You can deploy monitoring software, diagnostic software, and a Halon fire suppression system, as well as access multiple grids for power and Internet access, but nothing can save you from the most dire threat facing IT pros today: end-users.
Everywhere you look, technology is advancing. Unfortunately for IT, no one has come up with an algorithm to fail-safe systems from stupidity.
One of the most versatile tools I came across is Gbridge 2.0. This free utility allows users not only to remotely control a Windows host, but also transfer files, share folders, and automatically synchronize files between PCs. Gbridge is firewall friendly and does not require any modifications to the network firewall. It does require a Gmail account (also free), but that shouldn't stop anyone from deploying it.
Gbridge is available for all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, and it installs relatively simply on both host and client. The software creates a soft VPN between host and remote PCs using the gbridge.com Website and a Gmail account as the login authority. This VPN is fully meshed so that multiple clients can see one another and participate in file transfers, remote control, and shared file locations. Thus, Gbridge provides many-to-many connectivity instead of a one-to-one link as with most remote control utilities.
TeamViewer 5 allows remote users to control both Windows and Mac computers behind a firewall by way of a small client application. It provides good all-around access to your remote PC, but the free version is limited to noncommercial users only. Remote printing isn't readily available in TeamViewer, but VoIP, video, and conference call support are included.
Like LogMeIn Free, TeamViewer 5 is firewall-friendly and uses the standard HTTP port (port 80) to connect a remote client to a host computer. Unlike LogMeIn, TeamViewer does not use a browser or intermediate Web site. Each side must run a small agent--either an installed client application or a no-install, memory resident client--to make the connection. I tried TeamViewer both ways with success. During remote sessions, the installed agent used only 13MB of RAM, while the memory resident agent used just 7MB. TeamViewer 5 works with all versions of Windows from Windows 98 to present, and with Mac OS X 10.4 and up.
WinRemotePC 2009 Lite by WinSoftMagic is a utility that stuffs a lot into a little package. WinRemotePC Lite is another Windows-only program that requires an open port in your firewall. But unlike DESKTRA, it includes the ability to transfer files between host and remote client. WinRemotePC Lite does not provide remote printing capabilities, but does include a couple of unique features.
WinRemotePC is a simple 3MB download for both host and client. It installed without a hitch on my Windows XP Pro systems. As with DESKTRA, Remote Desktop, and VNC, I had to open up a port in to my host. Once the system is running and a client connects, the WinRemotePC Lite host uses only 40MB of RAM and very little CPU time during sessions. The client side also used very few system resources: 40MB when connected.
Users should choose and manage their own PCs.
At first blush, that's a radical notion any right-thinking CTO would dismiss out of hand. But not so fast: IT shouldn't dictate what computers and handhelds users get -- and perhaps IT shouldn't manage them, either. That's the conclusion some IT organizations are reaching, or at least investigating.
Nothing can screw up a well-managed network faster than the people for whom you built it. Whether it's user error, optimistic expectations, or simply that bastard Murphy, IT's job is rarely predictable.
Lucky for you, there are lessons to be learned from others' misfortunes. So rather than wait to make your own forehead-shaped dent in the office wall, familiarize yourself with the screwups detailed below. It will make you that much more prepared to safeguard your IT environment from the ever-evolving boneheaded tendencies of those you serve.
Ever since it arrived, the iPhone has been criticized for not meeting key enterprise needs. The iPhone 2.0 OS, released in summer 2008, added several key business functions, such as Exchange integration, but nowhere near the capabilities that many enterprise need to meet security and compliance requirements. The new iPhone 3.0 OS, to be released on June 17 as a free update to iPhone users and a $10 update to iPod Touch users, moves the iPhone a bit closer to enterprise requirements.
For IT, Apple has added on-device encryption for data (backups are encrypted as well), plus a remote wipe-and-kill feature for Exchange 2007 users. Non-Exchange users can get remote wpe-and-kill if they subcribe to Apple's consumer-oriented MobileMe service. In either case, the wiped information and settings can be restored if you find the missing iPhone.
I don't know about you, but I'm finding the whole showdown between Craigslist and the state attorneys general over online "adult" ads endlessly entertaining. In case you've been paying attention to actual news and somehow missed it, here's the story so far.
First, Craigslist caved in to the outcry over the alleged "Craigslist killer" and offered to make nominal changes to its racier listings, swapping "adult" for "escort" in the title and promising to do a better job of keeping out the $2 whores.
Google has both refreshed and open sourced its Google Update software, which is code-named Omaha. By making the software available under the open source Apache license, developers working on an auto-updater can use Google's code, which also enables Google to publish updates and plug security holes.
"Omaha allows us to add features seamlessly and address any bugs or security problems, all without concern that these updates will disrupt our users," wrote Myles Jordan of Google's software engineering team in a blog post on Friday. "Omaha allowed us to ship 12 versions of Chrome beta in 4 months, without requiring Chrome users to work hard to keep their browsers up to date. Such behavior is very useful for new features, but essential for security vulnerabilities."
Illustration: Lou BeachUntil this week, the major analyst houses have said the current recession is not as bad as what the tech sector suffered though in 2001 and 2002 after the dotcom bubble popped. Forrester, IDC, and Gartner still all agree that IT spending is down, but whether this recession is worse than the dotcom fallout is now a matter of debate.
The fact that analysts were maintaining that IT is not in as much trouble today as it was during the last recession has served as something of a beacon of hope for tech workers.
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