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- NEW! —SharePoint Customization Best Practices
- NEW! —How to Use Workflows in SharePoint
- NEW! — Ten Things You Should Know About SharePoint 2010
- NEW! — SharePoint 2010 - Ten Tips for Creating a Collaborative Framework for Your Company
- NEW! — SharePoint 2010 - Better Ways to Manage Content
- NEW! — Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 - What's New and What's Changed
- SharePoint 2010: A Preview of Microsoft's Premier Collaboration Tool
- Using Microsoft SharePoint for Project Management
- What is SharePoint & What Can It Do For Your Business?
- Utilizing SharePoint to Automate a Paperless Office
- NEW! —Microsoft SQL Server 2012: What to Expect
- NEW! —Sysinternals: Free Windows Server 2008 Utilities You Should Know About
- NEW! — Microsoft and the Cloud: 5 Essential Things to Know
- NEW! — Getting Started with Master Data Services
- NEW! — Public Folders in Exchange Server 2010: What You Should Know
- NEW! — Restoring Data with Database Snapshots
- NEW! — Speeding Up File Transfers in Windows® 7
- Introduction to Server 2008: Group Policy Preferences
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: New Features
- Hyper-V R2: What's New?
- Why Windows 7 is Better Than Vista
- White Paper: Windows Vista Security - Bit Locker
- White Paper: Windows Server 2008 - The Read Only Domain Controller
- Independent vs. Certified Product Training
- Understanding the Windows 7 Deployment Tools
- NEW! —14 Common Virtualization Mistakes – And How to Avoid Them
- NEW! —Virtualization 101
- NEW! —VMware View 5: What’s New?
- NEW! —Five Arguments Against Virtualization – and Why They Wrong
- NEW! —10 Ways To Save with Desktop Virtualization
- NEW! —Top 10 Things System Administrators Need to Know About Virtualization
- NEW! —User Virtualization: What It Is and How It Can Save You Money
- NEW! — The Network Manager Checklist for Cloud
- NEW! — Building Virtualization-Optimized Data Center Networks
- NEW! — Cloud Computing: What It Is and What It Can Do for You
- NEW! — The Cloud: Promises and Realities
- NEW! — Understanding Data Centers and Cloud Computing
- Comparing Free Virtualization Products
- NEW! —Four Steps to Creating a Mobile Development Strategy
- An SI, Inc. White Paper: Perspectives: Straw House
- An SI, Inc. White Paper: Scan Your Source Code To Locate Weak Spots Early
- An SI, Inc. White Paper: Designing Security in a Five-Step Action Plan to More Secure Software
- An SI, Inc. White Paper: Application Security by Design
- Beware of Frankensteins - Part I: Expensive to Maintain; Hard to Replace
- Beware of Frankensteins - Part II: Avoidance Through Best Practices & Quality-of-Match
- New Thinking for New Realities - The Responsible Forward Edge
- Story Driven Acceptance Testing
- The ABCs of ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning for the Mid-Sized Business
- The Importance of Contextual Design
- Top 5 Pitfalls for SOA
- Using Automated Tests to Document Software Architectures
- Writing Music in Java
- NEW! — Designing Network for Rich Media Communications
- NEW! — Accelerated Networks Drive Better Business Outcomes
- NEW! — Data Center Cooling Best Practices
- NEW! — The Difference Between Data Centers and Computer Rooms
- Networking Fundamentals Reference Manual
- Setting Up a Secure Wireless Network
- Troubleshooting Wireless Networks
- Voice Services and Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) - Is it for you?
- White paper: Controlling Outbound Internet Access by Use of a Proxy and Firewall
- White paper: Internetworking with Bridges
- White paper: IP Subnetting
- White paper: LAN Addressing
- NEW! — Hacking Back in Self-Defense: Is it Legal? Should it Be?
- NEW! — Ten New Topics on Security+ 2011
- NEW! — Ten Current Security Threats for Individuals
- NEW! — Ten Essential Security Policies
- Security on a Budget
- Ten Ways Hackers Breach Security
- 10 Security Concerns for Cloud Computing
- Social Engineering
- Best Practices for VPN Security
- Fine Grain Password Policies
- An SI, Inc. White Paper: 19 Attacks for Exploiting (all) Applications
- ePrivacy in the Modern Age
- SI, Inc. and ASPE’s Joint Security Application Curriculum
- NEW! —13 Skills Every IT Pro Should Have
- SQL Server Performance Tuning for DBAs
- Training in the Virtual Environment
Virtualization 101
What exactly is virtualization and how can it help your company? The term ‘virtualization’ can be applied to many aspects of an IT infrastructure: applications, networks, storage, hardware, and end-users. In this white paper, we’ll look at what makes virtualization so compelling to companies in terms of efficiencies, improved resource utilization, cost reductions, and automation, to name a few. We’ll also address the ways in which virtualization optimizes the performance of servers, desktops, applications, and users.
Complete the short form to download the quick tips
VMware View 5: What’s New?
VMware View 5 leverages many of the improvements present in vSphere 5 from a virtual machine perspective. The central focus on View 5 appears to be in improving the end user’s experience to near-native, allowing for greater flexibility in both how the virtual desktops are presented and in the actual capabilities within these desktops. These changes include enhancing the performance of the PC over IP protocol (PCoIP) to connect users to their virtual desktops, allowing much greater optimization on throttling and caching than there was in the previous version.
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Five Arguments Against Virtualization – and Why They Wrong
There are many misconceptions about virtualization and its effect on applications and the existing infrastructure. Most of these misconceptions are the result of bad information, not enough information, or simply preconceived notions that are not founded in reality. This white paper will separate some of the fact from fiction on five of the biggest arguments against virtualization.
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10 Ways To Save with Desktop Virtualization
The purpose of this white paper is not to discuss what desktop virtualization is (in much detail anyway), how it differs from server
virtualization, the pros and cons of it, etc. Rather, this paper is designed to review how desktop virtualization can save you money. Some of these
points will be more applicable to one situation, company, etc., than another, but the idea is to stimulate and encourage thought about the
technology and its use. For the purposes of this white paper, desktop virtualization is discussed in the context of VMware vSphere and VMware
View, though many of the concepts apply to other desktop and/or server virtualization platforms as well.
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Top 10 Things System Administrators Need to Know About Virtualization
Today, we are experiencing one of the greatest paradigm shifts that computing has seen yet: virtualization. We are quickly moving away from thinking about a “one operating system per one server” model to one that says “how many operating systems can we place on a single server?” This single but monumental change in datacenter design can be very difficult for system administrators to grasp. The purpose of this white paper is to offer a high-level description of the top 10 things about virtualization every system administrator (sysadmin) needs to know; regardless whether you’re just dipping your toes in the virtualization pool or are already in the deep end. And, in the best David Letterman tradition, we’ll start with number 10.
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User Virtualization: What It Is and How It Can Save You Money
In the area of virtualization, the marketplace features numerous products and approaches, and the list continues to grow. Dividing today’s data center into distinct layers (i.e., server, OS, application, and user) is a direct outgrowth of the virtualization trend. Administrators have achieved greater workplace productivity by addressing each layer individually. In these terms, user virtualization is the newest approach that promises to provide greater end user flexibility and workplace productivity. This white paper explores key aspects of user virtualization and answers a number of questions related to its functionality and promise in the workplace.
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14 Common Virtualization Mistakes – And How to Avoid Them
Virtualization offers some tantalizing potential: cost savings, equipment consolidation, and enhanced IT infrastructure capability. But once you have surmounted the toughest task - getting a “yes” from all the people involved to start slowly migrating your physical server environments to virtual environments - you need to know the common mistakes that are made by most people going from a physical to virtual environment. This white paper will help you with the basics and common issues that you will find.
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13 Skills Every IT Pro Should Have
No matter which IT field you’re working in, there are several skills that are useful for every IT professional to know. Here, seven experienced IT professionals working in the networking, programming, project management, and security fields share what they believe are the most important skills that every IT pro should have.
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Four Steps to Creating a Mobile Development Strategy
Companies now have a window of opportunity to think about how mobile can transform their business as radically as the web did. By making mobile a part of their overall digital strategy companies can transform their relationships with their customers in even greater ways than they did with the web.
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SharePoint Customization Best Practices
SharePoint is the premier document management technology currently available. From the standpoint of IT professionals, it’s a set of products that work together to provide solutions to numerous business requirements. In this paper, we are going to tackle a subject that has raised many questions and an equally large number of answers. How do we customize our SharePoint environment, and what is the best solution? We define the various types of customization available in SharePoint and discuss how each of these customization elements can be implemented.
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How to Use Workflows in SharePoint
Most people are familiar with the sharing and collaboration capabilities in SharePoint, but few take advantage of features that can simplify and enforce business rules. These capabilities are normally implemented through the use of workflows and, while they can be complex, most workflow solutions are quite simple. In this white paper, we will discuss how SharePoint workflows work and how you can implement them to improve existing business processes. We will look at the existing predefined workflows that come with SharePoint and you will see how to create your own using the SharePoint Designer.
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Microsoft SQL Server 2012: What to Expect
In this white paper, we focus on the three underlying themes categorizing the SQL Server 2012 release. We will explore just some of the new features under each theme to give a feel for the capabilities the new release. Other features, while too numerous to describe here, are documented on the Microsoft website. You can also download a pre-release version of the software or Community Technology Preview (CTP) from the same location. In the meantime, this 7-page overview will cover the most important points you should be aware of when looking at SQL Server 2012.
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Sysinternals: Free Windows Server 2008 Utilities You Should Know About
Sysinternals and Winternals were valuable freeware sites offering all sorts of great free tools for admins working in a Windows environment. Many network admins and PC support techs have thanked creators Mark Russinovitch and Bryce Cogswell under their breath after using their storied ERD Commander toolset to get out of a jam. Several years ago, Microsoft bought Sysinternals. Many of the old tools are still available, with some being updated some of them and others added. In this paper, for those of you who don’t already know about Sysinternals, I will introduce you to a few of the utilities that have proved popular withserver and Active Directory administrators.
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Ten Current Security Threats for Individuals
Security threats abound in today's world, and most regular consumers are not fully aware of the risks. Blindly trusting electronic resources, connectivity, or services is placing ourselves, our identities, our finances, and our privacy in jeopardy. It is time to pay attention and take precautions. This white paper outlines ten of the most important issues about which your consumers should be informed.
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Ten Essential Security Policies
A corporate security policy may seem intimidating to construct, but it's really just a collection of lesser policy components that combine to fully address and manage the security concerns of your organization. We present ten important ingredients your corporate policy should adopt immediately to help you spur action toward writing or improving security. These ten security policies (or sub-policies) are essential to every organization regardless of size, location, age, mission, or the product or service.
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Security on a Budget
Security is expensive, but it's not an area that should be cut just to save a few dollars. However, like every business expense, it must conform to a budget, and we explore several ideas regarding saving money on company security. Some of these ideas might be blatantly obvious, while others may be completely revolutionary. We challenge you to read each and see if your organization already employs each concept or if you can put it into effect in new and interesting ways.
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Ten Ways Hackers Breach Security
Hacking and cyber crimes are hot topics these days and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your organization's threat level. This white paper discusses ten common methods hackers use to breach your existing security. You can use this information to protect yourself and your organization from the numerous threats we face every day.
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Fine Grain Password Policies
Fine-Grained Password Policies offer a level of flexibility not found in previous version of the operating system. For those administrators that had specific needs for this type of functionality, they will find the policies easy to work with and flexible once they get a chance to experiment and learn all of the settings.
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Utilizing SharePoint to Automate a Paperless Office
Implementing a green strategy can be accomplished in many ways and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 can be a very useful tool for many organizations wanting to help. This paper will explore several ways that SharePoint Server 2007 can help you reduce the amounts of waste that your company generates.
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The Importance of Contextual Design in Reducing Project Costs and Increasing Customer Satisfaction
Contextual Design is a scientific method for determining how software should be developed based on the users' actions and not their words Contextual Design (C.D.) utilizes three distinct steps to help determine and prioritize software requirements. 1. Contextual Inquiry - Gather data from observing multiple different users doing their work 2. Work Modeling - Use standard modeling methods to model the individual user's work 3. Consolidation - Consolidate all of the individual work models to create a complete view of the users' work practices.
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Using Automated Tests to Document Software Architectures
When comparing real examples of automated tests to the architectural solution described in Essential Software Architecture, it becomes clear that source code (written in Java) alone is not expressive enough to replace every aspect of an architecture specification. In this article, UML models are used to document context information that cannot be easily described using source code alone. In keeping with the agile style of automated testing, all models were created using Agile Modeling.
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Top 5 Pitfalls for SOA
SOA is one of the most important developments in recent IT history. Everyone has something to say about SOA, and a huge industry has grown up around tools, languages, platforms, and frameworks for SOA. There are, however, several pitfalls that can seriously delay or completely derail an effort to implement an SOA.
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Story Driven Acceptance Testing
Story-driven acceptance testing starts with stores that can provide a near-term business value to a customer. Agile development cycles are driven by stories customers would like to have added to an application. When the time comes to implement something described by a story, the story customer and a developer talk about what the story means and how it should be implemented.
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Writing Music in JAVA
Music software enables expressing musical ideas that must be both human-readable and computer-readable. This white paper examines two open source Java libraries that use two different notations, which express musical information in computer-friendly ASCII formats.
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White Paper: Independent vs. Certified Product Training
Generally speaking, good product training provides trainees with clear instructions on how to use the product based on need, but also provides a detailed understanding of what the system cannot do within the context of that need. When done properly, total cost of ownership goes down. If done wrong, ownership costs go up significantly.
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An SI, Inc. White Paper: Perspectives: Straw House
Programs like Capabilities Maturity Model (CMM) aim to measure repeatability and how well a software development effort documents its process. Unfortunately, there is no correlation between CMM level and the security of the code produced - whether it's good or bad, the only thing you can be confident in is that it will be consistently good or bad.
Complete the short form to download “Perspectives: Straw House ”
An SI, Inc. White Paper: Scan Your Source Code To Locate Weak Spots Early
Whitebox testing is notoriously difficult to do. Without automatic code-scanning tools, it takes a keen eye, concentration and an enormous amount of time to scan each line of source code for security vulnerabilities. And as hackers become more sophisticated at finding these chinks in your armor and writing exploitative code, it becomes more necessary to take every precaution before shipping software. The necessary protection can range from security training throughout the security development life cycle (SDLC) to using tools such as source code scanners and vulnerability scanners.
Complete the short form to download “Scan Your Source Code To Locate Weak Spots Early”
An SI, Inc. White Paper: Designing Security in a Five-Step Action Plan to More Secure Software
For years,consumers have accepted security flaws in software. The IT industry has responded by creating defences at the perimeters of the networks – firewalls,routers,antivirus software,patch update tools,e-mail filters,and other products designed to protect systems from attackers. The key problem is that, at the network level, data used to exploit security flaws is often indistinguishable from legitimate application data. Our only hope is to tackle vulnerabilities at their root – in the applications themselves.
White Paper: Windows Server 2008 - The Read Only Domain Controller
In Windows Server 2008, a new type of domain controller has been created called the read only domain controller (RODC). Although it appears to be somewhat circular in reverting back to the NT days of a BDC, there are security benefits and many more options available with RODC’s.
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White Paper: Windows Vista Security - Bit Locker
BitLocker is EFS but for full partitions/volumes, instead of files and folders. When used, the entire drive becomes inaccessible to anyone trying to access the drive, either by network, other operating system, or other boot files/disks. This is especially useful for drives being discarded or ones lost from theft, as you cannot bypass the encryption without the original hardware.
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An SI, Inc. White Paper: 19 Attacks for Exploiting (all) Applications
The security experts at SI, Inc. give you 19 examples of attacks that could compromise virtually any system you work with.
Complete the short form to download “19 Attacks for Exploiting (all) Applications”
An SI, Inc. White Paper: Application Security by Design
The best way to ensure security in your applications is to plan for it from the very start. Get details on how you can make this part of your method in this in-depth white paper from SI, Inc.
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The SI, Inc. and ASPE joint Application Security Curriculum
You may suspect that your organization can't manage software security issues because it just doesn't know how. Worse yet, you may know it for sure. Either way, trying to decide how to pursue training in these areas can be an overwhelming task. This document clearly defines needs and outlines solutions - a good place to start.
Complete the short form to download “The Application Security Curriculum”
Networking Fundamentals Reference Manual
Get your free Networking Fundamentals information guide. This 300+ page manual gives you precise information on the OSI model, network hardware, bridges and switches, data flow through a router, WAN technologies, costs and implementation considerations,TCP/IP details, Security overview and much more.
Please fill out our short form to download “Networking Fundamentals Reference Manual”
Controlling Outbound Internet Access Through Use of a Proxy and Firewall
Network Security is critical. Firewall and Proxy technologies are the leading way companies are keeping their internal networks safe. In this white paper, learn how Proxy and Firewalls are used, where in your network they are placed and types of configurations use.
Internetworking with Bridges
Bridges are still used within networks. This is a brief but useful new white paper from our archive on how to extend your Local Area Networks with Bridges.
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IP Subnetting
TCP/IP is the standard for Internet connectivity. IP address subnetting is a very critical skill in extending the number of addresses you have available. It is also the must difficult part of TCP/IP and is very confusing to the vast majority of system and network administrators. In this white paper, Networking Fundamentals course director Scott Smith provides a unique and simple approach to subnetting.
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LAN Addressing
In order to successfully set up a Local Area Network, you must have an understanding of TCP/IP. The Transmission Control Protocol over the Internet Protocol is the defect solution for networking in today's communication environment. TCP/IP is a suite of protocols and standards, including ARP, PING, SMTP, URL, and HTTP to name a few. All are powerful tools that make today's network-to-network communication happen so effortlessly. To use TCP/IP you must understand the protocols and how the protocol works to transport voice, video, and data. This white paper uses clear, easy to understand language to teach all the details around TCP/IP.
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ITIL v3 Introduction
Information Technology is the world's best success story. No industry has grown as quickly or changed with such lightning speed. Yet in spite of all the major progress and achievements, IT service has also suffered a lingering perception of unreliability, poor communication, and even poor self-management. Since the 1980's a set of principles and processes have been refined by ITIL® (IT Infrastructure Library) to guide IT Service Management in adding value to the business needs.
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What is SharePoint & What Can It Do For Your Business?
So you've been thinking about using SharePoint after hearing about all the amazing stuff it can do, right? Or you might be saying to yourself, "Yeah, I've heard of SharePoint...but what exactly is it?" In our newest white paper we'll explain what SharePoint is, what it does, and most importantly what it can do for your business. If you're new to the idea of collaboration, we will introduce the concept and show you why SharePoint is one of the premier collaboration server applications on the market today.
Please fill out our short form to download “What is SharePoint & What Can It Do For Your Business”
Why Windows 7 is Better Than Vista
Windows Vista has not been well-received in the IT community. Problems have prevented many IT groups from moving to the Vista OS, while in the consumer marketplace it has become wildly popular because it's nearly impossible to buy a computer with Windows XP. Enter Windows 7 as a corporate solution. In this white paper, you are introduced to three core areas where Windows 7 improves on the Vista operating system, including: application compatibility, hardware compatibility and the user interface learning curve. The aim of the paper is to show that Windows 7 is more corporate friendly and more user friendly. The position of the author is simple: Windows 7 is far better than Vista.
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Using Microsoft SharePoint for Project Management
A modern Project Management Information System (PMIS) is a collaborative solution that allows for the management of projects and the documentation and processes associated with them. Dozens of solutions exist, however, if you have implemented Microsoft SharePoint or plan to implement it, you may already have one of the best PMIS solutions available today.
Please fill out our short form to download “Using Microsoft SharePoint for Project Management”
Hyper-V R2: What's New?
This white paper provides an overview of the new features in Hyper-V R2 and how they may benefit
implementing organizations. Hyper-V R2, which ships with Windows Server 2008 R2, adds several new
and important features to Microsoft's virtualization solution.
Please fill out our short form to download “Hyper-V R2: What's New?”
SQL Server Performance Tuning for DBAs
DBAs are often tasked with improving the performance of the databases that they manage. While you can improve the performance of a database or database server by upgrading the server hardware, this method is not always the best method. In this white paper, you will learn what is required to tune up your SQL Servers without the need for costly upgrades. The topic will be addressed from four perspectives: 1) Why Performance Tuning Matters, 2) Myths of Performance Tuning, 3) The Performance Tuning Process, 4) Performance Tuning Tools.
Please fill out our short form to download “SQL Server Performance Tuning for DBAs”
SharePoint 2010: A Preview of Microsoft's Premier Collaboration Tool
Scheduled for the first half of 2010, Microsoft plans on debuting the next generation of SharePoint technologies, simply called SharePoint 2010. Yes, SharePoint has kept most of the functionality of the previous version; however, the implementation of this functionality has been greatly improved and many new features have been added. While some of the changes may be obvious to many users and administrators, other changes are not quite as easy to spot with the naked eye.
Please fill out our short form to download “SharePoint 2010: A Preview”
Training in the Virtual Environment
Economic pressures make increased worker productivity imperative, and while additional
training can help you achieve this increased productivity, highly constrained travel
budgets keep many people out of the classroom. Collaborative training tools can
be used to avoid travel and its costs, but effectively utilizing these tools creates
new challenges. Learn the basics of how to train in a virtual environment, including
8 quick tips to increase interaction, effectiveness, and overall participant satisfaction.
Please fill out our short form to download “Training in the Virtual Environment”
Desktop Computer Security
This is a guide that explains how to secure your desktop computer. The guide and the resource
list are primarily written for the Windows OS environment, but also apply to other operating
systems. The steps include: anti-virus software, OS patches and software updates, anti-malware,
system utilities, software and hardware firewalls, system and file backups, safe computing
practices and encryption.
Please fill out our short form to download “Desktop Computer Security”
Introduction to Server 2008: Group Policy Preferences
Microsoft provides a centralized management solution built into Windows called Group Policy.
Group Policy has a built in, easy to use interface and is a powerful tool, allowing you to
centrally control the configuration of desktops and servers. The intuitive interface allows
even a novice administrator to be successful in performing a myriad of operations, which
required complex scripting knowledge in the past.
Please fill out our short form to download “Introduction to Server 2008: Group Policy Preferences”
Setting Up a Secure Wireless Network
With the rise of identity theft and the increasing number of viruses circulating the web,
it is more important than ever that your business or home office network be made as secure
as possible. A wired network is, by its very nature, secure. With wireless networks,
however, anyone that can pick up your wireless signal can gain access to your network
unless you take steps to prevent it. This white paper gives you those steps in detail.
Please fill out our short form to download “Setting Up a Secure Wireless Network”
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: New Features
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 brings a little more peace of mind in the form of higher
performance and reliability compared to its previous incarnations. It offers features that
protect your communications as well as make administration easier. The end user experiences
some of the improvements in the form of greater business mobility. With new options for
deployment and storage, improved capabilities for inbox management, and built-in email
archiving, Exchange Server 2010 helps lower cost and improve business outcomes.
Please fill out our short form to download “Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: New Features”
Understanding the Windows 7 Deployment Tools
This white paper will explain the purpose and functionality of the free Windows 7 deployment tools available from Microsoft.
The reader will understand the proper use of each tool and the migration phases within which tools operate. The paper begins
by reviewing the basic phases of a Windows 7 deployment and then exploring the tools used in each phase
Please fill out our short form to download “Understanding the Windows 7 Deployment Tools”
Troubleshooting Wireless Networks
Troubleshooting wireless networks is as much an art as a science. Signal connectivity can be lost due to any number of things, such as poor router positioning, poor DLS or cable strength coming into the house, or even an older router that is starting to get flaky. Lack of internet connectivity altogether is often a separate, physical matter. In this whitepaper, get troubleshooting suggestions on various common issues that cause connectivity issues with wireless networks.
Please fill out our short form to download “Troubleshooting Wireless Networks”
Social Engineering
Social Engineering is an attack method in which an attacker tries to manipulate people into doing something for them, including, but not limited to, divulging confidential information. This term usually refers to misleading a victim by persuasion, being aggressive, or using other interpersonal skills to obtain authentication information or access to a computer system. In this whitepaper, learn about common attacks and how to protect yourself and your organization.
Please fill out our short form to download “Social Engineering”
Best Practices for VPN Security
VPN security relies heavily on authentication and encryption. It is considered best practice to always use the best authentication possible.
Learn how to understand VPN functions and the importance of restricting physical access, using strong authentication and encryption, assigning IP
addresses, real-time end-point monitoring and more in this white paper.
Please fill out our short form to download “Best Practices for VPN Security”
Comparing Free Virtualization Products
Use this reference to compare free virtualization products that are available. Products featured include VMware Player, Microsoft Virtual PC
2007, Oracle VM, Xen and many more. Learn the specifics you need to know about system and other requirements for some of the most popular free
virtualization products around.
Please fill out our short form to download “Comparing Free Virtualization Products”
The ABCs of ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning for the Mid-Sized Business
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for mid-sized businesses can be costly, for both money and time. To decide whether you're ready, there are many factors to
consider. This guide will take you through the process and weigh your options with key information about evaluating, deciding, implementing and the ROI you
could achieve.
New Thinking for New Realities - The Responsible Forward Edge
A Responsible Forward Edge (RFE) helps to secure present and future business. It is important to have an "edge" that helps cut your way into the future – for a
known and secured future. This guide will give you an understanding in how to insure that your business is defining it's technology instead of letting
technology define you.
ePrivacy in the Modern Age
The explosion of electronic content – data – paired with vulnerabilities in systems, repositories, and data's transport, means that there is increasing risk for
breach and loss. Consider the huge liabilities for organizations, absent a solid awareness and associated practices for ePrivacy: Loss can be removal or
corruption of data, exposure of data, inability to conduct business due to loss of data, and subsequent damage to reputation through exposure of sensitive
information, and sometimes the ultimate result of an unrecoverable business posture.
Please fill out our short form to download “ePrivacy in the Modern Age”
Beware of Frankensteins - Part I: Expensive to Maintain; Hard to Replace
Many of us have seen situations where a person of considerable general competence accumulates duties – like a magnet, they attract responsibilities that in
some cases go far afield from that which they're supposed to be doing. Why does this occur? It is often expedient – and perhaps even necessary in an
environment where other people are not held to appropriate standards of performance. Many times conscientious people volunteer to get the job done –
whether it's in their sphere or not – and deliver on whatever the task, whatever the assignment.
Beware of Frankensteins - Part II: Avoidance Through Best Practices & Quality-of-Match
As a follow-on to our Part I discussion of Frankensteins in the Business-IT realm, this whitepaper wraps up with some solutions and preventions.
We'll examine how to best determine whether your organization has drifted over the course of time, with sub-optimal match of positions to the organization's
realities, and if your IT staffing structure is not optimal, let's recognize that you're not alone: We simply need to get it on the right footing.
Voice Services and Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) - Is it for you?
Business must constantly strive to attain the best security today, in terms of operations, storage and transmittal of data, in addition to advancing security
according to best practices and products for future challenges. One area ripe for review in both product and partner is that of voice services. Particularly
for mid-sized business, a due consideration is that of Session-Initiated-Protocol (SIP) voice services, replacing in whole or part the standard architecture
and means of traditional telephony infrastructure.
Five Challenges to ITIL Best Practices Adoption
Although ITIL is very basic at it's core, ITIL does come with complexity in a few areas. Organizations face
numerous challenges when adopting ITIL best practices that can lead to increased complexity. Failure to control
this complexity leads to increased cost and longer implementation time lines.
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10 Security Concerns for Cloud Computing
While cost and ease of use are two great benefits of cloud computing, there are significant security concerns
that need to be addressed when considering moving critical applications and sensitive data to public and shared
cloud environments.
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Cloud Computing: What It Is and What It Can Do for You
This white paper discusses the origin of what we call "cloud computing," the two types of "clouds," the evolution of the cloud, and using cloud computing within your organization.
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The Cloud: Promises and Realities
This white paper explores some of the early drivers of cloud services and how they have influenced current expectations. We'll look at how different technologies have helped create those promises-some that have been realized, and others that haven't.
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Understanding Data Centers and Cloud Computing
This white paper will define data centers and explore cloud networking, as well as providing links to additional sources for more in-depth further reading.
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The Difference Between Data Centers and Computer Rooms
The differences between a data center and a computer room are often misunderstood. Furthermore, the terms used to describe the location where companies provide a secure, power protected, and environmentally controlled space are often used inappropriately. This paper provides a basis for understanding the differences between these locations and how they relate to each other.
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Data Center Cooling Best Practices
Maintaining a suitable environment for information technologies is arguably the number one problem facing data center and computer room managers today. Dramatic and unpredictable critical load growth has levied a heavy burden on the cooling infrastructure of these facilities making intelligent, efficient design crucial to maintaining an always available data center. The purpose of this white paper is to establish a best practices guideline for cooling systems design for data centers, computer rooms, and other mission critical technical spaces.
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Building Virtualization-Optimized Data Center Networks
Server virtualization initiatives are reshaping data center traffic flows, increasing bandwidth densities at the server edge and pushing conventional data center networks to the brink. Hierarchical data center networks designed to support traditional client-server software deployment models can't meet the performance and scalability requirements of the new virtualized data center. Enterprises must implement flatter, simpler networks to support high-volume server-to-server traffic flows, and they must adopt new management systems and security practices to administer virtual resources and enable on-demand services. HP networking solutions let enterprises build flatter and more efficient data center networks with fewer layers, less equipment and cabling, and greater port densities to address the escalating performance and scalability demands of the virtualized data center, along with advanced security and management capabilities to unify security and administration across virtualized and physical resources.
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Accelerated Networks Drive Better Business Outcomes
The role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is changing dramatically. In today's dynamic business environment, CIOs are expected to handle not only the traditional job of keeping the business up and running, but to also focus on delivering services and solutions that support improved bottom-line business outcomes. While still responsible for resolving vital IT challenges, today's CIO is also addressing higher-level strategic issues, tackling enterprise-class problems, and driving innovation, flexibility, and profitability throughout the entire organization. One of the most obvious sources of leverage for achieving these goals is the network infrastructure. Optimized networks and 21st century SLAs are tools that enterprise technical leaders can use as they work not just to "keep the lights on" but also to carry their entire organization forward.
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Designing Network for Rich Media Communications
Video is an essential communications medium for enterprises. It is here to stay, and video will only become a larger and more important element of communication for all organizations. Consider its impact on business: video conferencing reduces costs and increases the pace of business as remote workers and teams collaborate easily. It enables on-demand product information, training, and support with rich and contextual information available 24x7 to employees, partners, and customers. Processes and timed workflows to optimize supply and production performance are increasingly being monitored by video so that issues can be quickly and efficiently escalated to supplier, customer, or distribution channels.
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The Network Manager Checklist for Cloud
It's no surprise that enterprises are aggressively moving to the cloud. The promises of agility and cost savings are accelerating adoption to the point that IDC estimates that by the end of this year, 85 percent of net-new enterprise applications will be designed to be accessed in the cloud. The impact of cloud adoption on the network promises to be great. According to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, "Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal Management effort or service provider interaction.
Please fill out our short form to download “The Network Manager Checklist for Cloud”
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 - What's New and What's Changed
Although it's been a couple years now since SharePoint 2010 was released, we're presenting this white paper for anyone who may be thinking about a SharePoint rollout or who may just now be getting started. In particular, this white paper will be helpful to professionals who may have used SharePoint in the past, but are just now beginning to interact with the 2010 version.
SharePoint 2010 - Better Ways to Manage Content
Content management (CM) is the process of managing information from a technology perspective. It encompasses all facets of data management to include the process of collecting and distributing information, regardless of the medium used. Digital information comes in many formats to include standard documents, audio, and video data. In the digital era, companies often struggle to organize the vast quantity of information at their disposal. The advent of digital content has raised several new challenges. The idea of multiple editors of any given document creates version control problems over time.
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SharePoint 2010 - Ten Tips for Creating a Collaborative Framework for Your Company
SharePoint 2010 is the most versatile, powerful collaboration platform currently available for business and provides a diverse range of enterprise deployments. It simplifies the process of tagging and aggregating data, and easy-to-use community features enable users to share data, similar to Twitter and Facebook. It allows integration both with the company's FAST search engine as well as with PerformancePoint, Microsoft's business intelligence software.
Ten Things You Should Know About SharePoint 2010
SharePoint affects many areas of an organization. In this brief but informative white paper, we provide an overview of ten of the most important aspects of SharePoint 2010, as well as a bit of guidance on getting the most out of them. Our discussion is divided into two parts: We will look at five important features and options that affect end-users in the company, then look at five important features that will help administrators and developers do their jobs. After reviewing this white paper, you will have a good idea of how your organization can benefit from the current version of SharePoint.
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Microsoft and the Cloud: Five Essential Things To Know
This white paper addresses Microsoft's current stake in cloud computing and examines the most recent range of cloud-based product offerings as an indication of where Microsoft may be heading.
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Getting Started With Master Data Services
This white paper highlights the new Master Data Services feature. Screenshot by screenshot, we'll show you how to properly set up and use this powerful feature to establish a unified governance solution for your information.
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Public Folders in Exchange Server 2010: What You Should Know
Things cleared up with Exchange 2007 SP1, when the Public Folder Management Console (PFMC) made its debut. While still lacking the ability to assign permissions, the PFMC allowed us to perform many tasks in a familiar-looking GUI environment, and the OWA issue was resolved. More importantly, Microsoft provided us with guidance about the future of Public Folders and the circumstances where we can and should use them. In this white paper we will examine Exchange Public Folders and consider where they fit in our plans for a messaging infrastructure.
Restoring Data with Database Snapshots
What DBA wouldn't appreciate a process that allows for fast and easy restoration of lost data? If the process allows you and your users to examine the information before restoring it, to use a minimal amount of drive space, and to carry out all the necessary steps with only local resources, then you have a solution that not only saves you time, but improves the options you have for supporting users and developers. All of these options are available when using SQL Server's Database Snapshot functionality.
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Speeding Up File Transfers in Windows® 7
In a typical Windows network with a mix of clients and servers, file transfer performance can vary wildly. Because it's such a common operation, it's worth looking at some of the reasons and, in the process, unearthing a few tricks and tips that might make file copying snappier on your network. That's what this white paper does, and it is organized as follows.
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Hacking Back in Self-Defense: Is it Legal? Should it Be?
We don’t need to remind anyone of numerous statistics to prove hackers seem to have an upper hand these days. But consider these: of 500+ companies recently surveyed, 90% admit being hacked with an average loss of $500,000 and higher. 2) Most cyber security experts agree that getting hacked is no longer a matter of if, but when. One hundred percent security is a myth. So what can you do? Standard responses are slow and, in many cases, not very effective. Nations can legally defend themselves but what about businesses? In this hard-hitting white paper, we examine the feasibility and legality of responsibly mounting an independent defense strategy that beats hackers and internet thieves at their own game. In a world where your enterprise is probably fair game and there’s no reliable public defense structure, this is a conversation every technical leader should have.
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Ten New Topics on Security+ 2011
CompTIA’s technology certifications are widely respected and adopted in technology profession. (A side note: our own president David Mantica was one of the early players in establishing several of these important certifications). We came across this great white paper dealing specifically with Security+, and the new updates to the exam made last year. Before that, the last update was 2008. This revamped exam focuses more on risk, operational security, and mobile device security. It also clearly mphasizes security in three main areas: application, data, and host. In preparing to take the SY0-301 exam, you should pay special attention to the new topics and issues added to this latest revision. In this white paper, we break down ten of the most important additions for you.
Please fill out our short form to download “Speeding Up File Transfers in Windows® 7”
