Upcoming Meeting Notice

The Association of Service and Computer Dealers International (ASCDI) is a 30 year old, worldwide non-profit organization made up of companies who provide technology solutions, technical support or value added services to the business community.

Members and non-members are invited to learn how to grow your business, find new business opportunities, hear from industry representatives and enjoy some fabulous networking events at our conferences:

Click here for more information on ALL ASCDI MEETINGS, to view the agendas, lodging details, attendee lists and to REGISTER AT THE EARLY BIRD RATE.

Book review
Cabling
Financing
HP
IBM
Printers
Security
Storage
Sun

Book review

The Power of IP Video: Unleashing Productivity with Visual Networking

Videoconferencing is one of the most rapidly developing technologies and certainly one of the attractive and compelling network applications in these trying times. Cisco has long been a leader in IP videoconferencing, a key element of its Unified Communications (UC) strategy. Cisco’s recent announcement of its offer to acquire Tandberg, a world class manufacturer of videoconferencing and telepresence endpoint and infrastructure solutions and a long-time Cisco partner, underscores the company’s commitment to video-enabled collaboration.

This book comprises 15 chapters that flow logically. Appendix A explains how Cisco uses streaming video internally in support of worldwide corporate events and training. Appendix B lays out the details of Cisco’s global IP traffic forecast and the methodology behind it. The book is a well written discussion of the future of IP video from Cisco’s perspective. It is completely non-technical and thoroughly understandable, so equally beneficial to readers of all levels and all disciplines.

Authors: Jennifer C. Baker, Felicia Brych Dalke, Michael Mitchell and Nader Nanjiani
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Cisco Press (January 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 158705342X
ISBN-13: 978-1587053429
List Price: $45.00
Digital Guru Price: $40.50^Back To Top

Cabling

Belden announces industrial wireless LAN access points
Belden introduces Hirschmann industrial-grade wireless LAN access points featuring IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0) wireless interfaces. The new 802.11n wireless standard permits transfer rates similar to those achieved by a Fast Ethernet cable. Innovative MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) send and receive technology for wireless transmissions provides significantly longer reach, reliability and stability -- in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency ranges. Moreover, MIMO is particularly suitable for applications where typical industrial interferences must be expected, such as reflections. WLAN devices equipped with wireless interfaces in accordance with the older IEEE 802.11a/b/g/h standards can also benefit from the greater reach of the new access points. Hirschmann IWLAN Access Points are available in two models: BAT300-Rail, designed for installation on standard DIN rails in control cabinets; and BAT300-F with IP67 housings for direct field installation.
Visit www.belden.com.

^Back To Top

Financing

New financing options from IBM Global Financing help companies step up to smarter IT
IBM Global Financing (IGF) is announcing a toolkit of financing offerings to help companies step up to smarter, more efficient technologies. Beginning in October, credit-qualified companies and business partners can take advantage of a smart financing toolkit of opportunities that include deferred payments, zero percent financing and attractive prices on IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment. Smaller and mid-sized companies can also benefit from a specially configured set of cross IBM solutions that they can acquire at a low monthly price per month, per user. IBM Global Financing is also reminding customers in the US that they have a few months left to take advantage of IBM Global Financing's enhanced IT lending rates and deferrals for hardware made possible by the 2009 Economic Stimulus Act. That law extended accelerated depreciation benefits first introduced by the previous US administration. Additionally, IBM is announcing a set of "Cost Buster" offerings designed for mid-market clients.  The Cost Buster solutions incorporate all of the financing promotions developed by IGF and can express the financing in terms of a simple monthly price broken down to a per user basis on hardware and software.
Visit www.ibm.com/financing.
^Back To Top

HP

HP enables small and midsize businesses to gain competitive edge and lower costs
HP introduced solutions to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) improve data security, maximize productivity and minimize business risk while significantly reducing costs and energy use. The new offerings expand the HP Total Care portfolio, which helps SMBs manage, protect and grow their businesses. The HP Total Care Business Risk Mitigation solution offers customizable configurations of servers, storage, networking and security products. For affordable data management, the HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series allows small businesses to remain competitive by improving the protection of critical business data and automating backups. For maximum uptime, the HP StorageWorks X3000 Network Storage Systems High Availability Bundles combine hardware and software into an efficient shared storage solution for file and application data. HP announced improved administrative productivity with the HP ProCurve 1810G Switch Series which provides affordable gigabit connectivity that can be configured and maintained without a large or specialized staff. For an affordable, lightweight notebook that does not compromise performance, the HP ProBook 5310m Notebook PC is the world’s thinnest full-performance notebook at 0.9-inches thin and 3.7 pounds. To complement its new solutions, HP introduced services and financing offers to help SMBs in the United States purchase, use and manage their IT resources.
Visit www.hp.com.
^Back To Top

IBM

IBM i Access to support Windows 7 on December 1
IBM will support its IBM i Access (formerly iSeries Access) suite of products on the new Windows 7 operating system starting December 1, company officials said. On that date, IBM plans to have a service pack available for download that allows the version of i Access that shipped with i 6.1 to run on Windows 7, although AFP drivers will take a little longer to support. Customers running older versions of the i client will be encouraged to upgrade to i Access 6.1.  Microsoft is set to formally launch Windows 7 on October 22. As is the case with any new Windows operating system, thousands of developers around the world have been working to ensure that their software supports Windows 7 by the big launch date. IBM won't be offering Day One support for the new Windows OS with its i Access suite of products, which is used by the majority of System i shops. But the company is aiming at fully supporting the new Windows OS within 40 days of the launch.
Visit www.ibm.com.
^Back To Top

Printers

HP expands printing portfolio to address broader customer base
HP unveiled an expanded portfolio of HP Latex Printing Technology solutions designed to broaden production capabilities for a greater number of customers and provide a viable alternative to eco-solvent technologies. The offerings enable small and midsize digital print and sign shops, copy shops and photo labs to produce indoor and outdoor applications with ease while reducing their environmental impact. Additions to the portfolio include: the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, which offers easy, low-maintenance printing of a wider range of applications such as indoor point-of-purchase displays, exhibition graphics, wall murals, outdoor banners, bus shelters and vehicle wraps; six Original HP printing materials compatible with HP Latex Ink printers, including two recyclable substrates and three polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free alternatives; the expansion of the HP Planet Partners program to include the HP Large-format Media take-back program in the United States and select countries in Europe. The expanded HP Latex Printing Technology portfolio builds on the proven technology of the HP Designjet L65500 Printer which has seen tremendous acceptance in the graphics market.
Visit www.hp.com.
^Back To Top

Security

TippingPoint and Qualys partner to tightly integrate intrusion prevention
TippingPoint and Qualys announced a partnership that will give organizations the ability to more quickly defend their networks against the latest security attacks. As part of the agreement, the TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) will be integrated with Qualys’ QualysGuard Vulnerability Management (VM) solution, allowing organizations to simulate the results of IPS configuration changes against identified vulnerabilities and make the needed changes. The resulting mitigation reports show IT administrators how to remediate these vulnerabilities, which gives them more time to test and deploy patches in a structured manner. QualysGuard Vulnerability Management actively monitors the network access points on an organization’s networks to determine where it is vulnerable. The TippingPoint IPS provides active vulnerability protection through its Digital Vaccine service. Customers of both TippingPoint and Qualys will – in a matter of seconds – get a combined view of their vulnerabilities mapped specifically to the Digital Vaccine filters that virtually patch these vulnerabilities, protecting them from being exploited by the latest viruses and worms.
Visit www.tippingpoint.com or www.qualys.com.
^Back To Top

Storage

Crossroads Systems unveils new virtual tape solution
Crossroads Systems, Inc. announced general availability of its new SPHiNX for Power Systems virtual tape solution for use alongside large data centers using IBM i, AS/400, iSeries, and System i.  Easily deployed inside data centers with IBM Power Systems, Crossroads' new SPHiNX solution allows organizations to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of physical tape storage. Eliminating a common headache out of your data environment, SPHiNX for Power Systems also enhances data backup and restores, providing for significantly more secure and protected data. SPHiNX is designed for organizations that are feeling the pain around the inability to complete backups in a timely manner. With many organizations facing growing tape-related operational and administrative costs and/or challenges related to regulatory compliance, SPHiNX for Power Systems can be quickly and easily deployed to recognize immediate, obvious benefits.
Visit www.crossroads.com.
^Back To Top

Sun

Sun Microsystems adds high-performance storage array to disk portfolio
Sun Microsystems Inc. announced the expansion of its industry-leading disk storage portfolio to include the new Sun Storage 6180 Array built upon multiple generations of Sun modular storage technology. This latest addition to Sun's storage portfolio has demonstrated best-in-class price/performance: the Sun Storage 6180 delivers 50% more performance than Sun's previous generation, and over 70% better price/performance than the IBM DS5020. This top-performing array protects customers' storage investments and seamlessly scales across the Sun Storage 6000 family up to the flagship Sun Storage 6780 array.  
Visit www.sun.com/storage. ^Back To Top