News

MCP TechMentor Virtual Exhibit Floor

• By Michael Domingo
• 04/11/2003

PLATINUM SPONSOR
Microsoft Corp.'s Certification and Skills Assessment Group works closely with Microsoft Press to create the MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Study Kits; the Second Editions of these kits are now available at http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/. For MCP information, go to http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/.

SILVER SPONSOR
New Boundary Technologies, formerly Lanovation, released version 5.0 of Prism Deploy, its new application and configuration distribution tool for Windows-based computers. The program includes three tools: a package creator, a deployment console, and a shared-file conflict checker. Through a drag and drop process, the network administrator can create a distribution file in the proprietary PWC or Microsoft Installer MSI format or as an EXE file. An "Active Update" feature targets a specific group of computers, based on their hardware, software and network configurations. The administrator defines the criteria for group members; then computers matching the configuration add themselves to the group and receive the software or update. It integrates with Active Directory to identify where the machine is based. The program includes a scripting language for customization in complex environments. It’s priced at $3,500 for 100 seats, which includes product updates and support for a year. This week the company also announced Prism Pack 5.0, a new version of its packaging utility, which can replace the SMS Installer. http://www.newboundary.com/

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Que Publishing publishes technical books, including MCP Magazine's "Security Advisor" columnist Roberta Bragg's Windows 2000 Security, and MCPmag frequent contributor Greg Olsen's http://www.quepublishing.com/

More Exhibitors:

CommVault Systems, developer of virus protection and recovery tools, released an enhanced version of its QiNetix 4.2 suite, with built in support for backup and recovery of Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003, and the addition of GridStor technology, which allows for D2D2T movement, load balancing, failover, pooling and provisioning of storage resources. http://www.commvault.com/

InstallShield Software released AdminStudio 5, an enterprise software package management suite that ties many of InstallShield's repackaging tools into a central server. AdminStudio includes the company's QualityMonitor, which verifies and tests Windows Installer (MSI) installations. http://www.installshield.com/

IT Skills Loan, a financial program from Servus Financial, is offering loans from $3,500 to $20,000 to cover Microsoft-related IT training. The money can be applied to equipment, classes, living expense, books, exam fees and other preparation material. The rate is up to 10.47 percent APR. Current clients, according to the company, include IT professionals, career changes and students seeking post-high school training. The program has been around for several years, and first surfaced as part of Microsoft’s IT Skills Training initiative. http://www.itloan.com/

Lieberman & Associates introduced Random Password Generator, an add-on to the company's User Manager Pro administrator tool. Lieberman also demonstrated the rest of its popular line of admin tools: Service Account Manager, Task Scheduler Pro, COM+ Manager, Server-to-Server Password Synchronizer, LAN Server to NT/2000/XP Migration Wizard, and Intensive Care Utilities. http://www.lanicu.com

ON Technology showed ON iCommand, a unified Web-enabled solution for managing a broad range of devices over any type of network including wired and wireless LANs, WANs, mobile cellular, and dial-up and broadband Internet connections. http://www.ontechnology.org/

In anticipation of Windows Server 2003, OnDemand Software released a free version of its WinINSTALL LE, a software distribution and packager that works with Microsoft's newest network OS. http://www.ondemandsoftware.com/

Rainfinity showcased a slew of enterprise-grade products: RainStorage, a network-attached storage appliance; RainConnect, an always-on Internet connectivity solution; and RainWall, a high-availability service that can be integrated with many popular firewall appliances and applications. It also demonstrated its newest application, RainWall High Availability Platform, a secure, scalable Internet gateway solution. http://www.rainfinity.com/

Raxco Software was at the show demonstrating its PerfectDisk 5.0 enterprise disk defragmentation for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. While the software hasn't been updated in some time, it's still an effective alternative to the vanilla-flavored Disk Defragmenter that comes with your OS. http://www.raxco.com/

Sapien Technologies showed PrimalScript 2.2, a scripting tool that has been enhanced with syntax and client- and server-side coloring, source code integration with many popular version control tools and Windows Script Host 5.6 support. It also demonstrated its .NET IDE, PrimalCode 3.0. http://www.sapien.com/

Self Test Software, which is owned by test preparation firm Kaplan, talked up KapCert, a bundle of products and services that provides an instructor-led exam review for individuals doing self-study who want direction in final preparations for a specific exam. For $249, the candidate receives Self Test’s FastCert Study Pack, which includes a study guide, a custom library of technical content, a test-taking strategies guide, a practice test, access to an online mentor, and flash cards. Along with that he or she also sits through a four-hour class for reviewing the key information needed to pass a particular exam. Currently, the company hosts MCSE and CCNA reviews, but it expects to expand into other areas, which may include Oracle, Novell, CompTIA and others. http://www.selftestsoftware.com/ or http://www.KaplanIT.com/

Software Pursuits' SureSync 4.1 backup and recovery utility now includes disk-to-disk archiving and instant restoration, plus ArchiveSync, which allows for quick, timely archived backups in lieu of time-intensive nightly or weekly tape backups. http://www.softwarepursuits.com/

Surf Control demonstrated its filtering software for auditing and limiting corporate Internet access and e-mail. The company will release an Exchange 2000 plug-in shortly, which will filter both internal and external mail to monitor for and eliminate spam. http://www.surfcontrol.com/

Tally Systems showed TS.Census, which provides IT asset inventory and tracking for Windows and Unix-based networks. The program works by collecting data across the enterprise (including from remote users who dial in), then feeding it into a collection service, against which reports and queries can be run. The company said its primary targets for the software is to ensure software license compliance and prevent over-purchasing of software and provide on-going support for help desks. Tally also sells PowerCensus, an inventory system that works in the SMS environment. It enhances what’s already built into SMS, according to the company, by streamlining the executables that it recognizes and no overcounting specific types of files. The product recognition knowledgebase is updated monthly for both versions of the software. TS.Census is priced at $17.50 per client for 1,000 PCs. http://www.tallysys.com/

Transcender Corp. demonstrated its new IT training videos, which are CD-based. The videos integrate a “talking head” trainer with product demonstrations. Current releases, which sell for $129 with a single user license, include videos on XP Professional, operating system technologies, PC hardware service for technicians, Windows 2000 network management, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, VB.NET and CCNA prep. The company said more titles would be published shortly. http://www.transcender.com/

Tranxition Corp. updated Personality Transport Professional, its operating system and application migration suite, with several enhancements. Version 3.1 now allows migration of a user personality that's not logged into target computer and administrator rights for new, created accounts. It also includes support for Windows XP as a source and target machine and support for Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and Netscape 4.x and newer. http://www.tranxition.com/

Finally, Wise Solutions showcased its line of software packaging and deployment tools: Wise Package Studio and Wise for Visual Studio.NET, for customizing software rollouts; and Wise for Windows Installer, an authoring tool for Windows Installer; and Wise Installation System, a developer tool for customizing and scripting application rollouts. http://www.wise.com/

Dian Schaffhauser and Keith Ward contributed to this report.