samuel Morse Drive, Suite 200
$750 million in 2011. The numbers, though individuals who go online for health research gaming accounted for 9.3%. As of June 2010,
Columbia, Md.
indicative of impressive growth, remain insignifi- however, social networking usage grew to con- www.issa-balt.org
cant compared to Amazon’s overall revenues, sume 22.7% of our time; online gaming sup- • • • • •
which this year exceeded $6.5 billion. planted email, consuming 10.2% of our time; ISSA Inland Empire
Aug. 31, 11:30 a.m.
❙ and email-related activities fell to 8.3%. The lat-
IBM Acquires Data Compression Coco’s Restaurant and Bakery
est survey also ranked the time we spent on
Provider Storwize 60 West Foothill Blvd.
portals, instant messaging, videos, and search, Upland, Calif.
IBM announced plans in late July to acquire which consumed 4.4%, 4%, 3.9%, and 3.5% of ie.issa.org
Storwize, a Marlborough, Mass.,-based provider our total time spent online, respectively.
- SEPTEMBER -
of real-time data compression technology that ❙
Justice Department Suing Oracle Greater Wheeling AITP
helps clients significantly reduce physical stor-
Sept. 8
age requirements. IBM says that beyond The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Wheeling, W.Va.
improving efficiency, the technology lowers the increased to 88%. Harris calls these individuals Oracle on charges of defrauding the govern- www.aitp-wheeling.org
cost of making data available to other applica- “cyberchondriacs” and says that 81% of them ment in a multimillion-dollar contract. The law- • • • • •
ISSA Central Pennsylvania
tions and for analytics. Additionally, the technol- said they went online in the last month for health suit states that Oracle deliberately avoided
Sept. 8
ogy can compress multiple types of data in real research, while 17% said they have searched the telling the government about substantial dis-
Harrisburg University of
time, including files, virtualization images, and Internet 10 or more times in the past month. counts that were available to the company’s Science and Technology
databases. Storwize’s customers include com- ❙ most important customers in order to charge 326 Market St.
Cisco Cites Changing
panies in the energy, manufacturing, finance, the government higher rates. The original con- Harrisburg, Pa.
Security Landscape centralpenn.issa.org
insurance, telecommunications, and cloud ser- tract was negotiated between Oracle and the
• • • • •
vice sectors. The acquisition is to be completed Virtualization, the growing use of social net- General Services Administration in 1998 and it
ISSA San Diego
in Q3 2010; IBM didn’t disclose financial terms. working, and an increase in the number of net- was upheld until 2006. Paul Frascella, who Sept. 8
❙ work-connected mobile devices are altering the worked for Oracle while the government con- San Diego, Calif.
Uniloc Sues Sony, McAfee,
security landscape, and enterprises must react tract was active, filed the suit under the False www.sdissa.org
Quark & Others
quickly to protect themselves. In conducting its Claims Act, which would give Frascella a re- • • • • •
Southern New England SQL Server
Uniloc, a California-based company that previ- “2010 Midyear Security Report,” Cisco found ward for being the whistleblower.
User’s Group
ously sued Microsoft for patent infringement, has that 50% of end users say that they ignore com- ❙ Sept. 8
Motorola Reports Q2 Profits
filed lawsuits against Sony, McAfee, Activision, pany policies prohibiting the use of social media www.snessug.com
Quark, Borland Software, and Aspyr Media in a and log in to such sites at least once a week, Motorola reported second-quarter profits of • • • • •
AITP Washington D.C.
U.S. District Court in Texas. Uniloc is alleging and 27% change settings on corporate devices $162 million, which is more than 600% higher
Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.
that the companies violated its patent relating to so they can access prohibited applications. than the same quarter last year, when the com-
Alfio’s Restaurant
registration and activation software. According Cybercriminals, including terrorists, are increas- pany posted $26 million. Aiding in the profit 4515 Willard Ave.
to Uniloc, its patented technology “creates a ingly using social networks to wreak havoc and jump were gains in its smartphone business, Chevy Chase, Md.
unique fingerprint based on the naturally occur- are targeting legitimate Web sites with strategi- with the biggest help coming from the Motorola aitpwashdc.ning.com
ring, inherent physical characteristics of any cally timed multivector spam attacks. In addi- Droid. Compared to the same quarter last year, • • • • •
ISSA Northeast Ohio
computing device so that no two digital devices tion, Cisco says it expects spam volume to grow its mobile devices segment decreased in sales
Sept. 9
are seen as identical.” Uniloc initially won a deci- by as much as 30% this year. by 6%. The Enterprise Mobility Solutions seg- Cuyahoga County Library-
sion against Microsoft worth almost $450 million ❙ ment was the only one of four key Motorola Parma South
Outsourcing Growth Slows
in a Rhode Island district court last year con- segments to experience growth, increasing 7335 Ridge Road
In Second Quarter Parma, Ohio
cerning similar patent infringement allegations. sales by 10%. Motorola anticipates profits for
www.neoissa.org
The decision was later overturned, and Uniloc is After a surge in outsourcing contracts during the the third quarter of 2010, with estimated shares
currently in the process of appealing. fourth quarter of 2009 and first quarter of this from 10 cents to 12 cents per share.
For more Upcoming IT Events, see page 10.
Page 4 Processor.com August 13, 2010
P R O D U C T R E L E A S E S
TheProcessorProduct Releases section
Manufacturers:
includes brief overviews of data center products. Do you have a new product that data center/IT
managers would be interested in learning about?
All products listed have been released recently, so use this section to get Send your press release or product information
up-to-date with what’s new on the market and to find products you need. to [email protected].
people. Its new features lessen the manu- reporting and a bird’s-eye view of all sys-
al, slow, and error-prone processes gen- tems and users.
Do you have a new product erally associated with sending and
receiving large volumes of data (including ■ Riverbed Technology Virtual Steelhead
Riverbed Technology announced the
that data center/IT managers would
release of Virtual Steelhead, a virtualized
be interested in learning about? version of its Steelhead WAN optimiza-
tion appliance. Virtual Steelhead is
designed to work in ruggedized, space
limited, and heavily virtualized environ-
Send your press release or related product information
ments in addition to regular data center
to [email protected].
documents and messages) to better the environments. Along with other products
integration of inbound and outbound in the Steelhead family, including
communications. Version 9.0 also in- physical, mobile, and virtual solutions,
cludes an updated Web Monitoring companies can accelerate the speed
PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AFL TELECOMMUNICATIONS Interface, full Microsoft system sup- of their applications and data no mat-
port, native Kofax Capture integration, ter the location. Virtual Steelhead
■ Emerson Network Power Avocent DSView
better backup and recovery, and next- was built for the VMware vSphere plat-
3, Liebert MPX & MPH Integration
generation IP support. Additionally, form, and it can be customized to multi-
Emerson Network Power announced KCS 9.0 now offers SAP and Cisco IP ple configurations including up to
that the Avocent DSView 3 and Avocent PABX certification. the equivalent of a Steelhead 2050H
Power Manager plug-in now support model appliance.
the Liebert MPX and MPH rack PDU ■ OPNET Technologies OPNET
product lines. This combination of solu- Panorama 7.0 STORAGE
tions allows for alarms, notifications, OPNET Technologies announced
metering, real-time monitoring, and man- version 7.0 of OPNET Panorama; the ■ CharTec Backup Disaster Recovery
agement capabilities. It also enables release provides functionality and usabili- Appliance
expanded data center remote access, ty enhancements for OPNET’s applica- CharTec announced its BDR (Backup
Emerson says. core allows for direct termination tion performance management suite. Disaster Recovery) appliance for Intel-
schemes to eliminate the need for large OPNET Panorama continuously monitors based servers. BDR offers backup, disas-
■ HP Flexible Data Center
transitions that take up valuable space. ter recovery, and replication of virtual
HP introduced the HP Flexible Data Further, the cable’s round construction images to the cloud. The appliance helps
Center, which provides a standardized, removes concerns related to preferential eliminate client risk and downtime;
modular mechanism for the design bend radii in traditional premise-stacked accelerates server recovery, management,
and construction of data centers. The ribbon designs. and deployment; and reduces service
product is designed to conserve re- delivery costs.
sources and reduce capital outlay while ■ Cisco & NetApp Fibre Channel
maintaining flexibility and scalability. Over Ethernet ■ Dynamic Solutions International
The Flexible Data Center includes pre- Cisco, in collaboration with NetApp, DSI9003 Version 2.1
fabricated components and a modular launched an end-to-end FCoE (Fibre Dynamic Solutions International re-
design with specific configurations Channel over Ethernet) solution that’s leased the DSI9003 (version 2.1), the
aimed at optimizing the use of power and designed for VMware-virtualized envi- next generation of its Virtual Tape
OPNET TECHNOLOGIES
cooling resources. ronments. The offering is capable of Library product. Primary features of the
supporting data center consolidation, business-critical applications, providing DSI9003 include 4GB FC and iSCSI
■ PureChoice PureTrac
virtualization, and automation using real-time, in-depth visibility across all attachment, GUI management, scalability
PureChoice is now offering the Pure- fewer devices and cables. The offering servers in the application environment. up to 48TB of raw capacity, and support
Trac software data collection system. The consists of VMware-validated Cisco data Version 7.0 further cements the integra- for 64,000 virtual cartridges. The
Web-based software lets administrators center switches and NetApp storage tion between two of OPNET’s key APM DSI9003 series includes the DSI9253-V
monitor air quality in real time and noti- FCoE solutions. solutions, ACE Live and Panorama. and DSI9303-D.
fies users if carbon dioxide, monoxide, Panorama now incorporates the user
ozone, temperature, or humidity levels fall ■ Firetide MIMO 802.11n HotPort 7000 interface first introduced with ACE ■ EMC Data Domain DD670
outside acceptable parameters. PureTrak Firetide has released the MIMO Live, making combined workflows EMC released the EMC Data Domain
software can be implemented in both old 802.11n HotPort 7000 product line with between the solutions more intuitive to DD670, a midrange deduplication
and new architecture to support mechani- FIPS 140-2 certification included. the user. Additionally, Panorama 7.0 storage system for the Data Domain
cal operations. Firetide says the product is the first of delivers more powerful and interactive product line. It incorporates the
its kind on the market to provide securi- workflows, allowing users to use the Nehalem-based Intel Xeon Processor
■ Raritan Dominion KX II 2.3
ty, reliability, and throughput that’s com- underlying database of performance 5500 Series and is designed to be
Raritan announced Release 2.3 of its parable to 300Mbps outdoor/400Mbps information more effectively. twice as fast as midrange competitors
Dominion KX II KVM over IP switch, indoor. The release uses a distributed using recently released EMC Data
which it claims has the industry’s highest Ethernet switch-based architecture and ■ Oracle Utilities Network Management Domain Boost software.
resolution and level of security. The patented flow-based routing proto- System 1.10.0
switch supports 1,920 x 1,080 resolution col foundation. Oracle unveiled the latest version of ■ Iron Mountain EMR Enablement Solution
and has FIPS 140-2 certification for its the Oracle Utilities Network Manage- Iron Mountain announced the Iron
embedded encryption module. The ■ GFI Software GFI MAX ment System, which is a utility-centric Mountain EMR Enablement Solution,
switch also includes a dual computer RemoteManagement, Take Control security platform. Version 1.10.0 in- which combines document scanning, file
interface module. GFI Software announced that GFI MAX cludes smart grid and security enhance- archiving, and data backup for healthcare
RemoteManagement now includes Take ments, database transactions, and user organizations converting hardcopy
NETWORKING & VPN Control, which is designed to deliver authentication. Oracle’s offering also patient files into electronic medical
quick and easy secure remote access and provides users enhanced damage assess- records. The service helps hospitals iden-
■ AFL Telecommunications Interconnect
user assistance. Thanks to its monitoring ments, expanded outage management tify which records to digitize and which
Premise MicroCore
and management, inventory tracking, and alerts, and switching and Volt/VAR opti- to destroy and includes compliant and
AFL Telecommunications has expand- automated server and desktop mainte- mization tips. secure cloud-based archiving and disas-
ed its line of high-density fiber optic nance tools, the software also enables IT ter-recovery capabilities.
Interconnect Premise MicroCore cables to personnel to more easily manage cus- ■ Quest Software Identity Manager
now encompass up to 48 optical fibers in tomers’ servers, desktops, networks, hard- For Unix ■ LaCie 12big Rack Fibre 8
one package. Now sporting an overall ware, and software. Quest Software announced Identity LaCie announced LaCie 12big Rack
diameter of 4.8mm, the interconnect cable Manager for Unix, a freeware tool Fibre 8, an addition to its 12big Rack port-
is about 20% smaller than similar prod- ■ Kofax Communication Server 9.0 designed to streamline user and group folio that features 8Gbps Fibre Channel
ucts from competitors, the company Kofax has introduced version 9.0 of management for Unix/Linux/Mac users connection and dual controllers. Designed
states, and is well suited for use with Kofax Communication Server, designed and check readiness for advanced func- for post-production environments and per-
high-density, array-type MT/MP connec- to automate the receipt, exchange, tionality. Features include a single, cen- formance-demanding IT applications, the
tors. AFL says integrating the all-dielec- and output of business-critical informa- tralized Web-based console for creating faster edition supports speeds up to
tric strength members within the cable’s tion between applications, devices, and and deleting user accounts as well as easy 1,200MBps with 12 drives and includes
August 13, 2010 Processor.com Page 5
P R O D U C T R E L E A S E S
two power supplies and two hot-swap- Security Gateway, including the Web Prevention Module) and the BCM
pable cooling units. ■ SPYRUS Hydra Privacy Card Application Firewall, URL harden- (Behavioral Correlation Module). The
USB Flash Drives ing, cookie signing, and dual antivirus DPM solution analyzes raw packet data,
■ Lexar Media 128GB Echo SE SPYRUS announced Linux and Mac blocks customer-defined threats, and
Lexar Media announced the latest support for its line of Hydra Privacy Card monitors suspicious employee activity.
addition to its Echo family of portable USB flash drives. These drives are pro- BCM identifies extended network traffic
backup drives, the 128GB Echo SE. tected by hardware-based XTS-AES 256- and guards against unknown and zero-
Ideally suited to the demands of securing bit encryption and use Rosetta Micro day attacks.
valuable data on netbooks and note- FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated hardware
books, the Echo SE is actually the size of security modules. Also, three-person con- ■ McAfee Risk Management Solution
trol can be used so multiple systems can McAfee announced the Risk Man-
access the drive. agement solution, which offers both real-
time intelligence and global vulnerability
■ StoreIQ eDiscoveryManager 6.0
scanning across applications, databases,
StoreIQ announced version 6.0 of its and networks. The solution connects such
eDiscoveryManager, which is designed to threats with your security measures to
address a wide range of legal discovery find the most critical threats. McAfee’s
N
a standard USB thumb drive. The Echo rineqteugirraetmese nwtsi.t hV tehres ioSnto 6re.0d IoQf pelDaitsfocormve rtoy ORATIO Rofi sRki skM Aandavgiseomr e2.n5t, Vsoullunteiroanbi lcitoyn Msiasnts-
RP
SE is also available in 16GB, 32GB, and give legal teams a single solution to make CO ager 7.0, and the Vulnerability Manager
O
6P4CG, tBh ec ianpcaocnistipeisc.u oWuhs eEnc hcoo nSnEe cctaend a tuoto a- mwiolrle ailnsfoo rcmuetd t, hsetr actoesgti co df elciitsiigoantsi,o nw hainchd ASTAR for Databases.
matically back up data with read speeds reduce legal risk. ■ WatchGuard Technologies XCS 170,
370 & 570
up to 28MBps and write speeds up to
■ Tandberg Data RDX 1TB
10MBps. The latest Echo SE is fully WatchGuard Technologies upgraded its
compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Tandberg’s RDX format of removable scanning. URL hardening requires visi- XCS 170, 370, and 570 security appli-
Windows 7, and Mac OS X. The drive storage now comes in a 1TB cartridge for tors to use a digital URL signing archi- ances to offer enterprise-grade Web-
ships with Dmailer’s backup software. use in the company’s RDX QuikStor sys- tecture. Dual antivirus scanning assesses blocking security features along with
Other features include targeted file back- tem for small and medium-sized enterpris- and blocks harmful content before it email, data-loss, spam, virus, spyware,
up, file versioning, and optional 128-bit es. When used with bundled AccuGuard enters or leaves the network. Cookie pro- and malware protection. WatchGuard is
AES encryption. deduplication and backup software, the tection keeps malicious users from edit- also reducing annual Web Security sub-
$485 cartridge can hold up to 20TB, the ing information on a vulnerable server. scriptions for XCS 770, 970, and 1170
■ Nimbus Data Systems S1000 company says. The Web Application Firewall uses man- appliances and cutting pricing on XCS
Nimbus Data Systems released the ual configuration menus to minimize 370, 570, and 770 message appliances by
S1000 enterprise flash system ($99,995) ■ Xiotech Emprise 9000, ISE Manager & operational risks. up to 20%.
ISE Analyzer
that supports 10TB of SSD storage per
shelf and up to 250TB in one system. Xiotech announced a set of products ■ Barracuda Web Application Firewall ■ Zscaler
Additonally, Nimbus’ FlexConnect tech- that take the power of the company’s Barracuda Networks announced that it Zscaler announced that its Zscaler ser-
nology ($9,995) features triple active 10 ISE (Intelligent Storage Element) storage is adding integration features to its Web vice will now offer fully integrated email
GbE network controllers. FlexConnet system and tailor it for the internal Application Firewall, which protects Web security into its existing Web security
utilizes a virtual switch using 12 10GbE enterprise service provider. The set apps and services from malicious attacks. portfolio. Zscaler offers enterprises cloud-
ports that can run iSCSI, CIFS, and includes the Emprise 9000 storage The features extend centralization of delivered services that protect against
NFS protocols. system, ISE Manager software, and front-end access controls, simplify the most Internet-based risks, and it also
ISE Analyzer software, which are management of production Web applica- consolidates multiple point products, sim-
■ Oracle StorageTek SL8500 designed to optimize performance- tions, and increase security for networks plifies IT administration, and increases
Modular Library System starved applications across a fully shared and assets. security while reducing costs and risk to
Oracle announced additional features data center infrastructure. the business.
■ Comodo EndPoint Security Manager 1.6
to the StorageTek SL8500 Modular
Library System. Enhancements include ■ Xyratex HDD Portfolio Comodo announced EndPoint Securi- MESSAGING & TELEPHONY
an increase in scalable capacity; an Xyratex announced a product portfo- ty Manager 1.6, which lets network
upgrade from 70,000 to 100,000 tape lio expansion that will add hard disk administrators centrally manage Como- ■ Polycom UC Intelligent Core
slots; and redundant electronics to help drive recording head slider and head do security products such as Comodo Polycom unveiled its updated UC
manage growth, increase availability, and gimbal assembly automation as well as Disk Encryption and Comodo Internet Intelligent Core, which is a visual commu-
reduce risk. The system offers tape con- metrology equipment. The expansion Security. The software includes a lo- nications infrastructure platform. Features
solidation across multiple heterogeneous coincides with the acquisition of OSC calized interface, compatibility with include support for bandwidth-saving
systems with online service and per-slot (Optical Systems Corp.), a company that Windows Domain Controllers, and the H.264 High Profile and bridge resource
mixing of media. provides automated hard disk drive ability to reconfigure CIS on endpoint virtualization. The RMX release 7.0 and
production technology. Xyratex will machines without logging in to the DMA 7000 release 2.2 will be available
■ Overland Storage NEO 8000e combine OSC’s expertise with its own local machine. this quarter. The RMX 1500, also avail-
The NEO 8000e tape library is an LTO- history with high-volume disk drive able this quarter, is priced starting
■ Dell KACE Secure Browser
5 enterprise backup system with support tests; servo writing; and media cleaning, at $43,000.
for up to 3PB of storage with up to 1,000 handling, and inspection technologies. Dell KACE announced its Secure
cartridges and 24 tape drives. The system The company plans to get into the disk Browser, a tool that uses application virtu- ■ Zultys MXmeeting 4.2
is also compatible with LTO-4. Transfer drive head, media, and substrate markets alization to protect against attacks while Zultys released an updated version of
rates can range up to 24TB per hour, and work with hard drive and compo- browsing the Web. The browser package its MXmeeting collaboration product.
according to Overland. The NEO 8000e nent manufacturers. includes the Firefox browser, along with MXmeeting 4.2 adds four-way videocon-
sells for $47,999. preinstalled Adobe Reader and Flash plug- ferencing and a number of additional
SECURITY ins. The free browser tool is available on features aimed at making the product a
■ Overland Storage Kace’s Web site. compelling and cost-effective alternative
SnapServer N2000 ■ Absolute Geolocation
to travel. In addition to supporting four
For LoJack Laptops ■ Dell Security Solution Portfolio
Overland Storage introduced Snap- Web cams in one room, this release
Server N2000, a unified block and file Absolute launched the latest func- Dell released a security solution portfo- adds enhanced Outlook integration and
storage solution scalable up to 144TB in a tionalities for its LoJack for Laptops lio for midsized enterprises and organiza- improves speed. Webinar polling, appli-
compact 2U form factor. The storage is subscriptions. The features include tions that is designed to protect IT ance clustering, and access (in the United
fully integrated with Microsoft Windows geolocation that lets users track their infrastructure and data. The security solu- States and Canada) to a 250-port voice
and is designed for virtualized server envi- computer on an Internet-based map; tions secure enterprises from internal and conferencing solution are also includ-
ronments running VMware, Hyper-V, and Device Freeze, which lets users freeze external attacks and provide proactive and ed. MXmeeting can be implemented
Citrix XenServer. SnapServer N2000 pro- their computer if it is lost; and Remote reactive IT security. The portfolio contains by adding an appliance to an existing
vides a feature set including replication Data Delete, which lets users delete a multiple layers composed of four solution MX250 or MX30 PBX and is available in
and snapshot capabilities for file and preset group of files or folders. areas, including network security, four scaled tiers for two, 20, 50, or 200
iSCSI volumes. Features include storage endpoint security, user security, and secu- meeting rooms.
management, which lets administrators ■ Astaro Web Application Security rity services.
monitor and manage all SnapServer NAS Astaro released Astaro Web Appli- SERVERS
■ Global DataGuard Detection +
and SAN systems remotely or locally from cation Security for protection against
a single, browser-based interface; capacity viruses or malware. Astaro Web Appli- Prevention Module & Behavioral ■ Fujitsu Primergy TX100 S2
Correlation Module
expansion; disaster recovery; Windows cation Security defends Outlook Web Fujitsu states its Primergy TX100 S2
and Unix integration; and redundancy for Access and other applications from SQL Global DataGuard has released its entry-level server includes energy-effi-
reliability. Pricing for the SnapServer injections and cross-site scripting. This latest 10Gb security devices for high- cient features at the price of a PC, making
N2000 starts at $4,999. release adds updated features to Astaro speed networks: the DPM (Detection + Go to Page 6
Page 6 Processor.com August 13, 2010
P R O D U C T R E L E A S E S
Continued from Page 5 management, DVD burners, and hot- manage inbound and outbound freight
it ideal for SMEs looking to better produc- swappable storage. The dual-PSU at a cost-effective price. With a built-in ■ Oracle Pedigree & Serialization
tivity by consolidating various IT tasks. RD240 supports up to eight drives. On interface for ALK PC-Miler, the TMS Manager
Zero-Watt technology lets the server draw the tower server side is the TD230 Oracle has unveiled the Oracle Ped-
0.0W when turned off to reduce power ($829). This nearly silent model follows igree and Serialization Manager, an inte-
consumption and heat output while also an Energy Star for Servers 1.0 design for grated mass-serialization and pedigree
protecting from overnight and weekend power savings as well as performance. application that improves supply chain
external attacks. It’s available in direct connect or hot integrity in the pharmaceutical industry.
swap configurations. With this program, pharmaceutical com-
■ IBM zEnterprise
panies will have help complying with
IBM released the zEnterprise main- CLIENTS electronic pedigree initiatives and regula-
frame server, which it calls the most tory requirements while diminishing risks
■ Apple Mac Pro
powerful and energy-efficient mainframe associated with drug counterfeiting and
ever. The company also announced a Apple announced a line of Mac Pro product diversion.
systems design that lets mainframe, computers that can be customized with up NEXTGENERATIONLOGISTICS
Power7, and System x server workloads to 12 processing cores. The Mac Pros are ■ Oracle Service Bus 11g
share resources and one virtualized sys- capable of housing up to four 512GB suite supports transportation 204, 990, Oracle introduced an enhancement for
tem manage them. The systems design SSDs and support quad-core and six-core 214, and 210 EDI transactions for single the Oracle SOA Suite 11g, the Oracle
combines the zEnterprise server with Intel processors. Multiple configurations or multisite facilities. The primary bene- Service Bus 11g, which lets users make
zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension and are available, and they will be released fits of TMS include carrier routing, carri- their complicated and unstable appli-
zEnterprise Unified Resource Mana- this month. er compliance, load consolidation, alert cation architectures more resilient
ger technology. messaging, and online freight bill settle- and customizable. Capabilities include
■ Kyocera Mita Security Solutions
ment. In addition, FreightMaster TMS service result cache, support for cloud
■ Lenovo ThinkServer RD230, Citing the need for enterprises to pro- offers automatic fuel surcharge updates, integration, automated lifecycle service
RD240, TD230 tect data in their networked printers, routing guide compliance, and Smart- governance, and enhanced performance
Lenovo released a family of dual-Xeon Kyocera has highlighted several security WaySM Tracking. TMS uses Active and availability.
servers toward growing enterprises, technologies incorporated into its prod- Directory for single-user authentication
managed service providers, and branch uct line. Included are the company’s and is accessible via LAN, VPN, WAN, ■ Quest Software Foglight
offices. The budget-priced systems Data Security Kits, Secure Printing, or terminal services. For more on this Quest Software introduced several
PrintQ Manager Secure Job Release, API product, see page 43. enhancements to Foglight, which is an
Cryptek Netgard MFD Smart Control, application performance monitoring
■ OKI Printing Solutions PH640 Series
and AccessLock (Active Directory Au- software package. In this edition of
thentication) features. OKI Printing Solutions announced its Foglight, the expanded User Experience
PH640 Series of hybrid PoS receipt print- Management capabilities provide busi-
■ Next Generation Logistics
ers. The printers come in four configura- nesses with the ability to manage online
FreightMaster Transportation
LENOVO tions: Ethernet, USB, serial, and parallel. revenue and conversion rates in real
Management System Suite
They offer direct thermal printing method- time, as well as analyze trends in cus-
include rack server models, the Think- The 5.0 version of the FreightMaster ology for receipts, nine-pin Impact Dot tomer buying patterns and understand
Server RD230 ($999) and RD240 Transportation Management System Matrix for check printing, 203dpi resolu- how application usability, performance,
($1,399). These units come standard with Suite from Next Generation Logistics tion, two-color printing capability, and 2D functionality, and content affect conver-
advanced RAID, Web-enabled remote enables companies of varying sizes to barcode printing. sion rates.
August 13, 2010 Processor.com Page 7
G R E E N T E C H & T I P S
Dark Data Centers: Just An Eco-Friendly Dream?
BY ROD SCHER
THE IDEA OF DARK DATA CENTERS is not new. A 1989 IDG Communications data center but about having a
technology roundtable in Germany referred, somewhat wistfully, to the dark data data center that has ‘smart hands’
center as “a distant dream,” lamenting the inability of then-current technology to —that is, one that makes use of a
permit the creation of such centers. colocation or hosting vendor.”
Malik points out that colocation
Twenty-one years later, the dark data multiple servers—each consum- is a type of (often cloud-based)
center is an increasingly viable strategy for ing energy, generating heat, and outsourcing that is effective and
technology infrastructure. Iron Mountain, requiring maintenance—can often cost-efficient because it consoli-
which provides document management, be accomplished with just one dates data center activities offsite
archiving, and technology consulting ser- physical box, thus mitigating the and thus eliminates some of the
vices from offices around the world, serves equipment’s impact and reduc- need for a dark data center in the
as one example: The company touts ing its overall setup and mainte- first place. It requires manpower,
“Room 48,” its dark data center, infre- nance requirements. but “that individual is covering
quently staffed and equipped with motion- many, many people’s server
Impossibly High Expectations?
activated lighting. Iron Mountain’s main farms, and that’s all that that indi-
data facilities are located underground in But there’s another question to vidual does, so labor cost is much
what was once a limestone mine in western consider: What if the whole idea smaller” than if each organization
Pennsylvania: cool, energy-efficient, of dark data centers has been required a dedicated person.
and—quite literally—dark. overhyped? In our zeal to create Whichever approach turns out
Of course, if you can’t go dark, going efficient and eco-friendly busi- to be most realistic, the idea of
“dim” may be almost as good—and per- ness processes, have we come to dark, dim, or colocated data cen-
haps more realistic. expect too much from the idea? ters seems to lend credence to the
The dim data center, one in which power Gartner analyst and research notion that people, far from being
and cooling is moved out of the server room director Bill Malik thinks so. He superfluous, are as important as
while remote access mechanisms are used notes that the promise of the dark data cen- at which a technology finally begins to ever—but that their roles should largely be
as much as possible to control and monitor ter isn’t always realized and feels that the be productive. to envision, design, and test systems and
systems, may be as close as most of us can idea is only now poised to exit the third In the ’90s, Malik says, people spoke of processes, not to hang around in data cen-
(or need to) get to a truly dark data center. phase of what Gartner refers to as the hype dark data centers as being a panacea: “I go ters ensuring that those processes are
Virtualization can also play a part in cycle, “the Trough of Disillusionment.” to zero headcount, and I have all of these working. If your data center is constantly
reducing the data center’s energy footprint. After that, it will enter the more realistic amazing productivity numbers.” Now, full of IT staff scurrying to resolve prob-
A virtualized approach creates a consolidat- “Slope of Enlightenment” phase, during many people have begun to look more lems or avoid catastrophe, then that may be
ed—and therefore more efficient—data which practical experimentation begins to realistically at the technology. The discus- indicative of an entirely different—and
center environment: What once required take place, leading eventually to the point sion now, Malik says, “is not about a dark perhaps more systemic—issue. P
DS-RPC Remote Site Management Series
Device Management
• Console Port Management
• Remote Power Control
• True RMS Voltage/Current
• SNMP Support
• HTTP Power Control
• SSHv2/SSL Secure Access
• RADIUS Authentication
• Direct TCP Port Access
• Telnet/SSH Menu Device Selection
• Device Port Naming
• Individual Port Password Assignment
BayTech’s DS-RPC Remote Management Series provides secure and RADIUS authentication, SNMP, and user access lists per port allow
reliable management for your network, servers, and console ports. system administrators to remotely manage the DS Series with greater
The DS-RPC combines the powerful combination of power manage- confidence and control. The selected host module provides either
ment and console access. The cost-effective DS-RPC Series is meant secure in-band or dial-up out-of-band access to your DS-RPC Series
for single connection applications. Security features such as SSH v2, remote management solution.
Bay Technical Assoc. Inc. 5239 A Avenue Long Beach, MS 39560 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] [email protected]
Page 8 Processor.com August 13, 2010
C O V E R F O C U S
Communication Considerations
Evaluating Enterprise Needs Is Critical For Future VoIP & UC Success
by Christian Perry
Key Points
• • •
WADING INTO THE COMPLEX WATERS of
voice over IP and unified communica- • Carefully analyze the potential impact
tions can be a harrowing experience if of a VoIP or UC system to your current
you don’t come prepared. Smart organi- network infrastructure to determine if
zations will step back and determine it can handle the increased voice and
their communications needs from every video traffic.
possible angle before forging ahead with
• CIOs should go beyond feedback from
a VoIP or UC system, but that process
IT and ensure that users are polled to
demands a certain level of structure and
discover what types of communication
diligence to ensure success.
applications are currently in use and how
“It’s important for enterprises to first
they’re being used.
have a strong understanding of where their
UC/VoIP challenges lie,” says John Del • To ensure that your needs analysis is a
Pizzo, program director for IBM’s Unified success, determine what benefits you
Communication & Collaboration Software ultimately want to realize from a VoIP or
group. “From speaking with customers, UC system.
these are commonly identified as slow
business processes and response times; realize they need
expensive travel; and complex, disparate reliable dialtone ser-
technology platforms.” vice, but this analy-
The process of evaluating VoIP and sis can help them
UC needs should also extend beyond the determine whether
current point in time, as enterprises can they need desktop
be well-served by positioning potential video, for example,
systems against future business needs and Littlejohn explains.
goals. An overall effective evaluation “Think outside of
plan will ultimately take a close look at the IT box,” Little-
existing infrastructure, the benefits john says. “Use a
desired from a VoIP or UC system, and holistic approach
the requirements of the business users. and involve groups
other than IT and
Eye On The Network
telecom. And within
According to Peter Eisengrein, senior IT, make sure that
vice president of network operations and the project has C-
design for Evolve IP (www.evolveip.net), level sponsorship.
it’s essential to consider the impact to This allows the team
your LAN/WAN when considering any that is doing the
large-scale change, whether it’s adding a domain or is there logical separation? Do readiness analytics engagements that we needs analysis the ability to access
VoIP system or adding a new enterprise you have sufficient Internet bandwidth to run, the IT department does not want us the information that is critical to suc-
application. After all, the network is the support the additional voice traffic? to evaluate their Microsoft Windows cess. Without this sharing of data, UC or
foundation for all of your communica- Though the condition and topology of environment. ‘This is a network readiness VoIP becomes a network project and is
tions, so it’s important to ensure that it’s the network is certainly key to determining
in solid shape to avoid disappointing what kind of system would work best, it’s “Think outside of the IT box.
results with the change. also critical to look at the users themselves.
This network evaluation requires Jeremy Littlejohn, chief analyst with RISC
Use a holistic approach and involve
answers (from your IT staff or your data Networks (www.riscnetworks.com), notes
integrator) to several questions, he says. that analysis of needs for UC and VoIP
For example, is your physical cable capa- systems typically falls to the IT or telecom groups other than IT and telecom.”
ble of carrying 100Mbps? Is it at least group. However, those groups don’t spend
CAT 5 or better through the building(s)? enough time collecting business intelli-
- RISC Networks’ Jeremy Littlejohn
Are your network elements capable of gence about their users, so they’re often
carrying high-priority traffic, such as left in the dark about what employees use
voice? Can the network be configured for to communicate—and, more importantly, assessment for voice; it doesn’t have any- destined to be a lukewarm success at
QoS (quality of service)? What is your why they use those tools. thing to do with our desktops’ is their best, and more likely, a failure.”
network’s busy-hour utilization? What is “One indication of this is the fact that normal response,” Littlejohn says. “They
Keep The Goal In Sight
your network topology—single-broadcast in well over 60% of the voice and video are flat-out wrong. UC and even VoIP
have everything to do with their users’ IBM’s Del Pizzo stresses that enter-
desktops, their servers, the applications in prises should keep in mind their end goal
Be Inquisitive
use, and the potential opportunities to when analyzing their VoIP and/or UC
transform the way a company communi- needs. These systems can impart a wide
Like needs analysis for other systems, evaluating VoIP and UC requirements typically boils
cates. These applications are the compo- range of benefits, but knowing which of
down to a process of detailed information gathering. John Del Pizzo, program director for IBM’s
nents that users interact with, not a router these benefits is most important to the
Unified Communication & Collaboration Software group, suggests finding answers to the
or a switch, and they must be part of the business and other factors of the organi-
following questions to help with the discovery process:
needs analysis.” zation is a fundamental part of determin-
CIOs, Littlejohn continues, must ing exactly what technology is required.
• What is your current telephony infrastructure? Is there a mix of PBX vendor types?
challenge any and all assumptions about For example, he explains, you can
Are there legacy phone systems and/or IP telephony?
VoIP/UC needs analysis that comes from increase productivity through the use of
• Do you prefer to standardize on one PBX vendor or multiple vendors? IT. For example, he says, if IT says it collaborative environments, reduce costs
requires presence, the CIO needs to by streamlining networks and network
• Will you migrate all at once, or would you prefer to migrate over time to IP telephony?
ask why and how many users are cur- management support and improving com-
• How will you deliver a common set of functionality to users during migration? rently using applications that provide munication capabilities, support a mobile
that type of information. In many cases, workforce and distributed operations,
• Do you want to build a centralized model, or does the organizational structure require
the CIO and IT staff won’t know the improve customer service by transforming
decentralized implementations?
answer, so it’s valuable to discover what legacy call centers into multichannel con-
• What is the current state of the network? Can it handle the additional voice and apps are in use and spend some time tact centers, and drive new business
video traffic? talking to users of those apps to see how processes and revenue streams by enabling
and why they use them. Most enterprises enhanced communications. P
August 13, 2010 Processor.com Page 9
Page 10 Processor.com August 13, 2010
UpcomingITEvents
C O V E R F O C U S
For more Upcoming IT Events, see page 3.
SQL Server Society of Las Vegas
Sept. 9 Face-To-Face Communications
The Learning Center of Las Vegas
777 North Rainbow
Las Vegas, Nev.
sssolv.com
• • • • • From Near Or Far
SpecTECHular 2010
Sept. 9, 9 a.m.
New Horizons Kansas City
9611 E. Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, Kan. Tips For Setting Up A Successful Videoconferencing System
www.nhcomputerlearning.com
/Spectechular
• • • • •
BICSI Fall Conference
Sept. 12-16 by Elizabeth Millard record meetings for
MGM Grand Hotel • • • playback.
& Convention Center
WITH CLIENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY—or All these different
Las Vegas, Nev.
the world—and travel budgets still tight, components need to
www.bicsi.org/fall
videoconferencing can be a boon to an work well together,
• • • • •
Hosting Transformation enterprise’s bottom line. Because the sys- and a system with
Summit tems work in conjunction with other data mobile application
Sept. 13-15
center resources, it’s up to an IT manager to functionality intro-
Caesars Palace
make sure the correct system is chosen and duces another level
Las Vegas, Nev.
www.hsvsummit.com/na/2010 put into place. Here are some tips for mak- of interoperability
• • • • • ing sure that videoconferencing implemen- because the system
AITP Garden State tation goes smoothly. will have to be used
Sept. 14
on mobile devices.
Jim Johnston’s Steakhouse Set The Stage
Once a network
58 Eisenhower Parkway Mountain Plaza
Roseland, N.J. Before setting up a system, company assessment is com-
tech.groups.yahoo.com requirements should be evaluated, and once plete, IT managers
/group/aitpgardenstatechapter the determinations are in place and a system can determine if a
• • • • • is chosen, it’s time to put the strategy and bandwidth upgrade
AITP Richmond
technology into action.
Sept. 14
2015 Staples Mill Road Before connecting the wires, the IT Key Points
Richmond, Va. department needs to clearly communicate
www.aitprich.org the strategy and expectations for videocon-
• Do a thorough network assessment
• • • • • ferencing to vendor partners, line-of-busi-
ISSA New England before implementing a videoconferencing
ness managers, and anyone else who’ll be
Sept. 14 system, even if it’s a hosted application.
Weymouth, Mass. using the system, notes Brian Kopf, manag-
• After a system is in place, continue doing
www.issa-ne.org er of unified communications practice at
• • • • • CDW (www.cdw.com). network assessments to spot WAN “Make sure to have a plan for driving
PASS Wisconsin SQL Server He says, “This will set the stage for inter- degradation issues. adoption of the technology in users’ day-
User’s Group
nal adoption and give the [vendor] partners • Create user education materials and make to-day activities,” he says. “After making
Sept. 14, 4:30
Microsoft Office clear parameters in helping to design the ongoing adoption a priority, because maxi- the investment, maximizing usage is the
2176 Woodcrest Drive right solution to address business needs.” As mizing usage will lead to better ROI. most important way to realize the cost
Green Bay, Wis. part of gaining executive acceptance, Kopf savings and productivity increases from
wisconsin.sqlpass.org
suggests the creation of clearly defined ROI, is required to handle the increased traffic the system.”
• • • • •
which can help future upgrades down the or if they need to make better use of cur- Especially be mindful of taking care of
AFCOM Central Ohio
Sept. 15 line, as well. rent bandwidth, Hediard says. He adds that systems that require a lot of bandwidth
Columbus, Ohio IT managers should also plan training of ongoing assessment can be helpful after and are sensitive to latency, jitter, and
www.afcomcentralohio.org all potential end users and provide mini- systems are deployed, too, to ensure that packet loss, adds Hediard. IP network con-
• • • • • guidebooks, adds Frederic Hediard, vice the WAN never degrades end-user quality gestion can affect the user experience by
AITP Northeastern
president of product management at of experience. causing distorted audio, blocked video
Wisconsin Chapter
Sept. 15, 4:15 p.m. Streamcore (www.streamcore.com), a stream, and other issues.
Next Steps
Holiday Inn Select provider of appliances that manage interac- Even though some vendors have intro-
150 S. Nicolet Road tive applications. There are several best practices for duced very innovative technologies to
Appleton, Wis.
Another recommendation, he adds, is to deploying a videoconferencing solution lessen the impact of network packet loss,
new.aitp.org
provide means to easily book and schedule once network readiness is assured. Hediard adds that SMEs should control
• • • • •
ISSA International Conference a videoconferencing room, perhaps through According to CDW’s Kopf, here are a the traffic and the quality of their WAN
Sept. 15-17 a Web application. “Ensuring a successful few solid strategies: before and after videoconferencing instal-
Georgia International first usage is critical, especially because • Run a pilot in a production environment lation in order to guarantee the best possi-
Conference Center
employees may have been frustrated by pre- that’s not mission-critical. This is espe- ble experience for employees. P
2000 Convention Center Concourse
vious failed or poor videoconferencing cially important if videoconferencing is
College Park, Ga.
www.issa.org/conf/?p=105 experiences,” Hediard says. intended for use in executive-to-executive
Interoperability
• • • • • communication. “By testing in less ‘visi-
AITP Atlanta Network Considerations ble’ areas of the organization to get a feel
Concerns
Sept. 16, 5:30 p.m.
Part of setting up a successful videocon- for setup and operation, it will give you a
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter NW
ferencing system will be ensuring that the chance to iron out the wrinkles before
6345 Powers Ferry Road NW When setting up a videoconferencing sys-
Atlanta, Ga. network is capable of supporting this new giving your CEO access,” Kopf says.
tem, the good news is that the technology
www.aitpatlanta.org form of traffic. Kopf notes that videoconfer- • Document network and system settings
has come a long way in the past couple
• • • • • encing can introduce a significant load onto for future deployments or for trou-
AITP Greater Boston of years, so the systems are easier to set
a network and can affect QoS (quality of bleshooting purposes.
Sept. 16 up and use than ever, notes Frederic
service) for other applications. • Implement videoconferencing end
Phillip’s Old Colony House Hediard, vice president of product man-
Dorchester, Mass. “Before embarking on a large-scale points that will fit the size of your room
agement at Streamcore (www.streamcore
www.bostonaitp.org videoconferencing deployment, a network and/or audience. For example, if the unit
.com). However, there’s one big remaining
• • • • • assessment is highly recommended to is going into a large conference room,
AITP Omaha challenge: interoperability between systems
make sure your network is robust enough make sure that the camera has PTZ
Sept. 16 from different vendors. Also, he adds, IT
to support the additional load and has (pan-tilt-zoom) capabilities.
Omaha, Neb. managers should be aware that sometimes
www.aitpomaha.com QoS enabled to prioritize traffic proper- • Make sure that the codec can support
issues crop up between different systems—
• • • • • ly,” he says. multiple displays, several microphones,
for example, between an in-house system
Community SANS Atlanta-Security 560: Even if the system is hosted rather than and maximum resolution of the dis-
SANS Network Penetration and one at a client location.
in-house, the network will be heavily plays. For instance, don’t deploy 720p
Testing & Ethical Hacking
Sept. 17-22 involved, especially if a range of content is displays if the codec supports 1080p. When doing setup, collect information
Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel shared. Grace Kim, senior marketing man- from vendors, telecommuters, partner
Planning Ahead
1031 Virginia Ave. ager for the Collaboration Software Group companies, and anyone else that might
Atlanta, Ga. at Cisco (www.cisco.com), notes that dur- Just because a videoconferencing system use the system and talk to the hosted
www.sans.org/atlanta
ing meetings, users can actively collabo- is in place doesn’t mean that users will videoconferencing provider or system
-2010-cs2/description.php?tid=3142
rate, view each other’s desktops, pass the embrace it, Kopf notes. In other words, just vendor about any potential hiccups
presenter role back and forth, publicly and because you build it, that doesn’t mean between systems.
privately chat with other attendees, and they’ll come.