Raritan products aimed at mid-market
Somerset, N.J.-based Raritan has released two new products designed to assist in the remote management of data centres. Two new KVM-over-IP (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) models have been added to the company’s MasterConsole family of KVM switches. The MasterConsole IP18 and IP 116 switches, supporting eight and 16 servers respectively, let IT managers troubleshoot and manage remote servers from their desktops, without going onsite. The appliance sits in the server room, and enables remote BIOS-level control, collaborative troubleshooting, 128-bit to 256-bit SSL encryption and integrated support for external authentication servers.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: IP18 US$1,800, IP116 $2,500.
URL: www.raritan.ca
Citrix Access Suite upgraded
Citrix Systems Inc. has released Citrix Access Suite 4.2, the latest version of its information access offering. It includes updated versions of Presentation Server, Password Manager and Access Gateway, an SSL VPN appliance. The offering now includes 64-bit support for application virtualization in Presentation Server, plus Advanced Access Control which Citrix said will help IT departments increase control over user action and access rights at a granular level. Citrix said the innovations are focused on security and performance, and triple the number of users who can access virtualized applications on each server.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: Suggested retail price of US$599 per concurrent user.
URL: www.citrix.com
Redknee launches mobilized bill payments
Toronto-based Redknee Inc. has launched mCommerce Gateway, a software program the company boasts can transform a network operator from a utility provider into a mobile retailer. The product lets mobile operators offer mobile retailing services on their subscriber’s handsets in partnership with content partners and third-party merchants. The management suite lets network operators deliver multi-media content and retail goods & services to their subscribers’ existing handsets, facilitating the addition of new partners and merchants.
Availability: Available now.
URL: www.redknee.com
Alcatel pushes 10 Gigabit Ethernet for the enterprise
Alcatel SA has unveiled the OmniSwitch 9000 core switch family, planting its company flag in the world of 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches with an eye toward helping enterprises plan ahead for future network expansion. The two models, the OmniSwitch 9700 and 9800, are aimed at the enterprise datacentre and aim to address companies’ need for better QoS, scalability, security and VoIP and multicast application support. The OmniSwitch 9700 has a 10-slot chassis, and the 9800 has an 18-slot chassis; components on both are hot-swappable and fully redundant. Both switch models have built-in support for IPv4, IPv6, multicasting and server clustering and high-availability features.
Availability: 9700 available now, 9800 by mid-year.
Pricing: 9700 ranges from US$3,995 to US$23,995 fully configured; 9800 pricing not available.
URL: www.alcatel.com
Three new LifeBooks
Fujitsu Canada Inc. has announced three new LifeBook desktop replacement notebooks running Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition 2005. The notebooks include the N3410 with a 15.4-inch wide display, as well as the N6110 and N6220 with 17-inch screens. The company said they are designed to meet a the range of budget requirements, viewing preferences and performance demands of students, casual home users, sophisticated graphics users, video enthusiasts and gamers. The N3410 features an Intel Pentium M Processor and Intel GMA 900 graphics, plus a standard DVD/CD-RW combo drive or an optional Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer, and is 802.11b/g ready. Extras in the N6110 a standard Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer. The N6220 adds an ATI Mobility Radeon X600 with 512 MB of HyperMemory. All models include dedicated slots for MemoryStick and SD cards.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: N3410 starts at $1,399, N6110 at $2,119 and N6220 at $2,769.
URL: www.fujitsu.ca
Microsoft launches upgrade of project-based software
A new version of Microsoft Corp.’s project-based business management software, called Dynamics SL 6.5, is now available. The new release includes purchase request and bank reconciliation modules. The purchase request module allows the automation of requests, bidding and approval in procurement processes, and can be customized for specific projects, purchasing policies and departments. Microsoft said it has expanded the capabilities of Dynamics SL to interact with Business Portal 3.0, which is based on Windows SharePoint Services.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: Purchase requisition module is US$1,050 with licensing of Dynamics SL Standard, or US$1,500 with the Professional edition. The bank reconciliation module is US$350 with the standard edition or US$500 with the professional.
URL: www.microsoft.com
Entrust sees demand for mass authentication
Entrust, Inc. has released Entrust IdentityGuard 8.0, what the company calls a flexible, strong, risk-based mutual authentication platform. It offers a range of authentication capabilities in a single package that can be used individually or together, based on an assessment of the risk of the transaction or the sensitivity of the information being communicated. Companies can tailor the authentication for the assessed transaction risk with the ability to use a ‘layered’ authentication approach based upon the nature of the transaction.
Availability: Available now.
URL: www.entrust.com/identityguard/index.htm
Secure passwords on your memory stick
Toronto-based Bioscrypt Inc. has released VeriSoft Access Manager USB Flash Drive Edition. The software is designed to be installed and distributed on USB flash drive devices for users to store information, applications and credentials on a removable and secure portable device, ensuring secure information isn’t left on a public computer. Benefits include strong SSO user authentication, transparent file and directory encryption and a secure electronic wallet for storing online shopping and bill payment information. All data stored on the device is also encrypted.
Availability: Available now.
URL: www.bioscrypt.com
HP, Dreamworks promote virtual meetings with Halo
Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dreamworks LLC have developed a high-end videoconferencing system they say eliminates the annoying latency that can delay many virtual meetings. The Halo Collaboration Studio is a system of carefully placed plasma televisions, cameras and microphones that allows two groups of up to six people to hold a live meeting in two separate locations. HP developed the Halo Video Exchange Network to carry the video, audio and data traffic between Halo sites. The network is completely separate from a company’s regular IP network, but is based on the TCP/IP architecture and uses standard networking equipment, and requires a minimum bandwidth of 45Mbps. Customers must purchase two rooms to start, and must have HP maintain the network for a monthly fee.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing US$550,000 per room to install, monthly fee of US$18,000 per room.
URL: www.hp.com/halo
Sun gets ‘cool’ with new servers
Sun Microsystems Inc. has launched its Sun Fire T1000 and T2000 servers with its CoolThreads technology, and what Sun says is the industry’s first eight-core, 32-thread processor. Based on the 9.6 GHz UltraSPARC T1 processor, code named Niagara, the company said the new systems are designed for Internet workloads and for running current and next-generation Web, application and distributed database systems. The T1000 is a 1U, 19-inch-deep server designed for Web and network infrastructures, while the T2000 is a 2U, 24.3-inch-deep server with extensive internal redundancy to maximize uptime for application services and Web-tier consolidation projects.
Availability: T1000 in March, T2000 available now.
Pricing: When System Ready Plan is purchased, T1000 starts at US$2,005 and the T2000 at US$7,795.
URL: www.sun.com
EMC switch simplifies storage
New from EMC Corp., the Connectrix MDS-9020 Fabric Switch aims to simplify the deployment and management of storage area networks for mid-size enterprises. The 20-port switch offers full non-blocking 4-Gbps Fibre Channel performance with built-in management capabilities. With an aggregate bandwidth of 160 Gbps full duplex, EMC said the switch has the power to handle the requirements of most small and medium SANs. EMC added the management features, accessible through a command line interface or the integrated Cisco Fabric Manager software, has been tailored for the mid-market.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: Starts at US$10,800.
URL: www.emc2.ca
Avaya and Symbol combine voice, mobile technologies
Symbol Technologies Inc. and Avaya Inc. have jointly unveiled a handheld computer from Symbol that works wirelessly with Avaya’s IP telephony software and applications. Expected to catch on first with retail and health care workers, Symbol is providing its MC50 Enterprise Digital Assistant handheld, as well as a wireless switch and access ports, while Avaya is providing the Avaya IP Softphone. The handheld is designed to allow Voice over IP transmissions at the same time a user works with data applications using the handheld’s keyboard.
Availability: Available now.
URL: www.avaya.com and www.symbol.com
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