News

IT Weekly Roundup, Jan. 6

From the business wires: a Group Policy security extension, a load testing tool for Web apps, USB flash drives with LCD displays, and Windows Media Player 11.

• By Dan Hong
• January 06, 2006

DesktopStandard Corp. announced the release of PolicyMaker Application Security (PMAS) 2.0, the latest version of the company’s Group Policy software extension for implementing security based on the principle of “least privilege” on Windows desktops. With this add-on to the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), administrators can adjust application privilege levels to the lowest possible point to limit damages stemming from network attacks or user error. The ability to control security at such a granular level also helps organizations comply with regulatory mandates such as the Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley acts. Pricing starts at $27 per seat for enterprises with less than 1,000 computers. PMAS supports Windows 2000, XP and 2003 Server, Terminal Server, MetaFrame and all versions of Outlook, Office and Internet Explorer. http://www.desktopstandard.com

Magnum Technologies’ Advantage Software integrates with Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM), helping to decipher the business impact the IT events logged by MOM. Advantage provides a custom view into both Operational Level Agreements (OLA) for an organization’s IT operations and Service Level Agreements (SLA) for key business functions via Magnum’s Web portal. http://www.magnum-tech.com

SoftLogica LLC announced the release of WAPT 4.0, a tool for testing the load, stress and performance of Web sites, servers and applications. WAPT is able to generate up to 2,000 simultaneously acting virtual users for an "average" test scenario using standard hardware configuration (Pentium 4 2GHz, 512MB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet). The diagnostic tool stores test scenarios in XML format, which can be modified by third-party software, and supports different language encodings. WAPT is designed for Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP. http://www.loadtestingtool.com

See what files you're carrying with the Royal EZVue Vista USB flash drive.

Royal Consumer Information Products launched a lineup of USB 2.0 flash drives that feature a built-in, scrolling two-line display for users to see the names of stored files. The Royal EZVue Vista Drives are available in memory sizes of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB and come with the Allway Sync Pro file and folder synchronization software. The flash drives are USB 1.1/2.0-compatible and work on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Priced from $49.99 to $149.99. http://www.royal.com

Aten Technology released the CL-1200 Slideaway, a compact LCD KVM console, which includes an integrated 15-inch or 17-inch high-resolution LCD monitor, full keyboard, touchpad and 1U, rack-mountable housing. The unit enables simultaneous server control from a second PS/2 console and is IP-upgradeable with the addition of an Aten KVM remote access device. The CL-1200LA (15-inch LCD) is priced at $1699.95 and the CL-1200MA (17-inch LCD) is $1999.95. http://www.aten-usa.com

WD Raptor X's 10,000 RPM and 4.6 ms seek time will appeal to those with need for speed.

For voyeuristic technophiles who get turned on by observing their computers operate at the machine level, Western Digital Corp. released a clear-top hard drive, the WD Raptor X at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The serial ATA (SATA) hard drive boasts 10,000 RPM, 150GB, 16MB cache, 4.6 ms average seek time as well as Native Command Queuing (NCQ) and Rotary Accelerometer Feed Forward (RAFF) technologies. However, as the hard drive is internal, customers will need a clear computer case to take advantage of the Raptor X’s unhindered view. Priced at $349.99. http://www.wdraptorx.com

Microsoft announced the 11th version of its Windows Media Player at CES. Windows Media Player 11 sports a new, streamlined design, enhanced media navigation and management controls, and better device support. Key to the new version is a wordwheel search engine for finding music in the user’s catalog. Windows Media Player 11 will be available in the upcoming Windows Vista, and for Windows XP in the first half of 2006. http://www.microsoft.com