Software News

Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft's newest operating system has touted much to offer through its development cycle. Of course, we couldn't wait to begin testing to find out if this new OS would live up to the hype generated by Microsoft. Unfortunately, through beta, Release Candidate, and final, Vista just hasn't given us what we'd hoped for.

The system requirements are steep to get decent performance, and especially to use the new Aero and Glass features that have been heavily advertised. The improved security features are more of a headache than an actual security enhancement, causing much distress for the end user. Of course, one mustn't forget Microsoft's strive towards a more restrictive media licensing system. The DRM features in Vista are improved, as are the complications they cause when dealing with protected media content.

Executive Software Diskeeper 2007
After using Diskeeper for years, we're happy to announce that the newest version doesn't disappoint in terms of the quality we've come to expect. The interface has changed some, and new features have been added, all which help to promote a smoother working system. Our only complaint with the new version is the addition of software activation. Normally this isn't anything to through a fit over, however we've run into problems with the activation not working properly. Once this is overcome, the software itself is solid and does exactly what it's advertised to do. There shouldn't be any reason why we won't stick with Executive Software as our choice for disk defragmentation software.

Microsoft Exchange 2007
2007 marks a big year for Microsoft, with yet another large scale release. This time, they've completely redone their mail server application suite. Made to run strictly on 64-bit architechture, Exchange 2007 takes advantage of the added processor and operating system performance features. It needs every bit of it, to be sure.

Exchange 2007 is geared to run across multiple servers, but can still be run in single server mode if one chooses to do so. The spam filtering has been improved, and the ability to scan for viruses and use black/white lists has been added. Though, typically these are only available in a multi-server environment.

For anyone familiar with the Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2003 System Manager, be prepared to completely relearn the interface. While difficult at first, the new environment has added quite a few nice features to assist with configuration and monitoring of your Exchange setup.

Hardware News

Fortigate Virus Wall Units
Finally, a hardware virus solution for small businesses. Previously, hardware virus-scanning appliances have been easily over a few thousand dollars to put into place. Fortinet has changed that. Their lower end products, 50A and 60 units, are priced reasonably for small businesses while still providing an impressive level of protection that you would expect from the high-level players. Their units support virus scanning at the TCP packet level, "grayware" scanning, as well as full control over routing and remote access. The units also come with a built-in VPN server capability. All of this, combined with a fantastic user-interface, makes the Fortigate unit quite a powerful tool for any small to medium sized network and a definate must if you receive a high amount of virus traffic.

Pocket PCs and Mobile Phones
With each year comes advancements in phone and handheld technology. Lately, as is evident through numerous press outlets, the combination of PC functionality with cell phone portability is quickly becoming a big hit. The storage capacity of PocketPC phones is increasing along with the user-friendliness. Aside from just sycnhronizing your handheld with your contacts and calendar, as was the standard, you're now able to get high-speed internet on your phone to browse and search for information. Email can be checked directly on the phones so that you have instant notification anywhere you are. Along with those connectivity features, the PocketPC phones support portable Office documents. This makes it possible to open, view, edit, save, and resync a Word or Excel file right from your phone. It seems the most difficult task has become choosing the correct phone for your needs.

Netgear 24-Port Gigabit Switch
We've taken the jump to slowly upgrading our clients to gigabit networks where necessary. This of course, means replacing those old network switching with something capable of lasting another few years. We've turned to Netgear who have put out a fantastic product with their 24-port switches. They're very easy to set up, and can be semi-managed if the operator so chooses.