Feature Articles

IT Quarterly Business Review – What One Can Do for You! (7/07)

Wouldn’t it be great to have answers to these questions and more, make some adjustments and see your business run better? If you knew that a particular issue cost you $2,000 last quarter, wouldn’t you want to know how to fix it, and how much that would cost?

An IT Quarterly Business Review can answer all these questions and more relative to the status and performance of your IT infrastructure and services and to the effective planning and strategy of your future IT needs. Examples of covered topics include:

Overall network performance

• Alerts
• Backup performance
• Computer/Server performance
• Security status (firewalls, antivirus, etc.)

Issues from the past quarter

• What issues were reported by end users? By monitoring tools? By IT staff?
• Does issue resolution response time meet the set goals?
• Are there common characteristics or trends in these issues?
  • Is a fix of some type in order?
  • Is end-user education an issue?
  • Did time to resolve these issues meet the set goals?

Short-to-Medium Term Organization Status

• Is the organization changing? If so, in what ways?
• What are your key business goals for the next 12 months? For the next 3-5 years?
• Are there any upcoming changes that will increase or decrease dependence on technology?
• Are there changes in technology that can enhance your position in your market?
• Is your capital budget consistent with the investment you will need?

Goals for the upcoming quarter

• What goals are appropriate based on issues from the past quarter?
• Are there goals that are motivated by changes in the business?
• Will your budget need to change to meet these goals?

If you think this review would help you run your business better, invest more wisely and generally have more confidence in your IT network, give Chris Rittmuller a call on 703-528-8300 x130 or send an email to rittmullerc@beinetworks.com.

Feature Article 
Top 10 IT Business Continuity Mistakes (5/07)

10. Where will you go?

9. Where will you get new hardware?

8. What about application software? And the operating system(s)?

7. Documentation!

6. Are backups stored off-site?

5. Email is the lifeblood of your business – how will you keep it going?

4. Human Error!

3. What will you do first? Second and third?

2. I THOUGHT I had a good backup…

And…. (drum roll please!)
1. How long will it all take? Setting expectations is critical!

And a few horror stories (just to keep you up at night)

• A local firm had a flood in their building when the sprinkler system went berserk during construction in the suite above them – drenching their server room and all the equipment in it.
• The IT department in a medium-size firm had just completed a major network upgrade when their ENTIRE network was stolen over the weekend.
• During Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, Old Town Alexandria flooded and was without power. One association we service was out of business for five days.

Planning and putting a few systems in place can avoid much of the pain due to these common mistakes. Come to our seminar on July 10 or contact Chris Rittmueller (703-528-8300 x130 or rittmuellerc@beinetworks.com) for a business continuity assessment – we’ll help you avoid learning these lessons the hard way!!

Email's Alphabet Soup – A Short Guide for "The Rest of Us" (3/06)

DNS, IP, MX, rPTR… the acronyms of email can be confusing and annoying, but some of the details are incredibly important. We've had a couple of clients who have taken seemingly innocuous actions relative to their IT infrastructure that have had disastrous results for their email. We thought a little explanation might help many of us avoid experiencing such pain first hand! We'll start with a few common issues and follow up with definitions for those who are interested.

Never change your website hosting company without letting your IT firm know about it! Why? Because it is not uncommon for the people who host your website to also host your DNS. Change your website host, your DNS may change and all the sudden you will not receive any email! This may happen quickly or over a few weeks – see the explanation for TTL below. If we know this is happening, we can take the appropriate steps and your email will continue to flow.

Be aware of whether or not you are using a Static or Dynamic IP address If you are using a dynamic IP address (for example, establishing a VPN to another computer) be aware that it may change. Sometimes they stay the same for months at a time, but not always! To give a non-IT example, this would be like having a permanent home (static) versus being homeless (dynamic). With dynamic, you may temporarily settle in for a short time, but you could disappear at any point without warning. A Static IP address gives your organization a permanent home on the internet. This unknown factor of your ISP issuing your company a new IP address at any time (if you are dynamic) can cause a variety of issues, such as loss of internet connectivity, loss of email, loss of remote access into the network, and so on. While the cost may seem higher on the front end, you will save your organization on both cost and man hours by obtaining a Static IP address with your ISP.

If you are falsely accused of spamming, the first thing to check is whether or not you have a Reverse DNS (rDNS) set up. One of the easiest ways to check whether or not a given piece of email is spam is to check whether the IP addresses it is coming from matches the domain name attached to the email. For example, spam filters would look up the IP address that the mail is coming from and see if the rDNS that corresponds to that IP matches the domain name attached to the email. Imagine you get a telephone call and the caller announces their name, and you then quickly check to see if the name and phone number match. Luckily email has computers to do this for us!

DNS – Domain Name Servers translate addresses between human terminology (beinetworks.com, which is easy for most of us to understand and remember) and IP addresses (which are easy for computers to understand and remember.) The DNS system is a huge, distributed database that exists on many, many Domain Name Servers around the world.

IP – Internet Protocol is a string of numbers separated by periods (for example, 216.183.103.015.) Every device attached to the internet has an IP address. Servers typically have static IP addresses (they stay the same for long periods of time) and home machines typically have Dynamic IP addresses that are assigned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider.) Static IPs are more expensive and are typically used for businesses.

MX Record – A Mail Exchanger Record tells where mail for a given domain should be delivered (for example, mail.beinetworks.com.) This lets us reroute mail easily (for example, when we want to filter mail through Microsoft Exchange Hosted Filtering we change the MX record to point to mail.global.frontbridge.com) and lets organization define multiple mail servers with varying priorities, thus raising the likelihood that mail is actually delivered!

TTL – Time To Live is a parameter that is attached to all IP addresses as they are sent to the Domain Name Servers. Because it is much more practical to have the DNS servers store this information rather than looking it up each time, each IP address has a specified time that it should be stored (ranging from minutes to days.) Because this information expires, new information can propagate. TTL is part of the reason that DNS changes usually take a few days to completely take affect.

Phishing and Identity Theft (1/07)

• If an email asks for too much information, don’t reply and simply delete the email. No legitimate company will ask for your social security number or credit card number in an email.
• Too little information in an email is a common indication of phishing. A common approach is to send an email saying that your recent order requires confirmation, or that the information you sent is incomplete. (See #1 above!)
• When the return email address does not match the party it supposedly came from, you are likely the target of a phishing attack. For instance, an email appears to come from support@ebay.com, but if you hit reply and highlight the return address, it may actually be coming from another email address set up to gather this information.
• Be very wary of hyperlinks included in emails. It is very easy for a scam artist to have a link that says one thing but actually takes you to another site. Hover over the link with your mouse and check the hyperlink that shows up in the bottom bar of the browser. If they don’t match, make sure you know where the link is taking you.
• If an email asks you to call an 800 or other telephone number, be very suspicious of what information you are asked for. Check out where the email comes from and why they might be contacting you, and don’t give out any personal information unless you are sure about who you are talking to.
• Be skeptical about organizations with names that just don’t sound quite right. National Credit Agency and Social Security Bureau are examples of official sounding organizations that don’t exist. If you have doubts, do a search on the organization and see what you can find.
• If you receive multiple emails about the same topic, be suspicious. Phishing often involves large volumes of email and one email address may frequently be sent multiple copies of the same information.
• Internet Explorer 7 includes an anti-phishing filter that is updated constantly with the latest known phishing sites. Consider installing this free update if you have not done so already.
• Poor grammar or bad spelling in emails that ask for personal information should be a BIG red flag. This is typically an indication of an email sent from other areas of the world, which is where many of these schemes originate. Just delete these emails.

SSL Certificates & Your Holiday Shopping! (11/06)

An SSL certificate is usually indicated by a small lock or a company's logo (for example, VeriSign.) When you click on the logo or other insignia it is critical to note whether or not the SSL information pops up and is correct for the site you are currently viewing. When you click on this indicator, you should see the site name, certificate owner and terms of the SSL certificate. If this information is missing it is cause for suspicion (especially if it is not a company that you are very familiar with from past dealings.)

SSL certificates include a public key and a private key. The public key is used to encrypt information and the private key is used to decipher it. When your computer makes contact with a secure server, a session is started that includes a unique key used for your session only. The more bits used in this key, the more secure the session. The table below shows the length of time it would take to break various keys. Note the dramatic decrease in time from 1997 to 2005 based on the increase in computing power.

Time to Break Encryption by Brute Force Source: Yankee Group, 2005
Key Length	Time to break*		# of Key Combinations
	1997	2005
40-Bit DES	4 hours	Seconds	1x10*12 or 1 trillion
56-Bit DES	140 days	Days	7x10*16 or 70 quadrillion
128-Bit Triple DES	10*21 sextillion years	0.25 sextillion years	300 septillion
*Estimated assuming distributed computing network of high-end desktop computers

So how does this apply to you if your business doesn't have an e-commerce site? When should you utilize an SSL certificate? When any private information is passing through the internet – credit card data, login information, client data, your proprietary company information, emails, etc. then an SSL certificate should be used. Think of not using one as sending information through the mail in a clear plastic bag!

To implement SSL certificates for secure computing in your business all you need to do is purchase the certificate(s) from a reputable vendor and install them on the servers that will be open to web traffic. Besides any e-commerce servers this would include internal-use servers such as Citrix and email (i.e. Microsoft Exchange).

There are multiple types of SSL encryption – the standard today for online shopping is SGC (server-gated cryptography.) SGC provides 128 bit encryption to almost all users (VeriSign states that SGC provides 128- or 256-bit encryption to over 99.9% of Web site visitors.) Newer browsers have 128-bit encryption built in, but SGC will enable even older browsers to take advantage of this higher level of encryption.

When purchasing an SSL certificate companies need to evaluate their needs in order to determine whether they need a standard SSL certificate or SGC. An extranet being used by employees (when you know all users have newer browsers - IE 5 with the 128bit pack or newer) would be adequately protected by SSL. An outward-facing site that involves payment information requires SGC.

An SSL certificate can only be created by a "trusted authority." VeriSign and RapidSSL.com are two examples of trusted authorities. SSL certificates are created for a particular server in a specific domain for a verified business entity by a trusted authority. There are times when SSL certificates are moved from one server to another, and there are documented processes for doing this.

BEI is fortunate to have Devin Leshin, formerly of VeriSign, to help with any questions you may have about purchasing, installing or managing SSL certificates (as well as ecommerce applications). Feel free to email Devin or contact him via the BEI service line (703-528-8300 x1.)

Microsoft Licensing Simplified (10/06)

We thought we'd start with this guide that Microsoft put together – it summarizes the key questions that you need to ask yourself as you are considering your licensing options:

Choosing a Licensing Program
	Volume Licensing		OEM	FPP
	Open Value Three year agreement with upgrades	Open Business Two year agreement without upgrades	Preinstalled on new computers	Boxed software acquired via retail
Do you have fewer than 5 computers?	No	No	Yes	Yes
Do you upgrade software only when purchasing new computers?	No	No	Yes	No
Do you need to create standard images to configure new computers?	Yes	Yes	No	No
Do you need to simplify license tracking?	Yes	Yes	No	No
Do you want to standardize your desktop software?	Yes	No	No	No
Do you prefer to upgrade to the latest Microsoft software?	Yes	No	No	No
Do you need to minimize upfront costs by spreading payments over 3 years?	Yes	No	No	No

Now that you’ve had a taste of the issues to be considered, let’s delve into some specifics. The first thing to remember is that when you pay for a Microsoft product (and for that matter, most vendors’ software products) all you are doing is buying the right to utilize that product according to Microsoft’s End User License Agreement (EULA or “license”). We’re not going to attempt to cover all the various EULA’s in detail but the point is that after you pay for the product you don’t own it – you have a license to use it per Microsoft’s license agreement.

Microsoft offers four ways to acquire licenses: full packaged product (FPP), through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), through independent software vendors (ISV’s) and through Volume Licensing for organizations.

FPP is the shrink-wrapped software that you would buy at your local retail outlet (e.g. Staples, Best Buy, CompUSA, Office Depot, etc.) It is intended for customers looking to acquire a small number of licenses quickly and is really geared for home users. It is also typically the most expensive way to acquire a license. Licenses purchased this way can be installed on one computer and can then be transferred to a new computer just one more time. That’s right – just one transfer.

OEM licensed software is software that is pre-installed onto a computer that you purchase. When you buy a computer with Windows or Office already installed on it you have acquired an OEM software license. OEM licensed software may only be used on the computer it was originally pre-installed on. It can never be legally transferred to any other computer, even if the original computer dies.

An ISV license is purchased when you buy a third party’s software product that includes a Microsoft product. An example is Citrix Access Essentials. When you purchase a Citrix Access Essentials license it comes bundled with the Microsoft Terminal Server Client Access License (CAL).

Volume Licensing is what we always recommend for our customers because it offers the best value in terms of flexibility of use, license management and pricing. For example, a big benefit is that volume licenses can be transferred from computer to computer in an organization without limit. Therefore, as your PC’s or servers get old or otherwise die, you can reassign software licenses from the old to new or replacement machines as often as you need. With volume licensing you also get “downgrade” rights – for example if you have a Windows Server 2003 license you can install Windows Server 2000 with it if you like (which you might do if you want to install Exchange 2000 on a new server since Exchange 2000 will not run on Windows Server 2003).

Within Volume Licensing there are several programs, each being tailored around the quantity of licenses you require, the types of Microsoft products required, and how you need to purchase them. For example, the volume license Enterprise Agreement is for organizations with 250 or more desktop PC’s that want to standardize on Microsoft Office, the Windows desktop operating system and standard server client access licenses (CALs). Another option is the Enterprise Subscription Agreement which is also for organizations with 250 or more desktops but who would like to subscribe to—rather than purchase—Microsoft software licenses. The Select License program is also geared for organizations with 250 or more desktop PC’s and includes the ability to purchase many other software programs than just Office, Windows and CALs.

However, for the vast majority of BEI’s clients the applicable license program is called Open License. Within Open License there are three sub-programs, of which two tend to fit BEI clients best. These sub-programs are as follows:

Open Business
This is a good choice if you have a corporate, academic, charitable, or government organization and have a minimum initial purchase of five software licenses. This program is ideal if you prefer to pay as you go (i.e. as you need additional products and/or licenses) ensuring maximum flexibility to grow with your organization’s increasing and changing business needs. It provides a two-year agreement that enables you to save on estimated retail prices by placing the initial minimum order of five or more licenses of qualifying Microsoft software or one server license. After the initial license order the two-year agreement permits additional purchases of any quantity under the same agreement until it expires.

Open Volume
This program is for organizations that can make a larger up-front purchase and therefore receive a deeper savings. Under Open Volume Microsoft products are divided into pools and assigned points. As examples, Office Professional Edition is worth two points and Windows Server is worth 15 points. To meet Open Volume purchase requirements the initial purchase must equal 500 points or more. Just as with Open Business, this agreement carries a two-year term during which additional orders may be placed against it.

Open Value
Open Value is for small to midsized organizations with five or more desktop PC’s that want simplified license management, control of the software upgrade cycle, and better software cost management. These license agreements automatically come with Microsoft’s Software Assurance (see later in this article), they carry a three-year term and they permit spreading of the cost over three annual payments during the agreement term. Even deeper discounts are available when an organization commits to the Open Value Company-Wide option wherein all desktop PC’s in the organization are standardized to Office, server CAL and Windows Professional operating system.

Of these three Open License programs, our customers are typically buying from the Open Business or Open Value programs. Within these programs there are sometimes Academic, Charity and Government pricing levels available for qualified customers that offer additional discounts. And while the agreement terms for these programs are two and three years, that just relates to the period during which you can purchase additional software at the same price discount level without having to meet the initial purchase level (5 licenses for Open Business and Open Value or 500 points for Open Volume). Open License customers always own the licenses they purchase and have perpetual use of the software licensed under the Open License agreement starting at the time the licenses are acquired.

Software Assurance (SA), which was mentioned above in Open Value, is Microsoft’s software maintenance program. It is available for purchase as part of any of the volume licensing programs and can be applied retroactively to OEM purchased licenses. Typically it costs 50% of the software product’s license-only price. When you purchase SA you are eligible for benefits depending upon the license program under which you purchased it. The most visible benefit is the right to obtain new versions of Microsoft software during the SA term at no cost (upgrade rights). But there are many more benefits to SA including: home use program (licensed users of Office can also install and use Office on a home computer), employee purchase program (employees can get discounts on licenses for popular Microsoft software for personal use), eLearning (online training on Windows, Office and server systems), “cold-backup” (you can configure a backup server that is off-line and available to replace a production server in the event of disaster recover without needing to purchase another server license), 24x7 telephone support, and more. When customers have the budget we highly recommend getting SA.

We realize this is a lot of information - if you have any questions or would like additional information about Microsoft Licensing please call Mike Jennings at ext. 102 or send him an email at jenningsm@beinetworks.com.

Computer Viruses and Spam – Terminology for Educated Users

Malware

Computer Virus

Trojan Horse

Spyware

Adware

Worm

Spam

Phishing

Spoofing

Wireless Networking – The “Right” Way and The “Wrong” Way (7/08-8/08)

Quick and Dirty Wireless Networking

• Address Conflicts: The default configuration for most wireless routers and access points that you’d get at Best Buy or Circuit City is DHCP enabled, meaning that the wireless router you buy assigns IP addresses dynamically. On a home network this is fine but in a business this often results in conflicts because almost always there is already a DHCP server on your network.  When there are two or more DHCP servers on a network there is IP address confusion and major headaches.
• Security Problems: Unless you are very knowledgeable and strict about security settings there are many vulnerabilities inherent in the “quick and dirty” solution. 
• Most people don’t turn off broadcasting the wireless router’s SSID, which means that the network is essentially shouting out its name to other wireless devices within range. Users often don’t rename the SSID, so their network has whatever name came out of the box with the WAP (e.g. “Linksys” or “Dlink”, etc.). This could easily be the same name that another network has, and in any event is usually very simple for a hacker to determine.
• Most people also don’t turn on MAC filtering which restricts your wireless device to only allow PC’s with certain specific MAC addresses to connect.  This requires that you know the MAC address of the PC’s that you want to connect to the wireless network and that you set this filter appropriately.
• WEP and WPA are encryption standards for wireless networks, and they require using keys which should be sufficiently secure. Note that WPA is greatly preferred over WEP, but some older devices do not support WPA.
• Poor Performance: Users are often not happy with the performance of a wireless network that is based on a single, consumer grade wireless router or access point. Speed may be a problem, the signal may drop frequently, or access may not be available in certain areas of an office.  Installing multiple wireless devices doesn’t always solve the problem and can even make it worse.
• Conflicts with Other Wireless Networks: Out of the box, a wireless device is setup to send on a specific channel. Unless the channel is changed, it is often the same channel that is used by other networks in your office building (because they weren’t changed either!).
• Complicated Topology: Wireless networks often require additional physical LAN ports to plug in the wireless device. Often these are not available so people insert a small, inexpensive switch into the network to provide these ports, resulting in a very complicated and often poorly functioning network topology.

• The network works fine (this means you got lucky!)
• Things work fine at first, but when additional network changes are implemented in the future (more devices, devices moved around) performance degrades.
• The network might work, but work poorly (slow, connections dropping, issues with their existing LAN)
• The network might not work at all.

Wireless Networking the "Right" Way

• Define Your Goals: Decide ahead of time why you are adding wireless capability.  This usually means either accommodating visitors who arrive with their own laptops, or employees who have laptops that they bring in, as well as employees who need to change location often within the office.
• Understand Your Current Network Topology: Make sure you have an accurate network diagram that reflects all devices as well as connections and accurate addresses for each.  This documentation is very critical in the next step – network design.
• Design A Commercial Grade Wireless Implementation: Key considerations include:
• What is the wireless environment in your office (are there other tenants with wireless who will cause interference, are you near a power station or radio station that might present interference issues?)
• How many users will be on the wireless network simultaneously?
• How many access points are required and where should they be located?
• Will the users be roaming within the wireless network?
• Will network drops and/or power outlets need to be added where the access points will be placed (power-over-Ethernet is a great way to solve the “no available outlets” issue).
• Select Commercial Grade Wireless Equipment: Features to look for include tunable antennas (direction and power can be customized), a full range of security features (WPA, RADIUS authentication, and virtual LAN capability for keeping users separated) and wall/ceiling mountability.
• Install Required Infrastructure Upgrades: Install any required infrastructure additions/upgrades (additional LAN ports, power outlets, etc.)
• Install, Configure and Test the Wireless Components,: Obviously, we would recommend that the wireless network design, product specification and installation phases be performed by someone who does these tasks for a living.  We can certainly do it as can many other companies in this area.  The key, though, is to have a professional do it so that it is done properly and done well.

Tips for Business Continuity Planning (6/06)

Information

Backups

The biggest decision to make with backups is whether to backup just your data or whether to backup your entire systems (operating system, applications and data). Remember that a data-only backup, which is what most companies do today, still requires a server or workstation to be completely re-constructed (i.e. Windows software re-installed from scratch, applications re-installed from scratch, etc.) before the data can be restored. This could take 6-12 hours for a typical server and 2-6 hours for a typical workstation.

Email

System & Application Recovery
When the worst happens the question then becomes “how quickly can we get back up and running?” Circumstances can include a hardware failure, fire, flood, or other man-made or natural disaster. Planning can make a huge difference in the time it takes to recover. Even if no investment is made ahead of time, knowing what you want to do and how to do it cuts the lead time to placing orders, arranging service, etc. Give some thought to how long your organization’s operations can be down without adversely impacting your business – is it hours, days, or not at all?

Options for complete system recovery include a tape or disk backup that requires installation on new hardware, a complete duplicate of your server system off-site (usually at a data center facility) or a data recover system such as Unitrends Rapid Recovery products.

The Who, What and Why of Blacklists (4.06)

Many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use third party blacklists as an easy first filter against spam. These third party blacklists include:

• SpamCop
• MxToolBox
• SpamHaus

If you suspect that you have been placed on a blacklist, go to one of these websites and check, based on your IP address.

However, we all know of well-intentioned organizations that have been "blacklisted" by one list of another. How does this happen? There are many reasons, some of the most common include:

• Your mail server is set for open-relay, which allows spammers to essentially send mail through your mail server, making it appear as if you are sending spam.
• Your IP address is close to that of a true spammer (guilt by association). Some blacklists will include a block of IP addresses, intentionally bracketing those of the known spammer.
• You are sending spam! Of course, one person's spam is another's carefully crafted, and hopefully desirable newsletter. You can avoid the presumption of spamming by sending only to opt-in lists, and by providing very clear directions to unsubscribe.

How to know you've been blacklisted:

• The most obvious – your mail is returned with a delivery failure message, and at the bottom it says that you have been blacklisted by a spam filtering service
• People tell you that they've never received your email and you don't have any other explanation.

So How Do I Get Off a Blacklist?

• Find out what blacklist you are on – this can usually be done by carefully reviewing the "Delivery Failed" messages. Y
• ou can also go to http://www.dnsstuff.com/ and enter your mail server's IP address or host name in the "Spam Database Lookup" box to see if any of the common blacklisters have you on their list. Contact the Blacklist Service and ask that you be removed. They usually will have a process set up for this, and sometimes will ask you to promise to avoid the offending behavior in the future.
• Make sure you have Reverse DNS setup (spammers often use email addresses that don't match their IP addresses; Reverse DNS is a way to make sure that these match)
• Use a service such as Microsoft Exchange Hosted Filtering (formerly FrontBridge). When you use an email filtering service, it appears (in terms of IP addressing) as if you your mail is coming from the service, not from your domain. As long as the service is not blacklisted, you'll be fine.

So You Want to Buy a Laptop…

One of the most frequent questions we get from friends and clients is “I want to buy a new laptop – what should I buy?” Buying a laptop involves many choices, and some tradeoffs. You can’t have “really small and light” AND “an awesome monitor to watch DVDs.” This month we thought we’d walk you through the major issues and see if we can add some structure to the process. There are also a number of great websites that you can use as a resource. Our recommendations tend to be slanted toward someone who also wants their laptop to work with their business environment from time-to-time, because that is what most of our clients end up doing!

Sanity check - do you really want a laptop?

Laptops are small and can be used almost anywhere, but…

• They’re more expensive than a comparable desktop unit (you have to pay to get all that stuff in a small package)
• They’re tough to upgrade. Once you’ve bought a laptop, you’ve pretty much got what you’ve got. Maybe you can add memory, or external drives, but they MUCH more limited in terms of future flexibility than a desktop computer.
• They aren’t as comfortable as a desktop – the keyboard and mouse just aren’t as roomy as a desktop computer.

If you made it past all the downers above (sorry, we’re just trying to make sure you’ve thought this through!) then you’re ready to consider your requirements.

What kind of a laptop do you want?

PC magazine divides them this way; these are obviously not hard and fast lines but they do help you think about where you fit. To delve deeper into these profiles go to PC Magazine’s “Laptops: The Essential Buying Guide”: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,3483,00.asp.

Once you’ve figured out where you fit, you’re ready to consider the specific components:

• Operating System – We always recommend Windows XP Pro because you’ll have a much easier time integrating your laptop with your business environment. XP Home will work for users who aren’t worried about networking capabilities. Windows XP Media Center Edition will be necessary for the Multimedia PC. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is a version of Windows XP Pro with extensions that support the screen's tablet-writing ability.
• Processor – We like the Intel Pentium M, which has been out for about a year. There are other options but this is the most common. Make sure you opt for something that has the horse power you need along with power consumption that fits your laptop usage. Some laptop vendors are now offering dual-core processors (basically 2 processors on one chip) and if you can afford the extra cost this is something to definitely consider.
• Memory – 512 MB is the minimum we like to see, and you’ll need 1GB or more if you’re looking at video/multimedia applications.
• Drives
• Hard Drive – how much do you need to store on your laptop? Most laptops today come with a 60GB hard drive; you need more than this only if you’ll be storing lots of video or other space-intensive files. Make sure that the drive you select spins at least 4200 rpm - The faster the drive spins, the better your laptop will perform overall.
• CD/DVD Drive – a basic DVD/CD-RW drive is built into all but the smallest laptops these days. It doesn’t cost much more to upgrade to a DVD±RW, which allows you to record DVDs. A modular drive (one that is easily removed/inserted) will allow you to change and upgrade in the future.
• Display – the display can range in size from 10 inches (diagonal) to 17 inches. The size of the display depends greatly on how large and heavy you want your laptop to be. Also consider the screen resolution. If the display is really important to you, try to check it out at a store before your purchase the laptop.
• Keyboard and touchpad – these come in many different configurations/sizes. The important aspect is what is comfortable for you – are you willing to live with a smaller keyboard so that you get a lighter, easier to transport laptop? Remember that you can also use an external mouse and/or keyboard when you are in a fixed location. A small travel mouse can be a very useful accessory.
• Connectivity – a wireless card should be included in your laptop (usually 802.11b/g) and will let you access the network in your home as well as public hotspots. You’ll also want at least two or three USB 2.0 ports for connecting external devices (mouse, printer, external drive, etc.)
• Port replicator, docking station – if you plan to use your laptop at home or in the office, a port replicator (just a way to simplify plugging and unplugging your laptop from various devices (network, printer, external drive, camera, etc.)) or a docking station are a good idea.
• Warranties – make sure you know what the warranty is, and take a look at extending the time coverage. If it makes financial sense, it can be a good deal.

Once you’ve determined your requirements and how they match up with the various building blocks of a laptop, you’re ready to shop. Read reviews, use the websites we’ve suggested below, and talk to your friends and business associates. These websites are great resources to use while you’re trying to determine the best laptop for your particular situation:

Good luck and happy shopping!

Windows Server 2003 R2 (2/06)

Windows Server Release Cycle

Microsoft Server Operating System software is based on a four-year release cycle with a release update in the middle of that cycle. Windows Server 2003 R2 is such a mid-cycle release. The last major release was 2003; the next - code named Longhorn - is planned for 2007.

Service Pack 1

New Features of R2

• Simplified Branch Office Server Management – in an environment where there are servers located at remote or branch offices that are connected back to a main office, R2 simplifies the management of the branch office servers. Centralized management tools for file and print functions result in:
• Reduced local administration – you can do more from a central location
• Improved bandwidth efficiency – enables faster data replication between central locations and branch offices
• Improved Identity and Access Management – R2 makes it possible to share a user’s identity across security boundaries, so:
• Users have to remember fewer passwords and use them less often
• Administrators have fewer passwords per user to manage, reducing password resets and other administration
• Extranet access is integrated so that trusted partners can be more easily be provided access to critical applications.
• Reduced Storage Management Costs – R2 provides better utilization of storage through reporting, quota management and file screening:
• Detailed storage reports allow administrators to easily see where data is building up quickly
• Individual directories can be assigned quotas, resulting in improved management capabilities
• The type of files placed on servers can be limited, allowing administrators to prohibit extraneous files (i.e. video, music, etc.)

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