The Dell^TM  PowerEdge^TM  R900, the company’s highest performing server ever on SPECjbb testing, and other enhancements to the PowerEdge server lineup were introduced here today at Oracle OpenWorld. The new servers will be available to order worldwide before the end of November. For more information, visit www.dell.com/poweredge.

The four-socket, 4U server was designed from the ground up for running critical enterprise databases and applications. The PowerEdge R900 also is ideal for virtualized environments with enhanced expandability, memory and the latest Intel^®  Xeon^®  quad-core processors. The Dell PowerEdge R900 can deliver unmatched database performance running Oracle Database 10g Release 2, topping SPECjAppServer2004 results from Sun and Hewlett-Packard for 2-node servers¹. With the highest SPECjbb2005 scores of any 4-socket server in the industry, the PowerEdge R900 can also deliver industry-leading server performance for general computing.³

With the PowerEdge R900, Dell continues to reduce information-technology complexity and provide relevant solutions for enterprise environments with the industry’s first in-line firmware updates. With new Dell PowerEdge servers, customers are no longer forced to take hard drives off-line and then flash new firmware because updates are delivered in-line in seconds.

The R900 provides an energy-efficient solution with the power to process the most demanding enterprise applications, including:

In addition to the R900, Dell has furthered its commitment to server performance and energy efficiency with updated versions of the PowerEdge 1950, 2950 and 2900. By enhancing the company’s most popular servers, Dell is helping customers decrease complexity by reducing energy costs, running software faster and deploying and managing servers more easily and securely through a variety of simplifying features including:

Additionally, two new PowerEdge servers – The PowerEdge R200 and PowerEdge T105 – will help customers of all sizes simplify server environments. For example, the Dell PowerEdge R200 is a rack-dense server designed to meet network infrastructure computing needs. The Dell PowerEdge T105 is an entry-level one-socket tower model designed for small businesses, and is ideal for e-mail, Web and file/print services for a small workgroup or as a dedicated application server.

ORACLE OPENWORLD, SAN FRANCISCO,   12-NOV-2007 05:00 AM    Oracle today announced Oracle® VM, server virtualization software which supports both Oracle and non-Oracle applications. Oracle VM offers scalable, low-cost server virtualization that is up to three times more efficient than existing products from other vendors. Key Oracle products including Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Applications are certified with Oracle VM. Backed by Oracle’s world-class support organization, customers have a single point of support for their entire virtualization environments, including Linux operating system and Oracle products.

Consisting of open source server software and an integrated Web browser-based management console, Oracle VM provides an easy-to-use, rich, graphical interface for creating and managing virtual server pools, running on x86 and x86-64-based systems, across an enterprise. Oracle VM offers:

* Simplified Installation — with single install, patching and upgrading for both Oracle VM and Oracle Enterprise Linux;

* Faster Deployment — through pre-configured Virtual Machine images of Oracle Database and Oracle Enterprise Linux;

* Greater Efficiencies — three times more efficient than other server virtualization products;

* Linux and Windows Support — support for Linux and Windows guest operating systems including: Oracle Enterprise Linux 4 and 5; RHEL3, RHEL4 and RHEL5; Windows 2003, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP (on HV capable hardware);

* Single Source of Support — backed by Oracle’s world-class support organization, customers have a single point of contact for their entire virtual environments, including the Linux operating system, and Oracle Database, Fusion Middleware and Application software.

* Low Total Cost of Ownership — enables customers to deploy server virtualization for a fraction of the cost when compared to other vendor products.

Oracle applications, middleware and database software currently certified with Oracle VM includes:

Oracle Database 10.2.0.3 and 11.1
* Oracle Application Server 10gR2 and 10gR3
* Oracle Enterprise Manager 10.2.0.4
* Oracle TimesTen 7.0.3.1
* Oracle Berkeley DB 4.6
* Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10 and 12
* Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.0
* PeopleTools 8.49.07 and above
* Oracle’s Siebel CRM 8
* Oracle’s Hyperion 9.3.1

Oracle VM extends Oracle’s support for grid computing by providing the ability to virtualize within as well as across servers. Oracle’s grid computing-based solutions together with Oracle VM are capable of virtualizing all infrastructure resources, as a well as data and applications, providing a complete virtualization solution for the data center and creating a cost effective, efficient and agile IT environment.

“Customers can now optimize resource consolidation by deploying Oracle VM with Oracle Unbreakable Linux, and run the full Oracle software stack — Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Applications — all with one worldwide support call,” said Oracle’s Chief Corporate Architect, Edward Screven. “With Oracle VM, customers can respond more rapidly to business changes, increase ROI and reduce lifetime total cost of ownership. Oracle VM brings enterprise-class support and backing to server virtualization, giving customers the confidence to deploy virtualized solutions.”

Industry Support for Oracle VM

“Enterprises of all sizes are increasingly embracing virtualization to consolidate resources, better leverage commodity hardware and further reduce computing costs,” said John Humphreys VP of Enterprise Virtualization, IDC. “Products like Oracle VM can be excellent tools that enable IT to increase their server utilization, and dramatically reduce complexity and overall total cost of ownership.”

“The introduction of Oracle VM underscores the importance customers are placing on maximizing their server investments via virtualization technology,” said Earl Stahl, vice president, Software Engineering, AMD. “With virtualization technology built on Xen, Oracle VM is able to take full advantage of the features available in industry leading AMD-Virtualization(TM) technology. AMD supports our customers’ right to choose technology and service solutions that help them achieve their business objectives, and we welcome Oracle VM’s introduction to the market.”

“Dell is committed to simplify IT by reducing cost and complexity in our customers’ data centers,” said Rick Becker, vice president of solutions, Dell Product Group. “By combining Oracle VM software with Dell’s proven leadership in delivering Oracle Database, Oracle Applications and Grid Computing solutions, we’re able to deliver simplified, complete virtualized solutions for their mission-critical enterprise operations.”

“Working with Oracle to incorporate support for Emulex LightPulse Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters into the new Oracle VM server virtualization software underscores both companies’ commitment to cost-effectively enable virtualized environments,” said Mike Smith, executive vice president, worldwide marketing, Emulex Corp. “Our LightPulse Virtual HBA technology is ideal for end users looking to manage virtualized machines with Oracle VM, while leveraging trusted SAN management tools and best practices.”

“Businesses using Oracle VM software on HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers can benefit from greater flexibility and cost savings from significantly improved resource utilization,” said Scott Farrand, vice president, Industry Standard Server Software, HP. “The tested configurations of Oracle VM on HP servers offer a new virtualization option to the large number customers who have chosen to deploy Oracle technologies on HP ProLiant servers.”

“Liquid Computing has optimized our fabric based computing offering, LiquidIQ, for Oracle VM performance and operations,” said Brian Hurley, CEO of Liquid Computing. “Oracle VM is an exciting addition to the complete Oracle software stack. We look forward to demonstrating its capabilities this week in San Francisco at Oracle OpenWorld.”

“Oracle VM and NetApp storage solutions provide our joint customers a powerful formula to maximize the benefits of efficiency, utilization, and agility in their virtualization environments,” said Patrick Rogers, vice president of Solutions Marketing at NetApp. “NetApp has been working closely with Oracle to support Oracle VM and is fully engaged in the beta testing program. As a leader in storage virtualization, the inherent features and capabilities of NetApp Data ONTAPR are a perfect match for Oracle customers looking to streamline and simplify data protection, backup, and management of their storage infrastructure. Together, our companies’ strategic value to customers is bringing greater efficiency and flexibility to managing their business and IT resources.”

“Oracle VM with Pillar’s Axiom provide the perfect combination for customers maximizing the power of Oracle Database 11g,” said Mike Workman, CEO and Chairman, Pillar Data Systems. “Customers can release the shackles binding them to large, legacy SMP platforms and extend virtualization from the application server to the storage pool using both Oracle Database 11g and Pillar Axiom. We enthusiastically share Oracle’s mission to increase resource utilization and take full advantage of IT infrastructure.”

“QLogic’s industry leading SANblade Fibre Channel HBA solutions, powered by hardware-assisted virtualization technologies, ship with Oracle VM and provide optimized performance and scalability as expected by enterprise customers,” said Frank Berry, vice president of marketing, QLogic Corp. “Our mutual data center customers will enjoy the benefits of this partnership backed by the QLogic global support model and Oracle’s world-class support organization.”

Availability and Pricing
Oracle VM is based on the open source Xen(TM) hypervisor technology. Oracle VM will be available for free download beginning Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at: http://www.oracle.com/virtualization.

Terms, conditions and restrictions apply.

Pricing for enterprise-class support for Oracle VM is simple — it is priced on a per-system basis, with 24×7 support for a system with up to two CPUs priced at $499 per year per system and a system with unlimited CPUs priced at $999 per year per system.

For more information on the Oracle VM, please visit: http://www.oracle.com/virtualization.

RENO, Nev. (SC07), November 12, 2007 – QLogic Corp. (NASDAQ:QLGC), a leader in networking for storage and high performance computing (HPC), today unveiled an expanded portfolio of products, services, qualifications and an ecosystem program for HPC networking. HPC clusters have rapidly grown to comprise more than 60 percent of servers deployed in HPC environments and IDC is forecasting a compound annual growth rate through 2011 of 40 percent for InfiniBand HCAs and switches. HPC cluster administrators, especially new administrators in financial and industrial environments, are asking for complete cluster networking solutions. In response, QLogic is implementing a strategy to: 1) deliver the highest performance HPC networks, 2) provide complete server and storage HPC networks and, 3) weave QLogic technology tighter into the HPC ecosystem. The result is HPC cluster networks from QLogic deploy easier, run faster and scale higher.

“We see the size of HPC clusters in scientific environments continuing to grow, while new business and industrial HPC clusters are rapidly emerging,” said Jeff Benck, president and chief operating officer, QLogic Corp. “QLogic is positioned to provide the HPC networking hardware, software and services to customers looking to partner with a complete solution provider.”

The expanded HPC networking portfolio unveiled by QLogic at SC07 includes:

• The World’s Fastest InfiniBand HCA - The QLogic 7200 20Gb DDR HCA is the world’s fastest HCA with the lowest scalable latency, highest bandwidth and fastest messaging rate – the standards for performance of a cluster interconnect.
• An InfiniBand Switch Designed for Oracle Clusters – The SilverStorm™ 9020 Enterprise Cluster Accelerator is designed specifically for Oracle Real Application Clusters. The 9020 delivers director-class InfiniBand fabric switch availability, performance and scalability in a cost-effective and compact package. The SilverStorm 9020 also includes gateways to Fibre Channel storage networks and Ethernet data networks.
• Improved Bandwidth and Scalability for IBM GPFS – QLogic is now delivering a high performance InfiniBand interconnect solution, optimized specifically for the IBM General Parallel File System (GPFS). The QLogic® InfiniBand solution for GPFS includes the only optimized Sockets Direct Protocol (SDP) for GPFS inter-node communication which is certified by IBM, dramatically improving bandwidth and scalability of the file system without requiring modifications to GPFS.
• NetApp Storage Qualified with InfiniBand – SilverStorm 9000 20Gb DDR InfiniBand switches are now qualified with the Network Appliance FAS series of unified storage systems.
• A Program to Enhance the HPC Ecosystem – The QLogic HPCtrack program is now available to QLogic HPC customers and partners. HPCtrack is designed to provide faster access to new InfiniBand technology, to certify the interoperability of ecosystem products and to provide a basis for closer collaboration on performance optimization of multi-vendor solutions.
• Global Services for QLogic InfiniBand Directors – SilverStorm 9000 20Gb DDR InfiniBand directors and edge switches are now backed by QLogic Global Service and Support. QLogic InfiniBand switch customers now have access to the industry-leading service and support available to customers of QLogic Fibre Channel and iSCSI products.

QLogic 7200 20Gb DDR HCA - The World’s Fastest InfiniBand HCA

For HPC architects and administrators that need the highest performance cluster interconnect available, the QLogic 7200 HCA is the new performance leader. The QLogic 7200 is the world’s fastest InfiniBand HCA based on:

Bandwidth (the capacity of point-to-point links) – The QLogic 7200 has a demonstrated bandwidth of up to 1,925 megabytes per second

Scalable Latency (delays in communications among many cores) – In 32 core testing, the QLogic 7200 HCA demonstrated the lowest scalable latency of 1.3 microseconds*.

Giga Updates Per Second (how many billion transactions supported per second) – In 32 core testing, the QLogic 7200 demonstrated industry leading performance of 0.13 billion transactions per second (GUPS)*.

SilverStorm™ 9020 20Gb DDR InfiniBand ECA - Designed for Oracle Clusters

The SilverStorm™ 9020 Enterprise Cluster Accelerator (ECA) multi-protocol InfiniBand director from QLogic is a cost-effective InfiniBand solution that powers Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC). Available now to end-user customers, the SilverStorm 9020 ECA is designed specifically for high performance Oracle RAC clusters supporting up to 22 DDR hosts. By including the Oracle Certified Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) protocol, only available through QLogic, customers have an Oracle certified solution comparable in performance to larger SMP solutions, but at a fraction of the cost.
The 9020 ECA is available in a 2U enclosure and can be configured for complete redundancy, yet takes less rack space and power than any competitive InfiniBand director available today. The 9020 is designed to meet the requirements of Oracle’s most demanding enterprise customers today, yet can grow when needed to meet the demands of tomorrow.

HPCTrack™ - A Program to Enhance the HPC Ecosystem

Because the performance of an HPC cluster can often be defined by the performance of the cluster interconnect, partners and customers are asking QLogic to more tightly weave new InfiniBand technology into the ecosystem – and to do it faster. In response, the HPCtrack program is designed to provide faster access to new InfiniBand technology, to certify the interoperability of ecosystem products and to provide a basis for closer collaboration on performance optimization of multi-vendor solutions. The following twenty ecosystem partners and customers have already joined the program: 3 Leaf Systems, Altair, AutoDesk, CD-adapco, Clustercorp, Corning Cabling Systems, Data Direct Networks, FalconStor, Isilon Systems, Livermore Software Technology Corporation, LSI, Panasas, Quantum, RAID Incorporated, RNA Networks, SCALI, SI-Cortex, SIMULIA, Terascala, Texas Memory Systems and Zarlink. QLogic will be registering new partners and customers on the floor of SC07 in booth #261.

Barcelona, Spain – Microsoft TechEd IT Forum 2007 (Booth D6) – November 12, 2007 – ScriptLogic® Corporation (www.scriptlogic.com), a leading provider of systems lifecycle management solutions for Microsoft Windows-based networks, today announced Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0, a solution that reduces the cost of application ownership and software distribution by simplifying the creation, modification and deployment of application installers. The product’s comprehensive tool set empowers administrators to develop, enhance and test Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) packages for pain-free software distribution to desktops across the enterprise. Version 4.0 now integrates with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for rapid roll-out of applications across the enterprise.

“Version 4.0 of Desktop Authority MSI Studio takes ScriptLogic’s solution for creating and editing application installers to a new level, and extends its value both as a standalone solution and as part of the Desktop Authority product family,” said Jon Rolls, senior director of product management at ScriptLogic. “We’re also proud to announce that through Microsoft’s technology adoption program, IT administrators can capture and package applications and publish them directly to System Center Configuration Manager for radically simplified application deployment.”

Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0, offered in both standard and professional versions, combines package capture, re-packaging of existing installers, an intuitive MSI editor that exposes the most frequently accessed properties, many wizards to simplify common tasks, and enhanced functionality for performing rapid validation visually within the editor. The professional version, Desktop Authority MSI Studio Pro, additionally offers Zero-Touch Testing and Conflict Resolution to highlight deployment problems before they occur.

The latest version of Desktop Authority MSI Studio offers the following benefits:

         Reduce the cost of application ownership – Desktop Authority MSI Studio makes it easier to roll-out, customize and move applications, lowering administration costs and reducing user down-time.

         Extract greater value from Desktop Authority and System Center Configuration Manager - Used in conjunction with application deployment software and desktop configuration tools, Desktop Authority MSI Studio rapidly gets applications into a suitable format for installation and removal and reduces the time it takes to prepare applications for roll-out.

         Extend the life of legacy applications – Desktop Authority MSI Studio easily captures legacy application installs and into an MSI package for use with the latest application deployment technology.

         Increase administrator and user productivity – Desktop Authority MSI Studio reduces the time administrators spend investigating and fixing application installation issues, and reduces the typical problems that users endure when new applications are installed incorrectly on their desktops.

“Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides IT managers with a comprehensive solution for deploying software applications across their environment,” said Eric Berg, director of product management for System Center at Microsoft Corp. “We are excited about ScriptLogic’s latest version of Desktop Authority MSI Studio, which provides a management tool that can be used directly with System Center Configuration Manager to easily capture and repackage application installers and publish software.”

Desktop Authority MSI Studio Demonstrated at Microsoft TechEd IT Forum

ScriptLogic company officials will demonstrate Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0 at the Microsoft TechEd IT Forum, held this week (November 12-16) at CCIB, Barcelona, Spain. Desktop Authority MSI Studio will also be featured in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager partner solution guide, available free to all attendees.

WHAT: Learn how Desktop Authority MSI Studio simplifies the creation and modification of MSI packages, especially when used with System Center Configuration Manager 2007.

WHO: Jon Rolls, senior director of product management at ScriptLogic

WHEN: Monday, November 12; 19:30 - 19:50

WHERE: Reception Cocktail - Visual Theater

More information is available at the following Web site: http://www.mseventseurope.com/teched/07/itforum/Co...7.aspx

Pricing and Availability

Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0 is currently available. Pricing for the standard version is $399 per administrator, while pricing for MSI Studio Pro is $799 per administrator. For more information about this and other ScriptLogic products, please visit ScriptLogic online at http://www.scriptlogic.com/msistudio

About ScriptLogic

ScriptLogic Corporation is a leading global provider of systems lifecycle management solutions for Microsoft Windows-based networks. ScriptLogic’s award-winning suite of desktop, server, and Active Directory management products helps empower network administrators to proactively save time, increase security, and maintain regulatory compliance. More than 20,000 customers use ScriptLogic solutions to manage approximately 5.1 million desktops and 122,000 servers. ScriptLogic solutions benefit any size network in any industry. ScriptLogic is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.  Reach ScriptLogic at (561) 886-2400 or on the Web at www.scriptlogic.com.

BARCELONA, Spain — Nov. 12, 2007 — Today at TechEd IT Forum 2007, Microsoft Corp.’s foremost technology show in Europe for IT professionals, Bob Kelly, corporate vice president in the company’s Server and Tools Business, announced details of next-generation solutions to deliver Dynamic IT for the People-Ready Business.

“Earlier this year, we introduced our vision for Dynamic IT, which aims to make IT a stronger partner to the business by bringing together the capabilities of core infrastructure, application and development platforms,” Kelly said. “At TechEd IT Forum, we are demonstrating how that vision is coming to life for customers as IT is streamlined across the full spectrum of our software and technology offerings, including through exciting new developments with Windows Server, Microsoft System Center, Microsoft SQL Server and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. The response from customers has been strong as we move toward the worldwide February 2008 launch of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.”

New Windows Server 2008 Virtualization Offerings, Pricing, Licensing Details

During his keynote address, Kelly made the following announcements related to Windows Server 2008:

New Microsoft System Center Products, Alliance Program

Kelly also announced general availability of three new products in the Microsoft System Center family of systems management solutions, and expanded alliances and investments intended to provide customers with the solutions they need to build more dynamic IT systems.

The System Center products now available can enable organizations to optimize a variety of scenarios, including server and software deployment, compliance and configuration management, backup and restore, and virtualization management. They are listed here:

Kelly also made the following announcements related to Microsoft System Center:

More information about Microsoft System Center announcements can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/nov0...R.mspx.

TechNet, MSDN Revamped to Provide Stronger Community Connections

Kelly unveiled a series of improvements to the TechNet and MSDN online experiences, which provide comprehensive tools to help IT professionals and developers evaluate, plan, deploy and maintain complex systems and develop advanced software solutions. The enhancements include the following:

More information about TechNet and MSDN enhancements can be found at http://www.msdn.com and http://www.technet.com.

Additional Announcements at TechEd IT Forum

Microsoft continues to create new products with Dynamic IT in mind to help provide customers with better-connected, simplified and adaptable IT systems. To help customers prepare for the next generation of Dynamic IT environments, Microsoft made a number of other announcements today:

This also is the first CTP to help customers store and consume any type of data, including new FileStream data types for unstructured documents, and to provide spatial data support for location intelligence technologies. Separately, companies such as Barrodale Computing Services (BCS) Ltd., Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., I.S. Consulting Inc., Manifold and SpatialPoint announced their intention to ship applications that take advantage of spatial data support in SQL Server 2008.

More information about MDOP for Software Assurance is available online at http://www.windowsvista.com/optimizeddesktop.

Customers can continue to purchase PolicyMaker Standard Edition and Policy Share Manager from DesktopStandard Corp., a Microsoft subsidiary, through Jan. 31, 2008. More information about Group Policy Preferences can be found at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103735.

About Microsoft TechEd Europe

In its 14th year in Europe, TechEd is Microsoft’s definitive European conference for building, deploying, securing and managing connected solutions. With a strong mix of developer, infrastructure and messaging content, Microsoft TechEd Europe is Microsoft’s premier technical training conference for a wide range of technology professionals. TechEd Europe, held this year in the Centre Convencions Internacional (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain, encompasses both TechEd Developers (Nov. 5–9) and TechEd IT Forum (Nov.12–16).

enterprisesearch  posted an announcement on Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express:

I’m pleased to announce that we’re unveiling Microsoft Search Server 2008 today at the Enterprise Search Summit in San Jose!  The really exciting news is that we’re also offering a free version of this product – Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express – which you can download now as a release candidate.  Our team worked extremely hard to get this release to you, and we’re proud of what we’re delivering today.

Our aim for Search Server Express is to give you a free and powerful enterprise search product that’s incredibly easy for you to deploy.  After you download it, you’ll find it takes just a few minutes to get it up and running.  It’s going to be the fastest way you can bring an enterprise search experience into your business.

But ease of use will be just the first thing you notice.  We also built Search Server Express with enterprise-class features, including relevancy tuning, security-trimmed search results, and great out-of-the-box administration and reporting.  One other significant improvement you’ll find is the removal of any pre-set document limits, giving you a lot of flexibility in the amount information you can index.

We also support federating your searches to any business system or online service supporting the OpenSearch standard.  That means it’s incredibly easy to connect Search Server Express to the information people in your business need to find, wherever it might be.  We believe Microsoft and its partners can offer you the one-stop search experience you’ve been looking for – and today, companies like EMC, Cognos, HP, Business Objects, SAS, and OpenText have already announced their intent to support federation with Search Server and Search Server Express.  We expect many of them to release federated search connectors to coincide with the release of these products in the first half of 2008.

You’re probably asking why we’ve chosen to release an enterprise search product for free.  We’re really passionate about giving you tools that help people in your business find the information they need to get work done.  Every day, companies across the world generate more than 35 million gigabytes of data – we believe there’s a set of enterprise search capabilities every one of them needs in order to make better use of that information.  Today, we’re delivering that to you for free with Search Server Express.

On another level, you can think of Search Server Express as the easiest way to introduce enterprise search to your organization.  Between Search Server Express, Search Server, and Office SharePoint Server – all of which share a common enterprise search platform – we think we’ve got you pretty well covered.

In the meantime, download the Search Server Express release candidate, and let us know what you think on our product forums!

Jonathan Kauffman
General Manager
Enterprise Search

Here is a list of webinars that might be interesting for you.

Title: Webinar: Unified Communications - Is your network ready for the future?
Date: Wednesday, November 14th
Time: 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT
URL:
http://www.voip-news.com/webinar/unified-communica...so=846

Title: Webinar - Mobilize your Sales Staff with BlackBerry and CRM
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
Time: 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST
URL: http://www.insidecrm.com/webinar/mobilize-sales-st...so=847

Title: Managing Your Network for Business Continuity Webinar
Date: Thursday, December 13th
Time: 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT
URL:
http://www.itmanagement.com/webinar/network-busine...so=848

Boca Raton, FL – November 5, 2007 – ScriptLogic® Corporation (www.scriptlogic.com), a leading provider of systems lifecycle management solutions for Microsoft® Windows®-based networks, today announced the release of Desktop Authority® 7.7 to bring IT administrators updated platform support and innovative security tools. The latest version of Desktop Authority offers enhanced security controls on USB drives and other removable storage devices, 64-bit platform support, and significant enhancements to patch management and reporting features to further establish the product as a comprehensive desktop management tool for use across the enterprise.

“IT professionals increasingly demand centralized tools that simultaneously tighten security and boost overall productivity,” said Jon Rolls, senior director of product management at ScriptLogic. “In addition to extending Desktop Authority’s reach to 64-bit environments, version 7.7 offers a well-balanced enterprise-level platform with strong USB security enhancements, helping IT administrators tackle a wide range of challenges from Windows Vista migration to data theft prevention.”

Desktop Authority addresses the concerns of IT professionals who demand strong end-point security and comprehensive platform support. Version 7.7 empowers IT administrators with the ability to allow or deny specific USB devices by their serial numbers, device classes and IDs. This level of granular control enables companies to tightly regulate the USB drives and devices that are used throughout the organization and to audit all permitted and denied activity for simple reporting of what files a user copied and what attempts occurred to breach the security policy.

Additionally, version 7.7 extends the product’s reach to 64-bit platforms. This includes 64-bit desktops running the desktop agent, as well as the 64-bit back-end servers running Desktop Authority services. ScriptLogic’s patented Validation Logic distinguishes 32-bit and 64-bit environments, allowing administrators to tailor configuration profiles so that settings, preferences, and applications can be configured, personalized, and deployed as needed.

Other Enhancements for Comprehensive Desktop Management

As patch management is a critical component of IT security, ScriptLogic has combined a number of features in Desktop Authority 7.7 for more efficient patch deployment. Enhancements include:

• Desktop Authority Update and Patch Download Service: For highly secured environments with desktops and servers that are isolated from the Internet, version 7.7 now provides an innovative service that allows the administrator to download updates and patches into a zip file for easy transport to the desired Desktop Authority server.
  

• International Language Support for Patches and Upgrades: Desktop Authority supports downloading and installing updates and patches in English, German, French and Spanish, a feature which is particularly valuable for multinational corporations.
  

• Rollback of Patches: With version 7.7, Desktop Authority offers the option to rollback designated patches and updates, allowing for easy removal of patches in the event of unforeseen problems.
  

   

• User Deferment of Patch Installation: The desktop user’s experience has been improved by introducing an option for end users to delay the installation of updates and/or delay the reboot which follows patch installation. Naturally, the administrator has total control over the availability of these options.
  

Powerful Inventory Report Creation Made Simple

Desktop Authority’s inventory database has always offered powerful, flexible reporting features, but the addition of a new reporting tool, the Custom Report Wizard, makes it even easier for IT professionals to create and automate reports containing multi-level queries. The Custom Report Wizard allows administrators to create reports that search and filter the hardware and software inventory without having to write a single line of SQL. This wizard walks administrators through the steps of creating reports based on any information stored in the Desktop Authority database, and then allows them to customize the layout and format of the report, as well as the schedule and method of delivery.

Redmond magazine recently reviewed several desktop configuration management tools, evaluating functions such as USB port security, patch management and reporting, and ranked Desktop Authority among the top: http://redmondmag.com/features/article.asp?editori...d=2370. In the article titled, “Automating the Desktop,” featured in the November 2007 issue, reporter Peter Varhol said, “I found Desktop Authority to provide great information and make a number of activities involving servicing desktops far easier than they could be done manually.”

Pricing and Availability

Desktop Authority 7.7 is available immediately. A free 30-day evaluation of these products and all software solutions from ScriptLogic is available at www.scriptlogic.com. Desktop Authority is priced on a per-seat basis and volume discounts are available through ScriptLogic’s global network of reseller partners. Desktop Authority customers with current maintenance agreements will receive a complimentary upgrade.

About ScriptLogic

ScriptLogic Corporation is a leading global provider of systems lifecycle management solutions for Microsoft Windows-based networks. ScriptLogic’s award-winning suite of desktop, server, and Active Directory management products help empower network administrators to proactively save time, increase security, and maintain regulatory compliance. More than 20,000 customers use ScriptLogic solutions to manage approximately 5.1 million desktops and 122,000 servers. ScriptLogic solutions benefit any size network in any industry. ScriptLogic is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.  Reach ScriptLogic at (561) 886-2400 or on the Web at www.scriptlogic.com.

nLite reached version 1.4 .

nLite is a tool for permanent Windows components removal and pre-installation Windows configuration. After removal there is an option to make bootable image ready for burning on cd or testing in virtual machines.
With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install does not include, or even contain on cd, the unwanted components.

The list of changes inludes

• upd: Read-only attributes removed
• upd: Returned Netdde and Visual Tweaks
• upd: nvraid integration will not auto-insert sata_ide from now on
• upd: KB933729, KB939653 non-English support
• fix: SFC/WFP popup on device installation (e.g. USB stick inserted)
• fix: Luna theme settings were not applied if no themes integrated
• fix: Certain combination of removals causing textmode error in 2k3

nLIte Download Page

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 4, 2007 — Windows Home Server, a new solution to help families easily protect, connect and share their digital media and documents, is generally available today. The HP MediaSmart Server, powered by Windows Home Server software, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com, Best Buy.com, Buy.com, Circuit City.com and CompUSA.com. It will be shipped to customers and available via other leading retailer Web sites later in November. Additional Microsoft hardware and software partners are also delivering new consumer products and solutions designed to work with Windows Home Server.

“Digital devices and content are everywhere in our day-to-day lives and they are more important all the time,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “With the launch of Windows Home Server, Microsoft and its partners are creating a new consumer product category that will help people keep their digital media safe and make it easier for them to enjoy it with friends and family.”

Windows Home Server is a “stay-at-home” server that delivers the benefits of powerful server technology used by many people at work within a simple, easy-to-use solution for the home. It automatically backs up Windows XP-based and Windows Vista-based home computers each night, provides a central place to organize digital documents and media, and includes a free Windows Live Internet address to access the home server from virtually anywhere and share content with friends and family. It also monitors the health and security status of home computers and can stream media to other devices in the home, such as Xbox 360, allowing people to enjoy digital music, photos and videos on their television.

The HP MediaSmart Server, powered by the AMD LIVE! solution, was designed for the Windows Home Server platform. It provides consumers with easy, more secure access to all their movies, photos, music and documents through any broadband Internet-connected PC. The product also includes HP Photo Webshare software for consumers to easily and more securely share photos with select friends and family. The MediaSmart Server is offered in a 500GB version for $599 (U.S.) and a 1TB model for $749 (U.S.).*

“As more and more entertainment content goes digital, people increasingly want a simple way to access, store and enjoy the wide range of photos, personal videos, music and films they enjoy at home. HP and Microsoft have worked closely to bring to market a powerful, breakthrough solution for today’s digital lifestyle that lets people personalize the how, when and where of entertainment,” said John Orcutt, senior vice president of the Managed Home Business at HP.

Other leading manufacturers are also releasing Windows Home Server products:

In addition, companies including Ace Computers, Advantec, PC Club and Universal Systems Inc. are now offering Windows Home Server systems based on the system builder version of the software. Other leading manufacturers, such as Gateway Inc. and LaCie, have announced plans for Windows Home Server products. Also, Seagate Technology announced the compatibility of its PC hard drives and external storage devices with Windows Home Server. Intel Corporation will soon be announcing a new, ideal platform for Windows Home Server, as well.

Windows Home Server Software Solutions for the Digital Home

Third-party software developers have created more than 35 innovative add-in programs to run on the Windows Home Server platform. These solutions provide personal blogging and media sharing, home security, home automation, protection against viruses and malware, and more. Several software vendors today announced support for Windows Home Server:

Additional third-party software and service solutions for Windows Home Server include avast! and F-Secure anti-virus and security software, CEIVA digital photo frames, Iron Mountain and Jungle Disk off-site data protection services, Lagotek Home Intelligence Platform for home automation, LobsterTunes for streaming to Windows Mobile-based devices, PacketVideo PVConnect for universal plug-and-play media streaming, Raxco Software PerfectDisk for performance optimization, Riptopia CD loading service, Sonos System Software 2.5 for centralized storage and organization of digital jukeboxes, and Whiist for easy creation of Web pages and photo albums on Windows Home Server.

More information about Windows Home Server is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver.

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