5/01/06
issue
Next due date to submit stories: 5/03/06 to [email protected]
ASCDI Director Jeff Klein and ‘ASCDI
End User Bill of Rights’
IBM, 3Com tag-team on IP telephony suite
IBM expands reach of iSeries Innovation program
ASCDI Inside
New member update The following companies are new ASCDI members, voted in at
the Miami Conference:
Meet the new members
SMS Systems Maintenance Services, Inc.
For over 25 years SMS has provided business
critical maintenance services to users of HP/Compaq/DEC, Sun, Dell
and IBM RS series equipment. Nationwide support is
provided via our twenty-three facilities manned with SMS employed
engineers, not subcontractors. We employ an industry unique
"Hot Spares" support strategy to ensure maximum customer
uptime. SMS services over 900 clients and is looking
to partner with ASCDI members for spares provisioning, service and
installation work. Joseph S. Scordino p - 404-321-5801 Network IT Inc. Network IT Inc. was established in 2001 to provide the
highest quality used and refurbished networking equipment to end users, resellers,
brokers and service and repair companies worldwide. We pride ourselves in
providing quality tested products on time with a 90 day warranty. We
are members of the Better Business Bureau and follow the highest principles
of business ethics. We have our head office in Toronto Ontario Canada
as well as an office in Montreal. Most of the products we sell are Cisco but
we have sold Extreme, 3Com, Nortel and Foundry in the past.
We look to expand our product line to include Servers and Storage in the
near future. You can visit us at www.netnit.com
for additional information. Ron Sananes infinit Technology Solutions Established in
December 2005 by Phil Taurisano and Anthony Cerrone, infinit specializes
in the strategic supply of telecom/network/server hardware, training,
services and financing. Staffed with
industry leaders in sales, network engineering and warehousing, infinit creates seamless hardware,
training, service and finance solutions, allowing customers to remain current
with new technology while maximizing their budgets. infinit’s product disciplines include
new and authorized used Avaya, Harris, Cisco, Nortel, 3Com, IBM, HP and
Juniper. Value adds include financing
and CISCO Authorized Training. Brady Cass infinit Technology
Solutions Ph:
(877)-825-8340 x229 F: (315)-432-1296 ASCDI Director Jeff
Klein addresses Equipment Leasing Association (ELA): proclaims ‘ASCDI End
User Bill of Rights’ Jeff Klein, an ASCDI Director, presented the ASCDI
‘End-User Bill of Rights’ at the annual Equipment Management Conference held
in Tampa, FL. Klein’s message was targeted at helping industry professionals
understand how OEM policies can potentially undermine the value of well
maintained technology assets. Klein’s address was also the first speech made
by an ASCDI leader in front of another industry group as part of a larger
effort to garner support for ASCDI’s vision of improved rights for enterprise
technology owners. The ASCDI adopted the End-User Bill of Rights in September
2004. Klein is President of KCI, Inc. a company specializing in
leasing, selling and maintaining used mainframe and peripheral equipment. You can read more about his remarks here. ASCDI European Conference We hope you are planning to attend the ASCDI European
Conference in Budapest on 8 - 10 June 2006. We have a great agenda in
place, with informative sessions and fun events! The Conference hotel is the
Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal - a five star hotel in the centre of Budapest. If
you would like to stay at the Conference hotel, and get the room of your
choice, please make your room reservations TODAY! We have a
secured a GREAT group room rate only available until 1 May 2006. After
this date, we cannot guarantee a room or group rate. This hotel WILL
SELL OUT so please act quickly. You need to fill out a group booking
form - Click the link below for details. Upfront
IBM, 3Com tag-team on IP telephony
suite 3Com and IBM announced a partnership to port 3Com's IP
telephony server onto IBM's System i server platform, the re-branded,
multiplatform version of the old AS/400 series. The System i IP Telephony
Suite will enable IT to reduce the cost and complexity of mid-market offices
by deploying a single server housing all of their core applications -- ERP
and CRM, Websphere, DB-2 and now their IP telephony server, 3Com's VCX. Up to
2,000 users will be supported on a single System i5 520 or 550. While the IBM
System i IP Telephony solution may be the first server to integrate an IP
PBX, it's hardly the first integrated device. Cisco claims to have shipped
750,00 of its Integrated Service Routers (ISRs) that combine switching,
routing, network security. So successful has Cisco been with the ISR, that
Adtran has since released its own ISR-killer. The NetVanta 7100 IP PBX was
introduced at the VoiceCon show and includes a router, Ethernet switch,
firewall, VPN, CSU/DSU and an IP PBX. However, the IBM and 3Com deal will be
unique in that they target the regional office, not the small branch. What's
more, by running on i5/0S the VCX will inherit the availability and
scalability features inherent in the platform. Since 3Com's VCX is pure SIP,
IBM intends to use VCX as a platform for integrating convergence capabilities
into other applications. Visit www.ibm.com or www.3com.com. Consumer markets
Maturing digital camera
market expected to show growth in new worldwide regions According to a new study from InfoTrends, the worldwide
digital camera market continues to demonstrate a strong year-over-year unit
growth rate. 2006 sales are expected to reach nearly 89 million units,
representing a 15% increase over 2005. Even though worldwide unit and revenue
figures are on the rise, shipments are expected to peak soon in North America
and Western Europe. Growth in the Asia-Pacific region, Eastern Europe, and
Latin America will offset these declines and continue to drive growth through
2010. In fact, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to become the leading
region for digital cameras by the end of the forecast period. The maturation
of the Japanese, North American, and Western European digital camera markets
will likely set off a chain reaction of other trends, such as an industry
vendor shakeout, an increased number of repeat buyers and the practice of
designing and marketing digital cameras for late adopters. Lower camera
profit margins will prompt many digital camera vendors to seek monetary
opportunities after the point of capture, sparking additional interest in
viewing, editing, sharing, preservation and printing. Visit www.infotrends.com. Education market
IBM takes collaboration
on iSeries education to deepest level yet HP
HP and industry experts
partner to reduce warranty costs for manufacturers HP introduced an initiative designed to help reduce
warranty costs by streamlining the entire warranty chain management process
for discrete manufac-turers, those that produce distinct items such as
automobiles, appliances or computers. Using its own experience as a guide, HP
leveraged the warranty chain management expertise of four solution providers
-- Microsoft, PolyVista, iTAC Software and 4CS -- to deliver a "closed
loop" solution that spans manufacturing and parts traceability to
warranty claims and customer satisfaction. The solution identifies early
product reliability issues and provides information to manufacturing
divisions to correct the problem. That information is then passed to design
and engineering divisions to help correct the problem in future products.
Finally, the information flows to vendors and suppliers to help improve
long-term product reliability. From 2001 to 2003, HP saved hundreds of
millions of dollars in warranty costs by streamlining its warranty chain; it
also reduced the time it takes to detect problems in many product areas from
120 days to 24 hours. Visit www.hp.com/go/manufacturing/warranty. IBM midrange
PHP extended to IBM midrange line Extending Web enablement to IBM's midrange systems, Zend
Technologies and IBM are porting PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) development
offerings to IBM System i computers, formerly known as the iSeries and, prior
to that, as the AS/400 line. Development products featured as part of an
agreement between IBM and Zend include Zend Core for the i5/OS, which will be
Zend's PHP implementation for System i; Zend Studio for i5/OS development
tools; and Zend Platform for i5/OS, which features tools for operating Web
sites. The goal of the effort is to enable development of Web applications
for deployment on System i computers. PHP is a widely used scripting language
for Web applica-tions. The Zend Core and Studio products are available now in
an early release, with the general release set for June. An early release of
the System i implementation of Zend Platform is due soon, with the general
release product set to ship in the second half of 2006. Visit www.zend.com or www.ibm.com. Innovations
IBM
expands reach of iSeries Innovation program Visit www.ibm.com. Intermec
Datalogic becomes Intermec RFID Rapid Start participant Intermec system
provides secure ID credentialing Intermec Inc. of Everett, Wash. and Intelli-Check Inc. of
Woodbury, New York have created one of the first identification and
verification systems that meets the credentialing requirements of Federal
Information Processing Standards 201 (FIPS 201), which requires identity
verification of Federal employees and contractors. By June 27, 2006, all those affected by Federal credentialing
require-ments must comply with the ID verification process. Additionally, by
January 2008, the U.S. Government has mandated that all first responders to
national emergencies, such as the National Guard, military and medical
personnel, carry common identification cards encoded with vital information
such as the carrier's certifications and security clearances. Intelli-Check
software, combined with the Intermec 700, can read and verify the carrier
identity of these and many other types of ID cards. Intelli-Check's patented
soft-ware, used with Intermec 700 mobile computers, allows immediate,
on-the-spot personnel identifi-cation across jurisdictional boundaries. The
Intermec 700 rugged mobile verification handheld can read magnetic stripe,
bar code and smart card technologies within one device. This allows
responders to read and verify the data encoded on U.S. and Canadian driver
licenses, state and provincial non-driver IDs and military IDs. Visit www.intermec.com
or www.intellicheck.com. Intermec resolves patent dispute with HP Intermec Inc. announced a positive resolution to a patent
dispute with HP regarding patents owned by Intermec. Intermec's patents
involve its smart battery management technology in which a portable computer
incorporates a rechargeable battery that uses a processor chip to communicate
data to the portable computer so that the computer can monitor and regulate
battery use. Intermec Inc. develops, manufactures and integrates technologies
that identify, track and manage supply chain assets. Visit www.intermec.com.
iSeries
Wanted: iSeries experts Glenn Bandoly, IT manager at Atlanta-based PBD Worldwide
Fulfillment Services, has been looking to fill an iSeries position for about
four months now. The company manages inventory fulfillment for companies --
dealing with front-end Web storefronts to warehousing and accounting. Bandoly
is looking for a fairly common skill set -- someone with experience on the
AS/400 and a background in J.D. Edwards software. But he has run into
problems. "We don't see the resumes we want to see, and the kinds of
folks we want to see are all represented by a recruiter," Bandoly said.
"The [cost] of the recruiter affects the hiring decision tremendously
for a small company." A lot of people that Bandoly does know in AS/400
positions are happy on the job. Search400.com has been reporting on the iSeries job market
over the last few weeks and has found a disconnect
between hiring managers and iSeries pros. There also seems to be a
lack of entry-level iSeries workers -- but an overabundance of displaced
mid-career professionals. But most indicators point to the economy ramping up
and the job market improving. Bandoly attended a recent meeting of the
Atlanta Software Process Improvement Network SPIN group, and at the end of
the meeting when representatives from hiring companies stood up to mention
open positions, he said companies were all looking for full-time employees.
"If the economy was flat, they would have been looking for contract
positions," Bandoly said. Market news
GST, Inc. selects Bull
Escala for Unix server solutions Visit www.gstinc.com
or www.bull.com. Power protection
MGE offers easy UPS network connectivity In its ongoing effort to provide customers with
unsurpassed power protection solutions, MGE UPS SYSTEMS announced its new
Network Management Proxy (NMP) plug-and-play software agent that allows any
of its Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) to be interfaced with an
Ethernet Network at no extra cost. The NMP is an economical solution for
small UPS systems as it allows a UPS to be controlled over an existing
network without adding a network management card and associated cost to the
UPS. With the proxy software agent installed on a PC or server system that is
connected to any MGE UPS via a USB or RS232 port, users can monitor and
manage the UPS remotely using a standard browser or a network management
console. The NMP agent provides both XML and Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) protocols and can be
operated in standard secure mode or in SSL secure mode (Secure Socket Layer). Visit www.mgeups.com/us. Security
Stonesoft introduces
internal firewall/VPN solution for IBM eServer zSeries mainframes Stonesoft Corp., an innovative provider of integrated
network security and business continuity solutions, announced the
availability of its StoneGate firewall and VPN with active-active cluster
functionality for the IBM eServer zSeries. This new release extends
Stonesoft's award-winning firewall load-balancing technology to StoneGate for
zSeries mainframes by offering the industry's first fully clustered internal
enterprise firewall and VPN solution with load-balancing capabilities. This
latest enhancement of StoneGate for zSeries was developed in response to the
demand in the marketplace for active-active firewall clustering and
transparent connection fail over in these environments. StoneGate for zSeries
fully utilizes z/VM 5.1 layer 2 functionality in order to provide
active-active clustering. With StoneGate for zSeries, cluster nodes can even
reside in separate mainframes and traffic can be load-balanced between them.
This is useful when building hot disaster recovery sites. Additionally, this
feature is of particular importance to companies that require always-on
services and for whom disruptions in connectivity are not an option. Visit www.stonesoft.com. Selling Services Profitably
Compliments of DecisionOne, your national service provider
for Sun, IBM, HP, Dell and others.
Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Run Next time you find yourself pursuing a services deal that
is not likely to be profitable, remember this: customers who pay a premium
for quality service are a myth. People expect exemplary service regardless of
the price they paid. Since service quality is expensive to provide, you can
never afford to accept less than you will need to successfully deliver it.
Quality will be expected regardless of the price. Return to
top
Services for customers
Mycom Group and SkyView
Partners, Inc. provide security software and services to iSeries customers Mycom Group, Inc., a software sales and professional
technology services company whose stock is traded on the over the counter
market, announced the formation of a business partner alliance with SkyView
Partners, Inc., the leading provider of OS/400 & i5/OS security
assessment and compliance software & services for the IBM iSeries. Mycom
will market SkyView's Risk Assessor and Policy Minder security assessment and
compliance software to IBM iSeries customers throughout North America.
Mycom's Chairman, CEO Rob Bransom stated, "We are pleased to move into
this new technology market. With Risk Assessor we give our customers a
product to allow them to see how their system stacks up versus security best
practices. With SkyView's new Policy Minder our customers can manage and fix
their security configuration automatically without spending hours on that
task." Visit www.mycom.com or
www.skyviewpartners.com. Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi driving location tracking applications Wi-Fi is increasingly being utilized in location tracking
applications, and Wi-Fi asset tags are expected to reach almost 2 million
shipments in 2010, reports In-Stat. The Wi-Fi location tracking market is
still nascent, and many highly changeable factors will decide how fast it
grows over the next few years, the high-tech market research firm says. Wi-Fi tags are utilized in Wi-Fi Real-Time
Location Systems (RTLS) that utilize Wi-Fi access points (APs) to locate
devices with external Wi-Fi tags or devices with embedded Wi-Fi. The
research, "Wi-Fi Finds Itself in the Real Time Location Systems Market,”
covers the emerging trend of utilizing Wi-Fi within RTLS, where RTLS is a
superset of the Active RFID market. It includes conservative and aggressive
forecasts for Wi-Fi tag unit shipments and revenues, as well as for Wi-Fi
enterprise access points, through 2010. It also includes extensive analysis
of the technology and profiles of vendors. Visit www.instat.com. |
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