Cameron Sturdevant

Cisco Systems Inc. announced a raft of security related products and software enhancements on Nov. 19 that are good news for IT managers. Continuing a trend weve seen over the past year, the company is pushing big-time features from its high end routers into devices that sit much closer to telecommuters and workers in branch […]

System and network management took another step toward standardization on Nov. 19 with the release of a compliance and registration tool for vendors to prove that they conform to the CIM (Common Information Model). The Distributed Management Task Force has been working on a beta version of the test tool since spring, and is releasing […]

Altiris Inc.s Client Mgmt Suite 5.5 has additional PC and handheld management capabilities for inventory and remote control that strengthen the integrated tool and make it a good choice for IT managers who are trying to get a handle on wide-ranging assets. During eWeek Labs tests, we used the enhanced inventory system to gather Dell […]

U.S. Robotics Corp.s 22M-bps USR8022 Wireless Cable/DSL Router increases the data delivery rate of 802.11b for small offices and home systems, but it provided only marginal increases in linear reach during eWeek Labs tests. We tested the USR8022 wireless router and 2249 wireless access point in a wood-frame building, which has plaster walls built with, […]

The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, the main marketing and testing body for wireless LAN standards, became the Wi-Fi Alliance Oct. 1. A week later, the group announced that interoperability certification testing for 5GHz 802.11a-based products will begin next month—and none too soon. Atheros Communications, Intersil and other companies 802.11a chip sets are in shipping products. […]

AirMagnet Laptop Version 2.0, AirMagnet Inc.s follow-on to its very useful handheld wireless network protocol analyzer, is a good step toward a well-rounded product roster that will be of greatest use to IT departments that want a larger view of their data. AirMagnet Laptop, which uses Version 2.0 of AirMagnets namesake software, doesnt set new […]

I got a lot of mail asking why Cisco and 3Com werent in my Oct. 21 analysis of voice over IP (VoIP) product platforms. Nortel Networks Ltd. and Avaya Inc. did yeoman work to get equipment and engineers in place to respond to the RFP and set up equipment. We were very favorably impressed with […]

ZENworks for desktops 4 includes two important firsts for the Novell Inc. PC management software: support for laptops and the end of ZENworks for Desktops reliance on the pesky Novell Client on each managed machine. eWeek Labs tests showed that ZENworks 4s laptop support, based on Orbiter (which Novell acquired from Callisto Software Inc. in […]

Beta 1 of Systems Management Server 2003 shows that Microsoft Corp. will likely deliver scalable management for desktops and laptops when it releases the product. (SMS 2003 is slated to ship in the first half of next year.) eWeek Labs got a sneak preview of the SMS 2003 beta, announced earlier this month, and tests […]

eWeek Labs recently got an earful of voice over IP. Working with VOIP equipment from industry leaders Avaya Inc. and Nortel Networks Ltd., we discerned the strategic decisions IT managers can make now that will enable them to successfully bring VOIP to the enterprise and improve data network performance at the same time. Putting voice […]