Windows 7 networking controls video screencast

This week I begin a new series of video screencasts for Dell’s IT Expert Voice Web site. The site has all sorts of useful information for corporate IT folks that are interested in migrating and using Windows 7, and my humble part will be to produce a regular series of videos similar to what I have been doing on my own over at WebInformant.tv. Do check out this video which talks about the differences between Windows 7 and earlier versions when it comes to networking controls.

Two new screencast videos on Altiris posted

I have been busy this week working for Symantec’s Altiris division, looking at their Client Management Suite. You can see the videos here at WebInformant.tv. There is a short three and a half minute introductory video that shows why client management tools such as this one can be powerful productivity gains for IT departments that want to keep their desktops secure and updated, and another video that shows some of the new features that they have added to version 7 of the product.

Computerworld: How to Save Time Updating Multiple Social Networks and Blogs

As the number of Web sites offering status updates – such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., etc. — proliferates, it can get tedious, not to mention take a lot of time, to log in to each one and post the same information.

Have no fear — there are a number of multiple posting services that can help you send a variety of information to a collection of sites, including blog posts, photos, videos and status updates. For a review that is for Computerworld.com, I looked at three such services: Ping.fm, Pixelpipe.com and the unpronounceable Quub.com.

How to use Symantec products to stop buying (more) storage

A new screencast product review is up today over at Webinformant.tv.

We looked at several products available from Symantec to help provide insight into how to reduce overall enterprise disk storage requirements and cost. The video touches on several strategies that enterprise IT managers can employ to analyze their storage use.

• Symantec NetBackup Pure Disk v6.5
• Veritas Command Central Storage v5.1
• Symantec Enterprise Vault v8.0
• Veritas Storage Foundation v5.0

Using Tricipher’s MyOneLogin to authenticate Web resources

A single-sign on, two-factor authentication portal that is easy to setup and deploy for both internal and external Web and other resources.

Price: $30 per user per year subscription service (or $3/mo/user)
Requirements: Runs on Windows IE v6 and above, Firefox v3 on both Windows and Mac
We tested the service on a variety of browsers on both computers during June 2009.

Pros:
Simple to setup and deploy without any programming or security skills required
Hosted service, no software to install on the desktop
Powerful management controls for business users

Cons:
Reports and event logging somewhat difficult to parse
Doesn’t completely support Safari browsers

See my screencast video here for MyOneLogin.com
Tricipher Corp.
http://www.myonelogin.com/
650.376.8326
750 University Avenue
#260,
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Shrinking your PPT files

If you put a lot of images in your PowerPoints (as you should), you will have the problem of what to do with them when it is time to send them to your conference organizer. Do you email them as attachments? Maybe they are too big. How about Zip’ing them? Then your recipient has to unzip them. Here is a quick solution that seems to work well: use File Minimizer from Balesio AG. The software costs $45 and converts images and other objects in your slide deck (and also works with other Office formats) but keeps it a native Office file, so there is no conversion on the other end. I got a 10 MB PPT down to 2 MB, with no discernible loss of graphic quality. The storage of another slide deck was cut in half. Worth checking out.

Jazinga low-end VOIP PBX system reviewed

I last looked at low-end VOIP PBX systems about two years ago when I reviewed the Linksys SPA9000 for Computerworld here.

This is a small box that connects to your broadband Internet and allows you to hook up four IP telephones and use them as your main telephony system. A new company called Jazinga has recently begun their own version, the MGA120. It also sells for about $1000 but is much easier to setup and operate. The box comes with a customized version of the popular VOIP Asterisk operating system, and all the setup and configuration is Web-based. You plug in your phones, fire up your Web browser, and in about 15 minutes you have a complete working PBX and phone system.

I liked the fact that you can have some of the more advanced features such as voicemail that is converted to email attachments, music on hold and auto attendants without having to get dirty with command-line syntax and Linux-like text editors. The box also includes a Wifi router too, just in case you don’t already have one. The menu screens are fairly straightforward and easy to navigate, and there are setup wizards that walk you through 95% of the configuration too. I didn’t like that the company doesn’t yet have much information on where to buy the box on their Web site, such as VOIP supply.

You still need to purchase your VOIP service from another vendor. Hopefully they will work out their channel strategy soon and make it more of a one-stop shopping experience.

PC World: How to choose an online backup provider

Online backup makes a lot of sense: It gives you off-site peace of mind and the security that comes from knowing that someone else is keeping your data safe and sound. The trouble is that, while there are dozens of individual service providers, there are just a few designed for enterprises and small businesses. 

In my column today for PC World, I review some of the providers. I also keep track of them in this table here.

AT&T USBConnect Mercury laptop broadband adapter card

The idea of going wireless anywhere – not just where you have WiFi – is appealing. And the adapter cards keep getting better. I tried out this 3G card from AT&T on both Windows XP SP2 and SP3 machines – with SP2 you’ll need two reboots to get everything installed. Near the business end of the connector is the SIM card that enables it to work with the AT&T network. The speeds are much better than the 3G connection on my iPhone, with the claims from AT&T of 700-1400 kbps down and 500-1200 kbps uploads about twice what I observed on my 3G iPhone. One oddity – it didn’t like the tracert command in Windows but could do command line FTP transfers just fine. There is also a simplified text messaging application so you can compose texts and send them on the computer keyboard.

If you need on-the-go Web surfing and email, this is a solid product, once you get past the installation. Macs use a different connection manager that comes directly from Sierra Wireless (the makers of the adapter), while Windows uses one that has some added features to help you make free use of AT&T WiFi hot spots. The initial cost of the card is rebated if you get a two-year data plan. If you don’t, the upfront cost is $250. Either way, you still have to pay $60 a month, which includes a 5 GB monthly usage cap before you get charged on additional usage –  so if you are going to be transferring a lot of files, this may not be the solution for you. 

Why you need to outsource your test lab

Corporate IT shops that need to roll out new network, infrastructure and Internet applications or who have to make expensive equipment upgrades are increasingly turning towards independent test labs as part of their decision process. The labs can help identify weak points, application bottlenecks, design flaws, and show-stopping bugs in a non-production environment, and are also useful “bake-offs” to pit potential candidates against each other in controlled scenarios that can mimic their eventual use. And these days there are several outsourced labs that are available from a number of small to large-scale providers.

In this article for CIOUpdate.com, I describe some of the issues of using an outsourced test lab.