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ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
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IN BRIEF
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
ORACLE BUYS RIGHTNOW ADOBE BUYS VIDEO
FOR $1.5B MANAGEMENT COMPANY
➤ In a bid to improve its customer ser- ➤ Look for product improvements,
vice as it aggressively acquires new new solutions, and new advertising
companies and adds new services, options in Adobe Systems’ upcoming
MICROSOFT EXCHANGE Redwood Shores, Calif.,-based Oracle video offerings as an outgrowth of its
ONLINE COMES TO has purchased RightNow Technologies recent purchase of Auditude. A Palo
BLACKBERRYS for $43 per share or almost $1.5 bil- Alto, Calif.,-based company specializing
➤ Waterloo, Ontario,-based lion in all. The Bozeman, Mont.,-based in end-to-end video management for
Research In Motion an- RightNow, with its stated mission “to content owners and distributors. “With
nounced it has worked with rid the world of bad experiences,” em- this acquisition, Adobe can now offer
Redmond, Wash.,-based Mi- ploys 1,000 people and serves 2,000 cus- an unparalleled platform for authoring,
crosoft to make Microsoft tomers with its Web-based customer distributing, analyzing and monetizing
experience software. “Oracle is moving digital video experiences everywhere—
aggressively to offer customers a full simplifying workflows, increasing con-
range of Cloud Solutions including sales sumer engagement, delivering insights
force automation, human and driving increased revenue for con-
resources, talent manage- tent publishers,” said David Wadhwani,
ment, social networking, senior vice president and general man-
Exchange databases and Java as part ager of Adobe’s Digital Media Business
Online of the Oracle Public Cloud,” Unit, in a statement. Terms of the acqui-
available on BlackBerry said Thomas Kurian, executive vice sition were not disclosed.
smartphones via new president of development at Oracle, in
RIM software. Geared to- a statement. CITRIX LAUNCHES
ward mid-sized businesses VIRTUALIZATION PRODUCTS
and larger organizations, CHANGEBASE TO BECOME ➤ At the Citrix Summit partner
BlackBerry Business Cloud PART OF QUEST SOFTWARE training event, held in Barcelona,
Services For Microsoft Office ➤ Quest Software, the Aliso Viejo, Spain, in late October, Citrix Systems
365 will extend to BlackBerry Calif.,-based company that claims to announced CloudPortal and VDI-
users the ability to access have reduced IT management costs for in-a-Box 5. Cloud-Portal helps cloud
Microsoft Exchange Online more than 100,000 customers world- service providers gain control over
email and calendar infor- wide, has acquired the London-based the multiple Web-based services they
mation, and will provide a ChangeBASE, a software company with offer to their customers, giving those
Web-based management similar goals. Terms of the acquisition providers a streamlined method for
console for IT personnel. were not disclosed. In a press release, monetizing and managing their ser-
“BlackBerry Business Cloud Quest said the purchase would expand vices and improving customer service.
Services will help accelerate its “portfolio that allows companies to VDI-in-a-Box 5 is the first release of this
how BlackBerry customers develop a user-centric management desktop virtualization product since
can realize the full ben- focus for their Windows application, Citrix acquired Kaviza in May. The new
efits of the best produc- desktop, mobile, and cloud environ- product combines VDI-in-a-Box with
tivity experience across the ments,” and help Quest become “a Citrix GoToManage and helps IT per-
PC, browser and phone single source for helping organizations sonnel and managed services providers
with Microsoft Office 365,” take advantage of technology changes to to better administer and monitor re-
said Julia White, senior di- benefit both IT and users alike.” mote virtual desktop deployments.
rector Microsoft’s Exchange
Product Management Group,
in a statement. YAHOO! TO SPEND $270M ON
DIGITAL ADVERTISING COMPANY
➤ Sunnyvale, Calif.,-based Yahoo! announced plans
to spend $9 per share (roughly $270 million total) to
acquire New York City-based interclick. Founded in
2006, interclick has grown fast and is already a solid Yahoo!
partner. The acquisition will help Yahoo! improve its digital advertising efforts
across all markets.
4 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
IN BRIEF
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
AT&T LAUNCHES LTE
SMARTPHONES
➤ AT&T launched two new smart-
phones, the HTC Vivid and the Sam-
sung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, which are
4G LTE (Long Term Evolution)-ready HP RELEASES
and therefore well-matched to the UPDATED
wireless carrier’s rapidly expanding BUSINESS TABLET
LTE network. Both smartphones ➤ Hewlett-Packard reaf-
use Google’s Android platform firmed its position in the
and feature 4.5-inch displays, 16GB business tablet market by
memory (expandable to 32GB), 8MP launching the new HP Slate 2
cameras, and 1080p HD video cap- Tablet PC. The updated Slate
ture; other specifications vary. For features an 8.9-inch mul-
its LTE network, AT&T is offering titouch display (which also
tiered data plans that start at $15 per works with an optional dig-
month. Business users will prefer ital pen) and weighs about 1.5
the DataPro plans, which start at $25 lbs. Its small solid-state drive
per month for 2GB of data or $45 per The HTC Vivid is among the new smartphones facilitates fast boot times and,
month for 4GB of data plus mobile from AT&T that can take advantage of the in combination with a fast yet
hotspot capabilities. carrier’s 4G LTE network. low-power Intel Atom Z670
processor, a relatively long
battery life of up to six hours
GOOGLE+ NOW AVAILABLE TO advantages Dropbox For Teams offer per charge. The Slate 2 runs
GOOGLE APPS USERS include the ability to manage and ad- Windows 7 Professional and/
➤ Following the predominantly suc- minister accounts, collaboration with or other operating systems,
cessful introduction of its Google+ so- unlimited version history, and “bank includes Swype keyboard
cial network (just months old, Google grade” AES-256
reports the service now has more than encryption.
40 million users), Google recently
made Google+ available to users of NEW HP’s new Slate
Google Apps and Google Apps For ANDROID 2 Tablet PC
Business. Google provided a checklist SECURITY features a
of rollout tips to businesses consid- OPTIONS multitouch
ering using the service, which includes FROM display and
ensuring that system requirements SYMANTEC runs Windows
and firewall settings are appropriate ➤ As part of its 7 Professional.
for Hangouts, a feature businesses can ongoing Norton
use for videoconferencing. Everywhere ini-
tiative to secure
DROPBOX ADDS TEAM a variety of mobile devices, Symantec software for touch-based
OPTION FOR BUSINESSES recently released Norton Tablet Secu- input, and features a USB 2.0
➤ The popular storage service provider rity and an updated Norton Mobile port and an SD Card slot.
Dropbox, which offers a combination Security for Android devices. Norton Wireless capabilities include
of desktop software, Web-based SaaS Tablet Security includes a feature that 802.11a/b /g/n, EVDO /
(software as a service), and mobile apps enables a lost or stolen tablet to report HSPA mobile broadband,
for keeping data synchronized and its location; it can also scan incoming and Bluetooth 4.0.
available almost anywhere, recently files for potential threats and alert
announced Dropbox For Teams. The Web-surfing users to potentially mali-
new service is designed for businesses, cious Web sites. Anti-theft features
particularly those with mobile workers also shows up in Symantec’s updated
who need to access files and collaborate Norton Mobile Security; that software
on-the-go, with plans starting at $795 for also includes new anti-malware scan-
five users. According to Dropbox, the ning and privacy features.
PC Today / December 2011 5
IN BRIEF
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
STARTUPS
GRAMERCYONE NETS $14.5 and accounting,” recently secured $5
MILLION FOR BUSINESS million in financing in a Series A
SOFTWARE EFFORT round. Charles River Ventures led the
➤ New York City-based GramercyOne round, which OMERS Ventures also
CRASHLYTICS RAISES (www.gramercyone.com), a provider participated in. The company states
$1 MILLION of cloud-based management and mar- that its software is able to eliminate
➤ Crashlytics (beta.crashlytics keting software for businesses, has ac- the manual entry of data by users by
.com), a company quired $14.5 million in Series instead “importing transactions auto-
that claims to offer A financing led by Revolu- matically from a user’s bank account or
the “most pow- tion Ventures, which former electronic statement” and then applying
erful, yet lightest AOL founder Steve Case “smart technology to make accounting
weight crash re- chairs. Founded in 2010, fast and easy.” Nearly 75,000 small busi-
porting solution” GramercyOne’s software nesses in roughly 200 countries have
for mobile soft- includes features aimed at signed up with the service since its
ware developers, scheduling, CRM, point-of- launched almost a year ago.
recently raised $1 sale, marketing, social com-
million in funding merce, credit and gift card DROPBOX ACQUIRES
led by Flybridge processing, and security and $250 MILLION
Capital Partners and Baseline technology. More than 2,500 businesses ➤ Popular online storage and sharing
Ventures, as well as various in 55 countries now use GramercyOne’s service Dropbox (www.dropbox.com)
angel investors. Currently in Booker Platform, with more than 700,000 recently completed a $250 million Series
private beta testing, the com- transactions being processed monthly on B financing round led by Index Ventures
pany solution includes of- the platform and transactions averaging and including participation from nine
fering an SDK for iOS (and $1 million in value per day. other new and early investors. The com-
eventually Android) to help pany, which claims to have more than 45
mobile software developers WAVE ACCOUNTING RAISES million users in 175 countries saving 1
identify why apps crash on de- MILLIONS FOR FREE ONLINE billion files every three days, plans to use
vices and inform them which ACCOUNTING SERVICE the funding to help quicken its growth,
line of code or bug was the ➤ Wave Accounting (www.waveac make acquisitions, pursue strategic part-
cause. The company states that counting.com), offers a “free online ac- nerships, and extend its team. Dropbox
its SDK footprint is roughly counting app for small businesses” via states that it is on pace to triple its user
75KB, “far less than the size of a model that’s billed as slashing “out base this year. To date, the company has
the average SDK, which can be the time-wasting parts of bookkeeping raised $257.2 million in capital.
10X to 70X heavier.”
QWILT CLEARS A PATH
FOR ONLINE VIDEO
➤ Qwilt (www.qwilt.com), a company
founded in 2010 by former Cisco Systems
and Juniper Networks veterans Alon
Maor and Dan Sahar, recently raised
$24 million in two rounds of funding.
In addition to Accel Partners, Redpoint
Ventures, and Crescent Point Group,
RealNetworks’ founder and former CEO
Rob Glaser participated in the funding.
Qwilt specializes in technology that “identifies, monitors, stores, and delivers Internet
video through one cost-effective platform.” Beyond easing the bandwidth burden on
carriers, Qwilt’s technology is billed as enabling carriers to better monetize Internet
video and provide consumers with online entertainment in the highest possible
quality. Qwilt CEO Maor stated that carriers’ networks aren’t architected to deliver
sophisticated video services currently. “Qwilt offers a win-win-win solution for car-
riers, content providers, and most important, users,” he stated. Qwilt is currently con-
ducting testing with five global carriers.
6 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
IN BRIEF
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
STATS
IT PROFESSIONALS’ OUTLOOK MIXED 2011. UMDs include media tablets,
➤ The October 2011 CDW IT Monitor, a bimonthly indicator of the IT mar- MIDs (mobile Internet devices), net-
ketplace outlook, reports that 40% of IT decision makers expect an increase books, and UMPCs (ultra-mobile
in their overall IT budgets during the next six months. This figure is down PCs). Shipments of media tablets are
eight percentage points year-over-year, and it is at the lowest level since expected to account for 75% of the
October 2009. Despite an anticipated drop in overall hiring and hardware total U.S. UMD shipments during
spending, the outlook for spending in software and in the small business 2011, and it is anticipated that netbook
and healthcare IT sectors was more optimistic. shipments, which topped 9.9 million
units in 2010, will decline over the next
60
➤ ➤ IT PROS five years. ABI Research predicts net-
ANTICIPATE 50 book value will shift from the U.S. to
IT BUDGET countries where low computing and
PROJECTIONS 40 home broadband usage levels offer the
FOR NEXT SIX greatest potential for growth.
30
MONTHS
■ Total 20 MAJORITY OF SMALL-BUSI-
■ Corporate NESS COMPUTER SYSTEMS
■ Government 10 UNTESTED FOR SECURITY
➤ The results of Newtek Business
0 Services’ SB Authority Market Senti-
Increase Increase Stay Decrease Decrease
SOURCE: CDW IT MONITOR a lot a little the same a lot a little ment Survey in September revealed
that 73% of small-business owners
have not had an outside party test
GARTNER REPORTS 3.2% and 12% experienced virtual data loss company computer systems and data
GROWTH IN PC SHIPMENTS more than five times. to ensure they are hacker-proof. Of
WORLDWIDE those business owners polled, 39%
➤ According to preliminary results TABLETS TO ACCOUNT said they do not have their data
by Gartner, worldwide PC shipments FOR 75% OF U.S. MOBILE backed up in more than one location,
totaled 91.8 million units this year COMPUTING SHIPMENTS and 35% reported previously losing
during Q3, which is a 3.2% increase the ➤ According to ABI Research, an esti- access to their businesses due to snow-
same time frame last year. The EMEA mated 37 million UMDs (ultra-mobile storms, hurricanes, tornados, or other
(Europe, Middle East, and Africa) re- devices) will ship in the U.S. during natural disasters.
gions contributed to lower-than-ex-
pected growth, which was due to a
weak western European market. Also STUDY PREDICTS ADOPTION OF ITAAS
in Q3 of this year, PC shipments in the ➤ The F5 Networks 2011 Journey To ITaaS study gauged attitudes and progress
U.S. totaled 17.8 million units, which toward an ITaaS (IT-as-a-service) model, whereby business stakeholders select and
was an increase of 1.1% from Q3 2010. self-provision IT services on demand. The survey found that nearly 75% of respon-
dents believe that the shift to ITaaS will take place in the next three to five years, and
IT PROFESSIONALS REPORT 80% of IT managers believe that ITaaS will become
DATA LOSS IN VIRTUAL mainstream. The study also concluded that
ENVIRONMENTS data center automation has reached critical 8% 12%
➤ Kroll Ontrack, a provider of data mass, paving the way for ITaaS. Of the
recovery products and services, sur- organizations surveyed, 85% have vir-
veyed IT professionals about their tualized or are in the process of virtu- 20%
experiences with virtual environ- alizing their servers.
ments. The survey revealed that 65%
of organizations frequently experi- ➤ ➤ WILL YOUR COMPANY 31%
enced data loss from a virtual envi- ACHIEVE ITAAS?
ronment. Compared to last years’ ■ Extremely Likely
survey results, this is a 140% increase ■ Somewhat Likely
in reported virtual data loss incidents. ■ Neutral 28%
During the past year, 53% of those ■ Somewhat Unlikely
surveyed experienced five incidents ■ Extremely Unlikely
8 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
J. Lance Reese,
president,
Silver Peak Consulting
“There are several uses
for application virtu-
alization, especially
with the significant
strides made in virtu-
alizing the hardware
layers over the last
three years.”
Taking
Applications John Meyer,
Virtual
national practice
director for data
center solutions,
Dimension Data
“For larger businesses
active in mergers and
acquisitions, deploy-
Virtualization Revamps The IT Landscape ment of virtualized
applications to new
The relationship between applications and the users will allow faster
access to resources
operating system, and also with other applications, and data prior to a
full standardization of
is often tenuous enough to justify the presence of
the acquired compa-
a digital marriage counselor. nies’ IT infrastructure.”
Application virtualization The time-consuming Although virtual- Keeping application virtual-
eliminates the potential process of deploying ap- ization is a good fit ization deployments as close
for conflicts with operat- plications (and application for many applica- to standard as possible can
ing systems and other updates) to client machines tions, not all soft- help organizations avoid
Key applications by encapsulat- is drastically reduced ware is appropriate headaches when deliver-
ing programs in their own through the use of applica- for a virtualized ing updates and performing
Points virtualized space. tion virtualization. environment. other maintenance.
10 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
C
onflicts can drag down of a business’s infrastruc- applications and therefore
system performance, create ture and the applications deploy on a large variety
downtime, and cause a that run their day-to-day of systems using a multi-
rash of headaches for IT ad- operations is driving cli- tude of deployment mech-
ministrators looking to keep their en- ents to virtualize those anisms.”
vironments running smoothly. But an applications that have Along with the ad-
increasing number of businesses have special requirements.” ministrative flexibility
found the answer to these problems in As hardware virtual- delivered by virtualized
the form of application virtualization. ization continues to see applications, organiza-
In a traditional computing environ- impressive levels of in- Erwin Vollering tions can also realize big
ment, applications are installed directly novation and adoption, cost savings. For example,
principal consultant,
within the operating system, in turn em- application virtualization GlassHouse Meyer says that costs can
bedding code that can directly affect is enjoying a parallel ride Technologies be lowered through cen-
the operating system and other appli- to wider acceptance, espe- tralized deployment of ap-
cations. Although this design operates cially in traditionally com- “The isolation that plications, which reduces
without fail in many instances, it can plex areas such as database application virtualiza- the need to access end-
create performance problems in others, software. J. Lance Reese, tion offers reduces user devices (which would
particularly for businesses that use president of Silver Peak conflicts between occur in the traditional in-
specialized applications. But when an Consulting (www.silver applications and stallation process). Reese
application is virtualized, it is encapsu- peakconsulting.com), notes allows customers to adds that businesses with
lated to prevent direct interaction with that an increasingly pop- greatly reduce time large numbers of similar
the host OS—even though the applica- ular use of the technology spent on regression client configurations—
tion behaves as if it does have direct is in the deployment of ap- testing of new appli- such as call centers—can
interaction. This model can also ease the plications to clients in real cations and updates.” particularly benefit, since
process of application deployments and time. Because there is no application virtualization
maintenance, especially in organizations need for local application can limit the amount of IT
with multiple locations. installation, and because all management investment
application data is stored required to support indi-
VIRTUAL VICTORIES on the server side, busi- vidual computers used by
Applications have natural depen- nesses can eliminate com- global teams.
dencies on system elements such as plicated data transfer and
the Windows Registry, and these don’t storage requirements at the EXPECT
disappear in application virtualization. client level. CHALLENGES
Instead, they occur in a virtualized area “Application virtual- As with any game-
Andrew Wickett
that fools the application into thinking ization can help reduce changing technology,
director of migrations
it’s accessing the actual resources. As a application deployment and modernization, application virtualiza-
result, the application performs as de- and update times, en- Micro Focus tion brings with it a cer-
signed without interfering with the host abling businesses to tain set of challenges that
operating system and other installed ap- respond faster to ever- “The known cost- should be considered by
plications. For today’s businesses, this changing business needs reduction benefits organizations considering
concept represents a valuable oppor- and mitigate potential include reducing deployment. According
tunity to solve conflicts, cut costs, and threats by being able to system integration to Vollering, the imple-
improve security. apply security patches to and administration mentation of application
“As businesses have migrated from a large group of the user costs, accelerating virtualization requires a
physical to virtual infrastructures to population in a reduced application deploy- change in processes and
provide increased flexibility, scal- timeframe,” explains ment, and increased packaging methodolo-
ability, and availability, the use of ap- Erwin Vollering, principal application provision- gies, and this adaptation
plication virtualization has become a consultant, GlassHouse ing to the desktop.” could present challenges.
subproject of server virtualization ini- Technologies (www.glass He also notes that the in-
tiatives,” says John Meyer, national house.com). “By decoupling the appli- herent nature of the technology—in
practice director for data center so- cation from the operating system and which applications are isolated from
lutions at Dimension Data (www.di bundling it with the components neces- others—can present further challenges
mensiondata.com). “The increased ROI sary to run that application, you essen- when applications require integration
resulting from virtualizing as much tially remove all dependencies of those and interaction with others.
PC Today / December 2011 11
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
➤ ➤ APPLICATION VIRTUALIZATION BENEFITS A virtualization strategy needs to in-
clude a solution that supports legacy
Potentially dramatic cost can be easily incorpo- overall environment— applications,” Wickett advises.
savings are a big benefit rated by simply gaining and are not restricted to Reese recommends keeping deploy-
of application virtualiza- access to a virtual server their physical servers. ments mainstream with as few cus-
tion, but organizations can that hosts everything they tomizations and other out-of-the-norm
discover that the technol- need to start working. Ease of migration and settings as possible. He says application
ogy can help to improve No need to ship a laptop, management. Virtualiza- virtualization typically requires complex
business agility in other order software, arrange tion gives you the ability to software to maintain proper system inte-
ways. Andrew Wickett, for facilities. move/migrate applications gration, and like other complex software,
director of migrations and within a virtual environ- these programs require regular updates
modernization for Micro Increased flexibil- ment across servers, for security, features, and performance.
Focus, identifies these ity. Virtualization gives allowing organizations If an organization excessively custom-
additional benefits. organizations the ability to reallocate workloads izes or otherwise drifts from standard
to allocate resources as without physical backups, parameters, those updates can be com-
Enhanced collabora- needed. All the organi- uninstall, reinstall, test, plicated and expensive—and might
tion. Collaboration and zations resources are and deploy. By migrating even result in unexpected downtime.
resourcing are easier with “pooled” and provided virtual workloads/applica- “While it might sound cliché, docu-
virtualization. Using the when/if needed. Under- tions, organizations can mentation is the key to lasting success.
right tools, a team can utilized resources are isolate physical devices Virtualized applications and systems
span the globe and still put back in the pool— for upgrades or replace- typically receive a lot of tweaking to get
have seamless integra- areas needing more ments without affecting them to perform well, especially when
tion on projects. In addi- capacity are allocated the business workload on they are used to bridge operating system
tion, new team members resources from the the device. gaps. Make sure that your team is docu-
menting their changes, along with the
rationale as to why, or you may face an
Further, not all applications or envi- inability to keep critical systems opera-
ronments make a good fit for applica- CONSIDER THE BIG PICTURE tive when the train derails,” Reese says.
tion virtualization. For example, Meyer Moving applications into a virtual en- Finally, Vollering advises starting as
says 3D graphics applications and those vironment can be a streamlined, straight- early as possible to define the require-
with dependencies on kernel drivers forward process if all the pieces happen ments around application virtualiza-
are not good candidates. He also warns to fall into their prospective places. tion. Because this technology is tied to
that environments can struggle with But as IT goes, that’s a rare occurrence, application delivery, projects will natu-
application virtualization if they lack prompting the need for careful review rally meet with more success the sooner
the supporting network bandwidth of existing applications and infrastruc- the requirements and implications of
and management practices for the ture elements before deploying virtual- application virtualization are known.
converged infrastructure (compute, ization. According to Andrew Wickett, “Applications and application
storage, and network) required to sup- director of migrations and moderniza- delivery projects are often either
port these solutions. tion for Micro Focus (www.microfocus forgotten or placed at the end of work-
Organizations can also encounter .com), this means gaining a solid under- space initiatives,” Vollering says.
challenges with personnel. “One signifi- standing of immediate and long-term “While at first glance this makes sense,
cant challenge to application virtualiza- requirements to ensure that the organi- it’s about the workspace and not nec-
tion is making replicable results without zation is aware of all its options. essarily about the applications, and
too much reliance on specific team mem- “Organizations need to consider changing the workspace almost always
bers,” Reese says. “The technical aspects their legacy applications, packaged results in changing the platform the
of virtualized applications tend to be software, and newer applications and applications run on or the way those
specialized skills that are often not found develop a plan that supports these applications are delivered. By moving
in the mainstream IT engineer’s résumé. varied platforms—and inherent op- the application piece of the project into
As a result, turnover in the staff may eration systems—without modification an earlier phase, customers can miti-
create a problem in finding a replace- and provides the ability to move these gate chances of delaying the project
ment. Even a simple vacation or leave applications into virtual partitions. altogether by acquiring insight into the
of absence can create serious support This may require organizations to application landscape and the activi-
problems because of the vertical nature work with multiple vendors and com- ties required to assess, test, and virtu-
of the tech.” plete the migration in multiple phases. alize the applications.” ●
12 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
IT and data center technologies and trends change fast.
Make sure your company stays a step ahead with PC Today’s sister publication, Processor.
While you get the “executive overview” version here in PC Today, your IT and data center
managers get the in-depth, detailed information they need in Processor.
Each issue contains
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ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Virtual Reality
T
The Pros & Cons Of Desktop Virtualization
he Information Systems
Department in Westmoreland
County, Pa., needed to tame
its finances, and so Philip
Svesnik, the county’s chief information
officer, was given a mandate to find sav-
ings in his department. After looking at
a number of options—most too expen-
sive for his budget—he contracted with
Redwood City, Calif.,-based Pano Logic
(www.panologic.com) to replace 750 of
the county’s PCs with desktop virtual-
ization-driven devices.
After combining the virtual desk-
tops with low-power LCD screens,
Westmoreland County is anticipating
a five-year projected savings of more
$500,000, all the while giving county de-
partments the essential hardware, soft-
ware, and technology gear they need to
provide county services.
That’s one example illustrating the
promise of desktop virtualization.
Desktop (or endpoint) virtualization employs
a centralized server to deliver and manage
individual desktops remotely. End users have
full access to their systems, often not even
realizing that they’re running remotely.
Meanwhile, IT staff can provision,
manage, upgrade, and patch employee
systems virtually, instead of having to
do so onsite.
VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure),
by the way, is often used interchange-
ably with desktop virtualization, but the
Desktop virtualization Banks and law firms are One challenge of implement- Desktop virtualiza-
Key
uses a centralized server to two types of companies ing desktop virtualization tion can create
deliver and manage indi- that are potentially ideally is getting people to give up efficiencies and save
Points vidual desktops remotely. suited for virtualization. their “old” workstations. money if used right.
14 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
two aren’t strictly the same. With VDI, that while cost-per- Grant points to four
a desktop operating system is hosted user figures vary, cost types of organizations that
within a virtual machine running on a has done nothing but might be in a good posi-
hosted, centralized, or remote server. decrease as adoption tion to make the shift:
increases and implemen- Those with few or no
BENEFITS OF DESKTOP tation becomes more IT resources
VIRTUALIZATION streamlined. Those with enough
Desktop virtualization has many “Depending on the distributed workers to
virtues. Here are some that were type of user,” says desktop management
Ajeet Singh
listed by David Grant, a vice presi- Flynn, “the cost per difficult
founder and chief prod-
dent with Chelmsford, Mass.,-based user has gone down by Those that leverage
ucts officer, Nutanix
Desktone (www.desktone.com): about two-thirds com- contractors, temporary
Centralized desktop management: pared to the original workers
“Organizations that
Because the desktop is on a server in implementations. Plus, Those that are lever-
are looking to enable
the cloud, tasks such as patch manage- the licensing models aging mobile devices,
IT to more efficiently
ment and virus protection are all done are better understood. such as iPads, and
manage their users’
centrally instead of on the actual PC. The software vendors need Windows access
desktop images may
Total cost of ownership: The total have had a chance to from these devices
find desktop vir-
cost can be much lower than that of get adjusted to that.”
tualization to be a
traditional PCs due to (1) savings Desktop virtualization Julio points to finan-
compelling option.”
from using cheaper and less power- also means that users can cial services companies
consuming thin-clients devices and access files and applica- (such as small banks),
(2) desktop management efficiencies. tions on a central server, professional services
Mobility of IT adoption: Provide meaning individual ma- companies (including
employees with the option to use any chines aren’t clogged up law firms and health care
device from anywhere or leverage and slowed down by operations), and educa-
a BYOD (bring your own device) cumbersome, redundant tional institutions as a
policy where you let employees buy files and applications. few specific examples of
their own device and the company “Organizations that organizations that could
supplies the corporate desktop expe- are looking to enable Antonio Julio benefit from desktop vir-
rience via virtualization. IT to more efficiently tualization.
director, product
Windows 7 migrations: Desktop manage their users’ management, Dell “In general, mid-
virtualization makes it much easier to desktop images may find size companies and
migrate to Windows 7. Corporations desktop virtualization “Desktop enterprises are better can-
have to upgrade soon because to be a compelling op- virtualization is didates than very small
Windows XP support runs out in less tion,” says Ajeet Singh, inherently complex.” businesses due to the in-
than two years. The problem is that founder and chief prod- frastructure costs required
a lot of hardware is not compatible ucts officer at Santa Clara, Calif.,-based to implement desktop virtualization,”
with Win7. With desktop virtualiza- Nutanix (www.nutanix.com). echoes Singh. “Verticals including
tion, you don’t need to upgrade the “Enterprises of all sizes are ex- health care, education and federal have
hardware to get Win7. ploring alternatives to traditional adopted desktop virtualization more
Endpoint security: With desktop vir- desktop computing models, with the widely due to additional benefits like
tualization you don’t need to worry goal of innovating and not being left security of user data and simplicity of
about what sensitive data is on the de- behind,” adds Antonio Julio, director, provisioning new images.”
vice because the data is on the server. If product management, small and me- Moreover, whether your com-
the endpoint—a laptop, for example— dium businesses enterprise solutions, pany is a good fit for desktop vir-
gets lost or stolen, there is no data on with Dell (www.dell.com). tualization might depend more on
the device to be concerned about. your corporate culture, according
IS IT A GOOD FIT? to John Singler, director of net-
COST SAVINGS If you’re considering desktop virtual- work services at the University of
The cost is bound to get the most ization, however, keep in mind that the Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
attention. Tom Flynn, a chief technolo- issue isn’t necessarily whether it’s right “There are good desktop candi-
gist for thin clients and solutions with for you; the greater question might be dates for virtualization and bad
Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com), says whether you’re right for it. ones,” says Singler, “more so than
PC Today / December 2011 15
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
there are good and bad business or That’s not the only potential draw- start someplace where the key at-
industry categories. Some areas of back. Determining an ideal starting tributes of VDI—data security,
a business might be better suited, point for implementation isn’t easy, simplified management—are key
and the main considerations might and it can be a tough beast to tame drivers. They then work their way
be more political than technical.” in-house: Even most IT shops don’t out as they gain success and expe-
“People love their desktops— have the in-depth expertise in house rience.”
they love having their hands on the to design a truly effective, robust, en- Julio recommends assessing a
equipment,” adds Singler. “I would terprise capable desktop virtualiza- number of factors:
caution business owners not to un- tion solution. Size the environment and understand
derestimate that, because it can be “Customers tell us that desktop current performance requirements
very difficult to mandate control over virtualization is inherently complex,” before implementing a VDI strategy
the end-user device.” says Julio. “It typically requires or- Determine the objectives of VDI
chestration of multiple interconnected plan and measure progress against
GETTING IT DONE components spanning all traditional the plan
After you decide in favor of IT domains including virtual servers, Group the users by workloads and
desktop virtualization for your or- storage systems, networks, enterprise size the infrastructure accordingly
ganization, there is then the ques- software, management, operations, Define the security strategy before
tion of how to implement it. “Each hypervisors, connection brokers, and deploying
business case should be assessed and client devices.” Assess the minimum requirements
analyzed, and the best-aligned tech- Julio adds that when deter- for positive return on investment
nical solution implemented,” says mining the ideal starting points for
Samuel R. Abramson, chair and CEO implementing desktop virtualiza- The complexity inherent in a
of Arlington, Va.,-based Shipshape tion, a variety of factors must be as- new system might be mitigated by
IT (www.shipshapeit.com). “[It’s] sessed, including user expectations, taking your virtual desktops to—you
perfect for some environments, and use cases, applications, hardware/ guessed it—the cloud, thanks mostly
inappropriate for others.” data center infrastructure, security, to the ability it offers to avoid hard-
According to Singh, desktop vir- management, operations, support, ware and server redundancy.
tualization requires a fairly deep mobility, OS migration, project re- “Cloud-hosted VDI is much easier
technology stack including hard- sourcing, and many others. to implement because an organization
ware, infrastructure (servers, storage, does not do any data center build out,”
and networking), and clients. Also OTHER FACTORS says Grant. “Instead, the desktop-as-
required are hypervisor software as TO CONSIDER a-service provider handles all of the
well as a connection broker, oper- So if you’re a business owner pon- data center. The customer just needs
ating system, and ap- dering desktop virtualiza- to sign up for the service, decide on a
plication and profile tion, what should you be access point—whether PC, laptop, thin
management software. thinking of? And when client, mobile device, or whatever—
“Due to the com- you take the plunge, how and then use a standard Web browser
plexity of the stack, should you do it? to access their complete VDI Windows
solution partners are One thing to consider is 7 desktop.”
usually depended on to take a sample of your Also, make sure that either you
by customers to im- workforce—one that or your provider has the backbone
plement the solution,” covers a spectrum of com- needed to handle putting all your
says Singh. He adds, Tom Flynn puter use—and try it out virtual desktops in one centralized lo-
“The infrastructure is on them before rolling it cation. “You have to understand that
chief technologist,
usually the most ex- Hewlett-Packard out on a larger scale. remote computing systems require a
pensive part of the “The normal imple- robust network,” says Flynn.
equation and can hold “Depending on the mentation is a small “Desktop virtualization, when im-
customers back when type of user, the cost proof of concept to see plemented effectively, will transform
they look at the cost per user has gone if it’s a fit for you and your desktop/end user computing
analysis of how much down by about two- your types of users. environment into a more flexible,
a virtual desktop will thirds compared to The rollouts are typi- agile infrastructure,” says Julio. “Like
cost compared to a the original imple- cally departmental and any transformation, this is a journey,
standard physical mentations [of desk- outward,” says Flynn. not a race—so plan, budget, and re-
desktop.” top virtualization].” “Companies often will source accordingly.” ●
16 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Server
to be physically onsite, this immedi-
ately increases their survivability in a
disaster that may affect the primary
data center,” says Paul Kirvan, an in-
Virtualization dependent IT consultant and secre-
tary of the U.S. chapter of the Business
Continuity Institute (www.the
bci.org). “Traditional benefits such as
A Viable Strategy for Disaster-Proofing Your Business reduced recovery time, cost control, and
reduced floor space are still [in play].”
Server virtualization is picking up steam with SMBs. A Once companies virtualize servers,
they can set up designated recovery
survey conducted by CDW (www.cdw.com) as part of VMs (virtual machines) on a networked
its Small Business Server Virtualization Roadmap report server at another location (corporate or
found that 25% of small businesses ( two to 99 employees) data farm). Specialized software tracks
changes between the two images and
are already using virtualization. Of those that are not, 73% ensures they stay in sync, often on a
are considering this solution. minute-by-minute basis. This is an op-
timal solution, because it ensures the
A
s CDW points out in its report, way, or leave it running and hope for VMs and their data are maintained, up-
there are many reasons for vir- the best,” he says. to-date, and at a location physically dis-
tualization, including reducing “With the first, more cautious parate from the original.
hardware outlay and optimizing server approach, the serv- Budget-restricted firms that
capacity usage. However, one of the ers became unavailable, are running only one physical
biggest incentives for virtualization is and the likelihood of damage server without maintaining an
DR (disaster recovery). Virtual servers and possible need to recon- offsite VM can protect them-
are to traditional hardware-based figure everything to operate selves against onsite system
servers what digital files are to paper in a temporary environment, failure or accidental data era-
documents. They’re easier to move, made the potential down- sure by capturing images of
copy, and restore than their physical time and cost even greater. the VMs to a supported ex-
relatives. Combine virtualization with If, instead, the choice were ternal drive or backup device.
appropriate offsite replication tech- made to gamble on leaving However, firms must still find
Paul Kirvan
niques (also easier because of virtual the equipment in place a means of storing the images
Independent
technology), and you attain a nearly and that gamble didn’t pan IT consultant and data offsite, whether by
failsafe disaster-recovery solution. out, someone was losing network transfer or physical
a job. The lead time to re- Virtualization makes removal of the external de-
THE APPROACHING STORM create the environment, even it possible—as- vices, to protect against cata-
Clint Guillot, founder of Xenir with perfect backups, was suming sufficient clysmic local disasters.
Technologies (www.xenir.com), paints on the order of weeks—if due diligence
a stark portrait of the landscape be- not months.” beforehand—to MAGIC ACT
fore virtualization. “Consider the ap- dramatically reduce We’ve discussed how vir-
proaching storm scenario. In the old OUT OF HARM’S WAY overhead costs by tualization makes it easier
days, a company had two options: load “Since operational assets more efficiently to get the data to a safe loca-
all the servers and associated hardware [such as servers or storage organizing operating tion. Even more powerful is
into a truck and haul it out of harm’s devices] no longer need infrastructures. the process of data restoration.
Server virtualization Virtualization technology en- Maintenance of “Poor man’s” disaster recov-
reduces recovery ables backups to be done on the an offsite virtual ery with virtualization takes
time after a system or fly, in minute increments, keep- machine for disaster a few more steps than more
ing images better updated and recovery is key to
Key
office disaster from expensive, standard solutions,
days or weeks to reducing bandwidth require- providing 100% but it is still faster and easier
Points potentially minutes. ments for offsite transmission. disaster protection. than traditional recovery.
18 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Restoring a VM requires a
fraction of the time and com- The majority of those that have
Top goals for those that have virtualized are realizing benefits
plexity of restoring a physical
not virtualized include:* in these same areas:**
production environment
(physical server). Replace aging hardware (49%) Replace aging hardware (73%)
With a physical server re-
placement, the firm must Improve disaster recovery and Improve disaster recovery and
install and configure the op- backup capabilities (33%) backup capabilities (62%)
erating system, service packs
Improve the efficiency of their IT Improve the efficiency of their IT
and drivers, applications, Neil Matchan infrastructure (29%) infrastructure (60%)
and any software or architec- director of IT services,
tures required for specialized InterDev Although disaster recovery is not a primary goal of virtualization for
uses. Then, the data can be small businesses, it is a major post-implementation benefit.
restored—at whatever point “A robust SAN that
it was last captured—from re- used to cost $30,000 *Based on survey data from 84 respondents whose small businesses have not implemented server virtual-
trieved tapes or other backups. ization; Respondents asked to identify top two goals. **Based on servey data from 214 respondents whose
or more is now more
small businesses have implemented server virtualization; Respondents asked to select all that apply
Depending on the backup like $18,000. That’s SOURCE: CDW SMALL BUSINESS SERVER VIRTUALIZATION ROADMAP
technology implemented, tra- still a lot of money
ditional backups may require for a small business,
specific environmental vari- but you can scale purchase servers for their will let you take a snapshot of the VM,
ables and hardware to perform to as many servers processor speed and RAM but it won’t be usable,” Matchan says.
a restoration. as needed without rather than drive space, and
VM images, on the other wasting any storage.” dynamic allocation of space UP & RUNNING
hand, are wholly complete, means no precious bytes are Disaster recovery is becoming in-
and their backup approach wasted. Furthermore, if the creasingly important in our connected,
results in more up-to-date disaster that strikes a firm is fast-paced world, says Matchan. “Many
backups to restore. Because drive failure, backed-up VM of our customers don’t want to be down
they are hardware indepen- snapshots are as close as the for hours, let alone days,” he says. Even
dent, the replacement server next rack slot rather than out companies on a budget can create re-
can be different than the orig- of immediate reach at an off- alistic solutions for DR VMs, he says,
inal, needing only the appro- site location. using lower-end servers or storage
priate software in place first. SANs used to be cost- (more planning and manual interven-
Many VM backup solutions prohibitive for small busi- tion are the tradeoff).
also support file-by-file re- Clint Guillot nesses but have come “With a DR VM on even a low-end
covery in addition to complete founder, down in price, says Neil box, a firm can fire up the virtual ma-
image restoration, making Xenir Technologies Matchan, director of IT ser- chine and get running. It’s not fully
them a truly complete business vices for Atlanta-based IT automated; it might be slower than
continuity solution. “When your provider InterDev (www you’re used to; but it works,” he says.
building burns .interdev.com). “A robust Guillot adds that if a company is due
EXPAND YOUR down, having SAN that used to cost for equipment upgrades or “some-
OPTIONS slow Microsoft $30,000 or more is now thing has blown up recently,” the
To further capitalize on the Exchange is more like $18,000,” he time is even more appropriate for DR-
value of virtualization for di- better than says. “That’s still a lot of based virtualization.
saster recovery, an increasing nothing at all.” money for a small business, Given the savings inherent in virtu-
number of SMBs implement but you can scale to as alization, Kirvan points out, the cost of
SANs (storage area networks; special- many servers as needed without implementation is partially absorbed.
ized networks that enable groups of wasting any storage.” “Virtualization makes it possible—as-
physically separate drives to act as local Matchan says companies can suming sufficient due diligence be-
storage for the primary server). In this build lower-end SANs for much less. forehand—to dramatically reduce
scenario, both primary and backup VM However, many of these do not natively overhead costs by more efficiently or-
images can reside locally using different recognize virtual environments and ganizing operating infrastructures,”
drives on the SAN. therefore require more manual effort Kirvan says. “Failing to do one’s home-
Using SAN storage for the VM hosts and/or specialized software to be usable work carefully is probably the biggest
(primary and backup) lets companies for DR. “The included SAN software pitfall of all,” he says. ●
PC Today / December 2011 19
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Data Deduplication
A Better Storage Option For Larger Companies
Deduplication can occur as data is
flowing between computers or after
the data is written and stored. It has
mostly been deployed so far in sec-
ondary storage systems, partly be-
cause those systems tend to have more
data that’s duplicated, and partly be-
cause running a deduplication pro-
gram on a primary storage system can
affect performance.
“Deduplication has several po-
tential applications and benefits,”
says Ed Lee, lead architect at Moun-
tain View, Calif.,-based Tintri (www
.tintri.com), which produces stor-
age appliances that run on virtual
machine operating systems. “First, it
can reduce the amount of disk space
used for applications, but this often
comes at significant performance cost
and complexity.”
COST & SECURITY BENEFITS
Interest in data deduplication is
growing, as is interest in SSDs (solid-
W
e live in an age when the redundant data. A deduplication pro- state drives). These drives differ from
amount of data we deal gram can identify and store unique traditional magnetic disks in that they
with is enormous and pieces of data in your system, and use microchips to retain data and
growing. That’s almost certainly the when it locates an identical piece, the contain no moving parts. According
case in your business. But all that program replaces it with a tiny bit of to Nick Webb, principal data protec-
data can bog down a system, espe- data that points your system to the tion specialist with Seattle-based Red
cially when much of it is redundant. stored piece. Wire Services (www.redwireservices
That’s where a process called data Considering that identical pieces .com), SSDs are rapidly becoming
deduplication is promising to stream- of data can show up in a computer must-have storage options, because
line systems and help businesses run system hundreds or even thou- their performance cannot be equaled
more efficiently. sands of times, data deduplica- by a spinning disk.
The term data deduplication refers tion can cut down greatly on the “Rapid adoption of SSD is being
to a data-compression technique for amount of data that your system hampered by its costs and reliability
reducing so-called “coarse-grained” has to process or transfer. when compared to [a] spinning disk,”
Key
Data deduplication You can use deduplication in addi- Using deduplication is also Data deduplication is
finds and eliminates tion to SSDs to streamline storage helpful when paired with disk- currently of greatest value
Points redundant data. processes within your company. based backup and recovery. to large companies.
20 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
says Webb. “Data deduplication can be the “Say we both store encrypted data in
change agent that closes the gap between the cloud in a way that allows it to be de-
SSD and spinning disk on both costs and reli- duplicated,” continues Dornquast. “While
ability. Data deduplication rates can dramati- the cloud doesn’t know what the data is,
cally reduce an SSD’s effective cost.” it does know we both have it. If there’s
In turn, adds Webb, the reliability of SSDs a document whose possession indicates
will be enhanced by the data storage effi- stolen or inappropriate content, deduplica-
ciencies introduced by deduplication of data tion can instantly identify the people that
stored on the SSD. That synergy could ben- have that data.”
efit both markets. Nick Webb
“Application of deduplication technology IS YOUR BUSINESS BIG ENOUGH principal data
essentially is going to be responsible for accel- FOR DEDUPE? protection specialist,
erating the adoption of SSD,” Webb says. “With Although there are benefits to data dedu- Red Wire Services
deduplication technology, SSD technology pro- plication, it isn’t for everyone. For one thing,
viders can enlarge market size by increasing data deduplication technology is still a work “Data deduplication
their reliability and bringing down costs.” in progress, meaning that adopting it could rates can dramati-
Data deduplication can be most beneficial be counterproductive for smaller businesses. cally reduce SSD’s
to companies that use it within databases “The No. 1 thing business folks should know effective cost.”
that have similar approaches, says Chris is that data deduplication hasn’t quite come into
Peters, production manager for Chicago- the mainstream just yet,” says Webb. “If you’re
based Imaginary Landscape (www.images a Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000 company, there
cape.com). He is referring to databases that might be compelling reasons to use it. For the
have the same data addresses listed thou- most part, however, it’s expensive, slow, and
sands of times. often not worth the effort.”
“Say you have 100 SQL databases stored on Charlie Wood, the CEO and founder of
a disk,” Peters says. “Every one of them will Spanning Cloud Apps (www.spanning.com)
start out with the same large block of code in Austin, Texas, agrees that only companies
identifying it as an SQL database. The large of a certain size should be diving head-first Charlie Wood
block of code can be stored once and then re- into deduplication at this point. If your com- CEO and founder,
placed with a small snippet that points to the pany’s backup and restore system costs are Spanning Cloud Apps
larger block.” substantial, deduplication can be an impor-
Lee explains another potential use for dedu- tant issue. After all, identical copies of the “With regard to
plication is disk-based backup and recovery exact same data exist in every business, and backup and restore,
“Dedupe for backup can achieve eight to backing up each copy without deduping the deduplication is a
20 times space savings,” he says. “Dedupe backups can consume storage, leading to in- non-issue.”
for disk-based backup is almost a require- creased costs.
ment for large backup data sets.” But Wood explains that when your cost
Lee adds that deduplication can also be of storage—the cost for the next megabyte,
used for replicating changes to data off- gigabyte, or even petabyte—is little or noth-
site over a WAN. Since WAN bandwidth is ing, then deduplication becomes unimpor-
often limited and expensive, the savings tant. That’s because an offsite cloud-based
from deduping your data before replicating backup provider can take care of wrangling
it can generate significant savings. your data.
“In many cases, without dedupe, you may “With regard to backup and restore, de-
not have enough bandwidth to replicate your duplication is a non-issue, and it’s some-
data at all,” he says. thing business owners can ignore,” says
Moreover, deduplication can lead to greater Wood. “When companies move their busi-
security and compliance strength, according to ness-critical data and operations to the
Matthew Dornquast, CEO of Minneapolis-based cloud, they shift much of the burden of op-
Code 42 Software (www.code42.com). erating their applications to that provider.
“The cloud depends on cryptography in They no longer have to worry about failing
order to secure its data,” says Dornquast. “While hard drives or flaky power supplies. Those
it’s possible to deduplicate encrypted data, the details are handled by the provider of the
side effect is that you’re leaking metadata. cloud service.” ●
PC Today / December 2011 21
You can scour every forest on the planet, but you’re still
unlikely to find a tree that lets you pluck manpower, time,
and technical expertise from its branches. Yet there’s a service
model that comes darn close to offering this low hanging fruit,
and the good news is
it’s available to every business,
regardless of size, scope, and industry.
Managed M
SPs (managed service
providers) assume the re-
sponsibility of IT-related
tasks for businesses on an ongoing,
Mindset
proactive basis, or simply when
called upon. These individual ser-
vices can cover everything from
storage, security, and systems/net-
work management to telecommuni-
How To Select The Right Managed Service Provider cations, supply chain management,
Managed service pro- Knowing whether your The size of a business can Establishing a high level of
viders are available to company needs an MSP play into the potential need trust is crucial to ensuring
handle any IT-related depends on your ability for a managed service, but a a successful relationship
Key task, including systems,
storage, networking,
to analyze your own
requirements, including
business’ reliance on a par-
ticular technology might be a
with an MSP, so customers
Points
should discover precisely
security, and more. present and future needs. better deciding factor. what they’ll be receiving.
22 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
and even utilities. For businesses, IT needs, whereas larger organiza- they develop with the MSP allows
this model provides a cost-saving tions may have in-house responsibilities [the client] to meet the needs of their
opportunity to bring expert service for local infrastructure and desktops own internal business clients in a
in-house without hiring addition- while they may outsource servers, mon- way that is a true partnership/exten-
al employees or stretching exist- itoring, and other services to the MSP.” sion of their team.”
ing resources. Plaza says companies should also
“Today, there are a number of consider whether they need both SIZE CONCERNS
different types and sizes of MSPs managed services and project work, Part of the equation for selecting
ranging from telecommunication because if they do, they’ll need an an MSP includes the size of an
companies, global system integra- MSP that can provide both remote organization, which might even
tors, boutiques, and IT solution and onsite support when required. help a business determine that it
providers,” says Dragana Vranic, From Plaza’s experience as an MSP, doesn’t need an MSP at all. Antonio
director of managed services for he says it’s nearly impossible to Piraino, chief technology officer
Forsythe (www.forsythe.com). “All avoid sending technicians online for at ScienceLogic (ww2.sciencelogic
these MSPs, regardless of size, can certain tasks, such as replacing hard- .com), notes that the size of the
deliver similar services, including ware or working on projects unre- business can be more vital as an
monitoring configuration man- lated to managed services. indicator of the need for a service
agement, updates, patches, risk “An organization should also provider than the vertical market
management, [and] compliance re- work to understand what the MSP’s it’s in.
quirements. The difference between operational procedures are,” Vranic “Small startup businesses, espe-
MSPs is the quality and flexibility advises. “How are they delivering cially brick-and-mortar businesses,
they provide in delivering these their services? What is the mean will typically be far more limited in
services. Clients should review the time to respond to and resolve is- budget, in-house IT expertise, and
performance and additional ser- sues? What types of internal pro- in the complexity of their IT infra-
vices—such as on-site professional cesses have they adopted—ISO structure deployment. That means
services—of the MSP in order to de- standards, for example—to ensure that having the basics of a Web site
termine best fit.” their performance and responsive- and email system might suffice,
ness? They should also look at on- and hence a shared hosting pro-
INSIGHT THROUGH shore vs. offshore capabilities and vider is enough. As that business
INTROSPECTION the culture fit of the MSP. The client grows, or does more of its business
Determining the type of MSP needs to ensure that the agreement online, the need to have a billing
that is right for your busi-
ness starts with an internal
analysis of your own orga-
nization. Companies need
to determine what they are
buying, even if they have
already engaged with an MSP,
and they need to establish
their own service-level require-
ments, the pain points to be Dragana Vranic Vince Plaza Antonio Piraino Charles Weaver
addressed, and any future re- director of managed vice president of IT, chief technology officer, co-founder and
quirements. This way, Vranic services, Forsythe TeamLogic IT ScienceLogic president, MSPAlliance
says, the service-level contract
can allow the business to easily “The ability of “One of the best “A provider can provide “If the company is
meet those expectations. the MSP to tailor ways to select an MSP you with the environment sophisticated enough,
“The company should con- solutions to the is to ask for and and tools to make smart they will know with
sider how much of their IT customers’ needs talk to existing commercial business some accuracy what
needs they want to outsource can be limited customers who the and operational business they need from an
to the MSP,” says Vince in the larger MSP already services. decisions. [It can] enable MSP. Others may
Plaza, vice president of IT MSPs, so the client The closer those your business services and not know what they
at TeamLogic IT (www.team should take this customers are in size, allows you to focus on need but only know
logicit.com). “Most SMBs can into consideration.” scope, or vertical, what you know best: your what IT problems
typically outsource all of their the better.” core business.” they are having.”
PC Today / December 2011 23
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
and chargeback tool, a backend da- ➤➤ Be Inquisitive
tabase, a CRM system, and firewall
services becomes increasingly im- When selecting a man- determine the best MSP response times
portant. Larger retailers would also aged service provider, fit for your company: acceptable for your
be looking for PCI-DSS [PCI-data companies are often business?
security standard]-compliant service faced with a dizzying · Will you have access · What kind of analysis
providers to handle their transac- array of choices that to experts when it and reporting will your
tions,” Piraino says. can lead to an improper is needed? company receive?
A larger business might have a fit if they didn’t perform · What are the escalation · Will the provided ser-
big IT department with manpower due diligence. Dra- procedures? vices be coming from a
to spare, but that doesn’t mean it has gana Vranic, director of · Does the MSP have domestic source or an
the level of support for the migra- managed services for the resources and offshore source?
tion and continued management of Forsythe (www.forsythe capabilities to handle · Does the MSP have
these complex systems. Piraino adds .com), recommends an emergency should any quality man-
that certain sizable companies might finding answers to the one occur? agement internal
seek far less management and far following questions to · Are the service and processes?
more of an ecosystem within which
to manage their infrastructure and
add missing applications or com- “The size—and other factors—of “On the other side, a company, small
ponents, such as billing systems. In the MSP play into whether [it is] ide- or large, that doesn’t rely as heavily
these cases, a provider offering IaaS ally positioned to service the client,” on their technology may not benefit
(infrastructure as a service) or PaaS says Charles Weaver, co-founder much from managed services. For
(platform as a service) might be a and president of the MSPAlliance these companies, where a downed
good option, particularly if it pro- (www.mspalliance.com). “Generally, computer or server doesn’t result in
vides usage-based pricing. a larger MSP cannot provide the potentially ruinous damage to their
“However, accessing this infra- same level of intimacy and customer business, there may only be a small
structure takes more of a technical service to the client as a smaller subset of managed services that they
acumen than, say, an employee using MSP. Larger MSPs usually have would benefit from.”
a user-friendly interface to manage more capabilities to handle larger
their financial application,” Piraino clients, just in terms of more re- ENSURE TRUST
says. “Admittedly, there are certain sources, better processes, and less Businesses aren’t likely to hand over
verticals—namely, the financial, risk compared to a smaller, less- critical IT tasks to an absolute stranger,
healthcare, and federal sectors—that equipped MSP.” so it’s crucial for companies to ensure
have more stringent regulatory pa- Business size shouldn’t always there’s a high level of trust with a po-
rameters that need to be addressed, be a deciding factor in whether a tential MSP. According to Piraino, the
and therefore a service provider company seeks the help of an MSP. most trustworthy service providers are
meeting SOX- or HIPAA-compliant Plaza notes that company size is not those that can deliver adequate visi-
infrastructure from a disaster re- always as important as how depen- bility and control into the customer’s
covery, security, or archiving per- dent a business is on the technology environment. Of course, these levels
spective is going to naturally be more a managed service might deliver. can vary depending on what you’re
appropriate to that business.” For example, he says that a small willing to pay, but Piraino says that
company with fewer than 25 em- assurances and visibility can put the
FINDING A FIT ployees that relies heavily on critical customer’s mind at ease.
According to Piraino, smaller com- systems (such as servers and net- “Knowing that you have saved
panies are more inclined to use local works) would benefit from a good money, increased your flexibility—
IT professionals, whereas larger orga- MSP as much as a larger company for example, for change requests—
nizations tend to use more extensive that also depends on these systems. and can hold someone accountable
infrastructure offerings provided by “For these companies that have for a superior service is what using
big MSPs. The technical level of ser- systems that need to be up and moni- a service provider is all about; other-
vice might differ between these types tored 24x7—and any significant out- wise, none would do it. Ask to test
of providers, but it’s also important ages of those systems could have a out their IT environment, ask them for
to remember that the approach may disastrous effect on business—an strong monitoring and management
differ, as well, which brings to mind MSP that provides that type of ser- tools, and ask for an SLA (service level
the potential for a proper culture fit. vice would be essential,” Plaza says. agreement),” he says. ●
24 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Network Box USA
Managed Security Solutions
For Companies That Take Security Seriously
A
strong indicator of a compa- UTMs grant Network monitor 24/7/365 in real
ny’s performance is its track Box “full visibility of the time the 1,500-plus data
record. Network Box USA’s Internet that a customer networks tied to the UTMs.
(www.networkboxusa.com) includes would never have with his
accumulating 40-plus international own one or two boxes,” ZAPPING VIRUSES
awards with its global managed secu- Stella says. Attack alerts IN REAL TIME
rity solutions, achieving a 98% reten- are reported in real time Another power weapon
tion rate among customers who add to Network Box’s central Pierluigi Stella in Network Box’s arsenal
more security devices later on, and cli- Global Monitoring System, CTO, Network Box is its real-time, cloud-based
ents citing nine years of bug-free net- which in turn monitors the Z-Scan antivirus tech-
work operation. Such accomplishments UTMs to ensure they’re “If you want to nology, which addresses
come by viewing security as what CTO Internet-connected and ensure security on zero-day malware 4,200
Pierluigi Stella describes as “constant, reachable. Customers also a network, you can’t times faster than traditional
continuous engagement 24/7/365.” As have access to various just install a firewall antivirus technologies and
Stella says, “Hackers never sleep, and alerts via email, mobile de- and walk away.” helps automate creating
neither do we.” vice, and text delivery at and releasing signatures in
Network Box’s customers include 150 times and locations they configure. seconds. Recently, the Tolly Group IT
financial institutions in the United States “If you want to ensure security on a security testing lab found the overall
alone. Clinics, hospitals, businesses sub- network, you can’t just install a firewall Network Box anti-malware solution (in-
ject to PCI DSS or operating in regulated and walk away,” Stella says. “That isn’t cluding Z-Scan) to be 100% effective.
industries, or any company seeking “to how true security is done; that instal- Z-Scan is also used in Network Box’s
take security seriously” are also candi- lation is obsolete and useless within anti-spam protection, helping create an
dates for its Managed Security Services a few minutes. Our service ensures email gateway with a 99.4% detection
solutions, Stella says. These solutions that we are constantly monitoring rate and nearly no false-positives.
include 24/7/365 monitoring and pro- the Internet for new threats, creating “All this is like having a team of
active management of roughly 150 dif- signatures in real time, and almost in- network security experts at your dis-
ferent areas, including threat analysis, stantaneously pushing them out to our posal 24/7/365. There is no comparing
bandwidth and license management, devices globally.” all this with a simple device installed
load balancing, change control, secu- On average, Network Box’s patented at the edge of a network and aban-
rity consulting, and Internet security PUSH technology pushes 300 daily up- doned to itself,” says Stella. Doing all
(firewall, IDP, VPN, anti-malware, anti- dates—including antivirus, anti-spam, of this in-house would cost ten times
spam, and content-filtering protection). and IDPS signatures; security patches; as much as Network Box, he adds. And
and software updates—to customer the person driving it “would not have
A GOBAL OPERATION FOR UTMs within 45 seconds of availability. full visibility of the Internet, would not
SERIOUS SECURITY NOCs (Network Operation Centers) lo- be able to get the range of experience
Globally, the company oversees about cated in more than 12 countries manage and see the range of attacks we see,
4,500 UTM (unified threat management) the UTMs, while a global network of and would not likely stay very long
devices situated at customers’ Internet SOCs (Security Operation Centers) because the career opportunities would
gateway entry points. Combined, the houses security-trained analysts who not be sufficient or satisfactory.” ●
Network Box USA | (888) 315-8886 | www.networkboxusa.com
PC Today / December 2011 25
TAPE
Consolidation
New Technologies Add Capacity & Performance
The ever-increasing amount of data organizations must retain
puts a burden on storage resources and staff, as well as budgets.
26 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
F
inding cost-effective Strategies Now (www.ssg-now.com). can also help organizations keep better
means to back up, ar- “It also offers greater capacity and pace with data growth.
chive, and retain data greater performance.”
for short-term restora- For example, LTO-3 Ultrium tape, HOW TAPE FITS IN THE
tion and long-term which was introduced in 2004, pro- STORAGE PUZZLE
backup and disaster vided 800GB of compressed storage According to research conducted by
recovery is a challenge most organiza- per tape, up to 160MBps transfer the Enterprise Strategy Group in 2010,
tions face today. Thankfully, improve- speed, and WORM (write once, read the majority of on-site data backup
ments to tape technologies, including many) technology. Enhancements in and archiving processes involved
enhanced capacity and performance, 2007 for LTO-4 Ultrium tapes included tape, either in combination with disk
can help alleviate these burdens. 1.6TB of compressed storage per tape, (62%) or directly to tape (20%). Due to
up to 240MBps transfer speed, and its portability, low operating expenses,
WHAT DOES TAPE the addition of encryption capabili- and low energy costs, tape works well
CONSOLIDATION MEAN? ties. The current generation of Ultrium for off-site storage and disaster re-
In the past, tape technologies were tape, LTO-5, offers 3TB of compressed covery. It is also useful for long-term
a confusing combination of propri- storage, up to 280MBps transfer speed, backups and archiving for the same
etary formats, hardware, and software. and partitioning support. reasons. “Tape backup for most orga-
Recognizing a need for an open format All Ultrium tape cartridges are a stan- nizations is now an archiving and/
technology to keep tape viable the LTO dard size of 4.1 x .8 x 4 inches (WxHxD), or secondary backup solution rather
(Linear Tape Open) technology effort and they include backward compat- than primary backup,” says Corrigan.
came about in 1997. The first genera- ibility features. An Ultrium drive can “Tape is still very viable, and I think it
tions of LTO-based products were re- read data from a cartridge in its own will be for a long time to come.”
leased in 2000, and new generations of generation and two prior generations, Disk is typically used for regular,
the standard are released approximately and it can write data to a cartridge in day-to-day backups and for replication
every 18 to 24 months. The current gen- its own generation and to a cartridge of systems to off-site locations for di-
eration of the technology, known as from the immediate prior generation. saster recovery. Disk handles multiple
LTO-5, was introduced in January 2010. For example, an LTO-5 Ultrium drive streams of data and variable streams
The Ultrium tape format specifica- will read and write data on an LTO-4 of data well, and it is easier to use than
tion is the implementation of LTO tech- Ultrium cartridge and read data on an tape when it comes to data recovery
nology optimized for high capacity and LTO-3 Ultrium cartridge. and failover. Disk also handles mul-
performance, in either a standalone Because it is an open standard that tiple tasks at the same time, such as
or an automated environment. The provides compatibility between tape backing up and restoring data.
Ultrium format uses a single-reel tape hardware and software, LTO has been To help maximize capacity, reduce
cartridge to maximize capacity, and widely adopted by tape vendors and backup windows, and reduce the
it is ideally suited for backup, restore, businesses alike. For companies that amount of data transferred during rep-
and archive applications. have not upgraded tape technology and lication, disk solutions have the added
Essentially, tape consolidation is are using LTO-3, LTO-4, or other solu- functionality of deduplication. Daily
achievable with an upgrade to newer tions, LTO-5 represents a significant op- backups typically include much of the
tape technologies. Since the first gen- portunity for tape consolidation. same data. Deduplication is a method
eration of LTO, successive releases LTO-5 offers nearly 2X the capacity of reducing storage needs by elimi-
have introduced improvements in of LTO-4 and almost 4X the capacity of nating redundant data and retaining
features, capacities, and transfer LTO-3 tape technology. With the LTO-5 20 times more backup data in the same
rates. “If you look at tape technology Ultrium format, you can consolidate disk footprint. Deduplication also
over the last 10 years, it has gotten storage to fewer cartridges, resulting makes the replication of backup data
considerably more reliable with in fewer tape drives and libraries that to disk over remote networks more
every new generation,” says Patrick require less space, less power, and less efficient, providing another means of
Corrigan, senior analyst with Storage maintenance costs. Tape consolidation offsite protection for backup data.
New generations of Upgrading from previous genera- Most organizations Techniques such
tape technologies tions of tape technologies allows use a combination as partitioning,
provide more capac- organizations to consolidate tape of tape (long term deduplication, and
Key
ity, better perfor- drives and libraries to reduce and archives) and replication affect
mance, and enhanced costs, increase capacity, and gain disk storage (primary storage needs and
Points compatibility. additional benefits. backup). configurations.
PC Today / December 2011 27
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Deduplication is rarely attempted with With nearly 2X the capacity of LTO-4
tape. “While there is one or two vendors and 4X the capacity of LTO-3, the LTO-5
that can do deduplication to tape, most standard lets organizations reduce
end-users that I speak with are not inter- the size of existing media libraries and
ested in it for tape,” says George Crump, drives while building in capacity for data
president of Storage Switzerland (www growth. Tape libraries are also scalable to
.storage-switzerland.com). “The cost per keep pace with data growth with minimal
terabyte of tape is already quite afford- investment.
able; adding the complexity of dedupe to Consolidation can help you reduce
it does not make sense.” Patrick Corrigan costs and gain better performance. Typical
Replicating data from disk to disk, senior analyst, Storage cost reductions are related to administra-
Systems Now
then to tape for longer term storage is a tive time, tape media, and service main-
model that can meet day-to-day backup, tenance agreements. You can also save
replication, and archiving needs. For ex-
“Tape is a mechani- energy with greater efficiency and less
ample, you can use deduplication and
cal technology where power consumption due to fewer tape
replication to move data from a branch
parts wear out. Most drives and libraries. In addition, better
or other site to a larger office, which then
organizations need performance from LTO-5 Ultrium drives
can consolidate tape in the data center.
to replace their tape and libraries provides faster throughput.
“Of course, you can also have a tape li-
hardware every three Compressed transfer rates are up to 1TB
brary make copies of any tapes modified
to five years. The ben- per hour, resulting in shorter backup win-
each night and ship them off-site,” says
efits of upgrading and dows and faster data access.
Crump. “This is still a very common and
consolidation depend “The exact benefits depend on the us-
cost-effective practice, but it is certainly
on usage and the age and the organization’s current
waning in popularity.”
organization’s current technology,” says Corrigan. “For exam-
Partitioning is another common tech-
technology.” ple, capacity and performance doubled
nique for both initial backup and long- from LTO-4 to LTO-5, but the organiza-
term storage. Within a tape library, partitioning makes tion’s archive and data needs may also be in-
a single physical tape library appear as multiple logical creasing.” If your company uses LTO-3 Ultrium
libraries to outside applications, and partitioning al- tape, the potential benefits are greater.
lows for consolidation of multiple backup libraries Partition support and the LTFS offer new features
into a single library. It also provides support for mixed not previously supported by tape. The technologies
technologies, legacy systems, and tape media. enable organizations to switch archive hardware and
At the individual tape cartridge level, the LTO-5 software without costly migrations. Also, tape can
specification enables the capability for two media be accessed at different locations using a standalone
partitions to help provide faster data access and im- drive, eliminating the need to transport the media
proved data management. Together with the LTFS back to a primary location. “LTFS is a relatively stan-
(Linear Tape File System), a standardized file system dard file system on tape. When all tape formats were
for LTO-5, tape data can be used independently of proprietary, the format made tape technology work
any particular storage application. LTFS provides file for just a specific backup software vendor’s format,”
system access at the operating system level, which says Corrigan. “As more and more vendors adopt
allows viewing and accessing tape files as you would LTFS, the proprietary file formats are going away.”
a disk or other removable media such as USB flash Storage resource management tools are also com-
drives. It can enable capabilities that can manage files monly supported, so you can have visibility into all
directly on tape and allow for easy sharing of the tape storage components, including tape and disk.
cartridge with others.
EVALUATE TAPE TECHNOLOGY
BENEFITS OF UPGRADING & Take the time to evaluate your current tape
CONSOLIDATING TAPE TECHNOLOGY technology and potential for upgrading. Making
“Tape is a mechanical technology where parts wear the initial investment can pay off in the end by al-
out,” says Corrigan. “Most organizations need to re- lowing your organization to consolidate to fewer
place their tape hardware every three to five years.” tape libraries, drives, and cartridges. Potential ad-
If your organization is using a previous generation vantages increased capacity, enhanced compat-
of LTO technology, upgrading to an LTO-5 Ultrium ibility, better visibility into your storage systems,
system offers numerous benefits. and lower operating costs. ●
28 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Defend Your Business
Milton Security Group Has The Expertise
M
ilton Security Group (www these problems and came health”; from these, we de-
.miltonsecurity.com) under- up with a solution to help cide what to do with each
stands that each individual SMBs. We figured out packet. The system inte-
business has unique and often complex how to shrink down the grates with LDAP, Active
security issues to face. That’s why the footprint of our flagship Directory, RADIUS, and
company has created solutions that product, the Edge 7200i, 802.1x. EdgeOFIS is a great
are designed to fit a business’s specific and bring to market a se- solution for companies
James McMurry
security needs. CEO James McMurry curity appliance that isn’t just starting their security
CEO, Milton
spoke with us about what makes Milton just affordable, but pro- project. EdgeOFIS allows
Security Group
Security Group stand out and how its vides the same level of en- companies to begin to pro-
solutions can help improve your com- terprise security. “Many [recent file their security holes
pany’s overall security. customers] have
How have Edge Security great security against What types of customers
What business types make ideal cus- Solutions helped your outside threats, but is EdgeOFIS best for?
tomers for Milton Security Group? customers deal with often-times are slow EdgeOFIS is a great
Milton Security Group, by its very today’s security issues? to adopt the same solution for the small or-
nature, is geared to serve every market Our Edge Series is level of security for ganization that has an ex-
and industry. There are great benefits designed to sit inline at the internal systems tremely limited budget but
to every business from the 30-employee critical points on the net- based on the belief needs to proactively scan
law office to the 1,000-employee gov- work. Once in place, the that they only need their end nodes and take
ernment agency, and beyond. Our appliances become the protection from an action on mitigation with
products have been very popular with gatekeeper for all traffic external threat. Our desktop touches. It can
universities where we help to mitigate on the network headed for goal is to help close also be used, as we have
threat exposure from talented and cu- the core. With our smart that exposure and seen with some customers,
rious students. Likewise, we have done and adaptive scan sets and help companies as a way to jumpstart their
very well in the small to mid-sized busi- filters, we are able to en- achieve protection ANAC project, to show
ness area. In the past quarter we have sure your traffic is appro- on both sides of their what issues they do have,
seen traction in a wide range of areas, priate and safe. core assets.” before implementing the
including a 300-person CPA firm, a Edge series.
small credit union, and even a 10-person Can you provide some more specifics
veteran benefits company. about the Edge Security Solutions What types of training and support
line, particularly EdgeOFIS? does Milton Security Group offer?
What changes or trends in network The Edge Security Solutions line With every purchase of an Edge
security issues facing SMBs have of products is composed of high-per- Series Device, Milton Security Group in-
you noticed in recent years? formance Adaptive Network Access cludes a 1-year support contract as part
SMBs have always had the disad- Control and security scanning appli- of the price. We then help every step of
vantage on the security front due to the ances. The Edge7200i, EdgeSMB, and the way from designing implementa-
lack of budget and expertise. We have EdgeUtility are deployed in-line at crit- tion to the month-to-month support of
seen that SMBs do in fact recognize they ical points in the network, providing the products. During the support con-
may not be properly protected, espe- network control and visibility functions. tract, when you call for support, you get
cially with the daily influx of breaches We make decisions based off of the to a live knowledgeable person ready to
in the news. We took a hard look at “who, what, where, when, why, and begin troubleshooting right away. ●
Milton Security Group | (888) 674-9001 | www.miltonsecurity.com
PC Today / December 2011 29
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
What
Do You
Need
From The
Cloud?
Where You End Up Should
Depend on Where You Are
Ement headaches.
veryone is talking
about cloud com-
puting these days.
Depending on
who is speaking,
it’s portrayed as a panacea for storage
capacity and remote access needs or
a nightmare fraught with deploy-
In reality, cloud computing is quickly
becoming one of the most powerful
employees) would double between 2010
and 2015 from $6.3 billion to 13.3 billion.
Among early adopters, the compa-
nies that leverage the cloud most effec-
tively ensure they are calling the shots
and not the other way around. How
can you do that? By evaluating the
various models and deciding which
one will suit you best.
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS
most common scenario is that a com-
pany licenses, on a monthly or yearly
basis, shared server space at a data
center where your applications and data
are stored and accessed over a high-
speed connection. There is a special-
ized portal that employees use to access
the applications and data remotely—
whether they are in the office or halfway
around the world. Frequently, a third-
party provider handles software licenses
tools in some business arsenals, and There are three basic models for cloud and your fee covers them, as well.
research firms say it is going nowhere computing, with some industry experts With a private cloud solution,
but up (no pun intended). Earlier this also including a fourth. The main three you keep all your eggs in your own
year, IT analyst firm In-Stat (www.instat. are public, private, and hybrid. With a basket. This can involve leasing a
com) predicted that cloud computing public cloud solution, you put all your dedicated and physically separate
spending among small to medium-sized eggs in someone else’s basket—or at server at a data farm but still having
businesses (companies with 1 to 1,000 least, as many of them as will fit. The a third-party provider handle all the
30 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
application installations and licenses DynaSis (www.dynasis DATA, DATA
for you. .com), says public clouds EVERYWHERE
Optionally, you can build the pri- don’t cut it with video- Another area where
vate cloud through a virtualized en- card and processor- public clouds may not
vironment on your own servers and intensive work such as be practical is for com-
be responsible for serving the content graphics, video produc- panies who wish to
to remote employees. On-premise em- tion, and drafting. “Cloud store a terabyte or more
ployees generally continue to access servers generally do not of data in the cloud and
the data and applications locally or have video cards,” he Greg Potter use a fully managed
through the virtualized environment. says. Not only is video public cloud service.
research analyst,
A third solution is hybrid cloud bandwidth intensive In-Stat “Costs become exces-
computing, where you place some and tends to be slower sive,” says Arnold. “We
of your applications and data into a over a remote connec- “Companies that work with our cus-
public cloud, but either keep others tion, Arnold points out, do best in the tomers up front to help
available only locally or create a sepa- but without a great video public cloud are them pare down their
rate private cloud for the ones you card, high-end graphics those that are data.” Arnold recom-
don’t want to take public. rendering isn’t possible. not married to mends companies with
The fourth option, which we won’t Arnold says when a an application excessive data needs
detail here, is a community cloud, company has one or two and can migrate archive externally files
where like-minded companies join to- machines performing to one that is they rarely, if ever, ac-
gether to create a shared cloud. video-intensive activi- purpose-built for a cess rather than storing
ties, they can leave that cloud environment.” them in the cloud.
WHAT ARE YOU application local but sync For firms that need
TAKING WITH YOU? the data to the cloud more cloud storage,
Although security is the reason for backup. Everything else can move options are available, but there are
some firms cite for not moving to the to the public cloud. He says his firm trade-offs. For example, Google now
cloud, it is not our focus here. Security has also created hybrid environments offers as much as 16TB of data ($4,096
concerns usually do not categorically where the video is served remotely. per year) but limited application sup-
prevent a business from moving to a “We can provide a dedicated blade port forces users to cobble together a
public cloud. Other issues can. The server for that customer to have re- hybrid solution.
Internet is rife with complaints by mote access,” he notes. “As long as
small business owners of the pain in- they have the video card and the YOU’RE ALREADY THERE
volved in migrating to the cloud and server to meet the requirements of the These scenarios we’ve described
stories of beloved applications they application, their engineer or other are not the norm, and building and
had to leave behind. employee can work on AutoCAD via maintaining a private cloud onsite is
Greg Potter, a research analyst with the dedicated server.” more resource-intensive than using
In-Stat, says, “Companies that do best Arnold says for most of his cus- a hosted one (public or private).
in the public cloud are those that are tomers, “The proposition of the cloud Consequently, Potter says most cur-
not married to an application and can is uptime first, then business conti- rent cloud deployments are either
migrate to one that is purpose-built for nuity and finally, cost. You can do fully public or hybrid.
a cloud environment.” If a firm is run- anything if somebody wants to spend However, although there are no
ning a contacts database or CRM solu- the money.” statistics to support this, companies
tion locally, for example, they might be For example, he notes, a busi- that are succeeding in the public
happier migrating to a cloud solution. ness with 40 engineers working on cloud now are likely the ones who
If they want absolute control over their AutoCAD all day would never put were more flexible. For others, con-
application choices, a hybrid or private those functions into a public cloud. cerns about control, security, and
cloud solution could be a better choice, They could do it with a private, on- other issues may make private and
with the applications remaining local premise cloud and a custom-built hybrid solutions more feasible. In
and the company serving them via the portal but the expense and complexity fact, many companies are already
private cloud. would be daunting. Optionally, they running a hybrid environment
could move their email, office produc- without realizing it. “If your em-
CLOUDS OBSCURE THE VIEW tivity, and other less-intensive appli- ployees are using Google Docs or
Chas Arnold, vice president of cations to a public cloud and create a Gmail, you have stepped into the
managed and cloud services provider hybrid environment. public cloud,” says Potter. ●
PC Today / December 2011 31
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Even the big players like Cisco have small
business options, which are now reasonably
priced and scalable.”
VoIP For SMBs VoIP also offers a good fit for unified
communications strategies by allowing
enterprises to combine voice with email,
faxes, and instant messaging. “It is not a
More Reliable, A Lot Cheaper good idea to focus on only the cost-savings
that VoIP offers,” says Daniel O’Connell, an
analyst for Gartner. “When you have VoIP,
Using the Internet to make phone calls for a it is really much more, with components
that unify communications. You really have
fraction of what it costs to make the same calls via
a better roadmap for SMBs and the expecta-
traditional landlines is an attractive proposition. tions are higher.”
All told, 79% of all U.S. businesses will
adopt VoIP by 2013, compared to 42% at
U
nfortunately, required investments the end of 2009, according to In-Stat (www
for reliable, commercial-grade VoIP .instat.com). Most new VoIP deployment
services have been out of reach for is at company headquarter locations where
most small- to medium-sized busi- businesses hope to use VoIP to boost cost
nesses in the past. savings and efficiencies, In-Stat says.
VOIP GETS FLEXIBLE THE RELIABILITY FACTOR
Previously, SMBs could often only Most offices are equipped with POTS
afford cheaper VoIP plans that were phone lines, so switching to VoIP usually im-
consumer-grade and, thus, not reli- plies a risk when replacing tried-and-trusted
able enough to replace their PSTN landline phone systems with something
(public switched telephone network) or POTS (plain old telephone relatively new. Many SMBs are also pain-
service) lines. Meanwhile, large businesses could negotiate lower fully aware of VoIP’s not-so-long-ago history
per-user prices with a high-volume number of seats, while enterprise- when calls were spotty and unreliable.
grade VoIP was more tailored for large enterprise needs, as well. But, according to O’Connell, VoIP lines
But today, things are changing. VoIP ser- have become just as reliable as POTS lines.
vice options that better serve SMBs have be- “VoIP reliability is not something we are
come much more affordable. Large-name concerned about anymore, because it has
providers such as Avaya, Cisco, ShoreTel, become very close to that of POTS lines,”
and Siemens have begun to offer reliable he says. “As a fallback, a single POTS con-
plans backed by QoS (quality of service) nection or emergency 911 lines remain in
agreements and geared toward SMBs with service. But these kinds of backups are appli-
more affordable prices. cable whether you have POTS or VoIP lines.”
According to Gartner, average per- VoIP has also had time to mature as an ap-
user VoIP costs have dropped from about plication, O’Connell says. He adds, “Service
$1,200 five years ago to roughly $600 today. Michael Taivalmaa providers have had a lot of practice with the
Installations are more automated. Cheaper independent consultant third or fourth release of platforms.”
handsets are approaching a third of their per-
unit costs of about $300 five years ago. These “There is currently a FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
prices, by the way, are comprehensive; they large variety of VoIP Despite VoIP’s affordability and reli-
cover infrastructure, installation, hardware, vendors that provide ability, there are a number of things an
and software costs. various levels of SMB should mull over before replacing
“There is currently a large variety of VoIP equipment and servic- POTS. A key element to consider is
vendors that provide various levels of equip- es. This multitude of whether or not there is enough bandwidth
ment and services,” says Michael Taivalmaa, options has made the in place to handle an SMB’s call volumes.
an independent consultant. “This multitude return on investment “A 2MB DSL line for 50 users will
of options has made the return on invest- much more appealing struggle, and voice quality will be poor,
ment much more appealing and palatable. and palatable.” and there will be [dropped calls],” says
32 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Clive Longbottom, service director for the connection at both ends of the call.
business process facilitation at Quocirca As an example of their potential utility,
(www.quocirca.com). “Therefore, the SMB SMBs that keep their POTS systems
may need help to work out what they can can mandate that employees attempt to
carry on their existing system and how make calls from their PCs with Skype or
to set up QoS services to give the best Google Voice first. They can often call
quality. They may also find that setting up overseas for just a few pennies a minute
a dedicated DSL line may be the best and with these services, compared to rates
cheapest way forward.” that can be astronomically higher when
VoIP will also require more maintenance traditional land line phone services are Clive Longbottom
than traditional landline phone systems do used. “You might encourage employees service director
for business process
to run and maintain. With POTS lines, there to try to make calls with their PCs first,
facilitation, Quocirca
is little or no administration to worry about. which work 80% to 90% [of the] time,”
O’Connell says.
If there is a problem, you call the service pro- “The quality of Skype
vider, which sends a technician to fix it. With Consumer services such as Skype and is pretty good overall
VoIP, on-site support and maintenance are Google Voice can also be used to save now. . . . However,
required. “IT departments need to have the money and avoid roaming charges for mo- we would still
skills sets for VoIP,” O’Connell says. bile phone calls. Many smartphones support recommend that a
Skype and Google Voice, which can be used pure-play VoIP vendor
THE CLOUD OPTION for calls when a Wi-Fi connection is estab- be used, preferably
SMBs that are reluctant to invest in in- lished; however, these services might not with a dedicated link
frastructure and in-house maintenance run on some handsets. “There are still some to the Internet.”
for VoIP networks can turn to a cloud ser- hoops to jump through for mobile VoIP,”
vice provider, such as MegaPath, Fonality, O’Connell says. “It is not seamless yet.” Still,
iCore, or 8x8, which, according to Gartner, although Skype, Google Voice, or other ser-
charge between $20 to $30 per month per vices cannot offer the same level of service
user. With a cloud solution, a router is that commercial-grade offerings do, they can
provided that distributes the calls on-site serve as alternatives.
while the main server remains at the ser- “The quality of Skype is pretty good
vice provider’s data center. Telephone overall now. SkypeOut gives the capa-
numbers are assigned for each user and bility to call landlines, and the video
calls are distributed with Ethernet links capabilities [provide] base level video
that connect directly to the handsets. conferencing if and when needed,” Daniel O’Connell
According to O’Connell, one thing to Longbottom says. “However, we would
analyst, Gartner
keep in mind is that larger, established still recommend that a pure-play VoIP
telecom providers do not offer the same vendor be used, preferably with a dedi- “When you have VoIP,
level of customer support for cloud ser- cated link to the Internet.” it is really much more,
vices that newer and more nimble players SMBs’ VoIP needs will also vary. A with components that
do. “With big companies,” he says, “their small office that mainly makes local unify communica-
customer service struggles. You get three- calls could get away with using Skype tions. You really have
to four-tier escalation pro- or Google Voice for the a better roadmap for
cedures. With the smaller occasional long-distance SMBs and the expec-
companies, you usually get communication. But for tations are higher.”
the problem solved faster.” VoIP service a call center that might
CHEAP ALTERNATIVES,
options that better make thousands oftocalls
a day that needs ar-
INSTANT SAVINGS serve SMBs have chive its voice data files
Consumer services become much on a server, a full-scale
such as Google Voice and VoIP solution can obvi-
Skype offer very cheap al-
more affordable. ously make more sense. “It
ternatives for enterprises depends on the business
that can generate imme- function [whether or not]
diate savings for SMBs, although the it might be worth the money to drop the
quality varies with the bandwidth of POTS system,” Taivalmaa says. ●
PC Today / December 2011 33
Printers For Small Businesses
A BUYING GUIDE
egardless of the size of your consider when shopping for a printer or color as well. And in the same vein,
R company, a fast and reliable
printer is a necessity. Whether
you need to print full-color brochures
for your business.
CONSIDER THE BASICS
you should compare the ink cartridges
that various printers use. Some printers
support higher capacity ink cartridges
or simple black-and-white documents Start by identifying the type of so you won’t have to change them as
on plain paper, there are printers printer your business needs. For in- often, resulting in less downtime and
available with a variety of features stance, if your employees only print more consistent printing.
and benefits that will fit those needs. basic documents, then you may opt for One example of a solid all-in-one
Examining the needs of your work- a print-only model. But if they need to printer for larger small businesses is the
force is the best place to start. copy, scan, or fax, an all-in-one may Epson Workforce Pro WP-4540 ($399.99;
If you own a smaller company be a better solution. The difference in www.epson.com). One of its defining
with one to 20 employees, you won’t price between print-only and all-in-one features is its fast two-side printing as
need the same printer features as a models can vary by hundreds of dollars, well as its ability to copy, scan, and fax
bigger company with hundreds of so it makes sense to only pay for fea- two-sided documents. As far as ink car-
workers. You might put a premium tures you will use. And when looking tridges are concerned, it supports extra-
on speed and quality with less of a at different models, you can also decide large-capacity cartridges that can print
strict focus on capacity. And larger on the onboard control schemes they up to 2,400 black-and-white or 1,200
companies might look for a high-ca- provide to make sure they are intuitive color pages. The WP-4540 is an example
pacity paper tray before they con- and easy to use. of a feature-packed printer that can be
sider page-per-minute speeds. We’ll Next, you should determine whether an all-in-one hub for your companies
talk about these and other features to you need only black-and-white printing printing needs.
34 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
SPEED, CAPACITY, & VOLUME hand-in-hand with volume, as well. a central location, you may opt for
A printer’s performance quality Printers are designed to handle a spe- a Wi-Fi-compatible model. Wi-Fi
and overall printing efficiency can be cific amount of printed pages over a printers also make it much easier to
boiled down to three things: speed, certain period of time. For instance, a print from devices other than desktop
capacity, and volume. The reported printer’s volume may be 1,000 to 2,000 computers, including mobile devices
speed of a printer, or its ppm (pages pages per month, which means printing and laptops. Or if you want to take
per minute), should serve as a rough within that range will make sure neither advantage of the reliability of a wired
guide to the printer’s speed. When quality nor performance will suffer. network, there are printers that sup-
looking at ppm figures, remember HP’s LaserJet Enterprise 600 M600 port Ethernet connections.
that it takes longer to print in color or printer series offer a monthly print Epson’s WorkForce 845 ($199.99) has
at best quality than it does to print in volume of between 5,000 and 20,000 both Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi, so it
black-and-white or at lower quality, pages plus varying paper tray capaci- can fit into almost any office environ-
so take a careful look at the detailed ties. The M601 models (starting at $699) ment. Many of Epson’s printers have
specifications in order to make a fair offer 500-sheet capacity while the M602 Epson Connect functionality, which
comparison between printers. and M603 models (starting at $899 and enables you to print documents and
Some printers, such as HP’s Officejet $1,399, respectively) have paper tray photos from your smartphone, tablet, or
Pro 8600 ($199.99; www.hp.com), can capacities ranging from 500 to 1,500. The cloud-based applications and solutions.
print color and black-and-white proj- M600 series of printers provides enough
ects at nearly the same speed (up to variety that both small companies and THE TOTAL PACKAGE
32 ppm, decent for small companies larger small businesses could find one It may seem difficult at first to find
or workgroups). But when you start that fits their needs. a printer that provides the printing
to print at a higher quality, the range features, speed, and networking capa-
between the two speeds tends to grow. NETWORKING CAPABILITIES bilities you need. And in all actuality,
A printer’s capacity depends on the The final printer component to con- there may not be a printer out there
size of its paper tray. Smaller-capacity sider is networking capabilities, which that is the total package. The goal is
trays are fine for infrequent or small includes a wide range of possible fea- to figure out which features are abso-
printing jobs. For larger small busi- tures. You should look at your com- lutely essential, establish a price range,
nesses, it may be necessary to find a pany’s wired or wireless network to and research and compare different
printer with a larger tray. And your decide what types of printer fits best. models to find the best possible printer
company’s printing amount goes If you’d prefer to have the printer in for your company. ●
④
②
①
③
① HP’s Officejet Pro 8600 can print ② HP’s LaserJet Enterprise 600 M600 ③ The Epson WorkForce Pro WP- ④ The Epson WorkForce 845 is
black-and-white documents at speeds series of printers offer a variety of mod- 4540 is an all-in-one printer that packed with networking capabilities,
of up to 32 ppm. It also has a color els with different paper tray capacities features fast two-side printing and so you can connect it to your wired
printing speed to match, depending on and pricing options and they all have large capacity ink cartridges perfect or wireless network and print from a
the quality settings. high monthly print volumes. for larger small businesses. wide range of mobile devices.
PC Today / December 2011 35
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
To help you zero
in on what’s new,
here’s our latest
Apple’s new iCloud feature roundup of business
is included in the OS X
Lion 10.7.2 update. iCloud software releases
is designed to store your
music, photos, documents, and updates.
and other files and push
them to your iPhone, iPad, FISHBOWL INVENTORY 2012
iPod touch, Mac, and PC. It Fishbowl (www.fishbowlinven
also keeps email, contacts, tory.com), a private company based
and calendars updated in Orem, Utah, announced the release
across your devices. of Fishbowl Inventory 2012. Fishbowl
Inventory is designed
to provide ad-
vanced inven-
tory control and
manufacturing
capabilities to
wholesalers, dis-
tributors, manu-
facturers, and
retailers using
QuickBooks,
and it can also
act as a standalone inventory tracking
solution. The 2012 version offers
Business a point-of-sale solution called Sales-
Point for credit/debit card payment
Software
processing, touchscreen support,
and UPC/SKU scanning support. A
cloud-based, mobile CRM solution
called Pipeline, which integrates with
Fishbowl Inventory 2012, will be avail-
The Latest Releases & Updates able for purchase in January 2012.
EXARI CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
When you keep on top of new and updated business Document management company
software, you can recognize when you need to enhance Exari (www.exari.com) has released
a new product called Exari Contract
your operations by upgrading or adding to your tech- Management. The software handles
nology solutions. Our coverage of the latest releases contract-related processes such as ap-
proval workflow, reporting, and docu-
and updates in the world of business software includes ment management. It is designed to
products that can help you manage your inventory, automate contract management tasks
and provide information about con-
assets, documents, and sustainability reporting. tract data for compliance needs, risk
mitigation, and revenue opportunities.
The configurable solution incorporates
Exari’s Document Assembly solution
36 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
with contract management capabili- management, inventory manage- portable date and time stamps to know
ties. Businesses that can benefit from a ment, and global risk and compliance. when an asset was added, maintenance
contract management solution include Windows Azure-based public and on- of an asset’s history, depreciation sup-
investment banks, insurers, technology premise cloud services, such as Rapid port, preloaded reports, exception re-
vendors, professional services firms, Start, Site, Payment and Commerce porting, and security controls.
and B2B manufacturers. services, are directly accessible from
within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. OS X LION UPDATE 10.7.2
ACCENTURE CAS RELEASE 9 Apple (www.apple.com) released a
Accenture (www.accenture.com) ORACLE SUSTAINABILITY new version of its Mac operating system
has launched Accenture CAS release REPORTING STARTER KIT that includes general stability and secu-
9, a new version of its suite of software Oracle (www.oracle.com) has in- rity fixes, support for the new iCloud
solutions for customer management troduced a new sustainability re- feature, and an upgrade of the Safari
in the consumer goods industry. The porting add-on for its Oracle Hyperion Web browser. Apple recommends the
enhanced suite is intended to help Financial Management software. 10.7.2 update for all OS X Lion users.
companies improve their operational The Sustainability Reporting Starter iCloud is a set of free cloud services that
efficiencies across sales, marketing, and Kit for Oracle Hyperion Financial stores content in the cloud and pushes it
field service; reduce software costs; Management is a prebuilt application to your other compatible devices, such
grow cross-border operations; and that enables a repeatable, accurate, and as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch run-
improve sales performance. The soft- auditable approach for consolidating ning iOS 5. The app also lets you re-
ware’s enhancements include direct environmental, social, and economic motely access your Mac from another
store delivery featuring additional sup- metrics for corporate sustainability re- Mac anywhere on the Internet, and a
port for mobile and sales processes, porting. The application includes con- new security feature helps you find a
improved trade promotion optimiza- tent from the GRI (Global Reporting missing Mac by locating it on a map
tion and consumption data assessment, Initiative) Sustainability Reporting and, if necessary, lock or wipe all of its
and a cloud-based managed service Guidelines. The content is verified by data. The 10.7.2 update includes the
with software functions to fit company GRI, a network-based organization Safari 5.1.1 Web browser with fixes for
demands such as application manage- that produces a comprehensive sus- a number of user interface changes and
ment, infrastructure management, and tainability-reporting framework that other issues. Apple also released a sepa-
optional device management. is widely used around the world. The rate OS X Lion server 10.7.2 update that
free starter kit is available to customers includes general OS fixes.
MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012 and partners using Oracle Hyperion
Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) has Financial Management. COREL MOTIONSTUDIO 3D
released a major overhaul of its ERP Corel (www.corel.com) announced
(enterprise resource planning) solution. INTELLITRACK FIXED the release of Corel MotionStudio 3D, a
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 provides ASSETS SOFTWARE 3D titling and animation application for
comprehensive, core ERP functionality The IntelliTrack (www.intellitrack graphics professionals, Web designers,
for financial, human resources, and .net) Fixed Assets Software provides and home video enthusiasts. The soft-
operations management with built-in monitoring of physical inventories ware provides title effects, motion
capabilities in five industries: manufac- within specific areas of businesses. The graphics, and 3D animation. In addi-
turing, distribution, retail, services, and software is compatible with Windows tion to video production, MotionStudio
the public sector. Microsoft Dynamics XP, Windows Vista 32- and 64-bit, 3D can help designers looking to create
AX provides access to Microsoft pro- Windows 7 32- and 64-bit, Windows 3D graphics for print, Web, or Adobe
ductivity tools such as SharePoint and Server 2003, and Windows Server Flash. With its support for both vector
Microsoft Office 2010, built-in business 2008 32- and 64-bit systems. It also and raster formats, including AI (Adobe
intelligence, and new customizable fully supports a Windows CE/Mobile Illustrator), WMF (Windows Meta
Role Centers for different areas of re- handheld computer for portable bar- Files), and EMF (Enhanced Metafiles),
sponsibility in the business. Microsoft code scanning. Asset number, model, MotionStudio 3D can import custom
Dynamics AX 2012 also includes new status, manufacturer, serial number, designs and quickly convert them into
capabilities such as supplier relation- location, and other information can 3D objects for banners, logos, and ani-
ship management and case manage- be continuously monitored with bar- mation. File export support includes a
ment, along with enhancements to codes. IntelliTrack also includes user- variety of standard video and image file
finance, sales and marketing, pro- definable fields for tracking other formats, and Corel MotionStudio 3D
curement, project accounting, human information for the assets managed. can also export projects in Flash (SWF)
capital management, supply chain Key features of the software include format for use on the Web. ●
PC Today / December 2011 37
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Greenovations
Energy-Conscious Tech
brings a people- and earth-friendly ap-
The electronic devices that make our lives easier also proach to product design and life cycle
produce some unwanted side-effects on the environment. for Canon’s printers, copies, scanners,
and calculators.
Fortunately, many consumer electronics manufacturers
and businesses are working to create products that keep ENERGY MANAGEMENT
CONCERN FOR ENTERPRISES
us productive while reducing energy demands to lessen Software for energy management can
our impact on the environment. Here, we take a look and become a large expense for enterprises
looking to optimize energy efficiency
newest environmentally-friendly technology initiatives. and report greenhouse gas emissions.
Research from Verdantix (www.ver
dantix.com) found that
enterprises looking to
invest in energy man-
agement will need up
to eight applications
to meet 12 common
usage scenarios, such as
lighting, HVAC, servers,
security systems, and
routers. Among the
problems that some en-
terprises could face is
REWRITEABLE EPAPER connecting the software
The Taiwan-based Industrial Technology Research Institute (www.itri.org.tw), to old, analog systems where adding
has pioneered a rewriteable epaper that only requires heat to store and transmit automation and control can be costly
images onto the screen. When you want to change the on-screen content, you and time-consuming. The report noted
put the epaper into a thermal writing device that would remove anything you that no single application can collect
wrote. The rewriteable paper would consume no electricity, and the thermal data from all the energy consuming
writing device would use a minimal amount of energy. The screen provides a end-points in an organization.
crisp 300dpi resolution and is made of a flexible material that should be easy to
mass produce. ITRI suggest that the technology could be used for digital books, VIRTUAL ENERGY AUDIT
electronic bulletin boards, pictorials, and situational wallpaper. Based on information from local
utility vendors and your com-
pany’s address, FirstFuel (www
CANON INK CARTRIDGE the plastic from inkjet cartridges for .firstfuel.com) can put together a
RECYCLING felt-tip pens and markers. Return a Remote Building Assessment re-
Canon (www.usa.canon.com) is work- Canon PIXMA inkjet cartridge to one port that includes weather and
ing with FedEx Office (www.fedex of the 1,600 FedEx Office locations and occupancy-related power loads;
.com) to collect and recycle empty FedEx will send it to Sims Recycling end-use consumption; and daily
PIXMA inkjet cartridges. The collab- for processing, after which Close the usage profiles. FirstFuel analytics
orative recycling effort also involves Loop will handle the cartridge to re- takes into account 128 variables, and
Sims Recycling (us.simsrecycling.com) cycle the plastic and ink. The recycling the data is compared to the typical
and Close the Loop (www.closethe effort is part of Canon’s Generation energy consumption for similar
loop.com), a company that recovers Green environmental initiative that buildings. The data from Remote
38 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH
EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS
Building Assessment creates a base- ENERGY HARVESTING LCDS
line for current energy usage and In an effort to improve the battery life of portable gadgets, engineers at UCLA are
acts as a guide so you can gain in- working on technology that will allow the LCD screens of smartphones and lap-
sight and take the appropriate action. tops to convert sunlight and ambient light into energy. The UCLA engineers are
After you make adjustments and fix using polarizing organic photovoltaics that can take advantage of the polarized
problem areas, use the data to mea- sheets inside of every LCD screen, so they can work simultaneously as a display
sure your progress. Because First- and solar panel. The research team stated that current LCD display photovoltaics
Fuel uses information from local aren’t as efficient as other solar technology, but the extra power would be enough
utilities, you won’t deal with onsite to make up for around 75% of the energy necessary to power an LCD’s backlight.
readings or new device installations,
and the service can easily incorporate
new buildings.
SOLAR BREAKTHROUGH
Researchers at the University of Ar-
kansas and Arkansas State University
are working on a way to fabricate
and test solar panels for NASA that
possesses energy conversion effi-
ciency greater than 40%. The space
program’s current solar panels are
limited to a 23% light-to-energy ef-
ficiency. Instead of the traditional
silicon, the research teams are using
two nontraditional approaches for
fabricating solar cells. The first com-
bines semiconductor materials ca-
pable of growing nanocrystals, which
can be converted into thin films. The
second method deposits nanocrystals
onto semiconductor materials. Either Polarizing organic photovoltaic film. SOURCE: UCLA.
way, the nanocrystals are designed to
increase panel conversion efficiency.
GOVERNMENT ACCELERATING DECLINING PV MODULE PRICES
SMALL WIND POWER SET ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMS Research (www.imsresearch.
TO TRIPLE Over the next three years, the Depart- com) believes that rapidly declining
A report from Pike Research (www ment of Energy will award $38 million solar photovoltaic (PV) module prices
.pikeresearch.com) estimates the market to projects that will accelerate the de- will result in big decreases in rev-
for small wind turbines, such as tur- velopment of geothermal energy tech- enue for solar power providers. A
bines for individual homes and busi- nology. The goals of the funding is to recent IMS Research report reveals
nesses, will triple by 2015. Additionally, diversify U.S. sources of clean, renew- that although solar panel shipments
Pike Research believes that the U.S. will able energy, as well as help to achieve will increase, revenue is expected to
make up nearly 66% of the total market President Obama’s goal of generating drop by nearly 10% in 2011 and 2012.
for small wind turbines. The report 80% of electricity from clean energy The drop is due to the combination
noted that small wind turbines are more sources by 2035. The research covers of an oversupply of PV modules and
efficient than similarly priced photo- 32 projects in 14 states, and the various increased competition among solar
voltaic systems, and you can expect a projects will develop and test new ways power providers, which is causing
return on investment within five to 10 to locate geothermal resources, as well module prices to fall faster than sup-
years. Perhaps more importantly, Pike as improve resource characterization, pliers can reduce costs. Of course, this
Research is seeing new business models, drilling, and reservoir engineering tech- could end up being good news for
such as a leasing program, utility own- niques. Initially, the investment is ex- organizations looking to add solar
ership, and third-party ownership, pected to reduce the cost of geothermal power because prices should be much
which will help increase the number of energy and make it more competitive more affordable than they have been
small wind turbines installed. with conventional sources of electricity. in the past. ●
PC Today / December 2011 39
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
Absolute Software’s LoJack for
Laptops lets you locate and
recover your laptop, if lost, or
lock your computer and delete
your hard drive, if stolen.
Laptop
Security
10 Best Practices
Laptop security is important both in the office and the email receiver uses; so you should
have the best possible encryption so-
on the road. You have to make sure you have all your
lution working on your end if you ab-
bases covered when it comes to antivirus software, solutely have to send this information
email encryption, and much more. We’ll show you what via email.
you need to keep your laptop safe and secure.
4 Regularly back up your data. This
is important for multiple reasons.
1 Install and upgrade antivirus soft-
ware. Most viruses and malicious
applications are designed specifically
case scenario, you should have a plan in
place for how to handle this situation if
it does occur. Many antivirus suites in-
For starters, establish a backup system
and keep it up and running just in
case there is a disaster that compro-
to steal information. For a company, clude features that will lock the contents mises your company’s most crucial
that means hackers are going after of your laptop or render your laptop information. It’s also good to have
credit card and account numbers as unusable, but there are also standalone data backed up in case of a lost or
well as contact information and pass- programs available that will do this or stolen laptop. As we stated above, a
words for employees and customers even erase the contents of your hard situation may arise where you need
alike. The first you step you must take drive as a last resort. The ability to re- to erase your hard drive and if you
to combat these potential risks is to in- motely secure your lost or stolen laptop haven’t backed up your stored infor-
stall a fully featured antivirus software can prevent sensitive information, such mation, you’ll lose it forever. Most
suite and to keep laptops constantly as stored passwords, from falling into backup systems have automatic set-
updated. It’s a good idea to use the the wrong hands. tings in place, so your employees
identical program on every laptop in won’t have to remember to initiate
your company and find one with a
centralized console or portal, so your
IT department can easily monitor and
3 Don’t email sensitive informa-
tion and ensure all messages are
encrypted. The best way to avoid
backups and your company won’t
have to worry about losing data.
administer it. leaking information via email is to
never send passwords, payment in- 5 Strengthen your passwords for
your laptop and applications.
2 Install a program that will lock
or “brick” your computer in case
of theft. Sometimes it’s nearly impos-
formation, or other data unless you
have solid encryption and security in
place. A lot can happen during the
Almost every application, whether it’s
a program installed on your laptop or
a Web-based program, requires that
sible to prevent your laptop from being email transmission process and you you set up a password. But if you
stolen. And even though it is a worst- can’t be sure what security measures use an identical password for every
40 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
Kensington’s MicroSaver CaseCrown’s 15-inch Nylon
Keyed Retractable Lock is Slim Pocket Case is designed
space-saving lock with a with double memory foam to
4-foot steel cable that works protect the internal compo-
with almost any laptop. nents of your laptop. Other
sizes are available, as well.
app or don’t go out of your way to event that you must use a wireless use an encrypted private network to
make them more complicated than network connection and no secure access work files. There may be times
“12345” then it may still be relatively Wi-Fi networks are available, you when you need to work on company
easy for hackers to discover it an in- may opt for a wireless hotspot. documents while away from the of-
filtrate your personal data. Add a Wi-Fi hotspots are great for con- fice. Try to avoid storing sensitive
mixture of letters and numbers and necting to the Internet via a mobile shared documents on your hard drive
use capital and lowercase characters. network, but you should always because that is the first location that
Some experts even suggest using make sure they are secure before viruses will attack and the target for
three ordinary words in an unusual using them. For instance, look for most hackers and thieves. A better
combination. If you’re worried about hotspots with built-in WPA/WPA2, alternative is to set up a private com-
forgetting your passwords, there are authentication, and other security pany network that employees can
multiple programs available than can features that prevent unapproved safely access from outside the com-
safely store them for you. outside access. pany with a password. This ensures
all files are in one safe location rather
6 When there’s a choice between
wired and wireless Internet con- 8 Don’t leave your laptop unat-
tended; or if you must, consider a
than stored on multiple machines.
10
nectivity, use wired. Wireless net- keyed lock system. Whether you’re at Buy a case to protect internal
works can be dangerous, especially a coffee shop, airport, or other public components and prevent
in public locations, because you spot, there could be opportunistic damage to your hard drive. This
never know who has access to the people just waiting to grab an un- may seem like common sense, but a
same network you’re connected to. In attended laptop. If you must leave solid laptop case is actually the first
fact, someone could simply drive by your laptop somewhere for any pe- line of defense in preventing data
a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi, connect riod of time, you may want to invest loss. Depending on expected work
to the network, and steal information in a laptop lock that prevents people environments, you should invest in
without anyone knowing. So connect from running off with your computer. cases built with extra padding to pro-
to a wired network if at all possible, Laptop locks can either be combina- tect the internal components of your
and if you must connect to a wireless tion or keyed and work almost like laptop if dropped and weather-resis-
network use one that is private and bike locks to attach your computer to tant materials for potentially harsh
secure. a desk or pole. conditions. Many laptops are built
to be tough on the outside, but the
7 When using a wireless hotspot,
make sure it’s secure. In the 9 Don’t store private network doc-
uments on your hard drive and
hard drive, motherboard, and other
similar parts are still fragile. ●
PC Today / December 2011 41
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
Mobile Teamwork
How To Get On The Same Page When You’re Miles Apart
I
magine you’re a project initiatives away from their desks, alerts so that each team member stays
manager working with that doesn’t mean team cohesive- in the loop as a document processes.
employees in several de- ness has gone by the wayside. Martin Frid-Nielsen, CEO of Soonr
partments. You email a Achieving successful unity in a (www.soonr.com), says the workforce
colleague to ask for a doc- mobile team is possible when your is now distributed, virtual, and mo-
ument, but you get her au- company has the right group-ori- bile. And with the need to conduct
tomatic out-of-office reply. ented tools in its proverbial toolbox. business anywhere, the workforce ex-
You text her smartphone; We’ll explore the ways in which mo- pects technology to keep pace.
there is no reply. As a last bile teams are evolving and what “As more workers bring mo-
resort, you could try calling and hope types of services keep teams effi- bile devices including smartphones
you don’t have to leave a voicemail. cient and effective. and tablets into the new workplace,
These are the dilemmas of a col- there is a demand for business ap-
laborative co-worker that longs THE OFFICE-FREE WORKFORCE plications to make the transition and
for a more efficient way to com- When multiple professionals access take advantage of mobile and cloud
municate and complete tasks while and edit a document at any time— computing, without compromising
working with team members scat- whether waiting in line for coffee, function,” Frid-Nielsen says. “The
tered throughout the lower 48 and riding the subway, or sitting on the most successful businesses will be
beyond. Here’s the encouraging couch—the program that allows them those that recognize and embrace the
reality: Just because a greater to do so should enable group sharing, mobile revolution early on—by giving
number of workers execute project workflow management, and timely workers the tools they want and need
42 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
to conduct work anywhere, any- “Private, secure enterprise
time, and from any device. And social networks put the col-
it’s not only work done in a silo, lective brain of the entire or-
but these tools also need to factor ganization at each employee’s
in team collaboration.” fingertips. Quick access to
So how can you equip your critical information is a cinch.
workers with the devices that Instead of just asking the three
will help them get the job done? to four co-workers in nearby cu-
Realize that the new “essentials” bicles, you have access to the
are no longer a desktop computer Brett Davis Martin Frid-Nielsen entire organization. Just post a
or even a laptop. Frid-Nielsen quick message, [such as] ‘How
chief executive chief executive
suggests feature-rich mobile de- officer, Sazneo officer, Soonr do I do this?’ or ‘Anyone have
vices, cloud-based services, and a presentation covering this?’”
software that mimic desktop busi- “Tools such as “Collaborating with says Patrick Allman, vice presi-
ness applications. real-time messag- co-workers as you dent of marketing and world-
According to Brett Davis, ing and video con- would as if they were wide sales at MangoApps (www
chief executive officer of Sazneo ferencing enable sitting in the next .mangoapps.com). “With a
(www.sazneo.com), the basic remote employees room or desk is key. social network you’re sure to
tools you need to work remotely to still feel part The reality is that get several responses within
are (in addition to a smartphone) of the action and traditional office seconds, providing the exact
email, calendar, and a form of many companies ‘walls’ are breaking information you need. And
real-time group messaging for make sure they down, and virtual the response may come from
text-based discussions. have at least one teams are rising up to someone you never would have
day a week when prove that work and thought to engage via previous
CONTENT, COMMUNICATION everyone is in the real collaboration can methods of phone and email.”
& CONTROL office to fuel com- be done anywhere in Allman adds that the best so-
If you have taken note of the con- pany culture.” the world.” cial networks allow organizations
sumerization of IT, you’re aware that to create public, private, and secret
personal mobile devices are now full- setting. “It’s often a good idea to offer groups so teams can communicate,
fledged dual-use tools for work and each employee a remote working share, and collaborate in a secure vir-
play. This means you may not have to trial if they wish. Not everyone en- tual environment. “And instead of
budget for a fleet of business tablets. joys working remotely so the trial sharing the weekend’s photos [as you
As Frid-Nielsen advises, “Orga- will establish whether it is right for would on Facebook], they are sharing
nizations can’t wait and should take them. The employees that are shown the files, presentations, and videos
stock now of team make-up and com- to be effective remotely should then related to the business discussion,”
munication preferences and put tech- be given the option to do so in-line Allman says. “Businesses are getting
nologies in place that support and with company policy,” Davis says. more comfortable having these dis-
encourage real-time collaboration, so “An organization needs to decide cussions online as enterprise social
that business can be done faster and their policy on mobile and remote networks provide private, secure en-
more efficiently. Even if employees working—are they looking to offer vironments where discussions and
have chosen and purchased their own flexible working as a way to help mo- documents are encrypted with enter-
personal devices, these should be rec- tivate employees or become a virtual prise grade security.”
ognized by the business with recom- team to save on office costs?”
mended mobile applications.” TEAM EFFORT
Moreover, Frid-Nielsen explains COLLABORATION IS SOCIAL It’s clear that a mobile team
that greater mobility is happening In the same way the physical work- won’t be a cookie-cutter produc-
because of both globalization and place can remain well-oiled using an tion crew. (And do you really want
economics: large companies can now internal social network (which can in- that, anyway?) However, the flex-
provide incentives for employees to clude instant messaging, work status ibility of an away-from-the-desk
work from locations away from the updates, and event invitations), so- labor force can give each employee
corporate office. cially oriented mobile team platforms a greater sense of ownership in a
But regardless of the freedom many help colleagues get instant feedback, project and thereby foster a more
employees can enjoy, some may not connect with project partners, and organic form of co-working conti-
prefer a remote option to a stationary brainstorm as a group. nuity within the enterprise. ●
PC Today / December 2011 43
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
I
t’s another typical Buried among the bytes are details such Ultimate Armor app uses a “zero-
day on the go. as usernames and passwords, phone day attack” approach to prevent un-
Smartphone at the numbers and contact lists, and even wanted surveillance or attacks from
ready, you reply to your physical location, much of which malware and spyware programs.
a half-dozen email can be accessed by the apps’ creators, Franco adds, “The ways in which to-
messages. You white- passed along to third parties without day’s smartphone user sends and re-
board for a bit with your knowledge, or stolen remotely by ceives encrypted communications is not
colleagues from your free software tools. safe from interception by third parties,
tablet and check your many of whom have easy access to low-
stocks through your NATURE OF THE THREAT cost spyware applications and devices.”
broker’s Web app. “Data leakage is becoming far more Welcome to the new frontier of appli-
Not least of all, you prevalent than the public-at-large is cation data leakage, where personal in-
scan your bank ac- aware,” says Michael Franco, CEO of formation from your mobile device is a
counts, pull down a file or two from security software developer Safe And commodity for companies and hackers
cloud storage, and take a last look at a Secure Mobile (www.safeandsecure alike. Computer scientist and certified
couple of social media streams . . . all mobile.com). The former head of the forensic analyst Andrew Hoog has been
before arriving at the office. Department of Defense’s Advanced studying the app side of the problem
How many personal details have you Secure Communication Lab, Franco as CIO of viaForensics (www.viaforen
just released into the wild? Odds are, designed the software used to se- sics.com), which tests software using
the answer is quite a few, depending cure President Barack Obama’s now- its proprietary appWatchdog tools. The
on the mobile applications you use. famous BlackBerry. His company’s company shares some of its findings to
raise awareness among both consumers
and app developers.
MOBILE
“The problem with data leakage on
smartphone apps is fairly significant,”
Hoog says. “The good news is that
they are improving incrementally if
very, very slowly. We see the most
DATA
improvements in financial applica-
tions, because they are far more at-
tuned to privacy and security issues.”
PREVALENCE & SEVERITY
A June 2011 viaForensics report on
more than 100 Android and iPhone apps
gave “Fail” (sensitive
LEAKS
data stored insecurely) or
“Warn” (app data stored
unencrypted”) grades
to over 70% of the titles
tested. Less than one-
third scored a grade of
“Pass” (no user or app
data recovered). Hoog
notes that these figures are derived from
SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED? about 10% of the information the com-
pany typically examines in a full mobile
app security audit. “When we do our
Most of today’s mobile apps Productivity apps Proactive forensics Safeguards for future
have the potential for leaking such as email can techniques can de- data security are being
private user data, such as login be particularly termine what data is
Key
developed at both the
strings or GPS location, to susceptible to data stored safely and what operating system and
Points unwanted third parties. leakage. could be at risk. app levels.
44 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
full testing on applications,” Hoog says, “Everybody needs a PIN pass on their
“those numbers actually go up even mobile phones. That’s something that
more. Unfortunately, nearly every app protects you from the casual thief. It
has some sort of issue.” doesn’t necessarily protect you from
Though the likelihood of app more sophisticated exploits, but it’s just
leakage tends to be higher among one of those entry-level things that you
social apps (with zero percent re- absolutely have to do.”
ceiving a “Pass” score), business and However, as the security market
productivity apps also leave a lot to Michael Franco rises to the challenge and developers
Andrew Hoog
be desired. A Wall Street Journal re- have more knowledge and tools to
CEO, Safe And CIO,
port released in October 2010 used an Secure Mobile viaForensics tackle the problem, conditions are im-
open-source tool called Mallory to try proving. Responsible developers now
to decrypt data from 50 Android apps “We do see the have the ability to offer apps that are
“Data leakage
and 50 iPhone apps. Researchers were problem getting impervious against known attacks.
is becoming far
hunting for information in six key cat- better over time. Moreover, according to Hoog, CIOs,
more prevalent than
egories: username/password, contact It’s just happening CTOs, and even CFOs are starting to
the public-at-large
info, age/gender, location, phone ID, slowly.” demand real world security testing be-
is aware.”
and phone number. The report found fore signing off on new acquisitions.
third-party sharing among sources The remaining problem is that this in-
such as CBS News and the New York creasing awareness and preventative
➤➤ MOBILE APPS: TESTED
Times, business and banking entities measures aren’t keeping up with the
including Chase Bank and WikiInvest, Of 32 financial apps and 35 productivity rapid deployment of hundreds of mil-
and popular communication pro- apps tested by viaForensics between lions of smartphones and tablets.
grams such as Android Mail, iPhone November 2010 and June 2011, less than
Mail, and Gmail. half received a “Pass” grade, whereby no FUTURE FIXES
“Let’s say a business uses some sort user or app data was recovered. “Fail” One possibility for the future is mo-
of office productivity application, and indicates apps where sensitive data is bile phone virtualization, which would
they store or transmit the info inse- stored insecurely, and “Warn” indicates allow multiple “phones” in one handset,
curely,” says Hoog. “A lot of the time, app data is stored unencrypted. each offering varying degrees of privacy
businesses are exchanging sensitive and requiring secure software for busi-
documents by email. So we evaluated a PRODUCTIVITY APPS ness use. Work is also being done on
number of email programs, especially mobile operating systems. Android 3.0,
the ones built into iPhone and Android. PASS for example, is the first Android plat-
Those programs get used heavily in cor- 9% form to offer encryption on a device’s
porations because they get hooked up to FAIL user partition, and Apple’s iOS 4.0 elimi-
Exchange servers. The findings on those 43% WARN nates a flaw that allowed researchers to
are not positive at all.” 49% bypass file encryption on devices run-
If your phone has been compro- ning iOS v3.1.3 or lower.
mised in any way, Hoog continues, “I wouldn’t call such improvements
“people could essentially harvest military grade,” says Hoog, “but they’re
iPhones and Android devices and close to the types of features we layer on
probably recover significant amounts FINANCIAL MOBILE APPS top of Android and iPhone devices to
of email and attachments, including help companies secure them.”
very sensitive business information.” Also on the horizon are MDM (mo-
FAIL
Franco notes that increased recog- 25% PASS bile device management) systems, an
nition of mobile app vulnerabilities is 44% emerging solution that will give compa-
inevitable. “Going forward, I would nies more control over mobile devices
WARN
expect the public’s awareness of data 31% and how they’re deployed. Finally,
leakage on mobile devices and the should you want to rid yourself of
means to improve that security to that secret copy of Angry Birds or any
become as common as people using other app that may have failed security
door locks on their homes.” FAIL = Sensitive data stored insecurely testing, Hoog has a simple suggestion: “I
Hoog agrees, offering some first lines WARN = App data stored unencrypted would reset the phone, reinstall the apps
of defense for protecting your data. PASS = No user or app data recovered I trust, and then just go from there.” ●
PC Today / December 2011 45
MOBILE APP
Security
How It Does (& Doesn’t) Work
I
s it possible to count application to be secure, design must in a remote server. Josh Alner, founder
how many mobile apps start at the hardware level. of Killer Mobile Software (www.kill
have username and “A mobile application is secure if it ermobile.com), points out that most
password credentials runs authenticated code that executes major services, such as Facebook, have
anymore? Mobile secu- in a trustable environment and manipu- their own APIs for authentication and
rity is ubiquitous, but lates information which is protected, logging in. This way, the app remains
just because an app or its either in a volatile memory or in a mass unaware of the users’ credentials, re-
associated services look media,” says Jean-Philippe Galvan, lying instead on the remote service to
to have a secure login, an IP domain director and security perform verification.
don’t assume that means partner manager at Texas Instruments Another option is to have a secure
the data being used with that app is (www.ti.com). “An example can be “container” or “sandbox” on the de-
secure. The question is especially un- seen in a commerce application that vice, such as those designed by Good
certain for users in part because there delegates all payment operations to a Technology (www.good.com). This is
is very little visible indication of when payment engine running in a Trusted akin to a virtualized environment in
a problem is present until it’s too late. Execution Environment. The application which all apps and data are managed
We spoke with several industry ex- safely checks the PIN entry validation by IT. Container solutions are increas-
perts to learn how SME owners and in a trusted manner, isolated from the ingly popular with businesses wanting
managers can get a better grasp of user’s normal operating system interac- firm security on employees’ consumer-
their mobile app security and avoid tion operations (such as using firewalled class devices. If an application in the
calamity down the road. UI peripherals and secure drivers), and environment becomes compromised or
executes the payment transaction with a the employee leaves the company for
ROOT OF THE RISK back-end financial system.” some reason, IT can remotely wipe all
If we confine a discussion of mo- In short, the functions that must be of the container’s contents without im-
bile app security strictly to applica- kept secure should operate outside of pacting the rest of the device.
tions, we’re likely to miss a vital part the device’s normal software environ- Perhaps most important is the
of the issue. Just as on desktop com- ment and thus away from any risk of issue of having a device “rooted” or
puters, there are many basic elements being accessed by malware or a user. “jailbroken.” This essentially removes
that comprise any system’s security. This could happen either in a “trusted” the locks that normally restrict users
Application security is dependent in area within the device, often in silicon and their applications to high-level
part on the OS, which in turn feeds separate from the CPU and system system access and instead give them
from the underlying hardware. For an memory, or entirely off the device and complete administrative rights. Some
46 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
users do this to gain greater control you shouldn’t be able to access.” A better Very little in today’s
over their devices, but it’s anathema alternative is to hand off apps (especially mobile apps will
to proper security practices. those designed in-house) to an indepen- indicate the presence
“To run malware, the phone has dent auditor such as Coalfire. Outside or absence of a secure
to be jailbroken or running as root,” analysis is more likely to spot security app or connection. If
says Steve Fox, senior security auditor flaws and suggest remedies. not for the Good logo,
at IT compliance and auditing firm Mobile apps run the complete spec- you might never know
Coalfire Systems (www.coalfire.com). trum in security. Some are airtight, and that this was Good
“The trick is that some malware can some are like Swiss cheese. According to Mobile Messaging,
jailbreak your phone and then install Christy, an app may be more secure if it which encrypts all
itself without you knowing about it.” only seeks credentials for key parts of an data with 192-bit AES.
To remedy this, companies should application, not the entire program. The
run platforms with network access con- application should also be encrypting
trols, such as Windows Server 2008. sensitive data both in-transit to the de-
These controls will query any newly vice as well as the instant it gets stored app stores such as the Apple App
detected device, find out what it is, locally. “There are hundreds of applica- Store or the Android Marketplace,”
and, if it’s been jailbroken, prohibit it tions that leave data on the device after says John Herrema, senior vice presi-
from connecting to the network. it’s been disabled or removed,” he says. dent for corporate strategy at Good
“Or they pass passwords in the clear or Technology. “Users should also pay
LOOKING AT APPS that store data on device that should be close attention to the ‘permissions’ that
Can companies investigate the secu- encrypted and isn’t.” an app is requesting when it’s being in-
rity of their mobile applications? Not Unfortunately, unlike desktop stalled. Before you allow an application
easily. Most outfits lack the expertise to browsers, mobile apps tend not to give to track your location or extract infor-
start analyzing data streams. However, a visual cue showing when communi- mation from your address book, you
as Toddy Christy, president and CTO cations are being encrypted. Enterprises should ask yourself, ‘Why does this app
of mobile application platform devel- could require such security indications need to do that?’ Same goes for infor-
oper Pyxis Mobile (pyxismobile.com), in their applications and pay attention mation like credit card numbers, social
notes, “You can do simple things, like to where apps are coming from and security numbers, and other personal in-
browsing the iOS file system through what they request from users. formation. If you’re not 100% sure, then
iTunes or jailbreaking your device to “It helps to start with apps that you shouldn’t install or use that app.”
see if you can get to data that you think are available through well-known Not least of all, be careful about
placing too much faith in security
panaceas. It’s tempting to think that
Good Technology’s analysis of iOS and Android activations show that some enterprise markets are anti-malware applications will block
much more active in device adoption than others. In general, higher adoption markets should be the threats able to jailbreak devices and
focusing more heavily on mobile security concerns. thus make them immune to being a
network risk.
“Try downloading antivirus for your
phone and [having it perform] thorough
monitoring 24x7 like you would on your
computer, then watch how long your
battery lasts,” says Fox. “I tried it, and
I sure can’t live with a phone that only
gets two to three hours.”
REMAIN STEADY, CAUTIOUS
All of our experts agree that mo-
bile app security is in a state of rapid
evolution now, and it’s far from per-
fect. But with proper precautions
from the bottom up, enterprises can
feel reasonably safe when allowing
employees some freedom with their
SOURCE: GOOD TECHNOLOGY INTERNAL DATA, REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION must-have mobile devices. ●
PC Today / December 2011 47
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
“Tablets are extensions of other de-
vices, such as notebooks and smart-
phones,” says Carolina Milanesi,
research vice president at Gartner
(www.gartner.com). “They allow for
a higher degree of mobility than note-
books.” Milanesi adds that content
creation on tablets is not as good as
on laptops but better than on smart-
phones. “Because of this, [tablets] are
companion devices rather than sub-
stitution devices. They might also fit
better with specific people, such as
client-facing employees and execu-
tives.” Milanesi says that if you are able
to distinguish tablets from other de-
vices and see them as complementary
rather than a total solution, it’s easier to
know their true value.
Also, you can make the integra-
tion process easier by matching tablets
with your preexisting infrastructure
and already deployed devices. And
Get A Tablet
Strategy
according to Ted Schadler, vice presi-
dent and principal analyst at Forrester
(www.forrester.com), some of the best
places to introduce tablets are in “key
scenarios,” such as “B2B sales presenta-
tions and conference room meetings.”
Choose The Right Device OPERATING SYSTEM
& HARDWARE
For Your Workforce After taking integration into con-
sideration, Milanesi says picking an
OS is the next step. “The main choice
I
f your company is in the company or IT department may have, you have to make is the operating
market for tablets for en- and what apps (productivity and system you want to support based on
terprise use, you’ve no otherwise) the tablets support. We’ll your whole mobility strategy. That
doubt noticed there is walk you through the process of se- choice dictates many of the other
a large and varied selec- lecting tablets for your business. options you’ll have,” Milanesi says.
tion of available models. The most common OS options are
Narrowing down those HOW THEY’LL WORK Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, and
choices requires consid- WITHIN YOUR COMPANY Microsoft’s Windows. To whatever
ering how your company will use It’s important to first understand extent possible, try to match the OS
the tablets, what operating system is the role tablets are likely to play in with your existing infrastructure, and
best for your company’s needs, what the workplace and decide exactly at the very least ensure compatibility
specific hardware requirements your what you want to use the tablets for. with existing systems.
For tablets to Matching the operating Don’t overlook the Apps are what make tablets so
work in your com- system with your existing hardware. You need much more than mere Internet
pany as planned, infrastructure is helpful, but the right combination devices. Find productivity and
Key deployment and
integration must be
not always possible, so find
OS features that meet your
of speed and network
capabilities to unlock a
collaboration apps that will
help your employees complete
Points executed properly. company’s needs. tablet’s full potential. tasks more efficiently.
48 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
Choosing an OS will immedi- can find directions or look up
ately narrow down your tablet se- nearby locations as long as you
lection. As far as hardware goes, have a network connection. Others
tablets are available in multiple have notepads, weather apps, and
screen sizes and have a variety of other built-in informational apps
memory and storage options. Much meant to help you keep up with
of your decision-making regarding the world around you and know
hardware will boil down to em- what’s happening at all times.
ployee preferences (especially when In addition to preinstalled apps,
it comes to the size of the device), Carolina Milanesi Ted Schadler there are many thousands of apps
but carefully weigh the areas in research vice vice president and prin- available via official app stores for
which tablets tend to vary from one president, Gartner cipal analyst, Forrester most tablets. You will find produc-
model to the next: memory (more is tivity apps, such as organizers that
always better, especially for multi- “Consider how tablets “People want more will help you track your tasks, meet-
tasking) storage (built-in capacities fit in with the other applications and con- ings, and more. There are also com-
vary, as does the degree to which devices you support tent. And they want munication and collaboration apps
storage can be added), design (con- and the level of secu- to use tablets in place that let you conduct meetings, audio
sider durability), and port options rity and manageabil- of laptops in many and video conference with your co-
(USB, HDMI, etc., as needed). ity they offer.” key scenarios.” workers and clients, and even work
A related issue to ponder is on network-stored documents to-
consumerization of the work- gether regardless of your location.
place. According to Schadler, “people apps designed specifically around an
are bringing in personal products and operating system or downloadable GET IN ON THE
asking for support.” You have to de- apps that can add new functionality to GROUND FLOOR
cide if your company’s policies allow for your device. The key is finding the per- Tablets are often seen as in-between
outside devices to be used in the office fect mix of preinstalled apps and down- devices and in some cases they are. But
or if you want to make your workplace loadable apps that give your company in the near future, these devices will
tablets available for home use. This can everything it needs. continue to evolve and may eventu-
alter the hardware options you’ll need Preinstalled apps usually include ally replace some of the other devices
to support both situations. a Web browser, email client, and cal- we use today. It’s important to start
endar. But some tablets come with using tablets now and understand their
APPS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE other preloaded apps that can fur- strengths so you’ll be ready for the fu-
Apps are by far the most important ther enrich productivity. For instance, ture, when tablets will be more fully
tools for tablets. There are preinstalled most tablets have map apps, so you integrated into the workplace. ●
➤➤ A Sampling Of Apps
Here are a few examples of helpful apps for different tablets and operating systems:
FlightTrack ($4.99) for Android tablets does ex- BlackBerry Protect (free) helps you locate your Note Taker HD ($4.99) is an in-depth iPad app that
actly as the name suggests: it tracks your flights BlackBerry PlayBook in case your misplace it. It lets you handwrite and type notes. You can also
in real-time and monitors possible gate changes, lets you reset your password, lock your device, spruce up your notes with different shapes, images,
flight delays, and cancellations. The Pro version and wipe its contents if it’s lost or stolen. It also and borders. The created documents can then be
adds the ability to upload flight itineraries. features wireless online backup via Wi-Fi. shared with and edited by your coworkers.
PC Today / December 2011 49
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
NEW For Your
Tablet
The Latest Software & Updates
Amazon has made available
the new Kindle readers
including the improved Kindle
(with a reduced price), Kindle
Touch, and Kindle Fire.
The tablet market and, along with it, the market for tablet apps are growing each day. With
your busy schedule in mind, we scouted the app stores and compiled a list of some of the
most important and useful apps, tablet OS updates, and app tweaks.
VELOCITY MICRO INTRODUCES available in the Android Market, Sy- translation features on the Transformer,
TWO MEDIA-FRIENDLY TABLETS mantec’s Norton Tablet Security (www Asus added Farsi IME support, Czech
New to the tablet marker are the rea- .symantec.com) features a number of IME QWERTY support, and Polaris of-
sonably-priced—as in not much more Web-based technologies: remote lo- fice font. Overall, there is now more
than an iPod touch—Velocity Micro cate, remote lock, lost notice, and sneak language translation in the Asus App.
Cruz 8-inch T408 ($199.99; www.veloc peak. Norton Tablet Security is for Users should notice Adobe Flash im-
itymicro.com) and 10-inch Cruz T410 devices that run Android 2.2 or later. provements in the browser when they
($299.99). Each Android 2.3 touchscreen According to Symantec, the software force the browser to close. Other aug-
tablet includes a 1GHz Cortex A8 pro- “blocks dangerous Web sites, including mentations include newly stabilized
cessor, one front camera, Adobe Flash phishing Web sites designed to trick Wi-Fi connectivity and Chinese hand-
Player 10.3, 4GB of built-in storage, and you into revealing personal information writing character recognition.
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. As for that can be used to steal your identity
preinstalled apps, the T408 and T410 and money.” You’ll also be able to pro- AMAZON UPGRADES
features Kindle For Android, Amazon tect your tablet when it’s connected to a LATEST-GEN KINDLE,
Appstore for Android, Angry Birds Rio, Wi-Fi network. ADDS NEW EREADERS
and QuickOffice. Designed for enjoying Amazon (www.amazon.com) now
music, streaming video, and reading UPDATES COME TO ASUS EEE offers the newest version of the orig-
ebooks, you can take advantage of the PAD TRANSFORMER inal Kindle for less than $100. Priced at
benefits of most standard tablets without The slate-style tablet (with optional $79, the latest generation of the Kindle
applying for a small loan. docking station) Transformer from is “30% lighter at 5.98 ounces, 18%
Asus (www.asus.com) received several smaller, and turns pages 10% faster.”
SYMANTEC PROTECTS enhancements in the version 8.6.5.13 It’s also available in a pocket-sized form
TABLETS WITH NEW NORTON update changes. For the Android 3.21 factor even though it still features the
TABLET SECURITY Google Update, Asus has rolled out 6-inch paper-like display. The $99 Kindle
Released as a tandem product with security improvements. To further de- Touch, new to the Kindle family, com-
the Norton Mobile Security Lite app velop IME (input method editor) and bines the reading capabilities of eInk
50 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
and the touch-based functionality of a experience. According to Amazon, Silk The Samsung
tablet. It can store a maximum of 3,000 analyzes the “network conditions, page Galaxy Tab 7.0
books (or 4GB of content) an remain complexity, and the location of any Plus is a new
charged for up to six weeks when Wi-Fi cached content.” The Silk browser suc- Android 3.2
is on, two months when it’s turned off. ceeds in decreasing the amount of time tablet with dual
With the Touch, users get the new X-Ray it takes for mobile sites to load: EC2- cameras (rear
feature that reveals the “insides” of a hosted sites or those that have partnered and front) and
book, such as characters, places, histor- with AWS can transmit data in a few enhanced multi-
ical figures, interesting topics, and en- milliseconds. Because the Silk browser media playback
tries from reference sites. The 3G version maintains a connection that’s prepared capabilities.
of the Touch features the same design, to load a newly-opened page, browsing
but lets you stay connected to a 3G net- sites doesn’t require as much latency.
work without a monthly subscription.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the cloud-based OFFICIAL RELEASE OF
multimedia tablet that gives you access IOS 5 & ICLOUD UPDATES
to the site’s repository of digital con- APPLE DEVICES
tent that encompasses more than 100,000 Apple (www.apple.com) launched 10GB (per year) for $20, 20GB for $40,
movies and TV shows; 17,000,000 MP3s; iOS 5 and iCloud, two changes that alter and 50GB for $100.
more than 1 million Kindle books; the interface, features, and infrastructure
graphic novels; and popular magazines of the iPad and additional Apple de- ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
and newspapers. The Fire has a 7-inch vices. The iOS 5 mobile operating system PAIRS WITH TOUCH APPS
display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution, adds the following: the Notification To accompany Adobe’s Touch Apps
8GB of storage, up to 8 hours of battery Center for centralized alerts, iMessage for tablet-based designing, the company
in one session, and free cloud storage. service, Newsstand folder for publica- has released Adobe Creative Cloud for
tions, Reminders, Photos improvements, sharing work created on both desktop
SILK WEB BROWER a built-in Twitter app, and Safari Reader and tablet apps. The Touch Apps include
INDIVIDUALIZES THE page display. If you use multiple iOS 5 Adobe Photoshop Touch, Adobe Photo,
AMAZON FIRE TABLET devices, you can wirelessly sync each Adobe Ideas, Adobe Debut, Adobe
Designed specifically for the Kindle one so you don’t have to connect your Collage, and Adobe Kuler. Pro-viding
Fire, Amazon incorporates the new Silk device to a Mac or PC. Apple iCloud 20GB of cloud-based storage, Adobe
browser with a “split” platform—one will “automatically and wirelessly store Creative Cloud will support its stan-
part powered by the Fire’s built-in soft- your content . . . and push it to all your dard desktop tools (such as Photoshop,
ware and one part supported by the devices.” Offering 5GB of free storage, InDesign, and Illustrator) and Digital
Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud). iCloud supports apps, contacts, calen- Publishing Suite technologies.
The AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud dars, documents, music, photos, and
divides the page-loading responsibili- other data on the iPad, iPhone, iPod SAMSUNG OFFERS NEW
ties to either the device or the servers, to touch, Mac, PC. If 5GB isn’t enough for ANDROID TABLET,
provide a more streamlined browsing your media collection, you can purchase GALAXY TAB 7.0 PLUS
Smaller than the iPad but larger in di-
mension than a smartphone, the Galaxy
Tab 7.0 Plus tablet is Samsung’s (www
.samsung.com) new 7-inch Honeycomb
tablet for multitasking. In terms of
browser and download capabilities,
the new Tab Plus supports HSPA+ and
Wi-Fi Channel Bonding for enhanced
connectivity. Underneath the 1,024x600
LCD touch display lies a 1.2GHz dual-
core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB (or
32GB) of internal memory, and standard
sensors With the Tab Plus you’ll also get
IMAGE COURTESY OF APPLE Social Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub,
Apple iOS 5 and iCloud were released on October Adobe Flash, Document Editor, and
12, which affects the iPad and iPad 2. Google Mobile Services. ●
PC Today / December 2011 51
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
NEW For Your
Smartphone
The Latest Software & Updates
Y
ou probably rely on your smartphone for many things, but with NEW FOR ANDROID
new software and updates, you can improve both the efficiency Prior to Microsoft’s release of its
and functionality of your mobile phone. We’ll detail the most Hotmail (free; www.microsoft.com)
popular newly released software and key updates to help you app, there was no way for Hotmail
maximize your smartphone’s ability to help you on the road. users to push email messages to their
Android phones. With this app you’ll
also enjoy the ability to sync your
Hotmail calendar and contacts with
the built-in Android address book and
calendar. The app supports multiple
Hotmail accounts, and you can view
all your folders, including subfolders,
so the experience is similar to what you
receive with the Desktop app.
If you’re having trouble keeping track
of all your contacts on your Android
phone, check out Smartr Contacts Beta
(free; www.xobni.com) from Xobni. The
With the Hotmail app, your Android phone can now
Smartr Contacts home screen lets you
receive push email from your Hotmail account.
see photo icons of people you’ve recently
contacted. Each contact’s profile offers
detailed information, including social up-
dates, message history, and other com-
munications. You can even see mutual
contacts, based on how often their email
addresses appear together messages.
BIG Launcher ($1.35; biglauncher
.com) is an alternative home screen for
people that have poor eyesight or who
have difficulty pressing small on-screen
buttons. The app offers big buttons
that feature large fonts, and the home
screen features buttons for all the basic
functions of the phone, such as phone
calls, messages, camera, gallery, and
program launcher. There’s also an SOS
button that lets you automatically dial
a specific phone number or send an
emergency text-message with geoloca-
tion coordinates.
TouchType released SwiftKey X
($3.99; www.swiftkey.net), which fea-
tures TouchType’s Fluency predication
52 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
engine to provide accurate word predi- more than 200 news features for the rear camera to show the person you
cation and correction. Another benefit of iPhone. A new notification center lets are talking to what you’re seeing.
SwiftKey X is that it can adapt the touch- you see key alerts for your favorite apps,
sensitive area of the keys, based on your such as calls, messages, and email. The NEW FOR WINDOWS PHONE 7
touchscreen input history, to provide Newsstand feature gives you one place TripIt (free; www.tripit.com) is an
you with predications that suit the way to organize all of your magazine and app from Concur that helps you orga-
you type rather than just the words you newspaper subscriptions. There’s also nize your travels, and it’s now available
use. For greater control over the on-
screen keyboard, you can customize the
look and theme of the keyboard.
1. BlackBerry Client For Microsoft
NEW FOR BLACKBERRY SharePoint gives you mobile,
RIM announced the BlackBerry 7
secure access to critical work files.
operating system (free; www.black
berry.com), which has a smoother and
2. The newest version of Skype For
more fluid interface than previous
iPhone supports Bluetooth and lets
editions. A key feature is the new
you switch between the front- and
BlackBerry Browser, which is 40%
rear-facing cameras.
faster than the BlackBerry 6 browser,
3
and it supports HTML video and
3. Travel organizer TripIt is now
JavaScript performance. There’s also 1 available for Windows Phone 7.
an Augmented Reality feature that 2
places nearby BlackBerry Messenger
friends on a map, reads reviews of
nearby restaurants, and lets you see a new Reminders app that lets you or- for Windows Phone 7. The app auto-
local landmarks. BlackBerry 7 sup- ganize to-do lists you can sync with matically gathers the travel confirma-
ports voice-activated searches for iCal, Outlook, and iCloud. You can load tion information forwarded from an
files, emails, contacts, and music. the camera app directly from the Lock email and inputs all the relevant data,
If you’re looking for a new theme screen and crop, rotate, and edit photos such as flight numbers, hotel bookings,
for your BlackBerry, check out Live within the Photos app. and rental car reservations into a single
($2.99; www.smarterthemes.com) from Timecard Pro ($1.99; eveleigh- itinerary. You can customize itineraries
Smarter Themes. You can customize the studios.com) from Eveleigh Studios by adding important notes, maps and
multi-panel home screen with your helps you to keep track of your work directions, and photos. The ability to
choice of eight user-defined apps. There hours by clocking in and out. The app share compiled itineraries gives you an
is also a universal search button and an supports multiple jobs (or multiple easy way to keep friends, family, and
individual media panel for quick access clients, if you prefer to split time by colleagues updated on your trip.
to music, pictures, and videos. billable hours), and you can email the There’s an upgrade for iHeartRadio
If your business uses Microsoft Share- virtual timecard to your employee. (free; www.iheart.com) that makes
Point, you’ll like BlackBerry Client For Timecard Pro can also display how it compatible with Windows Phone 7
Microsoft SharePoint (free). The app much money you’re earning, and Mango and adds several new features.
allows for secure access to critical busi- you can set a different hourly rate Within Mango, iHeartRadio can now
ness resources. For instance, you can for different jobs. In case you missed function as a background audio player,
remotely access and edit documents clocking in or out, you can manually and you can add a Live station title to
from your BlackBerry. The BlackBerry edit your hours for a day. the start page. iHeartRadio gives you ac-
Universal Search feature lets you query Skype updated Skype For iPhone cess to more than 750 local radio stations.
content across multiple SharePoint sites. (free; www.skype.com), adding Blue- Yammer (free; www.yammer.com)
You can also sync SharePoint calendar tooth support and an anti-shake video is a social network tool designed for en-
events with your BlackBerry calendar feature that will help to make video terprises, and you can now use your
to easily coordinate activities while on calls appear smoother. Within chat, Windows Phone 7 with Yammer to col-
the road. you can also add emoticons to mes- laborate, share ideas, and improve your
sages. The app lets you make free productivity. For instance, you’ll be able
NEW FOR IOS Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls to access real-time conversations, view
Apple announced iOS 5 (free; www over both 3G and Wi-Fi. You can messages, and post updates from your
.apple.com), which provides you with video chat face-to-face or flip to the Windows Phone 7 device. ●
PC Today / December 2011 53
M O BILE O FFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
IPHONE APPS
GoGoCMO
A Marketing Formula Expert In Your Pocket
re you a CMO? Do you fre-
A quently have to answer to
C-level execs posing questions
concerning a marketing program or
campaign? Does your job often take you
on the road and put you in various set-
tings where you don’t have easy access
to the tools, resources, and formulas
for calculating marketing informa- Price: $0.99 | Size: 0.4MB | Release Date: June 22, 2011
tion? If so, then GoGoCMO from
GoGoSphere is for you.
As the app’s developer states,
“Whether you’re in a creative
briefing, product meeting, or on
the go, you now have a quan-
titative guide assisting you in
finding, explaining, calculating,
and sharing vital marketing for-
mulas and metrics” with this app.
Featuring a clean, menu-driven
interface, the app essentially puts
a marketing formula guru within
reach by providing 75-plus mar-
keting formulas covering more
than 10 marketing disciplines.
Select a category and the app
provides various formulas applicable
Why You’ll Want This App
to that category. The app also makes
the formulas available from a separate
menu and integrates search ability.
Further, GoGoCMO offers explana-
tions that detail the type of information,
benefits, and marketing opportunities
a formula you’ve chosen is intended to
provide; challenges a campaign might
pose; and examples of situations in
which the formula might be of use.
Formulas the app provides include
Average Acquisition Costs, Accounts
Receivable Turnover, Brand Penetra-
tion, GMROI, Break Even Response
Rate, Pull Through Rate, and Customer
Lifetime Value. In addition to sharing
formulas via email, the app also in-
cludes ongoing formula updates. ●
54 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MO BILE O FFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
IPHONE APPS
Gantt Pro For iPhone E-Assist mobilEncrypt Cloud
$3.99 1.3MB $1.99 2MB Free 0.4MB
This visualization tool from i2e Consulting (Rel. July E-Assist (Rel. July 7, 2011) from Mike Litman This app (Rel. July 20, 2011) from Echoworx is the
19, 2011) lets users navigate Gantt charts complete Experience professes to let users send email in first enterprise security platform created specifically
with holistic viewing approach. The app was tested just three taps and as quickly as in three to five for private mobile communications. The app secures
using sample plans from various industries and seconds. Support for multiple email accounts and email communication in the cloud for enterprise cus-
geographies and functions with Microsoft Project. signatures are included. tomers using the Echoworx Secure Mobile Platform.
GoFlex Media TripAdvisor Hotels ShareMate
Free 3.5MB Flights Restaurants 99 cents 0.2MB
Seagate GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage Free 2.1MB ShareMate (Rel. June 25, 2011), from Stefan Jager,
device owners can access and play files stored on This highly touted and downloaded app (Rel. Aug. lets users send contact information to others via
their storage device with GoFlex Media (Rel. Aug. 10, 2011) from TripAdvisor helps users plan trips email, SMS, or vCard featuring all the contact
8, 2011) from Seagate Technology. and provides reviews, photos, maps, and more. data saved on the user’s device and a photo.
56 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MO BILE O FFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
BLACKBERRY APPS
Pocket Reports Free Office Accelerator CRM Insight
Free 519KB For The BlackBerry $2.99 352KB
System4U’s Pocket Reports (Rel. Sept. 14, 2011) app $25 92KB If you frequently enter new contacts on your
makes it possible to view Microsoft SQL Server This app (Rel. Aug. 29, 2011) from Baseline Data phone only to forget the details of your encoun-
Reporting Services reports on a BlackBerry device Systems lets you access marketing data on a ters with those contacts later, Insight (Rel. May
upon connecting to a company server without in- BlackBerry via a mobile cloud CRM service com- 20, 2011) from Egbok lets you log details of those
stalling additional server software on the device. plete with organizing, sharing, and syncing abilities. meetings in a journal.
Flight Status Tracker CardScoop Private Contact
$4.99 61KB Free 1,427KB $1.99 512KB
In addition to providing flight maps for U.S. flights, CardScoop (Rel. Sept. 8, 2011) enables creating a Private Contact (Rel. Aug. 16, 2011) from Infinite
Smart Mobile Software’s Flight Status Tracker (Rel. personal QR code containing your contact informa- Appz lets you control how your contact informa-
May 30, 2011) gives you real-time flight status infor- tion, photo, and more that you can add to a business tion is stored. Make contacts private and password-
mation and accurate global departures and arrivals. card, email signature, and marketing material. protected, clear call logs, and more.
PC Today / December 2011 57
BlackBerry Messenger
“Where Apps Go Social”
“C
hat without leaving the app.”
That’s one of the numerous new
possibilities awaiting in Research
In Motion’s upgrade of BlackBerry Mes-
senger. RIM states the app now has an
active user base of 45 million people, with
more than 2 million new users hopping
on board each month. RIM, in fact, labels
the social networking-related abilities it
added to 6.0 as “a new and revolutionary Price: Free | Size: 6,442KB | Release Date: Aug. 6, 2011
social experience,” and the com-
pany just may be right.
Essentially, what the revolu-
tion amounts to is the ability for
BBM users to share information
and chat with other BBM users
without having to leave the “BBM-
connected” app they’re currently
using. If you recently downloaded
Poynt and are enamored with what
you see, for instance, you can invite
other BBM users in your contacts
list to download the app.
Other possibilities include, say,
chatting about a baseball game
currently in action from within the BBM-
connected app ScoreMobile for BlackBerry Why You’ll Want This App
with a fellow sports-loving BBM contact.
Additionally, your BBM contacts are not
only able to see the activities, achieve-
ments, and apps that you’re posting to
your customizable BBM profile, but they
also can download those apps using links
that display in the list.
Elsewhere, BBM also now lets you use
an unlimited number of characters and
emoticons. You can also simultaneously
share files with numerous contacts via
groups you create, send text messages to
non-BBM friends, and share the music
you’re listening to on your BlackBerry
device. Additionally, adding contacts
through the exchange of a PIN or by scan-
ning a barcode (for users with a camera-
capable BlackBerry) is also possible. ●
58 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
Smartphone Tips
TIME-SAVING ADVICE
60 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
ANDROID
➤ Share Apps
If you’re particularly fond of an
app, or if you find an app that’s perfect
for someone you know, the Android
Market makes it easy to share app rec-
ommendations with others through a
variety of communications platforms.
To share an app from the Android
Market, navigate to the app you want
to distribute (the search function is your
friend) and tap the Share icon, which
looks like three dots with two inter-
secting lines and is located at the top of
the screen. The following screen gives
you multiple sharing options, including
Bluetooth, Facebook, Gmail, Email, and
Messaging, as well as the option to share
via other apps, such as Dropbox and
Evernote. Tap your desired method and
then fill out the missing information.
For instance, if you want to share via
email, input the recipient’s email ad-
dress; the subject line will automatically
be filled out for you. The app itself won’t
be shared to the recipient, just a link to
the Android Market, which ensures that
the recipient gets the latest version of the
app regardless of when she checks it out.
➤ Eliminate Redundant
Mail Notifications
If you ever swipe down your noti-
fications bar only to find two or more
email notifications that both refer to the
same new email, then you have a fairly
common problem that’s easy to fix. By
default, Android-based phones come
with a Gmail app and a generic Email
app, so if you set up both of them, you’ll
receive notifications from both applica-
tions. Download and configure any ad-
ditional email apps, and you can easily
fill up your notifications bar with icons.
To get rid of the excessive notifica-
tions, you need to first settle on the
single email application you prefer to
use. You don’t have to uninstall alterna-
tives, but you will need to disable noti-
fications for your secondary email apps.
The instructions for disabling notifica-
tions will vary depending on the app,
but most of them let you configure no-
tifications in the app’s menu. To access
PC Today / December 2011 61
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
this setting in Android’s generic Email add search engines that aren’t already SMS whenever iMessage is unavailable.
app, launch it, press the Menu button, in this list of options. If you’re running According to Apple, iMessage currently
tap Account Settings, and then uncheck BlackBerry 7 OS, launch the Browser, requires a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. The
the box in the Email Notifications sec- press the menu button, select Options, Received At setting lets you configure
tion. The process is a little more in- and then select Manage Search Engines. the service to forward your iMessages
volved on the Gmail app; launch it, Sadly, you’ll need to insert a little more to multiple email addresses. Tap this
press the Menu button, tap More, tap than the basic URL for your favorite setting to view current Received At loca-
Settings, tap the account for which you search engines to get keyword search to tions. Your iPhone is the primary loca-
want to prevent notifications from pop- work from your device. Start by navi- tion for iMessage correspondence. The
ping up, and then scroll to and uncheck gating to your favorite search engine’s Email field displays the default email
the Email Notifications box. Now do Web page, and then perform a key- address that iMessage works with, but
the same with all of your favorite email word search using the Web site’s native you can add another email address by
applications and begin enjoying your search field. Copy the URL that ap- tapping Add Another Email. You’ll
newly clutter-free notifications bar. pears at the top of the results page and need to input your Apple ID to proceed.
paste it into the Manage Search Engines Tap the Caller ID button at the bottom
BLACKBERRY screen. To get the search to work prop- of the screen to configure the address
➤ Hide Panels erly, replace the keyword from the URL from which your iMessages are sent.
If you’re using a BlackBerry device you just pasted with percentage sym- You can change this setting at any time
running BlackBerry 6 OS, then you’re bols (%). For instance, Google’s search by tapping the phone number or email
probably already familiar with Panels, engine URL is http://www.google address to place a check beside it.
which display your apps on Frequent, .com/m/search?q=%s and Amazon’s A quick way to distinguish between
Favorite, Download, and All pages. is http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw iMessages and text messages is that the
As you download and use apps, they /s/ref=is_box_?k=%s former will appear as blue-colored bub-
will be added to your Download and bles, whereas the latter are green.
Favorite panels. This makes it easier to IPHONE
navigate apps that you use often; but ➤ iOS 5 iMessage 101 ➤ iOS 5 Notification Center
the more you use your BlackBerry, the With the release of iOS 5, iPhone now Prior to iOS 5, your iPhone’s notifi-
higher the likelihood that the same app has a comprehensive messaging service cations (such as text message, calendar
could appear on more than one page— to rival all others on the market. To view appointment, and app notifications)
even on all pages. your iMessage settings, tap Settings and all popped up on the lock screen,
With BlackBerry 7 OS, however, Messages. At the top of the screen, you and promptly disappeared once you
you can now hide panels you don’t will find an On/Off switch for the ser- swiped to the Home screen. You’d
want to see and thereby eliminate vice. Further down the screen you’ll find have to launch the individual apps
some redundancy. To do this, select the Send Read Receipts setting, which, if to view the notification. With iOS 5,
Options from the Home screen, and enabled, lets others know when you’ve Apple has tossed the old inefficient
then select Manage Panels. Now just read their messages. The Send As SMS notifications scheme in favor of the
uncheck any panels you want to hide setting lets you send messages as an Notification Center, a dedicated screen
and press the Escape button to return that collects all of your notifications
to the Home screen. and alerts. To access the Notification
Center from your iOS 5-based device,
➤ Add Custom Search Engines just swipe down from the top of the
BlackBerry OS version 6 and 7 screen. You can do this from the Home
devices let users select the default screen or from within any app, at any
search engine that the Browser turns time. Tap on any notification from the
to for queries. To change the default Notification Center to launch the cor-
search engine, select the Browser responding app.
from the Home screen, press the To access the Notification
Menu button, select Options, Center settings, tap Settings
highlight the Default Search op- from the Home screen, and then
tion, press the trackpad, and
then scroll to and select the
search engine you prefer. The iPhone’s new Notifications
In the newest version of the Center lets you take over how
BlackBerry OS, however, you can your apps send you alerts.
62 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
MOBILE OFFICE
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
tap Notifications. From here you and rating and reviewing them. Before
can configure the order in which you can rate and review a webOS app,
the notifications appear using the you must purchase or download it to
Sort Apps setting. Tap Manually to your webOS-based device. Tap the
view a sortable list of apps, then just Launcher and access the App Catalog.
If you enjoy
touch and drag the items around on Navigate to the app for which you’d
or loath a par-
the list. For instance, you can drag like to leave feedback. You can do this
ticular app, let
Phone, Mail, and Calendar items to on webOS 1.x by tapping the shopping
others know
the top of the list to put these noti- bag icon in the lower-right corner of
how you feel
fications above less important ones, the screen. This displays a list of all the
by rating and
such as Twitter posts and Game apps installed on your device, so just
reviewing it.
badges. Tap Done when you’re scroll to and select the app you want
happy with the order. Back on the to review. Tap the Reviews button and
Notifications screen, tap By Time to then tap the Review button from the
allow app notifications to be filed as is coming, but it may still take a few bottom-left corner of the following
they appear chronologically. weeks for it to get distributed to your screen to rate it.
You can also take control over how device. The current exceptions are the (To view a list of installed apps on a
individual apps display their noti- HTC HD7S, Samsung Focus, and Dell device running webOS 2.x or 3.x, access
fications. Tap Mail, for instance, to Venue Pro from AT&T; these devices the Software Manager app from the
control the number of notifications are all in various stages of planning, Launcher. Next, tap the Review App
to display (1, 5, or 10); whether you scheduling, or testing. button from the app summary screen.)
want the notification to appear as a Tap the stars to give the app a one-,
classic alert box, a banner at the top ➤ Windows Phone 7.5 Features two-, three-, four-, or five-star rating.
of the screen, or not at all; enable/ If you have just installed the latest Tap the Reviewer field to select your
disable Badge App Icons (the red nu- version of Windows Phone 7 on your preferred signature, including full
meral that appears on the app’s icon); device, you’re probably eager to see first name and last initial, full first
show/hide a preview of the notifica- what’s new. Here’s our list of some of name and last name, or Anonymous.
tion; and enable/disable notifications the things to look for: Tap in the white field at the bottom
on the lock screen. Custom ringtones let you turn any of the screen to type your feedback
MP3 or WMA song into a ringtone regarding the app. If you liked the
WINDOWS PHONE 7 for your contacts. app, be sure to point out the parts
➤ Do I Have Mango Yet? Visual voicemail displays all your that impressed you the most. If you
The latest version of the Windows voicemail in a list so you can quickly didn’t like the app, make sure to be
Phone OS, version 7.5 (aka Mango), access them in any order instead of courteous, but highlight the app’s
was rolling out as we wrote this. Not having to listen to all of the new or shortcomings so the developer knows
all phones are getting the update at old messages on your device. where to focus in future revisions.
the same time. To determine the ver- New speech commands let you
sion of Windows Phone 7 you’re cur- compose and send text messages, ➤ The Art Of The Double-Swipe Up
rently running, swipe left from Start, surf the Web, and more just using If you’re using a device running
tap Settings, tap About, and then tap your voice. webOS 2.x or 3.x, there is a nifty way
More. Look for the OS Version field. Picture tagging detects faces, which available to jump right into the App
If it says 7.5, then you are running makes tagging your friends and Launcher from almost anywhere. To
Mango. If it says anything below 7.5, family easy. get to the App Launcher while using
then you still need the update. Podcasts—now you can subscribe another app on a webOS 1.x device,
To determine the update status to and listen to them on your swipe back in the gesture area and
of your Windows Phone 7 device, phone. then tap the Launcher icon. If you’re
visit Microsoft’s Where’s My Phone using a device running webOS 2.x
Update page (bit.ly/dXcb0S). The WEBOS or 3.x, there’s finally a single-gesture
page includes a chart of the various ➤ Rate & Review Apps method for accessing the Launcher
updates that Microsoft has released for We all know how important a from within an app: Just place two
Windows Phone 7-based devices and smartphone’s app marketplace is to fingers on the screen and swipe up-
information about when and if each the health of the platform, and you ward. This double-swipe minimizes
carrier has begun to distribute the up- can do your part to bolster devel- your currently open app and takes you
date to customers’ devices. The update opers’ efforts by downloading apps right to the Launcher. ●
PC Today / December 2011 63
PERSONAL ELECTRONICS
TECH FOR HOME & LEISURE
D I G I TA L
MOTOROLA GETS FIT WITH MOTOACTV
➤ Bless the hearts of the folks from Motorola Mobility (www.motorola
.com) for wanting to help you “scorch more calories, shatter personal
records, and train even harder” with the company’s new Android-
based Motoactv. The watch-like fitness tracker and digital music
player comes in 8GB ($249.99) and 16GB ($299.99) sweat-, rain-, and
scratch-resistant models. The 16GB model can store up to 4,000 songs,
while each model sports a 1.6-inch touchscreen display, weighs 35
grams, integrates an FM radio, and wirelessly pairs via Bluetooth with
Motorola’s SF700 ($149) and SF500 ($500) wireless headphones, both
of which can deliver “real-time audible readouts of your heart rate.”
In addition to tracking your walking, running, and cycling data, the
Motoactv can also track your exercise routes via GPS; hook you up
with workout tips and plans; and connect to your Android smartphone
to answer calls, read texts, and more.
64 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
PERSONAL ELECTRONICS
TECH FOR HOME & LEISURE
GRIFFIN MULTIDOCK GIVES THE IPAD CINEMANOW &
10 TIMES THE LOVE INTEL BRING
➤ As many businesses can attest to, there’s a great 1080P HD
deal of value to be hand in having multiple iPads MOVIES TO PCS
available to their employees for carrying out various ➤ Attention users of
duties throughout the typical work day. There can also CinemaNow (www
be a great deal of associated work that goes into keeping .cinemanow.com), for
those company-owned iPads functional. If your the first time you’re
business has a fleet of iPads under its com- now able to buy or
mand, Griffin Technology (www.griffin rent movies in 1080p
technology.com) wants to provide you with quality from the movie
a “compact, flexible way to charge and store” service (no subscription
them via its MultiDock ($699.99). Capable of charging required) for streaming
10 iPads simultaneously (including with cases on), the to your PC, laptop, or
MultiDock can also sync apps, music, and other data to Intel Ultrabook That’s
the iPads with iTunes. An individual LED is included provided your system
for each docked iPod to indicate its charging status, and an auto-off feature will power off each powers on a 2nd
charging bay once an iPad is fully powered. If you have more than 10 iPads to deal with, you Generation Intel Core
can link three MultiDocks to a host computer and provide yourself 30 charging stations. processor using Intel
Insider Technology, a
“hardware-based con-
PLANTRONICS BRINGS VOYAGER PRO HD tent protection mecha-
INTO YOUR PROXIMITY nism.” Previously,
➤ Plantronics believes its new Plantronics Voyager Pro HD ($99.99; www CinemaNow users
.plantronics.com) headset is pretty smart. So smart, in fact, that “it man- could only obtain stan-
ages your calls.” The HD-streaming, noise-cancelling dard definition flicks
headset does so through the use of Smart Sensor for PC watching. As
technology, which essentially takes advantage of CinemaNow explains,
a built-in proximity sensor to automatically begin “much of the 1080p
transferring calls from your phone to the headset once you insert the HD content had not
Voyager Pro HD in your ear. Plantronics’ subscription-based Vocalyst service (one year been available on the
free), meanwhile, enables you to manage email and text messages, obtain weather updates, PC due in part to con-
and change a social network status among other things. Elsewhere, Plantronics states that tent owner concerns
its MyHeadset app for Android-based phones will keep you productively humming along about security.” Intel
with various tips, tricks, and tools. Insider rectifies that
snag by enhancing “se-
curity features in 2nd
KOBO VOX EREADER GETS SOCIAL Generation Intel Core
➤ Fresh on the heels of Amazon.com’s release of its sub-$200 processors.” Initially,
Amazon Kindle Fire tablet comes Kobo’s launch of its Vox ($199.99; CinemaNow will make
www.kobo.com) ereader. The company states the Wi-Fi-only, hundreds of titles
7-inch multitouch display (1,024 x 600) model is optimized for out- available with full
door reading and provides seven font styles in 42 sizes, as well as HD quality with the
day and night reading modes. The Android 2.3-based Vox, Kobo’s expectation to add
first color ereader, also offers up Web browsing, email, music and more titles down the
video playback, and access to more than 15,000 free Android apps. road. If you’re un-
Weighing in at 14.2 ounces, the Vox comes with 8GB of storage certain if your PC is
(more than 5,000 books) that’s expandable to 32GB. Battery life housing the required
rates at seven hours, which should give you ample time to take Intel processor, head
advantage of what Kobo dubs “the world’s first social ereader.” To to www.cinemanow
that end, the Vox offers integration with Kobo’s own Kobo Pulse .com/intelinsider to
social platform and Facebook’s Timeline and Ticker features. test your system.
PC Today / December 2011 65
PERSONAL ELECTRONICS
TECH FOR HOME & LEISURE
Personal
Archiving
On The Go
Keep Your Critical
Files Handy & Safe
L
The LaCie MosKeyTo is so ocking down files in your work en- disadvantages. Optical discs are
small you have to be careful vironment is commonplace, but you relatively large compared to flash
not to misplace it. are at the mercy of Murphy’s Law drives and portable hard drives, and
the moment you take some of that they are easily scratched or cracked.
important data out of your office’s They can only be read in CD or DVD
protective cocoon. If you don’t pay drives, which an increasing number
attention to what of PCs and laptops don’t include, and
you’re doing and their storage capacity is limited rela-
what hardware tive to flash drives and portable hard
you’re using, all drives. Optical discs are still great for
it takes is one archiving data, but flash drives and
moment of for- portable hard drives are superior for
getfulness to put everything at risk. carrying that data around.
That’s why we recommend using
storage devices such as flash drives WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES
and portable hard drives, and use BETWEEN PORTABLE HARD
them properly, to keep everything DRIVES & FLASH DRIVES?
both close at hand and safe. Physical size, storage capacity, and
toughness. Portable hard drives can
WHAT ADVANTAGES DO store many times more data than a flash
FLASH DRIVES AND drive, but are also many times larger.
PORTABLE HARD DRIVES Hard drives also rely on a lot of delicate
HAVE OVER CDS & DVDS? moving parts (unlike flash memory,
Traditionally you’d buy a stack which has no moving parts), so portable
of blank CDs or DVDs and burn hard drives are more prone to damage
files to them for transporting out and data loss from drops. For most
of the office, but this has several purposes, flash drives are the superior
66 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
PERSONAL ELECTRONICS
TECH FOR HOME & LEISURE
choice for their smaller size and greater Standard). While 128- or 192-bit AES is If you need a portable hard drive,
resilience to damage. For example, the sufficient for most purposes, the 256- consider something like the Buffalo
LaCie MosKeyTo ($19.99 and up; www bit version is so much more difficult MiniStation Extreme HD-PZU3 ($94.99
.lacie.com) measures less than 0.8 inches to crack that we recommend you stick and up; www.buffalotech.com). It sup-
long and barely sticks out beyond a with it when encrypting sensitive busi- ports hardware-based 256-bit AES
USB port, but this size advantage also ness files. encryption, uses military grade shock
makes it very easy to lose. The best and easiest way to do this absorbers to better survive falls, and is
Portable hard drives and flash drives is to purchase a device that has hard- powered through a USB port so you
are also vulnerable to water damage, so ware encryption built in, such as the don’t need to lug around a separate
look for models that are water-resistant Defender F200 Biometric Flash Drive power brick to use it.
and try not to drop them in puddles from Imation ($109 and up; www One downside to drives with in-
or forget them in your pocket and put .imation.com). This drive is FIPS 140-2 tegrated hardware encryption is that
them through the washer. Level 3 validated by the U.S. govern- hackers sometimes crack the en-
ment, meaning it uses approved en- cryption scheme, making all drives
HOW MUCH STORAGE cryption, is designed to show evidence that use it vulnerable to attack.
CAPACITY DO I NEED? of tampering, and can react to tam- Companies are generally quick to
It depends entirely on what you pering attempts by destroying critical patch these security holes, but you
plan to back up. Multimedia files, data. Unlike most secure drives it of- must apply those patches manually
such as videos and large music or fers two-factor user authentication, to keep your device safe from attack.
photo collections, can take up mul- requiring both a password and a fin- Check the manufacturer’s Web site
tiple gigabytes of storage space and gerprint scan before unlocking for every month or two to see if an up-
are best backed up to a portable hard access. Up to 10 fingerprints can be date is available so you can keep your
drive with a large capacity. If you’re stored, offering more convenient access drive up-to-date.
mainly backing up documents and for one user, or for you to authenticate
other critical business files, however, up to nine other people to use the de- CAN I USE AN EXISTING
even the lowest-capacity flash drive vice. Optionally, you can set it up to DRIVE THAT DOESN’T
will likely suffice. delete all stored data if a user fails to HAVE HARDWARE-BASED
You can figure out a ballpark es- enter the proper password and finger- ENCRYPTION TO SECURELY
timate of the capacity you’ll need print after a certain number of login STORE FILES?
by right-clicking files or folders you attempts. Imation recently acquired Flash drives with integrated hard-
plan to store on the portable device the secure storage portion of IronKey, ware encryption are also far more ex-
and clicking Properties. Write down a company known for making even pensive than flash drives without that
the file or folder sizes and total them more secure flash drives, so look for feature. A free alternative is TrueCrypt
up, bearing in mind that when it new features in Imation’s IronKey- (www.truecrypt.org), which can en-
comes to storage 1,024MB equal 1GB. branded products later this year. crypt the entire drive, meaning anyone
Get a device that has more capacity who finds it will need to crack your
than you need so you’ll have room password to access the files. The eas-
for future files. iest way to encrypt a drive is
to run the software, click
CAN ANYONE WHO GETS Create New Volume, se-
MY PORTABLE STORAGE lect the Encrypt A Non-
DEVICE ACCESS MY FILES? System Partition/Drive
Yes, unless you use some form of radio button, and follow
encryption. Encryption scrambles the the prompts, selecting
contents of files so that only using your portable drive during
the proper password can un- the process.
scramble and read them, For encrypting single files or
and the best form of this folders, we recommend AxCrypt
for consumer use is 256-bit (free; www.axantum.com). Once it
AES (Advanced Encryption is installed you can right-click any file
or folder and use the AxCrypt options
to encrypt it and then move the file or
Buffalo Technology’s MiniStation Extreme
folder to your portable drive, or encrypt
incorporates shock absorbers to better survive falls.
directly on the portable drive. ●
PC Today / December 2011 67
Resolving remote
network issues
often goes beyond
common fixes
you may have used to fix your Internet
connection. Fortunately, you can quickly
eliminate a number of possibilities using a
CLI (command-line interface; a text-based
command window that is a holdover from the
early days of computing), which is still avail-
able in Windows XP/Vista/7.
Solve Remote
Network Connection
A
Problems
ALL THESE SUGGESTIONS assume that other Internet-enabled devices use IP address or DNS name (examples
the network is up and operating. It an IP address (which is a string of would be ping 167.154.16.27 or ping
also assumes you are connected to four groups of numbers separated www.corporatenetwork.com). Press
the Internet. Before you proceed, by periods, such as 233.122.0.2) to ENTER. If you see a time-out message,
you’ll need to know how to open the uniquely identify themselves. You wait a few seconds. A time-out alert
CLI window. In WinXP, click Start, may have used this number to appears if the reply takes longer than
select Run, type CMD in the Open access a network login. This can a second.
field, and press ENTER. In Vista/ also be a Web address (called a host If the response indicates that the
Win7, click the Start button and type name) or DNS name to access a data packets were sent and received,
CMD into the Start Search field, and login. IP addresses and DNS names then your computer is exchanging data
then click the CMD icon that appears are interchangeable. With either, with the network address. You can skip
in the results. a ping command can determine to “Get Connected” to set up a dedicated
whether the computer and network connection and edit settings. If you’ve
PING IT can exchange basic data. been accessing the site via a Web ad-
All Internet or network hosts, From the command line window, dress, go to the “Look It Up” section
computers, routers, and numerous type ping followed by a space and the before heading to “Get Connected.”
If you can send data packets but Obtaining the DNS name and IP address The point at which a route trace
Key none are returned, it generally
means the network is refusing to
and comparing access times between the
two can determine whether Windows is
hangs can help you determine
where your request for network
Points acknowledge your request. experiencing DNS resolution issues. attention is being disrupted.
68 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
BUSINESS TRAVEL 911
ON-THE-GO TECH SUPPORT
If you receive a response that con- that begin with Name: and Address: Connections and then select Create
tains something about a nonexistent do- (ignore aliases). If you are checking an A Connection To The Network At Your
main, you are likely using the wrong IP IP address, the DNS name should help Workplace. In Vista/Win7, click Con-
address or DNS name to log in. Double- confirm it. If you recognize nothing, trol Panel on the Start menu and click
check the address and try to connect contact the network administrator to Network And Internet (in Category
normally. (If you are logging in with an confirm the IP address. view), then Network And Sharing
IP address, skip to “Look It Up” for a If you are using a DNS name, Win- Center. Click Set Up A Connection Or
quick way to check its validity.) dows may be having a problem with Network (Vista) or Set Up A New Con-
If you do receive a transmission DNS name resolu- nection Or Network
error, then the ping data is not leav- tion (translating the under Change Your
ing your PC. Your firewall is likely DNS name into an Network Settings
blocking you from accessing the net- IP address). Perform
Tracing the path (Win7). Select Connect
work. You will want to add the site to two pings from the data packets take To A Workplace, then
your firewall as an allowed exception same command line going to the Use My Internet Con-
(refer to your firewall’s help docu- window, first using nection. (Vista/Win7
mentation for these instructions) and the DNS name you
network will help offers smart card as
try again. wrote down and then pinpoint problems. a connection option,
If you receive a response after an using the IP address. but we won’t discuss
excessive number of time-outs, the Compare the access that here.)
network’s response to your connec- times and packets you sent and Select Virtual Private Network
tion may be slow and your browser received. If there is a big differ- Connection, name the connection, and
or other network access utility may be ence in behaviors pinging the DNS provide the host (DNS) name or IP
giving up before it connects. Lengthen name vs. the IP address, skip to address. If you are asked if you would
the response time by adding a -t “Get Connected.” like to dial a connection, click No (un-
switch (ping -t followed by the IP ad- less you only have dial-up Internet)
dress or DNS name). This will ping TRACE THE ROUTE and click Finish (WinXP) or Connect
the address indefinitely. After a dozen Tracing the path data packets take (Vista/Win7). The OS will attempt
pings, press CTRL-Break to view the going to the network will help pin- to connect you without configuring
packet data. If there is no response point problems. From the command any settings. If this solution does not
yet, continue awhile longer, and then line window, type tracert followed by a work, or if you are using WinXP, pro-
press CTRL-C. If you never get a space and the DNS name or IP address, ceed with the following instructions.
response or the number of pings and press ENTER. Lines will appear Return to the Network Connections
to get a response is considerable, with access times and IP addresses.The window in WinXP or the Network
skip to the “Trace the Route” section final few hops should show domain and Sharing Center in Vista/Win7
for assistance. names—the last one being your net- and click the option to manage net-
If you get a message saying the work. This is the route—and the time work connections. Right-click your
ping request couldn’t find the host the trip is taking—between nodes on VPN network icon and select Prop-
or the response indicates the number the Internet. erties. Next, click the Networking tab,
of data packets sent is zero, the net- If an early hop takes a long time or click Internet Protocol (in Vista/Win7,
work is not acknowledging your causes the trace to hang (a flood of time- you will need to do this for TCP/IP
ping. Changes to the network or con- outs), contact your ISP. If you reach V4 and TCP/IP V6), and then click
figuration may be preventing access. many hops before things go awry, the Properties. Override automatic con-
You’ll want to contact the network problem may be with a gateway or figuration and provide the exact IP
administrator for further assistance. router at or near the location of the re- address and DNS names for the net-
mote network. Check with the network work. Exit the Properties interface,
LOOK IT UP administrator for assistance. right-click the VPN icon, and click
You can look up a DNS name from Connect. Provide your login informa-
an IP address and vice versa. From GET CONNECTED tion if prompted.
the command line window, type ns- Setting up a direct VPN connection If you can’t connect, then Windows
lookup followed by a space and either gives you a dedicated login interface can provide assistance, but you may
the DNS name or the IP address and and lets you avert DNS issues. need more advanced configuration
press ENTER. To set up the connection in WinXP, information. You will need to con-
Write down the DNS name and nu- select Control Panel on the Start tact the network administrator for de-
meric sequence you see in the lines menu. Click Network And Internet tailed information. ●
Packing a punch during live presentations
is a great way
to advance your
career or grow your
small business.
However, if you’re like most mobile
professionals, you probably don’t have
a whole lot of time to explore Microsoft
Office PowerPoint 2007’s features.
PowerPoint In
A Pinch
N NEVER FEAR. We explore a few tips
and tricks that will help you get up
to speed and fine-tune your Power-
Point skills.
THE RIBBON
As in other Office 2007 applica-
tions, in PowerPoint 2007, the Rib-
bon replaces the menu bar used in
previous versions. The Ribbon’s pur-
pose is to keep similar commands
grouped under each tabbed head-
ing. Every time you click a tab, such
as Insert or Design, the commands
and buttons logically related to that
topic appear. Even though this is an
If the interface is too cluttered
for your taste, or if you simply want
more room to work on-screen, you
can minimize the Ribbon when not
in use. To do this, right-click any
Ribbon tab and choose Minimize
The Ribbon in the context menu.
To restore tab options, right-click
any Ribbon tab again and deselect
Minimize The Ribbon. Alternately,
you can double-click any active tab to
minimize the Ribbon. When you want
temporary access to Ribbon options,
click the tab that has the commands
and features you need. To restore
the Ribbon again, you can double-
in Normal view. This lets you see a
transition style before deciding
whether to apply it to your slide.
To do this, you want to display the
slide in Normal view and click the
Animations tab. Then rest your mouse
pointer over the animation styles shown
in the Transition To This Slide section.
When you find a transition you like,
click it, and then Power-Point applies
the transition to your slide.
If you don’t care for the initial
styles on the Ribbon, you can use the
up or down scroll arrows at the right
of the last transition effect to view
additional options. Each time you
efficient setup, it may take some get- click any tab. And if you prefer to click the scroll arrow, for example,
ting used to if you are accustomed to use your keyboard to toggle between PowerPoint displays another row of
using PowerPoint 2003. It may help the Ribbon’s minimized and restored slide animations.
you to look at the features and com- states, press CTRL-F1. Fast. In addition to setting an animation
mands under each categorized tab for the slide, you can choose a sound
like the submenus in the older ver- SET SLIDE TRANSITIONS to play during the slide transition. With
sions of PowerPoint, only somewhat You can preview slide transitions the Animations tab still selected, click
more intuitive. even while you’re working with a slide the Transition Sound drop-down menu
70 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
BUSINESS TRAVEL 911
ON-THE-GO TECH SUPPORT
Click the you can choose a different view, such
Animations tab as the Slide Sorter or Slide Show, as
to view slide the default view. Click the Microsoft
transitions and Office button and choose PowerPoint
special effects. Options. Click Advanced in the Power-
Point Options dialog box. Next, click
the Open All Documents Using This
View button in the Display section
and then choose a view from the Open
All menu under Display. Click OK to
close the dialog box.
USE ZOOM EFFECTIVELY
You can magnify or shrink the dis-
play of your slide in Normal view by
clicking the Zoom Out or Zoom In but-
➤➤ QUICK
to display a list of animation sounds. tons (indicated by the minus and plus
ACCESS TOOLBAR
Next, rest your mouse pointer on any signs, respectively, at the lower-right
➤ PowerPoint 2007 has a Quick of the sound effects on the list, and corner of the work area). Each click of
Access Toolbar, which includes PowerPoint will play the sound. your mouse decreases or increases the
tools that are independent from You can also set the speed at slide’s display by 10%, depending on
the Ribbon. Move or customize which the animation displays by the zoom button you select, of course.
this toolbar to fit your work style. clicking the Transition Speed drop- For more control over the zoom level,
down menu and then choosing Slow, you can drag the Zoom slider to
➤ The toolbar is located in the Medium, or Fast. achieve the desired view. To redisplay
upper-left corner of PowerPoint. the entire slide, click the Fit Slide To
To move it closer to your work CHANGE YOUR VIEW Current Window button next to the
area, click the down arrow at the Just as in previous PowerPoint Zoom In button.
right of the toolbar to access the versions, PowerPoint 2007 includes
Customize Quick Access Toolbar a variety of views, each designed to DISPLAY OPTIONS
menu, and then choose Show help you work with your presenta- If you’re itching to jazz up your
Below The Ribbon. If you decide tion in a specific manner. To quickly PowerPoint’s interface, you can con-
later that the new location en- change the view, you trol and customize its
croaches too much into your work can click the Normal, look on your display.
area, open the menu again and Slide Sorter, or Slide If you’re itching For example, to change
choose Show Above The Ribbon. Show buttons located in the blue color scheme,
the lower-right corner
to jazz up your simply click the Micro-
➤ You can add commands to the of the work area. PowerPoint’s soft Office button, click
Quick Access Toolbar by opening PowerPoint also in- interface, you can PowerPoint Options,
the drop-down menu and choos- cludes other built-in and select Popular in
ing a command. Because many methods for changing
control and cus- the PowerPoint Options
of the commands on this menu slide view. You can tomize its look on dialog box. Next, click
are toggles, you can remove a double-click a slide in your display. the Color Scheme drop-
command from the toolbar simply Slide Sorter view to down menu and choose
by deselecting any option you quickly display it in Silver or Black for the
don’t want. Normal view, and you can press F5 interface. Click OK to accept the change.
to launch a slideshow. To access For more display settings, click
➤ If the command you want more view options—maybe you want Advanced in the PowerPoint Options
doesn’t appear on the list, choose to use the Notes Page view, turn on dialog box and select from the options
the More Commands option to the ruler, or see your slide in gray- in the Display area. You can choose to
open the PowerPoint Options dia- scale—just click the View tab on show all Windows in the Taskbar, dis-
log box. Select the command you the Ribbon. play shortcut keys in the ScreenTips, or
want from the list at the left, click By default, PowerPoint presenta- turn the vertical ruler on or off. Click
the Add button, and click OK. tions open in Normal view. However, OK when you finish. ●
PC Today / December 2011 71
What should
you do when your
smartphone decides
to play dead?
Resist the urge to throw it against
the nearest wall and try one of
these techniques instead.
Revive A Dead
Smartphone
A SOFT RESET
ALL PHONES HAVE A soft reset func-
tion, which is similar to restarting your
computer. Beware that performing a
soft reset will cause you to lose any
data that isn’t saved, but you will re-
tain information previously stored on
your smartphone.
➤ Motorola Backflip. Power the
phone off. Remove and reinsert
the battery, then power the phone
back on.
➤ Android (Other). All remaining
Android models use a simple power
➤ BlackBerry (SureType key-
board). Press the ALT-CAP and Right
Shift-DEL keys. When the screen goes
blank, release the keys.
➤ BlackBerry (touchscreen). Turn the
BlackBerry off and remove the battery
for at least 30 seconds. Reinstall the
battery and turn the device back on.
➤ iPhone (all models). Press and hold
the Sleep/Wake button and the Home
button. Hold both buttons until the
screen goes blank. The white Apple logo
appears as the iPhone reboots.
then select Soft Reset. If it is locked or
frozen, hold the power button and cycle
the ringer button on and off three times.
If that doesn’t work, press and hold the
Orange, Sym, and R keys until the de-
vice reboots. Turn the phone off, remove
the battery for 10 seconds, reinstall the
battery, and power the phone up.
➤ All other smartphones. You can gen-
erally perform a soft reset by powering
the phone off, removing the battery for
30 seconds, and powering the phone
back on.
HARD RESET
cycle to perform a soft reset. Just turn ➤ Nokia (all models). Power the phone A hard reset is a last-ditch option
the phone off and then back on again. off and remove the battery for 30 sec- that returns your phone to its factory
onds. Reinstall the battery and power settings, which means you will lose all
➤ BlackBerry (QWERTY key- the phone on. Alternately, you can enter data and installed applications. Before
board). Press and hold the ALT-CAP- the code *#7380# and select Yes. you perform a hard reset, remove the
DEL key combination. The display memory card from your phone; that
goes black for a second and your ➤ Palm Pre. If the phone’s menus are way you can recover data from the
BlackBerry resets. active, select Device Info, Reset Options, card later.
72 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
BUSINESS TRAVEL 911
ON-THE-GO TECH SUPPORT
➤ AT&T TerreStar GENUS. With the screen. Select the Back Up My Data and then Security Wipe. Select all three
device turned off, press the red power option. When the backup is complete, of the available checkboxes to perform
key. When the TerreStar logo appears, return to the Settings screen and select a complete wipe and reset the device
press and hold the E-Power keys until Privacy and Factory Data Reset. When to factory condition. Type the word
a green checkmark appears in the prompted, tap Reset Phone, then tap BlackBerry and click Wipe.
lower-left corner. Release all keys. The Erase Everything.
device will power up and perform a ➤ HTC Arrive, HD7, Surround.
factory reset. ➤ T-Mobile G2x. If possible, back up Press Start and tap the right-facing
- arrow. Tap Settings, About, and then
➤ Android (all models with func- lecting Privacy from the Settings screen. tap Reset Your Phone. Tap Yes, and
tioning menu systems). One of the Select the Back Up My Data option. then tap Yes again. If the screen is
following menu-based systems for per- When the backup is complete, power off frozen, turn the device off. Press and
forming a hard reset should work, de- the phone. Press and hold the Power/ hold the Volume Up-Down buttons
pending on the phone and version of Lock-Volume Down keys for at least 15 and briefly press the Power key.
Android. Open the application menu. seconds. The phone should turn back on When the screen dis-plays instruc-
Tap Settings, SD and Card Storage, and perform a factory reset. If the screen tions for resetting the device, release
Factory Data Reset, and follow the on- the Volume Up-Down buttons.
screen instructions. on, remove the battery, wait 30 seconds,
then reinstall the battery and try again. ➤ iPhone (all models). From the
to tap Menu, Settings, Privacy, and
Factory Data Reset, and then follow ➤ Motorola Droid. Turn the phone Reset, and Reset All Settings. This
the on-screen instructions. off. Press and hold the Power-X keys action resets all preferences but re-
to force the phone into recovery mode. tains applications and data. If that
to tap Menu, Settings, Security, and Next, press and hold the Volume Up-
Factory Data Reset, and then follow Camera key, select Wipe Data/Factory tap Settings, General, Reset, Erase All
the on-screen instructions. Reset, and then select Reboot Phone. Content, and Settings. This will delete
all data and applications and return
- ➤ Motorola Droid Pro, Droid 2 Glob- the iPhone to factory conditions.
tional, follow these phone-specific op- al. Select Settings, Privacy, and Fac-
tions to perform a hard reset. tory Data Reset. When prompted, tap ➤ Nokia (all models). With your
Reset Phone to erase all data and return phone powered on or in standby
➤ Dell Venue. With the device turned the phone to factory conditions. mode, type *#7370# and select Yes,
off, press and hold the Volume Up and when prompted. You may need your
Volume Down buttons. Without re- ➤ Motorola Backflip. Power the phone Lock Code for confirmation. The de-
leasing the buttons, press and hold the off. Press and hold the Power and fault lock code is 12345. If your phone
Power button. When the device configu- Camera buttons. When the phone turns
ration screen appears, release all buttons. on, release the Power button but con- Off button, *, and 3 simultaneously.
Use the Volume Up or Down button to tinue to hold the camera button until
move to Factory Reset. Press the Camera prompted to release it. Next, press the ➤ Microsoft Windows Phone 7 (all
button to select the Factory Reset option Volume Down button. After 15 seconds, models). Press Start and tap the right-
and start the reset process. a yellow triangle with an exclamation facing arrow. Tap Settings, About, and
point will appear. With your phone Reset Your Phone. Tap Yes, and then
➤ Google Nexus One, Nexus S. Turn closed, tap the bottom-right corner tap Yes again.
the phone off. Press and hold Volume of the display and select Wipe Data/
Down while you press and release the Factory Reset. Press OK and follow the ➤ Palm Pre. Open Device Info, tap
Power button. Use the Volume Down on-screen instructions. Phone Reset Options, and then tap
button to select Clear Storage from the Full Erase twice. If your Palm Pre
list of options. Press the Power button, ➤ BlackBerry (all models). Remove the is frozen, and you are unable to use
and confirm your selection by pressing battery for 30 seconds. Reinstall the bat- the menus to perform a reset, try
the Volume Up button. tery and turn the phone back on. running the latest version of webOS
Doctor (ws.palm.com/webosdoctor
➤ T-Mobile Comet. If possible, back ➤ BlackBerry Style, Bold, Storm, /sorry.htm) to troubleshoot and
Curve, Tour, Torch. Click the Options reset the device. Then follow the on-
selecting Privacy from the Settings screen instructions. ●
PC Today / December 2011 73
BUSINESS TRAVEL 911
ON-THE-GO TECH SUPPORT
The
Traveler’s
911 Directory
AIRLINES ➤Frontier Airlines
➤Air Canada www.frontierairlines.com
www.aircanada.com Reservations (800) 432-1359
mobile.aircanada.ca Customer relations
Information and reservations (800) 265-5505
(888) 247-2262 ➤JetBlue Airways
Baggage information www.jetblue.com
(888) 689-2247 mobile.jetblue.com
➤American Airlines (800) 538-2583
www.aa.com; mobile.aa.com ➤Lufthansa
Reservations (800) 433-7300 www.lufthansa.com
TDD (800) 543-1586 mobile.lufthansa.com
Flight information Information and reservations
(800) 223-5436 (800) 399-5838
Baggage delayed less than five ➤Southwest Airlines
days (800) 535-5225 www.southwest.com
Ticket refund requests mobile.southwest.com
(918) 254-3777 (800) 435-9792
➤British Airways TDD (800) 533-1305
www.britishairways.com ➤Spirit Airlines
ba2go.com (mobile) www.spiritair.com
Information and reservations (800) 772-7117
(800) 247-9297 ➤United Airlines
➤Continental Airlines www.united.com
www.continental.com www.ua2go.com (mobile)
pda.continental.com Reservations (800) 864-8331
Reservations to U.S. and Mexico International reservations
destinations (800) 523-3273 (800) 538-2929
Reservations to international TDD (800) 323-0170
destinations (800) 231-0856 ➤US Airways
TDD (800) 343-9195 www.usairways.com
Flight information Reservations to U.S. and Canada
(800) 784-4444 destinations (800) 428-4322
Baggage information Reservations to international
(800) 335-2247 destinations (800) 622-1015
OnePass frequent flyer TDD (800) 245-2966
assistance (713) 952-1630 Customer service
➤Delta Air Lines (800) 943-5436
www.delta.com
mobile.delta.com VEHICLE RENTALS
Reservations ➤Advantage Rent A Car
(800) 221-1212 www.advantage.com
Flight information Reservations (866) 661-2722 or
(800) 325-1999 (210) 344-4712 outside the U.S.
Baggage information Customer service
(800) 325-8224 (800) 777-5524
SkyMiles members ➤Alamo Rent A Car
(800) 323-2323 www.alamo.com
74 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
B U SINESS TRAVEL 911
ON-THE-GO TECH SUPPORT
(800) 462-5266 ➤Hotwire ➤Hilton Hotels
TDD (800) 522-9292 www.hotwire.com www.hilton.com
➤Avis (866) 468-9473 hilton.mobi
www.avis.com OCS (Overseas Citizens (800) 445-8667
mobile.avis.com Services) traveler’s hotline ➤Holiday Inn
Reservations (800) 331-1212 (202) 647-5225 or www.holidayinn.com
TDD (800) 331-2323 (888) 407-4747 mobile.holidayinn.com
Customer service After-hours emergencies (888) 465-4329
(800) 352-7900 (202) 647-4000 ➤Holiday Inn Express
➤Budget Rent A Car System ➤Orbitz www.hiexpress.com
www.budget.com www.orbitz.com mobile.hiexpress.com
mobile.budget.com mobile.orbitz.com (888) 465-4329
Reservations in the U.S. (888) 656-4546 ➤Homewood Suites
(800) 527-0700 ➤Priceline www.homewoodsuites.com
Reservations outside the U.S. www.priceline.com homewoodsuites.mobi
(800) 472-3325 priceline.mobi (800) 225-5466
TDD (800) 826-5510 (800) 774-2354 ➤Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Roadside assistance ➤Travelocity www.hyatt.com
(800) 354-2847 www.travelocity.com (888) 591-1234
Customer service mobile.travelocity.com TDD (800) 228-9548
(800) 214-6094 (888) 872-8356 Hyatt Place (888) 492-8847
➤Dollar Rent A Car Hyatt Summerfield Suites
www.dollar.com HOTELS (866) 974-9288
Reservations (800) 800-3665 ➤Candlewood Suites ➤Marriott
Reservations outside the U.S. www.candlewoodsuites.com www.marriott.com
(800) 800-6000 mobile.candlewoodsuites.com marriott.mobi
TDD (800) 232-3301 (888) 226-3539 (888) 236-2427
24-hour roadside assistance ➤Chase Suite Hotels ➤Park Plaza
(800) 235-9393 www.woodfinsuitehotels.com www.parkplaza.com
➤Enterprise Rent-A-Car (800) 966-3346 (800) 777-1700
www.enterprise.com ➤Choice Hotels International ➤Radisson Hotels & Resorts
Reservations (800) 261-7331 (Cambria Suites, Comfort Inn, www.radisson.com
TDD (866) 534-9270 Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, (888) 201-1718
➤Hertz Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay ➤Ramada Worldwide
www.hertz.com Suites, Suburban Extended www.ramada.com
hertz.mobi Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, (800) 272-6232
Reservations (800) 654-3131 and Rodeway Inn) ➤Renaissance Hotels
Reservations outside the U.S. www.choicehotels.com & Resorts
(800) 654-3001 (877) 424-6423 www.renaissancehotel.com
TDD (800) 654-2280 ➤Courtyard Hotels (888) 236-2427
Extend rental (800) 654-4174 www.courtyard.com ➤Residence Inn
Billing information courtyard.mobi www.residenceinn.com
(800) 654-4173 (888) 236-2427 residenceinn.mobi
Customer relations ➤Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts (888) 236-2427
(888) 777-6095 www.crowneplaza.com ➤Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts
➤National Car Rental mobile.crowneplaza.com www.ritzcarlton.com
www.nationalcar.com (877) 227-6963 (800) 542-8680
(800) 227-7368 ➤DoubleTree Hotels ➤Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
TDD (800) 328-6323 www.doubletree.com www.sheraton.com
➤Payless Car Rental doubletree.mobi (800) 325-3535
www.paylesscarrental.com (800) 222-8733 ➤Staybridge Suites
(800) 729-5377 ➤Embassy Suites Hotels www.staybridge.com
➤Thrifty Car Rental www.embassysuites.com mobile.staybridge.com
www.thrifty.com embassysuites.mobi (877) 238-8889
Reservations (800) 847-4389 (800) 362-2779 ➤Westin Hotels & Resorts
Emergency (877) 283-0898 ➤Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts www.westin.com
www.fourseasons.com (800) 937-8461
TRAVEL SERVICES mobile.fourseasons.com ➤Wingate Inns
➤AAA (800) 819-5053 www.wingateinns.com
www.aaa.com ➤Hampton Inn Hotels & Suites (800) 228-1000
aaa.mobi www.hamptoninn.com ➤Woodfin Suite Hotels
Roadside assistance hamptoninn.mobi www.woodfinsuitehotels.com
(800) 222-4357 (800) 426-7866 (800) 966-3346
➤Expedia ➤Hawthorn Suites ➤Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
www.expedia.com www.hawthorn.com www.wyndham.com
(800) 397-3342 (800) 527-1133 (877) 999-3223
PC Today / December 2011 75
HAPPY TRAILS
Intriguing Gear, New & Around The Bend
THE IPHONE 4S HAS MORE ENHANCEMENTS A DEDICATED
THAN MEETS THE EYE NOTE-TAKING DEVICE
➤ At first glance, you might not notice a difference between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. They ➤ The Boogie Board Rip LCD Writing Tablet from Improv
have the same design and Retina display and many of the same apps and tools, such as FaceTime, Electronics (www.improvelectronics.com) is built for taking
AirPrint, AirPlay, and more. But the 4S has a few new features that set it apart from its predecessor. handwritten notes. It has a 9.5-inch LCD writing surface that’s
For one, it features iCloud support, so you can access photos, apps, emails, documents, and more. pressure-sensitive for added detail and a stylus designed to be
It sports the new and feature-rich iOS 5 as well as an improved 8MP camera capable of 1080p HD both comfortable and accurate. Use the stylus to write down re-
video recording. minders and notes or use it to draw pictures and diagrams. Press
But perhaps the most interesting new feature the iPhone 4S offers is Siri, the personal assistant the Save button and the Boogie Board automatically saves your
software that you can literally have a conversation with. When you need to set up meetings, make notes as a PDF you can transfer to your computer via micro USB
phone calls, and send messages, tell Siri where you need to go or what you need to do. Then the for reading, editing, and sharing. When you’re done, press the
software will answer you and open the correct app for that specific task. The iPhone 4S is available erase button and start all over. The Boogie Board Rip is available
in black or white models and in 16GB ($199), 32GB ($299), and 64GB ($399) capacities. for $129.99 and can hold up to 200 saved images.
76 December 2011 / www.pctoday.com
LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE GIFT FOR THE HOLIDAYS?
Certified Piedmontese Beef
The unique, delicious beef preferred by
chefs—less fat, less cholesterol, but
with more taste and tenderness.
Now available for purchase online! See back cover for details.
www.piedmontese.com
UNIQUE & FLAVORFUL, TENDER BEEF THAT’S BETTER FOR YOU.
Certified Piedmontese Beef
NATURALLY LEAN, NATURALLY TENDER
Certified Piedmontese is healthier than traditional beef. Low in fat, low in cholesterol,
it’s unique: lean and nutritious, but still tender and juicy. It’s not magic and it’s not
artificial, it’s nature at its best: Certified Piedmontese Beef comes from naturally lean
and naturally tender Piedmontese cattle. Originating in the Piedmont region of Italy,
Certified Piedmontese cattle are now naturally raised in the U.S. by family ranchers.
Piedmontese cattle are still relatively rare in the U.S., and that’s part of what makes
Certified Piedmontese unique. Nowhere else will you find beef this lean that’s also this
tender.
BY THE NUMBERS
Just how much healthier is Certified Piedmontese? Studies show that Piedmontese beef
delivers significantly more omega fatty acids than traditional beef, more omega fatty acids
even than skinless chicken breasts. In fact, Certified Piedmontese beef is similar to salmon
in terms of omega fatty acids, but with the delicious taste of juicy Prime beef. Certified
Piedmontese beef also contains significantly less saturated fat than conventional beef and
more polyunsaturated fats—the good kinds of fats—than typical USDA samples. And
calories? Piedmontese beef not only has fewer calories than conventional beef—it actually
has fewer calories than roasted chicken.
NATURAL FOODS, NATURALLY RAISED
Certified Piedmontese cattle are humanely raised, and are never given additives or
steroids. Simply put, raising good, healthy food doesn’t require drugs and additives. What
cattle need are fresh air, clean water, good food, room to range, and humane treatment—
and with Certified Piedmontese Beef, that’s what they get.
CERTIFIED PIEDMONTESE BEEF:
TENDER & NUTRITIOUS
What you get is unique premium beef with unique, premium benefits in both taste and
nutrition. Certified Piedmontese is lean and healthier than conventional beef, but also
tender and juicy. Delicious-tasting beef that’s better for you. Now that’s unique.
Now available for purchase online! See back cover for details.
www.piedmontese.com
FLAVORFUL & JUICY, IT’S THE LEAN, TENDER BEEF THAT’S BETTER FOR YOU.
Certified Piedmontese Beef
NOW THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE.
Now you can order naturally lean, naturally tender Certified Piedmontese Beef online. Just go to
www.piedmontese.com and select a unique, perfect gift for that special friend, family member, or colleague.
(And while you’re at it, go ahead and order some for yourself. You deserve good
taste and good nutrition too.)
LEAN & TENDER
CERTIFIED
PIEDMONTESE
BEEF
Why be satisfied with the same old
gift that everyone gives? This year,
give something unique: Certified
Piedmontese is nutritious and
delicious, lean yet tender. The
favorite of chefs, it’s the unique
combination of good taste and
good nutrition. And now you can
order it online, from the comfort
of your home or office.
For more information, see page 77. www.piedmontese.com
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