Financial regulatory guidance over deployment of open source software (IT-Director.com)Should there be financial regulatory guidance over the growing use of open source software in the UK financial services sector?
Adobe releases new Flash software for mobile devices (InfoWorld)( InfoWorld ) - Adobe Systems on Tuesday introduced Macromedia Flash Lite 2 and Macromedia Flash Player SDK 7, the latest versions of software products that let users of mobile phones and consumer electronics devices view Web sites that use Flash. Flash Lite 2, a Flash player for non-PC devices, and Flash Player SDK 7, the Flash player for consumer electronics devices, will allow device
Editing Ergonomics - EMediaLive.comEditing ErgonomicsEMediaLive.com, CT - 19 minutes ago… They might be incompatible with a piece of software that we … that the Intous3 takes up a lot more desk space, which … on the stick and a base to help make using …

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Advanced Help Desk Launches Its New Web Based Help Desk Software Solution To Improve Online Customer Service (PR Web)AdvancedHelpDesk.com: Recent creation of a Web-based customer support & service desk software solution saves online business owners tons of customer support hours and improve customer service while reducing costs. [PRWEB Dec 29, 2005]
The Manager Minute (Sun-Sentinel)Math was Nikol Gonzalez’s favorite subject in school. She worked as a bank teller while obtaining her degree in accounting and finance from Florida Atlantic University.
Who’s Messing with Your Documents? (Compliance Pipeline)It wasn’t so long ago when we were all talking about the ability to provide document access to many users over the Web. Now the problem is controlling that access in a miasma of highly sensitive documents.

more…

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Pen pals (San Francisco Bay View)Speak up for a child in foster care. San Francisco’s foster children need your help. Be a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Men and people of color are especially needed. Training provided. Call for upcoming orientations dates and locations, 415-398-8001. Info, www.sfcasa.org.
Autotask Offers Professional Services Group (RedNova)RENSSELAER, N.Y., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Autotask has announced the deployment of a new Professional Services Group to help IT service and solution providers maximize the benefits of the company’s productivity software solution.
Software provides IT asset management for SMBs. (ThomasNet)Offering SMBs way to centrally discover, manage, and track IT assets, NetSupport DNA v2.5 features alerting module for tracking changes from enterprise level down to PC level. Software distribution scheduler allows specific time and date to be set when initiating package deployment for optimized resource management. Program also provides hardware and software inventory, application and web

more…

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Juniper Networks Layered Security Solution (ISP-Planet)Wombat Help Desk works with the Platypus Billing System to manage trouble tickets in a way that ensures problems get resolved.
Cell Phone Users Dissatisfied With Online Help: Report (Advanced IP Pipeline)Web access is extremely important according to 83% of cell phone users, yet only 29% are currently satisfied with using online help to resolve wireless data problems, according to a report by Detacon Inc.
Is OpenOffice really bugged? (Deccan Herald)The OpenOffice project vividly illustrates the limitations of open source as a way of producing software.

more…

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Speedev enhances application lifecycle offering (InfoWorld via Yahoo! News)Speedev this week upgraded its application development lifecycle offering that is geared toward managing software products and projects.
A look at Joe Nacchio (Denver Post)New York Brooklyn’s gritty neighborhood of Red Hook is less than an hour’s drive from woodsy Mendham, N.J., but the two places are worlds apart. Red Hook, near where Joseph Paul Nacchio’s family lived around the time he was born in June 1949, is a waterfront district of aging shipping yards, warehouses, tenements and stone
Through his Webcam, a boy joins a sordid online world (The Times Argus)The 13-year-old boy sat in his California home, eyes fixed on a computer screen. He had never run with the popular crowd, and long ago had turned to the Internet for the friends he craved. But on this day, Justin Berry’s fascination with cyberspace would change his life.

more…

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Ford’s Fix Could Send Help Desk Offshore (Systems Management Pipeline)General Motors Corp. isn’t the only troubled automaker looking to run a more-efficient IT shop. Under a new outsourcing deal, Ford Motor Co. is driving toward a more-simplified IT operation by centralizing key technology operations and aggressively adopting standards.
Fujitsu Siemens to buy Siemens unit (InfoWorld)( InfoWorld ) - Fujitsu Siemens Computers BV on Wednesday said it plans to acquire the Product Related Services Division of Siemens AG’s Siemens Business Services group. The companies did not disclose the price of the acquisition, which is expected to close in March 2006. The Product Related Services Division, which offers IT services including help-desk functions as well as maintenance
Microsoft’s Continental Quagmire (BusinessWeek)The European Commission insists the software giant isn’t complying with a 2004 antitrust ruling. Microsoft says the rules keep changing

more…

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Pen pals (San Francisco Bay View)Speak up for a child in foster care. San Francisco’s foster children need your help. Be a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Men and people of color are especially needed. Training provided. Call for upcoming orientations dates and locations, 415-398-8001. Info, www.sfcasa.org.
EU threatens Microsoft with penalties (BusinessWeek)DEC. 22 6:50 A.M. ET The European Union took new legal steps against Microsoft Corp. on Thursday to ensure better compliance with its 2004 antitrust ruling, threatening fines of up to 2 million euros ($2.37 million) a day if the software giant does not meet its demands.
Ford’s Fix Could Send Help Desk Offshore (Systems Management Pipeline)General Motors Corp. isn’t the only troubled automaker looking to run a more-efficient IT shop. Under a new outsourcing deal, Ford Motor Co. is driving toward a more-simplified IT operation by centralizing key technology operations and aggressively adopting standards.

more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Ford’s Fix Could Send Help Desk Offshore (Systems Management Pipeline)General Motors Corp. isn’t the only troubled automaker looking to run a more-efficient IT shop. Under a new outsourcing deal, Ford Motor Co. is driving toward a more-simplified IT operation by centralizing key technology operations and aggressively adopting standards.
IBM Acquiring Bowstreet (Business Intelligence Pipeline)The move will help IBM expand its SOA offerings.
Pfizer Selects Netopia NBBS Remote Management Software to Support Broadband-Enabled Workforce (RedNova)Netopia, Inc. (OTCBB:NTPA), a market leader in broadband equipment and service delivery software, today announced that Pfizer, Inc.

more…

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LiveTime Software Announces Version 3.7 of its Java-Based Customer Service and Support Applications with Integrated (PR Web via Yahoo! News)Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) December 14, 2005 — LiveTime Software , a leading provider of Java -based Customer Service and Support software, today announced the availability of LiveTime Help Desk version 3.7 and LiveTime Support Desk version 3.7. The introduction of project management, invoicing wizards, and knowledge management workflows, combined with significant performance enhancements make
NaviSite Formalizes Help Desk Product Offerings for Applications and Desktops (Web Host Directory)NaviSite, Inc. a leading provider of IT hosting, outsourcing and professional services for mid- to large-sized organizations, today announced that it has launched formalized Help Desk Support Services for enterprise applications and desktop computers.
LiveTime Software Announces Version 3.7 of its Java-Based Customer Service and Support Applications with Integrated (PR Web)New web-based, J2EE help desk and service desk software now includes invoicing wizard and knowledge base workflows. [PRWEB Dec 14, 2005]

more…

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LiveTime Software and Rave Computer Announce Hardware Distribution and Sales Agreement (PR Web)Partnership Expands to Include Help Desk and Support Desk Appliances [PRWEB Nov 29, 2005]
HELP DESK: Record company recalls CDs (The Charlotte Observer)To understand what record company Sony BMG did that was so despicable — and why a pair of lawsuits were filed against it last week — you have to understand what a rootkit is.
Software Directory (Motor Trader)Motor Trader takes a look at what some of the major UK automotive software companies in the UK have to offer. Autoview delivers operational capability across all areas of the dealership from showroom to banking.

more…

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Come learn about the new single point for web authentication for Dartmouth. This will eventually replace several of the sign-ons offered now. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Students getting help from the Student Computing Help Desk, in all likelihood, will walk away happy.

Posted on 03/20/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The allure of Dartmouth’s Computer Store. You can buy all things Dell or Apple at a very reasonable discount.

Posted on 03/13/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Updated information for the < Previous | Next > style in OmniUpdate.

Updated on 3/9/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Setting up your Windows PC to work correctly with OmniUpdate.

Posted 3/8/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

How to invite others to a meeting using Oracle Calendar.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Why you may not be able to connect to the network, even if your computer is configured properly.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Secure document servers allow departments to maintain documents that contain sensitive data on a central server.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Updated instructions for importing a certificate.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Instructions on what to do if you get an error when you run the “eToken Properties” application on Windows 2000/XP.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

How students, faculty, and staff can get an eToken.

Posted on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

New staff members in System Administration.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Instructions for installing the eToken software for Windows, the Macintosh, and Linux.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Instructions for protecting your Windows computer from being compromised.

Updated on 03/01/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Computing Services is holding its next quarterly Open House on March 3, 2006 from 2:30 to 4:00 in Carson classroom L02 (lower level).

Posted on 2/16/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Slides from the most recent meeting have been posted as well as March 9th’s topic: An open discussion on AJAX. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Instructions on how to do your own backup for both Macintosh and Windows users

Posted on 2/10/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Aladdin eToken 3.60 for Linux supports Fedora 4, Red Hat Enterprise 4, and SuSe 9.3. This release provides PKCS#11 interface support. Aladdin eTokens are interchangeable across Windows, the Macintosh, and Linux computers when using this software.

Posted 02/09/06. more…

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Dartmouth Web Publishing Services provides the OmniUpdate content management system for clients to create, update, and maintain Web pages. This user guide covers basic steps in Web publishing. For additional information, click “Help” when logged in.

Posted on 1/30/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The minutes from the December 1, 2005 meeting of the Council on Computing.

Posted on 01/25/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The minutes from the October 19, 2005 meeting of the Council on Computing.

Posted on 01/25/06. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

How to test your Kerberos software installation to verify everything is working properly.

Reviewed on 10/4/05; no changes made. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

During the end of year holidays and special break days, Computing Services service points and staff offices will be closed from Friday, December 23, 2005 through Monday, January 2, 2006.

Posted on 12/1/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Added information on the security initiatives currently under way.

Updated on 11/23/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Why an eToken-authenticated VPN connection closes when left open for a long time with the eToken removed.

Posted on 11/13/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

“Blackboard” is much more than a tabula rasa. It’s a course management system that enables faculty members to construct and maintain their own virtual classrooms.

Posted on 10/31/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

A list of the dates the Council on Computing will meet in 2005-2006.

Posted 10/31/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Voting and non-voting members of the Council on Computing for 2005-2006.

Posted on 10/31/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The minutes from the May 5, 2005 meeting of the Council on Computing.

Posted on 10/31/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

E-Mail account quotas for BlitzMail have been increased from 150 MB to 600 MB.

Posted on 10/31/05. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

First 4 Figures announced today that it has entered a three-year licensing agreement with Nintendo for the rights to create Zelda statues. The first in the series of statues will be previewed E3 and then they should hit the market some time in the third quarter(fall). The statues will be around 9 to 12 inches tall and sell for $80 to $100+. Statues will be from Ocarina of Time,Majora’s Mask, and Twilight Princess.

First 4 Figures also released three concept 3D renders of Fierce Deity Link.
Render 1
Render 2
Render 3

This news was obviously overshadowed by the announcement of Phantom Hourglass. more…

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Today at GDC Satoru Iwata announced the name and details on the new Zelda game on the DS. The title is Phantom Hourglass and it will use 3D graphics that are similar to Wind Wakers. This game is looking to be very good with unique use of the touch screen and some other interesting features form what we saw in the video. Plus it will be out “sometime this year”.

Video

Screen 1
Screen 2
Screen 3
Screen 4 more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

I updated the media section with over 35 Guitar Tabs so go check them out now if your a guitarist. I need a Media Gallery system to upload much of the other media(videos,sprites etc) but I need a mysql database. So I’m going to finish off the Flash Creations,Screensavers, and Music befor I move on to the information section. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Satoru Iwata is going to be speaking at this years GDC on Thursday so lets hope that some new Twilight Princess media or information comes out of his keynote. Will Wright(Go Spore!) will be speaking on Thursday as well.

I’m going to be doing another big update with the media section hopefully tomorrow. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

I updated and pictofied the Link’s Awakening Boss Guide aswell as a huge update in the up-till-now nonexistent media section. I completed the Cartoons,Comics & Books,Fan Comics,Fan Videos,Fonts, and Sheet Music sections. I’m still working on filling up the others and adding more to the ones we have now. You may also have noctied that I added some new “links” to the information menu which are the Codes,Glitches,Cameos and Easter Eggs sections. I’m working hard to fill them up.

Congrats to affilates Zelda Legacy and Zelda Blog for winning EDN’s Golden Item Awards! more…

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Words of Miyamoto himself:

“I would say that we are progressing well with completing it,” says Miyamoto. “And one of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller.”

Source nintendo-europe.com
more…

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As you can see we have a nice new layout up! This works in all browsers,not just FireFox.Thanks goes to Killswitch of Zelda Legacy for making it. I’m still working on tweaking a few things on the pages so every thing will look great with the layout.

I’m also planning on buying Invision Power Board for the site’s fourms. Once my host setup our mysql database I can buy the fourms and setup the old image gallery.

EDIT: We also have a new Top Affiliate, Ice’s Zelda Central! A great site so go check it out. more…

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Hyrule Kingdom is the newest of our affiliates
Check them out at hyrulekingdom.net/ more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Hyrule.net got their hands on a new screenshot from the
beta of Twilight Princess.

Click here to view image

“look closely and you might see something new” is all they
say about it.

The image has been faked more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

I have updated the news archives with the news
from last month. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

 Nortel Networks Corp. clarified yesterday
that its plans to restate results back to 2003 are not because the company is
investigating improper conduct.

“The company wishes to clarify that Nortel’s internal
and external auditors have not undertaken an investigation as to whether any
improper conduct may be associated with the need to effect the latest
restatement,” the company said in a target=new>statement
yesterday.

The restatement, which was announced last Friday, was
the third in recent years and brought sharp negative reactions from some
analysts. It was those analyst comments that the Brampton, Ontario-based company
apparently sought to quell with yesterday’s statement target=new>(see “Nortel to again restate results, sees
steep loss”).

But Nortel customers seem to be unfazed by any of
it.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Every parent’s worst nightmare is
about to become every CEO’s worst nightmare, now that the so-called millennials
(whippersnappers born after 1977) are entering the workforce. The generation gap
will seem bigger than ever, with employees who don’t value money as much as
older folks, crave constant feedback and rarely hesitate to offer their
opinion - whether it’s asked for or not. Established corporate cultures and
incentive structures often just don’t work for millennials. The real challenge
comes when trying to simultaneously manage millenials and their older coworkers:
traditionalists (born before 1945), boomers (born 1946-1964) and generation X
(1965-1977). more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

href="http://www.e-janco.com/session/catalog_items.aspx?detail=1&catalog=191&pos=1">This
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Template Version 4.0 was just
released. It is a MS Word document that can be used as a DRP - BCP template for
any enterprise. The template and supporting material have been updated to be
Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA compliant. The Disaster Planning Template
includes:

• Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity
  Template
• Business and IT Impact Analysis Questionnaire
  
• Work Plan

New with version 4.0 are:

• Vendor Disaster Recovery Questionnaire
  
• Vendor Phone List Form Updated
• Key Customer Notification Form
• Critical Resources to be Retrieved Form
  
• Business Continuity Off-Site Materials Form
  
• Department Disaster Recovery Planning Workbook
  

Go to http://www.e-janco.com/drp.htm

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Along the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast, six months
after Hurricane Katrina struck, there is a big deadline ahead for IT managers:
June 1, the start of the next hurricane season.

As Mardi Gras was celebrated in the still-recovering
New Orleans this week, more than a dozen IT managers in Louisiana and
Mississippi said they are rushing to build more resilient systems, improve their
companies communications capabilities and apply the many lessons they learned
from Katrina.

There is a particularly strong push to increase data
backup capabilities, especially via online replication to other sites, and to
set up wireless and satellite communications systems, the IT managers said. And
the work is being done with a sense of urgency because of worries about this
years hurricane season, even while many employers struggle to find IT staffers
to replace those who left the region and have not returned.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The IT Hiring Resource Kit
combines the 2006 Salary Survey and detail jobdescriptions as a bundle that
every Information Technology and Human Resource function need to
have. 

Each of the job descriptions is at least 3 pages
long and has been updated to meet the requirements of HIPAA and Sarbanes Oxley.
The kit comes in three versions.  Detail information can be found at information
page.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

If you have the technical skills would-be high-tech
African entrepreneurs need, target=_self>GeekCorps size=2> wants you. Especailly if you can take four months from work to volunteer
in Zambia, South Africa or Kenya.  GeekCorps is part of International
Executive Service Corps, which is funded in
large part by USAID (that is the government connection.)

target=_self>News.com profiles GeekCorps’ work in Mali:

Equipped with dust-resistant PCs, digital audio
broadcasting equipment and antennas assembled from salvage, local radio
broadcasters are emerging as ersatz Internet service providers in the West
African nation, thanks in part to a program initiated by target=_blank>Geekcorps size=2>, a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to cultivating
high-tech skills and businesses in the world’s href="http://news.com.com/A+billion+PC+users+on+the+way/2100-1003_3-5290988.html?tag=nl">emerging nations.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

A study of the 200 largest public companies
in California finds few women are reaching the highest executive ranks,
especially as CIO.

Of these companies, only four have women serving as
the CIO, according to a recent target=new>report by
the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. It
found six women working as CEOs and 11 serving as chief financial officers.

Women, overall, are underrepresented broadly on the
boards and in the executive offices of these companies. Women account for 8.2%
of the 1,006 highest-paid executive officers in the top companies, a category
that includes CEOs, CFO and CIOs. The percentage of women in top positions at
these companies ranged from 50% to zero, according to the
study.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The IT Productivity Center, a division of Janco
Associates, Inc. announced an update to IT Service Management Template. IT
Service Management (ITSM) is defined as part of a rapidly accepted standard of
best practices known as IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The IT Service
Management template joins the IT Productivity Center’s CIO and IT Productivity
series of tools and templates which include their popular Sarbanes Oxley
Compliance Resource Kit and Disaster Recovery Plan Template. The ITSM update can
be found at size=2>http://www.e-janco.com/itsm.htm size=2>.

Victor Janulaitis, CEO of Janco and the IT
Productivity Center said “IT infrastructure productivity is the core of our
firm’s practice. We have created a set of tools to improve the productivity and
quality of service provided by the IT function. With the IT Service Management
Template and our Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Resource Kit enterprises of all sizes
can quickly implement best practices.” In addition he said. “… the IT Service
Management template is now included in the CIO Productivity Bundle.” The CIO
Productivity Bundle, which is Sarbanes-Oxley compliant can be found at http://www.e-janco.com/offer_cio.htm

The IT Service Management Template (http://www.e-janco.com/itsm.htm)
contains policies, standards, procedures and metrics for Change Control, Help
Desk and Service Request processing. The ITSM Template also contains the IT
Productivity Center’s Business and IT Impact Questionnaire, a Change Control
Request Form and an Internet Use Approval Form. The template comes as a word
document which can be used as a template to create customized procedures for any
size enterprise.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Resource Kit (http://www.e-janco.com/SOX.htm) which
was released in January now has a Platinum Edition which contains the IT Service
Management Template.

Janco also announced the activation of its new web
site www.it-toolkits.com. The site provides productivity tools for IT and the
Chief Information Officer in particular. Included are Janco’s Browser Study, CIO
Productivity Kit, Disaster Recovery Template, Security Template, IT Salary
Survey, IT Job Descriptions, and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Resource
Kit.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Honeywell International Inc. says a former
employee has disclosed sensitive information relating to 19,000 of the company’s
U.S. employees.

Honeywell discovered the information being published
on the Web on Jan. 20 and immediately had the Web site in question pulled down,
said company spokesman Robert Ferris.

In court filings dated Jan. 30, the company accused
former employee Howard Nugent of Arizona of accessing the information on a
Honeywell computer and then causing “the transmission of that information.”

ITIL Training Course Calendar

About 365,000 hospice and home health care
patients in Oregon and Washington are being notified about the theft of computer
backup data disks and tapes late last month that included personal information
and confidential medical records.

In an announcement yesterday,
Providence Home Services, a division of Seattle-based Providence Health Systems,
said the records and other data were on several disks and tapes stolen from the
car of a Providence employee at his home. The incident was reported by the
employee on Dec. 31, according to the health care system.

The tapes and disks were taken home by the employee as part of
a backup protocol that sent them off-site to protect them against loss from
fires or other disasters. That practice, which was only used by the home health
care division of the hospital system, has since been stopped.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Local colleges and job training centers are brimming
with re-entry students, men and women whose jobs disappeared with the burst of
the Information Technology bubble and the continuing economic downturn
that drove some companies to downsize and others to move operations to less
expensive foreign countries. 

Many of the displaced workers have
been offered retraining programs, and hundreds have entered or re-enrolled
in college to upgrade skills or prepare for a career change.

The bad news for employment in tech industries has
produced a rainbow of opportunities in the health care industry as well as for
occupations that seem always to be in demand, such as bookkeeping and
accounting.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Sprint Nextel Corp. recently launched a
professional services subsidiary focused on mobility applications, including
wireless voice and data technologies.

The announcement of Sprint Enterprise Mobility Inc.
is a clear sign of the growth in voice and data applications for large business
users, as well as the need for a general contractor that companies can hire to
oversee integration efforts.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The preliminary results of Janco’s January 2006 IT
Salary Survey shows that 93% of IT professionals have some form of company paid
health insurance. Other benefits that over 50% of these same individuals receive
are: life insurance (78%), 401K (71%), disability insurance - beyond mandated
requirements (58%), flexible hours and/or schedule (56%), personal performance
bonus (54%), and trips for planning and training (50%). Go to http://www.ejobdescription.com/SalaryBenefit.htm. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Add “employee retention” to the list of things Google
appears to be doing right. The company prides itself on managing its workers
according to the principles of business guru Peter Drucker, who advised
companies to “strip away everything that gets in their knowledge workers’ way.”
This list of 10 management practices, penned by CEO Eric Schmidt and Google
consultant Hal Varian, a professor at Berkeley, range from the high-tech (online
“dashboards” that provide up-to-the-minute status reports for every project) to
the low-tech (having workers work in close proximity to each other to facilitate
collaboration ) to those that will inspire envy (perks including first-class
dining facilities, massage rooms and car washes) to digs at competitors (”nobody
throws chairs at Google, unlike management practices used at some other
well-known technology companies”).

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will add 250 new IT jobs
during the next year, filling the majority of the positions with new college
graduates rather than experienced IT veterans. The retail giant also plans to
promote about 25% of the IT personnel already on board.

The WalMart CIO said that they like the idea of
bringing in strong, young minds. Most of the company’s current IT employees as
well as the new hires work out of Wal-Mart’s Bentonville, Ark., headquarters,
where salaries and housing costs are lower than in other parts of the country.
Wal-Mart also wants to retain centralized control over
IT.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Variety is not only the spice of life; it may
offer a competitive advantage. In an increasingly diverse and complex business
world. CIOs and other managers must learn to value diversity. Employees with
different characteristics, experiences and viewpoints will offer varied insights
that companies can use to gain an edge. Janco suggests a five-stage plan:
Implement an assessment to help identify potential snags to a diversity effort;
align the diversity strategy with business and IT strategies; determine the
right approach for implementation; integrate diversity approaches with HR
practices; and get buy-in from senior management. more…

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Managing IT costs and the
service delivery process was just made easier with the release of The Metrics,
IT Service Management and Service Level Agreement bundle. < ?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/>

Delivering quality IT
Service and measuring IT’s performance is a difficult and time consuming
exercise. Many enterprises believe that they do not have the time, money, or
resources to initiate and monitor the processes necessary to do this. However,
enterprises cannot determine how much something is worth unless its value can be
quantified. It is a necessity of the new economy that every business unit needs
to demonstrate its worth while meeting necessary service
objectives.

An annual update service is
available.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

Deciding Whether to Fire

• The person being fired should never be surprised
  by what’s happening to him.

• The person being fired had to have been given
  explicit warnings prior to being fired.

• The person being fired had to have been advised of
  specific steps he needed to take to keep his job.

• The person being fired had to have been offered
  support to help him learn what he needed to learn to keep his job.

• The person being fired had to have been given a
  reasonable period of time to comply with your expectations. The nature of the
  employee’s response to the offer of help could significantly expand or
  contract what’s considered a reasonable period of time.

• Illegal behavior or actions opening the company to
  significant legal risk could nullify all the other rules. If someone was
  involved in illegal activities related to work or actions that could be
  considered sexual harassment, he wouldn’t deserve the same degree of help and
  warnings that others get.

See the IT Hiring Resource
Kit

ITIL Training Course Calendar

The job market for city CIOs is heating up, but the
required skills reach far beyond technology. To sell their governments and the
public on new ideas like wireless broadband, municipal CIOs also need sharp
communication skills and political know-how.

ITIL Training Course Calendar

In Karraker v. Rent-A-Center, Inc, three brothers required to take
the MMPI in order to be considered for promotion sued their employer, contending
that the test violated the < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /> w:st="on">ADAs prohibition against medical inquiries that
tend to screen out persons with disabilities.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The District Court ruled in favor of the employer, holding that the
purpose of the test was to discern personality traits, and not to uncover mental
disorders. However, the Court of Appeals disagreed, stating that the practical
effect of the MMPI is similar no matter how the test is used or scored - that
is, whether or not Rent-A-Center used the test to weed out applicants with
certain disorders, its use of the MMPI likely had the effect of excluding
employees with disorders from promotions. Because it is designed, at least in
part, to reveal mental illness and has the effect of hurting the employment
prospects of one with a mental disability, we think the MMPI is best categorized
as a medical examination.

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align=center>Going to work for
new company

style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px">When going to work for a new company
then there are some financial considerations that have to be taken into
account.  First and foremost assume the job will only last a year and that
you will need to look for another position while you are out of work. 

style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px">Go to http://www.ejobdescription.com/EmploymentContract.htm

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Protecting Personal,
Confidential and Sensitive Data is Easier

Janco has just released another in
its series of Sarbanes-Oxley Tools, the Sensitive Information Policy.  This
new tool is a detailed 15 page policy that directly addresses the protection of
personal data, confidential data and enterprise sensitive information.  A
full description can be found on the Information Technology Productivity Center
(ITPC) web site ( href="http://www.itproductivity.org/sensitive.htm">http://www.itproductivity.org/sensitive.htm). 

The policy
contains a definition of standards and actions to implement them for secure
networks.  In addition it has guidelines for monitoring and testing
networks and business record retention including email. 

Victor
Janulaitis, Janco’s CEO said, “Almost every day there is a story in the media
about how personal data or business sensitive information is lost, improperly
disclosed, or stolen. The Sensitive Information Policy is something that gives
every enterprise a set of rules that are easy to implement and follow.” In
adding he said, “The Sensitive Information Policy addresses all of the
Sarbanes-Oxley and California Personal Data requirements.  This policy
applies to the entire enterprise, its vendors, its suppliers (including
outsourcers) and co-location providers and facilities regardless of the methods
used to store and retrieve sensitive information (e.g. online processing,
outsourced to a third party, Internet, Intranet or swipe
terminals).”

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Sensitive Information Policy defines
how to treat Credit Card, Social Security, Employee, and Customer Data. 
The policy is 15 pages in length.

This policy applies to the
entire enterprise, its vendors, its suppliers (including outsourcers) and
co-location providers and facilities regardless of the methods used to store and
retrieve sensitive information (e.g. online processing, outsourced to a third
party, Internet, Intranet or swipe terminals). 

Go to http://www.ejobdescription.com/sensitive.htm

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Internet, E Mail and Electronic Communication Policy
(updated 5/23/05) - This policy is six page in length and
covers:

• size=2>Appropriate use of equipment

• size=2>Internet access

• size=2>Electronic Mail

• size=2>Retention of e-mail on personal systems

• size=2>E-mail and business records retention

• size=2>Copyrighted materials

• size=2>Ownership of information

• size=2>Security

Go to
http://www.ejobdescription.com/individual_policies.htm

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ITSM Updated

The IT Service Management Policy Template
is a 78 page document that contains policies, standards,  procedures and
metrics.  http://www.ejobdescription.com/itsm.htm
Chapter of the template include:

• Service Requests
  Policy
• Service Request
  Standard
• Help Desk Policy
• Help Desk
  Standards
• Help Desk
  Procedures
• Help Desk Service Level
  Agreement
• Change Control
  Standard
• Change Control Quality Assurance
  Standard
• Change Control Management
  Workbook
• Documentation
  Standard
• Application Version Control
  Standard
• Version Control
  Standard
• Internet, e-Mail and Electronic
  Communication Policy
• Travel and Off-Site
  Meeting

ITIL Training Course Calendar

IT Productivity
Center Launched with Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Kit.

The Information Technology Productivity Center (ITPC)
web site ( size=2>www.itproductivity.org) is officially
open with Janco’s Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Kit..  The IT < ?XML:NAMESPACE
PREFIX = ST1 /> w:st="on">Productivity LACETYPE
w:st="on">Center is the information portal for
business executives who have Information Technology they need to manage. 
Victor Janulaitis, Janco’s CEO said, “We have the best Information Technology
available to executives and IT professionals on size=2>www.itproductivity.org.  The
portal has tools for every thing from Sarbanes Oxley to Information Technology
Service Management and Disaster Recovery Planning.”

Janco is
recognized as one of the premier sources for IT productivity tools. 
Janco’s tools have been used by a majority of the Fortune 500 as well as
enterprises from all of the major growth markets from Asia to LACE
w:st="on">Europe. As true movers in the productivity arena, the ITPC
distributes all of its products electronically.  In that way the ITPC
carries no inventory on its intellectual property and quickly modifies its tools
as new advances and solutions come available.  To facilitate this process
ITPC offers electronic update services to keep it clients current.

< ?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O
/>

Mr.
Janulaitis said, “With the ever improving economy and the need for documentation
of processes for the SEC and Sarbanes Oxley, ITPC is positioned to be the leader
in the provisioning of productivity tools to meet these goals.  A new
generation of business leaders is looking at brick less and borderless
operations that will need to have rules put in place to meet these requirements.
That is the focus of ITPC.  With ITPC’s help, Information Technology
functions are able to do more without having to expand internal staff
infrastructure.”

Janco
Associates, in addition to its consulting practice maintains several other web
portals including size=2>www.e-janco.com and size=2>www.it-toolkits.com.

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This Security Manual for the Internet and Information
Technology is 178  pages in length. All versions of the Security Manual
template include both the Business & IT Impact Questionnaire and the Threat
& Vulnerability Assessment Tool (both were redesigned to address Sarbanes
Oxley compliance).   In addition, the  b>Security Manual Template PREMIUM Edition 
contains 15 detail job descriptions that apply specifically to security and
Sarbanes Oxley.

Clients can also subscribe to Janco’s Security Manual
update service and receive all updates to the Security Manual Template for 18
months* from the date of purchase. 

The template includes everything needed to customize
the Internet and Information Technology Security Manual to fit your specific
requirement.  The electronic document includes proven written text and
examples for the following major sections for your security
plan:
 

• Security Manual
  Introduction - scope, objectives, general policy, and
  responsibilities

• Risk Analysis -
  objectives, roles, responsibilities, program requirements, and practices
  program elements

• Staff Member Roles -
  policies, responsibilities and practices

• Physical
  Security  - area classifications, access controls, and access
  authority

• Facility Design,
  Construction and Operational Considerations - requirements for both
  central and remote access points

• Media and
  Documentation - requirements and responsibilities

• Data and Software
  Security - definitions, classification, rights, access control,
  INTERNET, INTRANET, logging, audit trails, compliance, and violation
  reporting and follow-up

• Network Security -
  vulnerabilities, exploitation techniques, resource protection,
  responsibilities, encryption, and contingency planning

• Internet and Information
  Technology contingency Planning - responsibilities and documentation
  requirements

• Insurance -
  objectives, responsibilities and requirements

• Outsourced Services -
  responsibilities for both the enterprise and the service providers

• Waiver Procedures -
  process to waive security guidelines and policies,

• Incident Reporting
  Procedures - process to follow when security violations occur

• Access Control
  Guidelines - responsibilities and how to issue and manage badges /
  passwords

• Glossary - over 300
  terms defined

• Sample Forms -
  Security Violation Reporting Form (8 pages) and Security Audit Form (3
  pages)

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The Practical Guide for IT Outsourcing is
delivered electronically in WORD and/or PDF format.  Included is a 3 page Job Description for the Manager
Outsourcing. Sarbanes-Oxley issues addressed directly.

• The guide is 113 packed pages and includes
  everything needed to plan for, negotiate, and manage an outsourcing process
  within an enterprise.  The electronic document includes:

  • Outsourcing Management
    Standard Overview of outsourcing, Service Level Agreements and
    responsibilities.

  • Outsourcing Policy
    Standard Policy that can be used to determine when outsourcing is an
    option.

  • Outsourcing Approval
    Standard Process which can be used in approving an outsourcing
    agreement.  Includes a process flow chart on steps to a successful
    outsourcing agreement.

  • Sample Service Level
    Agreement Includes a several sample service level agreements.

  • Service Level Agreement
    Metrics Definition of over 150
    metrics presented in 18 tables that can be used to manage an outsourcing
    vendor.

  • Outline for Contract
    Negotiation  Over 17 pages which issues to be addressed including
    service to be provided, service level requirements, term of the agreement,
    enterprise’s facilities, enterprise’s equipment (owned/leased),
    intellectual property, third party service providers, IT application
    project (current / future), responsibilities, training and conversion to
    mention a few.

  • Base Case
    Development Detail listing of factors
    to include

  • Mutual Non-Disclosure
    Template Template that can be used to
    create an enterprise’s own document for use with outsourcing
    vendors.

  • Job Description for
    Manager Outsourcing (3 pages long)

  • Business & IT Impact
    Questionnaire - Inventory and assess all application - addresses
    Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance issues.

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Job descriptions contained within the Internet and
Information Technology Position Descriptions HandiGuide^® were
completed in 2005.  The Job Description HandiGuide contains 600 pages;
including sample organization charts, a job progression matrix, over 192 job
descriptions.   The book also addresses Fair Labor Standards and the
ADA, and is in a new easier to read format.  Each job description meets ADA
standards and the position description is delivered in electronic format - word
which is editable and PDF which is printed. 

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Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requires that:

• Enterprises have an enterprise wide security

  policy;

• Enterprises have enterprise wide classification of

  data for security, risk, and business impact;

• Enterprises have security related standards and

  procedures;

• Enterprises have formal security based

  documentation, auditing, and testing in place;

• Enterprise enforce separation of duties;

  and

• Enterprises have policies and procedures in place

  for Change Management, Help Desk, Service Requests, and changes to

  applications, policies, and procedures.

To meet these needs the Sarbanes Oxley Compliance

Resource Kit, which comes in four editions (Standard, Silver, Gold, and

Platinum) contains:

• Security Policies (all editions);
• Threat & Vulnerability Assessment Tool (all

  editions);

• Business & IT Impact Questionnaire Risk

  Assessment Tool (all editions);

• Safety Program Template (all editions);
• Disaster Recovery Template (all editions);
• Outsourcing guide update to reflect what you

  vendors need to do (all editions);

• Software tool to monitor key data files (all

  editions);

• Internet and IT Job Descriptions (Silver, Gold,

  and Platinum Editions) and;

• IT Service Management Template (Platinum

  Edition).

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The Information Technology Service
Management Policy Template (IT service management) contains policies,
standards,  procedures and metrics for Change Control, Help Desk and
Service Request processing.  ITSM template also contains the Business and
IT Impact Questionnaire, a Change Control Request Form and an Internet Use
Approval Form. more…

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[…] Via: backupmyblog | Ian Landsman’s Weblog […]

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HelpSpot a pretty cool web based help desk
I’ve been testing out HelpSpot for a some hours now as part of an assignment on Help Desks I have to do for college and I must say I’m pretty impressed with HelpSpot even if I did encounter some problems when installing it, at first it woul…

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Your argument is pretty good if I want to sell to corporations. But what if I want to sell to end-users?
Also, some companies embrace OSS. They think that OSS gives them a guarantee that the software will be around even if the developer of the software calls it quits.
I think your analysis has a point, but it’s simplistic. Many things depend on other elements of the niche you are competing on.
And because of open source, many niches become bad for business.

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Thanks Ian. You are probably the first subscriber Thanks for the info on the ATOM feed. I am using the RubyOnRails typo blog software, so that may have a bug in it. Thanks for pointing that out.
Tom

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Huh, that would be an interesting link
Also I subscribed to your blog, looking forward to reading what you’re up to. One note, your ATOM feed seems to be messed up but the RSS works perfect.

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Ian, great post. I agree, setting a price too low can actually hurt your business. A while back there was an article on Snort, the intrusion testing software, where the founder said his potential customers were coming back and saying they would love to buy Snort but the price was too low! I believe they were large enterprise customers that had specific budgets set for that kind of purchase and Snort was initially priced at a small fraction of that. They actually told him to raise the price and they would buy it. It would be helpful to have a link to this, but I can’t seem to find one
Tom

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I agree, both regarding software and steak.

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Actually you can type r:xxxx can link to another “request” in HelpSpot and it will make a link
I’m not sure they’ll totally converge though. Not at least in the same product. I mean most people use FogBugz as a bug tracker. Those people probably wouldn’t want a product with a bunch of extra help desk features getting in the way. On the flip side, help desk users don’t want a bunch of bug tracking features getting in the way.
Of course you could add these extra features as modules of some type or add ons. That’s a possibility. I don’t have any plans for that myself, but if there was demand I would definitely consider it.

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Good post Ian, a pretty fair appraisal I think.
I’ve been trying out Doug Martin’s BackupMyBlog service where he uses HelpSpot for his customer support interface, I can see what you mean, FogBugz doesn’t have the publicly available features that HelpSpot does, and Doug’s only using a little of HelpSpot’s features so far.
However, if I were to move to HelpSpot for my customer support I feel I’d lose out too much on the integration aspects of FogBugz, it’s very nice to be able to just write “In Case xxx so and so said” and have a link to that other case created. Then again, I may be a little biased in this area!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I expect both systems to eventually come to a point where they are both very usable for both helpdesk and feature/bug tracking, that 85% similar will no doubt increase release by release.
I know you’re focused on HelpSpot being a top notch helpdesk product, but I can’t see how you couldn’t encroach on bug/feature tracking over time, your users will demand it.

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Indeed, that steak example is very good!

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This program creates and displays graphs in 2D, 3D, and any other… more…

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This tool allows you to insert animated… more…

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This class scheduling and course planning software can be used in any… more…

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This is a barcode generator to calculate check characters for the… more…

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Migrate your e-mail messages to a different mail client, and export… more…

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This is a business card designing and printing software. more…

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This is a complete system for designing an online storefront, managing… more…

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