Michael Scalisi

Storage area network (SAN) technology has been around since the late 1990s, but historically it was priced far out of the range of small IT departments. Now this option for making more-efficient use of data storage has become affordable for all but the smallest of IT shops.

For example, Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) SAN arrays such as the Drobo Elite cost $3500, and the Dell PowerVault MD3000i starts at just over $5000.

Upgrading users to a new operating system always seems to have its pitfalls, and Windows 7 is no exception. If you're migrating multiple users, you'll definitely need some tools to help automate the task. Fortunately, Microsoft has created a tool for the occasion, appropriately named Windows Easy Transfer. This simple tool migrates your users' profile information (desktop, libraries, e-mail configuration, program settings, etc) and other computer files and settings from their old Windows PC to a new one.

Easy Transfer has other uses, too. For example, you could use it to replicate the Windows and program settings between a work computer and a home computer, or copy profile settings and data to additional office computers. It's useful anytime you want to transfer or replicate user profiles between two machines.

Last Wednesday, Apple introduced the long-fabled Apple tablet to the world. Much to nobody's surprise, it is a 9.7-inch touchscreen slate based on the iPhone OS. The media response has been largely negative so far, which is slightly surprising given that the tablet was more or less on par with what the rumors specified. While much of the criticism seems valid, the Apple iPad is also the most promising tablet of 2010, and in the hands of the right user, a respectable business machine.

I won't gloss over the deficiencies of the iPad. It's unfortunate that Apple opted for the limited iPhone OS instead of full-blown Snow Leopard. Also disappointing are the lack of native connectivity options (USB Ports, SD slot, Video out, etc.) and the adaptors that Apple expects you to buy. However, to meet the goals of long battery life, small form-factor, and light weight, some compromise is necessary. It simply isn't currently possible to make a half-inch-thick, 1.5-pound tablet with 10 hours of battery life using OS X and an Intel processor--at least not with respectable performance.

One of the most useful new features in Windows 7 is Libraries, a simple yet powerful tool for streamlining the management of all the files on your PC. It’s useful when organizing local data, and even more powerful when used to organize data across a network.

You can customize a Library in the Properties menu, setting a default folder to save files in, and adding folders from across multiple drives.The first thing to realize is that libraries are not folders, but rather a way of organizing folders that makes it easier to find, sort, and manipulate files that have a common type of content. Simply put, libraries are just a method of bringing together a whole bunch of files and folders stored in different locations.

Ethernet networks can run remarkably well for long periods of time, lulling IT admins into a false sense of security. Unfortunately, disaster can strike at anytime, and to the under-equipped, network issues can be downright debilitating.

Some of the most serious network problems can include broadcast storms, in which a defective or misconfigured network device floods the network with traffic. Broadcast storms tend to amplify themselves until they completely shut down your network, which is bad. Another common threat is a malware-infected computer, which can send a barrage of e-mail or attempt to replicate to computers on your LAN or across the internet. An infected computer can slow down internet traffic and put you on bad terms with your ISP.

One of the challenges that comes with running a network is keeping your operating systems patched and secure. In response to this problem, Microsoft has released Windows Server Update Service 3.0 SP2 as a means to centrally download updates and control how they are deployed to the computers throughout your network. Additionally, WSUS provides extensive reporting features to quickly give you a snapshot of your computers’ status. If your network is big enough to have a server and use Active Directory, it’s big enough to benefit from using WSUS.

Despite the relative sophistication of Windows Server Update Service, it’s fairly easy to get a basic installation up and running. The prerequisites are a server running Windows Server 2003 SP1 or greater, IIS 6.0 or greater, .NET 2.0 framework, and Report Viewer 2008 Redistributable 2008. If you run SQL server 2005 SP2 or greater, you can use that. Otherwise the Windows Internal Database will be installed automatically. It’s worth taking a look at the WSUS 3.0 SP2 release notes for more detailed requirements.

Solid-state drives recently hit the 1-terabyte mark with the release of the $3,300 OCZ Colossus 1TB SSD. Obviously, drives at this price point are not aimed at masses. Yet, from a historical perspective the Colossus is remarkably cheap. It’s easy to forget that just a few short years ago, neither mainstream SSDs nor 1TB drives existed at any price. It’s also important to remember that smaller, affordable SSDs are available today and represent an incredible value.

I can already hear the dissenters calling me an idiot for that last sentence. They’ll point out how 1TB disk drives can be had for under $100, and how they can buy 10TB worth of storage for the price of a single 160GB SSD. When people bring up these arguments, I can't help wondering whether they've ever used an SSD. Highly rated Intel and OCZ SSDs in capacities ranging from 60GB to 250GB can be had for $230-$700. For the truly budget conscious and space efficient, Kingston offers a 40GB SSD using Intel's controller for a paltry $115.

When Google first announced its Chrome OS project, many commentators assumed that the Internet giant was challenging the dominance of Microsoft Windows. The truth is, Chrome is not a threat to Windows, OS X, or any distribution of Linux--nor is it meant to be.

Today in Mountain View, Google held a press event to announce details of its upcoming Chrome OS. What it unveiled is an exciting new platform for Web computing that is aimed squarely at consumer netbooks, and has little relevance to businesses today.

In a nutshell, Chrome OS consists of a Chrome browser running on an optimized Linux kernel. It supports only solid-state storage, and with the exception of locally cached user data, all data will be stored in the cloud. It's built to be fast, simple, and secure. It eliminates all local apps (except, of course, for the browser). Let's be perfectly clear: If it's not a Web app, it won't run on Chrome OS. While it doesn't accommodate local storage, it will read from USB storage devices (memory sticks, cameras, etc). It's a promising idea, as long as you buy into the whole Google ecosystem hook, line, and sinker.

Of all the technologies that run your business, chances are good that none impact your company as much as good ol' e-mail. While larger organizations have the hardware, infrastructure, and human capital to manage e-mail in-house, small businesses with tiny to non-existent IT departments don't have that luxury. Here's how to get big-business e-mail efficiency on a small-business budget.

For businesses with five to 25 users, hosting your own mail server just isn't worth the effort and expense involved, and can actually lead to more downtime than going with an outside service. While it can tempting for very small companies to simply rely on free e-mail services like Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, there's something about having your own domain name that makes your business look more legitimate. Using a free e-mail account is a dead giveaway that your organization runs on a shoestring. Fortunately, both Google and Microsoft offer affordable and robust hosted e-mail solutions.

If you use Microsoft Office and you frequently work from different computers, you need to check out the Office Live add-in for Office Live Workspace (currently in public beta). This free online service gives you the ability to store and share up to 5GB of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, and the Office Live add-in incorporates the ability to work with documents in the Office Live Workspace without leaving the comfort of your Microsoft Office app.

Installing the Office Live add-on.The benefits of working with Workspace and its Office add-in are powerful. Without changing the way you work, your documents will follow you whenever you have an Internet connected computer running Office, and if you're away from your own PC, you can still access your stuff from any other machine. Additionally, Office Live Workspace makes sharing documents across the Internet trivial.