IT Training Resources
AppDev Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and
Java Training CDs
I use SQL Server 2005 at work,
and I wanted to keep my skills
updated, but without having
to travel or leave my job to do so. My
company will soon be upgrading a
membership management system
that is based on SQL Server, and
we’re also planning to move from
Crystal Reports to SQL Reporting
Services in the near future. I also
wanted to learn how to program in
Java, mainly to understand and customize
the Alfresco Content Management
system and the Zimbra Collaboration Suite (open source
edition).
I first heard about AppDev and their Microsoft SQL Server 2005
and Java training programs either from a direct mail piece, or perhaps
from seeing an AppDev ad in Windows IT Pro. I checked out the
AppDev Web site, and saw that AppDev’s training products weren’t
that expensive, and I liked that I could sample the products before
purchasing. I considered attending an offsite training program as
an alternative to AppDev’s training products, but that just wasn’t an
option in our small work environment.
The AppDev CDs are well organized and I was able
to get to sections I needed quickly. I also liked being able
to refresh my understanding of complicated topics by watching the relevant sessions again if I needed to. After using both
the SQL Server 2005 and Java training programs, I managed to learn
what I needed to—all without having to be away from office, and it
didn’t cost me my entire training budget to do it.
There are some things that AppDev could improve upon. I’d like
to see them adopt a monthly (or yearly) subscription program, where
I could just learn the latest and greatest information without having
to buy another training program, possibly similar to the way that the
Lynda.com training site does. I’d imagine that a subscription would
be cheaper in the long run as well. I did lose my installation key at one
point, but my AppDev account rep quickly provided it to me without
any questions or complaints.
Reader:
Dennis Podgorski
IT Manager
Product:
AppDev Microsoft
SQL Server 2005
and Java Training
Programs
Company:
AppDev
Contact: www.appdev.com
Disaster Recovery Tools
Unitrends Data Protection Unit and Data Protection Vault
Our company was looking for a
more reliable disaster recovery
tool, since our existing
tape backup solution was inefficient,
and our backups couldn’t be validated.
We also were worried about files being
lost due to system errors or natural
disasters. Our customers need access to
documents quickly, whether they need
the files for auditing, compliance or
other business use. Tape couldn’t provide
the time to recovery our customers
needed, so it was time to start thinking
about disk-based backup solutions.
After investigating several other disk-based backup options, we
decided on a Unitrends Data Protection Unit (DPU). The Unitrends
architecture ensures that data never leaves the backup environment,
and the Unitrends management GUI simplifies the backup process.
For added disaster recovery protection, we also decided
to go with a Unitrends Data Protection Vault (DPV), which allowed us to replicate data to a climate-controlled, fire-proof vault
that is stored off-site. The DPV is protected by surveillance and security
software, and has its own generators in case of a power outage.
We’ve found that the Unitrends backup solution is well-suited to
our business model. It enables our new disaster recovery service, and
protects our customers’ business documents. It has added value to
what we’re able to offer, improves our customer service and helps us
position our company as a trusted technology advisor.
We haven’t had many issues with the Unitrends DPU, although
we’ve occasionally experienced a failed backup or a scheduling
issue, probably due to a job purging process not completing. These
issues are likely due to the storage capacity of the DPU unit itself—
we’ve outgrown the available space on the unit.
We were impressed with the Unitrends product and realized that
we could market a new service to our customers. It’s not often that
a company’s disaster recovery solution contributes to revenue, but
that’s exactly what Unitrends did for us.
Reader:
Cameron Sauce
Operations Manager
Product:
Unitrends Data
Protection Unit and
Data Protection
Vault
Company:
Unitrends
Contact:
www.unitrends.com
Active Directory Management
Ensim Unify Enterprise Edition 1.5
Our IT department had been
looking for an application
that would simplify Active
Directory (AD) management—ideally
through a central Web-based management
console—and we began searching
for a solution that could do what we
need. I came across a magazine advertisement
for Ensim Unify Enterprise
Edition 1.5, and we decided to give the
product a try.
Installation of Ensim Unify was very
easy and straightforward: By far, it featured
one of the easiest and smoothest
installation processes I’ve seen when installing to a server OS. We
immediately put Ensim Unify to work, and several features stood out
for us as being the most significant.
It’s very easy to create new AD users thanks to the User Template
function, and the distribution list management feature has been very
useful. Ensim Unify also offers extensive security group management
as well. After we installed and launched the software, a single mouseclick
populated all of our security groups into a very user-friendly,
very readable format.
My only gripes with the product deal more with the licensing
structure than the product itself. For example, I was unable to get
the activation tool to communicate with their licensing server. The
end result was to make an exception in our firewall specifically to a
certain port and IP specific rule. It would also be nice if the program
could populate the distribution lists for Exchange in the same way
that it does for the AD security groups, but that may be more of a
Windows shortcoming than something that Ensim Unify could do. I’ve also found that the Ensim support staff and sales team are some
of the nicest and most courteous people I’ve come across in this
industry—they’ve been very helpful and knowledgeable.
Reader:
Francis Marquez
IT Support
Specialist
Product:
Ensim Unify
Enterprise Edition
1.5
Company:
Ensim
Contact:
www.ensim.com
End of Article
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