management solution

Vista SP1, XP SP3 delayed!

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:34:12 -0400

Uh oh. With Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 both having been pushed out the door, most of us assumed that the long line of delays was over. Not so fast. Microsoft has been forced to postpone the release of both service packs, due to a compatibility issue with Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), a management solution for small and midsize retail businesses. For the moment, the company has removed downloads for both service packs from its website, though it hopes to resume downloads once it can install a filtering system to prevent the service packs from being installed on machines running Microsoft RMS. "Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center," a Microsoft spokesperson told PC Magazine.

For more on the delay:
- see this PC Magazine article

IBM and Cisco get cozier in telecom, large enterprise space

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Building on a strategic alliance first announced in 1999, IBM and Cisco Systems plan to release a jointly developed offering called the Cisco Assurance Management Solution, which integrates Cisco's Active Network Abstraction (ANA) device management and mediation technology with IBM's Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and Netcool/Precision management software, Alan Ganek, chief technology officer at IBM Tivoli Software told CIO magazine. The companies expect the product to gain traction among telecom carriers and large enterprises looking for a better way to manage heterogeneous networks. "IBM's overall partnership with Cisco has largely been around the services area," Ganek said. "This new one really gets into our development teams in the software world." The first version of Cisco Assurance Management Solution will features network fault monitoring, trouble isolation and real-time service-level event management.

For the full story:
- see CIO for this article

Making Web 2.0 work for you

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Before entering the world of Web 2.0, follow this advice. First, build on a SOA framework, making sure that your Web 2.0 applications can speak SOA fluently and comes with a UDDI. Second, prioritize access control so that your Web 2.0 framework can employ or integrate with a centralized identity and access management solution. Third, don't be afraid to rely on your messaging server. Fourth, trust your users, but make sure your Web 2.0 software can keep tabs on the composite applications created by your users. Fifth, pick software that will empower employees to assemble mashups via RSS feeds, embed instant messaging within their paper to cash workflow, or annotate your applications wiki-style. Sixth, look for Web 2.0 solutions that are a part of or able to work with a portal. And lastly, pick software that employs some form of ranking based on usage, assigning value to content, services and the people interacting with them.

Learn more about Web 2.0:
- read the article at InformationWeek

ALSO:
- read this on Web 2.0 for the enterprise
- this on Web 2.0 as a competitive maneuver
- and this on reasons to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon

Making the case for identity management

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Companies need an identity management solution to automate processes like employees' privileges and access rights, and the management of customers in e-commerce activities. But choosing the right solution with the right level of control is complicated. The trick is finding the right balance between keeping a company's infrastructure secure but convenient to access. CIOs also face a challenge in getting their companies to invest in an identity management system, because it doesn't seem to contribute to the company's bottom line.

To read more about identity management:
- read the article at The Star Online

Options for desktop management

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 20:01:37 -0400

If you're shopping for a hosted desktop management solution, you'll want to take a good look at a recent review of potential options. The goal of desktop management is to increase efficiency, in terms of both manpower and cost. But deploying and maintaining such a system can be a burden for IT thanks to the knowledge requirements and upfront costs. In going with a hosted approach, enterprises not only save on those initial costs and deployment headaches, they also reap all of the benefits that such programs provide--such as easy inventory tracking, the patching of network vulnerabilities and software license management. Find out how four different options compare and decide which one is the best tool for your management needs.

For more on desktop management solutions:
- check out the review at Network Computing