Features

Review: SolarWinds Sheds Light on Networks By Bruce Boardman We loaded up our toolbox with gadgets that can pinpoint network problems and get them fixed fast, at a reasonable price. All our entries passed muster, but one stood out from the crowd.

Special Series: The IT Agenda Hire Authorities By Jonathan Feldman Before calling in the experts, do your research and get the best consultant for the job. Then be prepared to manage that relationship. We'll show you what you need to know.

Meet the Consultants: Comparison of Company Specs By Jonathan Feldman To help you through the hiring process, we chart the key aspects of 12 top consulting firms' business models, from services to staff credentials to pricing models.

IT, Dotted and Crossed: Contracting With Consultants By Sean Doherty What looks like a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo can save your project or bail you out of a bad situation. Here's how to avoid getting burned during negotiations.

Workshops

Workshop: Hold the IP Phone By Darrin Woods If your PBX is accessible through an IP network, you'd better batten down the hatches. Check out our tips for securing IP-based PBXes.

Online Only: Interactive Buyer's Guide: Multiprocessor Intel Servers Avoid the "multiheadaches" associated with purchasing a multiprocessor server by getting updated info on the hot products all in one place. We present a host of features to help you choose the best solution for your needs.

Sneak Previews

TruePass 6.0 Assures a Safe Journey for Internet Transactions By Mike Dalton Entrust meets the demand for better Web security services with TruePass. The software identifies participants in a secure Web portal transaction using a digital ID and provides a verifiable transaction record.

Akara's OUSP 2000 Goes the Distance With Fibre Channel By Darrin Woods Akara's new OUSP 2000 delivers the data, transporting both Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel over standard Sonet connections with impressive speed.

Dell Powers Its Way Into Higher Density, Managed Switch Connections By Peter Morrissey With its high performance, low price and forward-looking features, such as Layer 3 QoS, Dell's new PowerConnect 3248 switch is making a splash in the commodity switch market.

Departments

Centerfold: Concentra Health Finds a Cure for Wireless Growth By Kelly Jackson Higgins This health-services company recently launched custom applications for physicians and physical therapists in most of its 250 clinics nationwide. But it wasn't a pain-free process.

Letters "One thing I've noticed...is that few if any customers are able to quantify the value of a potential asset." --Alan Simpkins, Equant

Quick Takes We look at three comprehensive security packages that proactively check for weaknesses: * Consul Risk Management Consul/eAudit * Configuresoft Enterprise Configuration Manager 4 * nCircle Network Security IP360

Columns

Air Time: WLAN Infrastructure -- Build It Before They Come By Dave Molta "Consider the organizational impact of cell phones. Now think bigger. A lot bigger. Because sooner or later, network managers will be called on to implement the infrastructure required to support advanced mobile information systems."

The Inside Story: Experience for Sale By James Hutchinson How do you know you're not the real-world facility for some consultant-in-training? Make sure consultants are who they say they are before you hire an "expert."

BuzzCut: Developer Dilemma By Lori MacVittie WSCI vs. WSFL vs. BPML. Let the battle for control of Web services specs begin!

BuzzCut: In Search of the Enterprise By Sean Doherty Internet-oriented search engine operators are now setting their sights on enterprises. But before signing on with your ol' pal Jeeves or Google, carefully analyze your documents and your needs. You don't want to wind up with a pricey, high-performance search engine that goes nowhere.

Down to Business: Giving You the Business By Rob Preston "Rather than view your business peers as naive outsiders, try approaching them as a trusted adviser would. Show them that you're flexible about project proposals and that you're on the same team."

Security Watch: The Hole Truth By Greg Shipley "Now that it's standard practice to exist in a "pants down" state of security, who wants to be the first to admit he's naked?"

BuzzCut: Open Source: A Rare Pat on the Back By Don MacVittie and Lori MacVittie It's rare in the modern enterprise for an IT person to be commended for a nicely developed application. Here's how to cope in a world without positive reinforcement.

BuzzCut: Sun ONE-Up By Lori MacVittie With Sun's new low-cost offerings, the enterprise can easily move into Web services without the prohibitive licensing costs required by Microsoft.