This week on Network World Fusion, 10/11/04

1) Has IE dug itself a hole? 2) Wireless directory draws cheers, jeers 3) A Wider Net: When silence sounds too, well, silent 4) How GM saved a billion dollars 5) Un-wiring the wireless LAN 6) Review: Pedestal aids in security enforcement 7) Review: LANsurveyor 8.5 for Windows 8) Review: SCO’s UnixWare measures up with open source additions 9) Technology Update: FTTP boosts bandwidth in the last mile 10) Management Strategies: In the firing line 11) Wary buyers dampen software sales 12) The other side: Hardware revenue should be up 13) Dell continues network battle 14) Tools help manage domain names 15) ISPs look inward to stop spam 16) Start-ups automate global trade functions 17) Microsoft aims to save $1 billion this fiscal year 18) Siemens exec talks up VoIP

EDITOR’S NOTE: When I screw up, I do it right.  Yesterday, we sent out a copy of This Week on NW Fusion in which all of the hyperlinks were busted (somehow, I managed to inject a space between the http:// and the www in all the links). My apologies for that – and for wasting your time if you tried any of the links. What follows is a new version, this time with URLs that will actually work when you click on them.

— Adam Gaffin, executive edtior, agaffin@nww.com

1) IBM supersizes storage arrays

IBM this week is expected to debut its highest-capacity storage arrays, although the products’ real differentiator is a mix of management technologies designed to help customers get a better handle on where to store growing volumes of data.

DocFinder: 4160

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104ibmstorage.html

2) Kerry crowd drowns out Bush backers at IT show

If President Bush needs broad backing from technology thought-leaders to win re-election Nov. 2, he’ll have to change a lot of minds that today are convinced his administration has been bad for the IT industry. That’s the somewhat surprising conclusion drawn from listening to a diverse assemblage of entrepreneurs, analysts, venture capitalists, academics and IT executives at last week’s Vortex 2004, a Network World event that annually draws the industry’s elite.

DocFinder: 4161

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104vortex.html

3) Technology Insider: Information life-cycle management

ILM is tough to ignore in the storage industry these days. Every storage vendor, it seems, is touting an ILM strategy. A lot of users have jumped on the bandwagon, as well. We show you what you need to know about ILM, and talk to early adopters.

DocFinder: 4162

https://www.nwfusion.com/techinsider/2004/1011techinsider.html

4) Wireless Wizards: Large-scale WLAN deployments

The Wizards conjure up an answer for a user faced with building a campus net able to support video.

DocFinder: 4163

https://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2004/1011wizards.html

5) Nutter’s Help Desk: Best way to block spam and viruses

Ron Nutter answers a user who wonders if there’s one product that can do it all.

DocFinder: 4164

https://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2004/101104nutter.html

6) Vendors: What’s your name again?

Going through with a company name change is a huge decision considering the time and money put into establishing the original brand and that needs to be channeled into promoting the new one. Then there are the more mundane aspects of making the swap – redesigning business cards and signage, and making over Web sites. Not that all this has stopped many a network company from coming up with a new handle.

DocFinder: 4165

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104widernetnames.html

7) Nortel’s Contivity picks up SSL

Your end users might like the new SSL VPN Module 1000 that slides into Nortel’s Contivity IPSec VPN boxes because it provides easily navigable remote access to a wide group of LAN-based applications at decent speeds.

DocFinder: 4166

https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/1011rev.html

8) RF fingerprinting pinpoints location

RF fingerprinting improves on the other location-tracking approaches by taking into account the effects that a building or people will have on an RF signal – characteristics such as reflection, attenuation and multi-path. This makes wireless device location tracking more detailed, precise and reliable.

DocFinder: 4167

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/tech/2004/101104techupdate.html

9) The theft threat

 Individuals now can copy and transport very large volumes of data in a short time. This exposes companies to a greater potential effect than anything experienced with floppies.

DocFinder: 4168

https://www.nwfusion.com/careers/2004/101104man.html

10) Linksys springs wireless, voice gear

At its Home Networking Event in San Francisco, Linksys unveiled new 802.11g/a wireless LAN equipment and an 802.11g wireless video camera.

DocFinder: 4169

https://www.nwfusion.com/net.worker/news/2004/101104netlead.html

11) Video users saying hello IP, goodbye ISDN

The cost savings of IP videoconferencing – along with better resolution and easier call setup – are encouraging more companies to switch from ISDN to IP.

DocFinder: 4170

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104specialfocus.html

12) VPN service exploits multiple MPLS nets

Virtela this week is set to unveil a site-to-site VPN service that overcomes one of the biggest hurdles to creating far-flung MPLS networks: It guarantees classes of service across different carriers’ backbones.

DocFinder: 4171

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104virtela.html

13) Back-up protection on tap from storage vendors

Symantec, EMC and start-up Permabit last week announced software that helps customers with the replication, migration, and backup and recovery of data.

DocFinder: 4172

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104replica.html

14) The multi-port NIC dilemma

The emergence of 10G Ethernet network interface cards gives network professionals a new tool for getting more bandwidth to servers, but industry observers say some users might find better value for scaling server pipes by installing multi-port Gigabit NICs.

DocFinder: 4173

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104infports.html

15) ID mgmt. consolidation: CA nabs Netegrity

Computer Associates’ announcement last week that it plans to fork over $430 million for Netegrity is the latest sign that control of the identity management sector of the network security market is becoming concentrated in the hands of some of the industry’s biggest players.

DocFinder: 4174

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104idmgmt.html

16) Disk storage wares on tap from StorageTek

At its annual customer event, StorageTek will introduce the FlexLine online systems, which are designed to provide customers with primary, business-critical and secondary, archival storage.

DocFinder: 4175

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104storagetek.html

17) HP keeps pace with policy-based wares

HP last week announced new policy-based network security and bandwidth management software, as well as upgrades, that the company says will let its ProCurve LANSwitch customers better control end-user access to network resources and bandwidth.

DocFinder: 4176

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104hpswitch.html

18) Polycom heads for the desktop

Polycom this week is set to take the wraps off a software-only desktop video client that requires no special hardware, and a management appliance to simplify customer call scheduling and distribution of software updates to endpoints.

DocFinder: 4177

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104polycom.html

19) Carriers speak out on consolidation

Despite reports that AT&T and MCI are preparing to seek or are actively seeking buyers, the RBOCs are all but ruling themselves out as potential suitors.

DocFinder: 4178

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104rbocs.html

20) BEA polishes Diamond platform

BEA Systems is readying the next version of its WebLogic platform, dubbed Diamond, which is aimed at helping companies more easily build and deploy a services-oriented architecture.

DocFinder: 4179

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104bea.html

21) BMC rounds out mainframe database family

BMC Software has added IBM’s IMS mainframe database to the platforms its SmartDBA family of products supports. This completes a two-year mission to provide tools for managing all major databases from one Web-based console.

DocFinder: 4180

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104bmc.html

22) NetContinuum upgrades for Web services

NetContinuum is unveiling upgrades to its NC-1000 Application Security Gateway lineup with Web Services Edition that let users filter Web services messages based on the Simple Object Access Protocol.

DocFinder: 4181

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104netcontinuum.html

23) MCI getting a better handle on its VPN services

MCI is deploying new technology that the company says will make it easier for the carrier to manage its IP VPN offerings and that should result in better customer service.

DocFinder: 4182

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/101104mcivpn.html

24) Network World Radio: Licensing issues cause patching headaches for higher ed

We look at some of the challenges colleges and universities face when it comes to patching machines owned by students. Licensing restrictions from software vendors prevent them from offering patches directly, compromising security. Joining us to discuss the issue is Rodney Petersen, security task force coordinator for Educause, a IT organization for higher education based in Boulder, Colorado.

DocFinder: 4183

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2004/1007radio.html