Shelf Space

Environment management

Aten Altusen GN0116

Aten has launched its rack-mountable Altusen GN0116 Guardian Over the Net. It allows administrators to survey and regulate parameters like temperature, power, humidity or smoke over the Internet.

This UL and TUV approved device allows users to individually define environmental settings (temperature, humidity, voltage, current etc.) for IT systems and monitor irregular incidents. Alert messages are sent out to notify sysadmins when problems occur.

The GN0116 has two digital inputs and 16 digital output sensors for regulation via individually controlled ports. With one administrator and up to four users, the unit claims to offer multiple remote access. Additionally, LEDs on the device allow onsite status monitoring.

Up to 255 additional GN0116 units can be daisy chained down from the original unit.

VPN

Sonic Wall SSL VPN

The Sonicwall SSL VPN 200 is targeted at small and mid-sized businesses. It is claimed to provide remote and mobile access to network resources without licence restrictions on the number of concurrent users.

The SSL VPN 200 allows remote and mobile users to connect to their network from any location and any computer using a Web browser, accessing e-mail, files, intranets and applications. The appliance pushes a downloadable thin client (NetExtender) to the user’s desktop or laptop. It claims to interoperate with the majority of third party firewalls.

The solution claims to have the capability for granular policy configuration to give an administrator control over an individual user access to specific network resources.

Customer management

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 is a customer management solution targeted at small, midsize and large enterprise segments. The solution provides marketing, sales and service capabilities, based on Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Outlook.

The product is offered in a Professional Edition (for medium & large enterprises) and a Small Business Edition. Its features include resources to service requests, schedule and dispatch service resources, and so on. Running on the Windows Small Business Server, it claims to integrate with SBS features such as fax management and integrated server management.

Its other features include an interface that is modelled on the familiar Microsoft Office and Outlook. The process execution and reporting along with the analytical capabilities rely on Microsoft Excel and SQL Server.

The customer service module of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 includes features such as case management, complete view of customer information, automated routing and queuing of service requests, auto-response e-mail and service scheduling.

The features of the marketing module of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 include planning of marketing campaigns based on budgets and expenses, promotion codes, target products, marketing collateral, creating campaign templates, tracking campaign execution, and lead conversion for helping cost and performance data analyses.

The sales module includes features like opportunity, sales process management, pipeline optimisation, quotes generation, order management, sales force management and sales collateral.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Small Business Edition is targeted at small businesses.

Web-based support tool

BNA Livserv

Livserv is a Web-based tool for small and medium businesses that own and run Web sites. The tool can be used to integrate real-time online interaction with live agent support. BNA says that it has a 50-seater BPO unit to support the tool.

It can be customised as per organisational requirements and is available on a per-user/per-day pricing model with agents to support which can be used for lead generation or extended agent services 24/7 or in shifts. According to BNA, when embedded into an organisation’s Web site, Livserv pops up to greet the visitor when he opens the site, and provides customer support and visitor communication directly from the client’s Website.

Slide Converter

Elicitus SlideConverter

Elicitus SlideConverter is to help corporate trainers convert PowerPoint slides. It is claimed to be able to preserve and reproduce important elements of PowerPoint slides, such as text boxes, bullets, formatting, pictures, background, sound, movie, WordArt, AutoShapes, callouts, and slide master.

Before conversion, SlideConverter displays the list of all slide titles and can import the entire slide presentation with one click. Alternatively, it can preview their thumbnails and select slides for conversion into Elicitus topic pages. Once the slides are brought into Elicitus, users can modify each one of them at will, or simply publish the content to AICC, SCORM and so on. SlideConverter also creates a log of the import process. Its features also allow users to control how duplicate slides and media are handled.

Power and environmental control

Emerson LiebertXD/PeX/NXa, Super 400D

These products are targeted at the IT, BPO, Telecom, and Pharmaceutical verticals.

In the power product range, the Liebert Nxa is a double online conversion UPS with digital control technology. It has a green invisible rectifier with a vector-controlled inverter and claims to provide scalability, redundancy and improved battery management .It is available in the range of 30-120 KVA. Liebert Nxa has a black box which can keep a track of all events helping the user diagnose faults.

Liebert Super 400D is a DSP-based single-phase UPS system with unity power factor and a paralleling capability. It claims to have a wider input range with a reverse phase sequence operation. It features also include a rectifier and an inverter.

Liebert Pex is an environmental control system for critical IT and telecom systems. It claims to have easy assemblage and superior serviceability. Its other features include in-system programming (ISP) and belt drive system.

It is designed to address heat loads generated by tightly packed rack house enclosures. Individual systems can improve interior airflow, cools the hot air ejected from the enclosure or cools the hot spots near the racks.

10 Gigabit cabling

Siemon 10G 6A F/UTP

Siemon’s 10G 6A F/UTP augmented cat6 cabling claims to meet all the performance requirements under the pending IEEE 802.3an standards, scheduled to be ratified by July 2006. It comes with a 20-year system warranty when installed by a certified installer.

The solution, with an overall foil, claims to have virtually zero alien crosstalk and reclaim pathway space with cable diameters of just 0.290 in (7.36 mm). It claims to have reliability in retrofit situations, where it eliminates the potential for alien crosstalk coupling between non-augmented cat6 and cat6A UTP cables running 10GBASE-T within the same pathway. The augmented category 6 solution is part of Siemon’s 10G IP line of 10Gbps cabling systems that also includes end-to-end solutions in UTP, F/UTP, and category 7/Class F TERA configurations.

CRM

Sage CRM SalesLogix performance enhancements

Sage has launched enhancements for Sage CRM SalesLogix users. It claims to have core architecture enhancements to allow users to load and work with lists of thousands of customer records within seconds. It also uses .NET server technology enabling thin-client deployment of the SalesLogix Web interface without additional software downloads.

According to the company, Sage CRM SalesLogix Web server enhancements provide greater user scalability while retaining compatibility with existing installations and customisations. The Web architecture can support five times more users with a smaller memory footprint, using existing server hardware and processing performance of virtual server-side cursors.

Retail printing kiosk

Kodak picture kiosk

The Kodak picture kiosk portfolio is aimed at retail printing requirements with the ability to deliver prints in seconds. Targeted at the burgeoning retail sector and specifically shopping malls, these kiosks claim to be flexible, modular and upgradeable to accommodate a wide range of consumer and retail needs.

The photo kiosk is claimed to enable consumers to order prints in seconds from their digital camera cards and camera–phones. It prints on Kodak thermal paper. The ‘instant prints’ service commands a price premium with 4 x 6 prints in the range of Rs 12/copy. All kiosks are self-service so the consumer can make his own prints.

The kiosks which are powered by Windows 2000 Professional/ XP OSs, come with a standard 80 GB HDD, and printers, can be networked as well to be part of studio networks.

Sensor and analyser

StoneGate IPS sensor and analyser (SGI-100A)

The StoneGate Management Center forms the heart of the StoneGate Platform providing unified management for StoneGate Firewall, VPN, and IPS solutions. The SGI-100 combines the IPS sensor with IPS analyser in the same box. It is designed for customers who need a single sensor on a location. The SGI-100 is centrally administered with StoneGate Management Center. It has four capture interfaces, each licenced up to 100 Mbps. The appliance uses multiple detection methods, sensor rule bases, customisable protocol validation and configurable analyser system policy to achieve accurate detection and intelligent event correlation.