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Welcome to the May edition of QTS QuikNews, our monthly
e-mail newsletter. In this monthly e-mail, you will
receive an update of what's new at QTS - new products we
support, new patches and upgrades, solution ideas and
promotions to save you money, and information about our
company and our clients.
In
this issue:
- QTS
News
- Events
- President's
Corner
- QuikSecure
Tip of the Month
- Patches
and Upgrades
- Product
Support Lifecycle Watch
- Solution
Spotlight
- Special
Offers
- Partner
Spotlight
QTS NEWS
QTS
OFFERS FREE SYSTEMS STRATEGY CHECK-UPS
Having developed this unique engagement jointly with
Microsoft, QTS is now offering Systems Strategy Check-Up
engagements to qualified customers and prospects
throughout New Jersey and New York.
This high-value, half-day consulting engagement
helps businesses evaluate how they are using Microsoft
technologies and identifies best practices and
recommendations for how to best deploy Microsoft
technologies in a business. For
more information on this no-charge engagement, contact
your QTS Account Manager.
QTS
TO PRESENT AT NY STATE SOCIETY OF CPAS CONFERENCE
QTS President and CEO Neil Rosenberg will be presenting
�10 Steps to Secure your Business Network� as part
of the New York State Society of CPAs� �CPAs in
Industry� Conference held on June 2nd at
the Princeton Club in New York City.
For more information on the conference, please
visit www.nysscpa.org/conferences/2004/pdfs/industry.pdf.
QTS
IS HIRING!
QTS is recruiting for senior level technical personnel,
as well as entry and senior level sales
staff/telemarketers. If you know anyone who might
be a good fit, please have them submit their resume to
Liz Meechan, our Office Manager. Liz can be reached at lmeechan@QTSnet.com,
or (973)984-7600 x223.
SUCCESS
STORIES
CHRISTIAN
HEALTH CARE CENTER
QTS
helped this healthcare organization migrate from to
Active Directory, Windows 2003 and an Exchange 2003
Cluster to support 400 users.
http://www.qtsnet.com/about/success
stories/chcc success story.pdf
PRESS
RELEASES
QTS
ADDS GOOD TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER WIRELESS MOBILITY
SOLUTIONS
5/10/2004:
QTS today announced that it has become an Authorized
Reseller for Good Technology, makers of the GoodLink
messaging and corporate data access system, providing
customers with a flexible solution for mobile wireless
data access to Microsoft Outlook/Exchange.
Read more at http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr51.htm
QTS
ACHIEVES GOLD PARTNER STATUS WITH SURFCONTROL
5/17/2004:
QTS today announced that it has achieved Gold Partner
status with SurfControl, the world�s number one web
and email filtering company.
Read more at http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr50.htm
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EVENTS
WINDOWS
AND EXCHANGE SERVER WEBINARS
QTS
and Microsoft will be delivering a placeware
�webinar� on the benefits of upgrading to Windows
Server 2003. QTS
will conduct the Windows Server 2003 Upgrade:
Improving Security, Reliability and Performance
event on May 26th at 2pm EST.
To learn more or to register, visit www.discovermicrosoft.com/webcasts.
The
Exchange Server 2003 Upgrade: Improving Security,
Reliability and Performance webinar held on May
19th is available for replay at the following
URL: http://www.placeware.com/cc/lmevents/view?id=msft0519sy&pw=6QMPN8
SARBANES-OXLEY
ROUNDTABLE: NEW YORK CITY
Medium
Business senior IT and business management are invited
to join QTS, Conchango and Microsoft on Tuesday June 22nd
at the Tribeca Grill in New York, NY for an Executive
Roundtable Luncheon to discuss Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
and the Microsoft Office System Solution Accelerator for
Sarbanes-Oxley. QTS
will also present �10 Steps to Secure your Microsoft
Network� as part of the event.�
To register, contact your QTS Account Manager.
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PRESIDENT'S
CORNER
QTS�
recent announcement of our partnership with Good
Technology resulted in quite a number of emails from
clients and prospects requesting more information on
this area, and our supported solutions in it.
We seem to have struck a nerve.
It is clear to me that mobility is a �hot�
area of technology that will show strong growth in the
upcoming months. Already,
I have had several clients contact me about mobility
solutions, based on users within their organizations
demanding the ability to remotely access email from a
small form factor device.
Why? Often,
because they�ve seen someone else using it.
And
yet, with the plethora of choices and many confusing
terms and language, this can be a daunting area to dive
into. I�ll
try to help here with this column, to give you a crash
course in �Mobility 101.�
Expectation
setting is important � users tend to expect that these
technologies will work flawlessly, even as they
encounter dropped cell phone signals and problems with
other technologies more mature than this.
So education and training, both before users are
given these devices and as they start to use them, will
be critical to the success of these projects.
Frankly, it is important to �lower the bar�
so users understand the nature of the technologies, so
minor inconveniences don�t mar otherwise successful
deployments.
So,
that being said, let�s take some time to discuss
mobility solutions in today�s market.
First, the �killer app� is clearly email.
Specific vertical markets have been using
mobility solutions for some time, with demonstrated
success � pay attention the next time you�re asked
to sign for a UPS or FedEx delivery, for example.
However, these applications are very specific,
and scale broadly across a large corporation�s
national (or international) presence.
Email, on the other hand, is ubiquitous across
businesses of all types and sizes.
And the platform of choice is Microsoft Exchange
(this is the only one Good Technology�s solution works
with, whereas Blackberry Enterprise Server has versions
for Exchange and Lotus Notes, and Novell GroupWise users
are forced to cobble together a solution with Blackberry
Enterprise Server as well as third-party gateway).
There
are two approaches that can be taken to connect mobile
devices with email � �push� and �pull� models.
Both have pros and cons, though the push model is
generally much better from a security standpoint.
A
common �push� model solution is to install a
redirector program onto your desktop computer, to have
it push new email meeting certain rules criteria out to
your mobile device.
This works well in situations where (1) your
computer is a desktop, not a notebook you take with you,
(2) your computer is left on and logged in all the time
(and this doesn�t violate your information security
policies) and (3) your email software and mobile device
supports this solution.
The Blackberry redirector for Outlook is the most
common offering here, and is used by many individuals
and small businesses in this situation.
Another
�push� solution is to use a gateway rather than have
individual computers run redirectors.
This allows for centralized management, increased
reliability, and better security.
This is the solution employed by Good
Technology�s GoodLink Server and by Blackberry�s
Enterprise Server.
Both products run on Microsoft Windows Server and
�push� email out to supported mobile devices.
In the case of the Blackberry Enterprise Server,
this is just Blackberry devices.
In the case of the GoodLink Server, support is
broader � Good supports
specific RIM Blackberry devices (the 950 and 957
data-only devices on the Mobitex network), the palmOne
Treo 600, Good's G100 and devices based on Microsoft
Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition (this is
only the very latest devices that are just now hitting
the market).
Both products perform end to end encryption using
AES, and because it�s purely a push model, there is no
need to open firewall ports or allow any kind of inbound
access.
This
is very different from the �pull� model employed by
the mobile device support built into Microsoft Exchange
Server 2003. Microsoft
has integrated what used to be called Mobile Information
Server, which essentially allows Windows mobile devices
(essentially, PocketPCs with wireless connectivity of
some type) to synchronize data with the Exchange Server
over the Internet, using ActiveSync technology.
This is a pull model synchronization, which has
the disadvantage of requiring ports to be opened on your
firewall (though this can be mitigated by securing this
with an ISA Server and a digital certificate).
It also isn�t a real-time delivery model, and
the only way to simulate that is to sync constantly,
which tends to wear down your batteries.
Finally,
there are some services that can pull your email from
your server, then push it down to the device � such as
Motient�s eLink service.
This solution, for example, allows GroupWise
users to receive email on their Blackberry device
without a dedicated server, though it has the �pull�
disadvantage of requiring open firewall ports.
And there should always be careful consideration
given when your email is stored, even temporarily, on
networks and servers outside your control.
Once
a communications model has been defined (typically,
based on platform and on your willingness to have a
dedicated server for this), you can begin to look at
device platforms. Some
servers support specific devices, others are more
flexible. Possible
devices include Blackberry (of which there are multiple
models), the Treo 600 (integrated Palm PDA and
telephone, and regarded by many as the integrated device
of choice), other Palm PDAs with wireless links,
Microsoft Windows-powered PDAs, Windows SmartPhones and
conventional telephones with WAP-enabled microbrowsers.
The device needs to be able to connect with the
Internet, either via WiFi or a cellular network of some
type, to connect with your mail server.
The device needs to meet the needs of your users,
be supported by the communications model, and work with
your carrier and service.
WiFi
is used to describe the same type of wireless connection
that you would have if you went out and bought a
wireless access point.
These products generally conform to the 802.11
standard (802.11a, b and g define the speeds as well as
other characteristics), and many notebooks and PDAs you
purchase today have this type of wireless support built
in (many also include �Bluetooth� support, which is
useful for very close range wireless communication
between devices � normally just a few feet � to
exchange data). The
good news is that the device support is broad-based and
the speed is high (11MBPS or 54MBPS).
The bad news is that you are restricted to
communication from within range of a wireless access
point that you can log in at � for example, Starbucks
all have wireless access points that you can pay a
subscription to use.
Although a variety of �umbrella� services are
developing that let you pay one fee to access multiple
services� access points, this is still far from the
type of universal connectivity users tend to expect.
For that type of flexibility, you need to accept
a drop in speed, and go cellular.
With
the advent of �2.5G� networks, there are several
digital network choices, which are driven by the
carriers. Sprint
and Verizon use CDMA 1xRTT.
AT&T uses a technology called GSM, which uses
GPRS as its packet data technology.
GSM is also used by Cingular and T-Mobile in the
U.S., and this is the most widely used technology
globally. These
networks provide essentially slow dial-up speed
connections for cellular wireless access, and newer
�3G� networks (such as �EDGE�) are in
development and various stages of U.S. deployment by the
major carriers, though this will take time.
Mobitex, by the way, is an older paging network
built by Cingular and commonly used by Blackberry
devices � it is data only.
Of
course, things now get more complicated in that certain
carriers support certain types of devices, and you do
not want to (effectively, you cannot) break from these
standards.
For example, in the Windows PocketPC world,
specific Samsung models are only supported by Verizon,
Hitachi by Sprint and Motorola by AT&T.
So if you fall in love with the cool new Motorola
Smartphone, you need to sign on with AT&T wireless
to be able to use it.
This is why it is important to plan out your
strategy first, rather than running out and getting PDAs
only to find you cannot use them as planned.
WAP
is a special case � if the phone has a microbrowser,
and the email system is configured to represent its
email externally with a WAP client (as both Exchange and
GroupWise can), then you can connect to your email
remotely when Internet connected.
This solution has the same security issues as
Outlook WebAccess or similar technologies � inbound
access to a web server � and must be properly secured.
Furthermore it requires an online connection,
which may or may not meet your requirements.
Remember, here the size of the screen will be a
major consideration, and the mail never leaves the
server.
So,
this complex set of choices essentially boils down to
aligning the following four considerations to determine
a strategy that is suitable for your organization and
its users:
o
Device
choice � may be based on user preference;
o
Communications
choice (WiFi versus Cellular) � this defines where you
can connect from, and your speed;
o
Carrier
choice (device and carrier support must align) � who
you buy service from, and the rate structure;
o
Synchronization
choice (options depends on device) � �push� or
�pull� model.
The
nice thing about all this is that after you�ve made
your choices and rolled out a solution, it actually
works. As I
said at the beginning, expectation setting is important,
particularly in regard to signal strength, functionality
and web browsing (it amazes me how many people have
trouble accepting that you can�t fit a normal PC web
page onto a two inch screen).
However, if you�ve defined your requirements,
designed the right solution and properly train your
users, a well-deployed mobility solution can be a home
run for organizations with professionals that are on the
run and need access to their data.
As
always, feel free to email me your comments or thoughts
at nrosenberg@QTSnet.com.
Thank you.
Neil
Rosenberg
President & CEO
Quality Technology Solutions
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PARTNER
SPOTLIGHT
This
month QTS is
spotlighting its knowledge management and ebusiness
solutions partner, Econium.
Econium is a Gold-Certified Microsoft Solutions
Provider that builds technology solutions that promote
information sharing, distribution and collaboration
across teams of people.
Econium delivers real time collaborative
solutions in web conferencing, application sharing and
content distribution, high quality video conferencing,
telephony integration with phone systems, portals and
presence information to help clients reduce travel costs
and improve team communications.
The end result is a more agile and effective
organization.
They have delivered vertical solutions for sales
and marketing teams around brand portals and digital
asset management, and have provided portals and
repositories for healthcare companies, consumer packaged
goods and government & not-for-profit organizations.
Econium
is a four year old firm that is made up of seasoned
business technology experts who focus heavily on
understanding the business processes and needs
initially, then applying solutions that will leverage
existing technology investments.
They work with a variety of collaborative
technologies including Microsoft SharePoint Portal
Server and Windows SharePoint Services, Live
Conferencing Server and Live Meeting Server, Office
System 2003, Exchange, SQL Server and Content Management
Server. Their clients include Kraft Foods, Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals and Adams Candy.
Econium
is headquartered in Northern New Jersey and also has an
office in New York City.
Econium
relies on QTS to create the technical infrastructure on
which its solutions run.
Econium develops and deploys solutions which are
geared toward lowering the costs for companies to
manage, distribute and share the information they need
to conduct business.
For
more information on Econium please view their web site
at www.econium.com,
email them at sales@econium.com,
or call 973-812-9691.
Or, contact your QTS Account Manager.
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