The birth of GooglePoint

Or maybe we should call it Share-gle. Or I suppose we could let it keep the name Google gave it, Google Sites. Announced today - conveniently timed to happen the week prior to the MS SharePoint conference - Google Sites appears to be their response to SharePoint. It is targeted at the Google Apps Team Edition crowd of small businesses, not end users, and is designed to provide a collaboration environment, with Wikis, shared calendars & documents (both provided by Google Apps, conveniently enough), aggregation of RSS feeds and more.

Basically it is everything that SharePoint offers, though without the integration to legacy data systems or granular security options, though there are some pretty reasonable basic security settings that should meet most SMB needs.

Still, if you've got everything in Google Apps already, this is a no-brainer in terms of setting up a sharing site (both in whether you should or not and how complicated it is to make one). Even if you aren't using Google Apps yet, the option to quickly deploy this solution for a project team, either internal or shared between internal and outside resources, it quite an attractive option.

Consider this a significant "shot across the bow" of Microsoft in the collaboration space.

New ultraportable from Lenovo

Trying to keep up with the cool kid on the block (Apple's Macbook Air), Lenovo leaked plans a couple months ago for their X300 series laptop. Many thought it was too good to be true, but the leaked plans have proven legit, and the new X300 is now available for sale.

You can customize it at the Lenovo online store and there are a number of configuration choices, some standard and some optional. Included in the standard set are:

• Integrated camera (how will this go over in courthouses??)
• 64 GB SSD Harddrive (some known performance issues with large OST files in Outlook, but still better than 4200 RPM drives)
• Bluetooth and 802.11A/B/G
• 13.3" widescreen WXGA+ screen (but I can't find the resolution for that)

On the options list, mostly normal stuff (RAM & battery upgrades and the like) but nothing really that you would want to decide between, like more HD space, 802.11N wireless, WWAN cards, etc. They do let you choose between XP and Vista, which is nice.

It isn't cheap, with the base config priced north of $2500, but it is small and light, and you pay extra for that.

Heros Happen Somew{here} (and a cool new WAN acceleration solution)

Microsoft has finally reached the launch date for the 2008 wave of products. Windows Server 2008 is the first one out of the gate, and the party in LA to celebrate was not even mildly subdued by the $1.4 billion fine levied by the EU against Microsoft (that’s about 50 Euros, I think). There are additional events around the world over the next few weeks, including one in NYC next week that I’ll be attending for the goodie bag as well as to learn about the new products.

Beyond the hype of the launch – and most of the details have been public for some time now – there was another interesting announcement that came from the other 800 pound gorilla in the industry, Cisco, about a new partnership they are seeking with Microsoft for branch office connectivity. With Windows Server 2003 R2 Microsoft introduced the idea of a Branch Office Domain Controller. It has limited rights and can be delegated control without opening up all of AD to an admin outside the main office. Cisco has also been working in the rather competitive WAN acceleration marketplace, trying to drive adoption of their Wide Area Application Services (“WAAS”) module/appliance. The WAAS module is targeted at vendors like Riverbed and SilverPeak, though the approach is slightly different. The latest iteration involves the “computer on an expansion card” module running Windows Server 2008 rather than a *nix build and leveraging some of the additional WAAS acceleration features as well, resulting in what may actually prove to be a legitimately competitive product in the space. I’m assuming that it will be based on the Windows Server 2008 Core install, making it lightweight from a performance overhead perspective while still allowing it to operate DNS, DHCP, Active Directory and Print Services, just about everything that an office site needs, other than the actual data that is housed in the off-site data center. In previous incarnations, coming up with a solution for providing these services (AD & print were the main troublemakers) meant additional servers, flying in the face of efforts to remove hardware from the remote sites. And since the Cisco WAAS service can run on a module in one of their modular routers, which you need for WAN connectivity to the data center anyways, this is a great opportunity to grow out the remote office infrastructure without actually growing the infrastructure.

Cisco has struggled to keep up in the WAN acceleration space through a few iterations of their WAAS/WAFS product line over the past few years. This new partnership should help, assuming they can maintain any reasonable level of WAN acceleration with the code running on Windows (if that is actually what they do). The product isn’t expected out for a few months yet – just like most of this week’s “releases” – so we won’t really know the impact until then. It definitely sounds appealing, even if the WAAS’s acceleration performance has lagged behind the other vendors for a while now. This may be enough to help them turn the corner.

Virtualizing VMware administration

Virtualization broke in to the enterprise as a way to reduce the cost for dev environments, allowing servers to be provisioned on the fly without the expense of extra hardware. While true, the marketing hype overlooks the fact that getting the environment set up and provisioning the systems and maintaining the dev system is quite a pain, especially in an organization where the resources are limited and everyone wants their server immediately and to keep it forever (ever have a situation like that??).

VMware released Lab Manager just over a year ago to help address some of these concerns, but it didn't deal with the entire system lifecycle. To that end, VMware has announced Lifecycle Manager and Stage Manage to join the Lab Manager product on the market. Lifecycle Manager is a workflow product designed to help further automate the deployment of systems, including HW requests and approval from a manager. It also helps manage the all-important retirement aspect of the VM's lifecycle, something that humans are pretty bad at in general. Stage Manager helps migrate an app installation from dev to staging to production, without requiring time consuming reinstalls at each stage. I have no idea how they do it, but that is their claim.

On the Business Continuity front, and in apparent response to the PlateSpin announcement from a couple weeks ago, VMware also announced their Site Recovery Manager. The new product is deisgned to:

...[M]ake disaster recovery more rapid, reliable, and manageable. Traditional disaster recovery solutions are slow and prone to failures because they involve many manual and complex steps, are almost impossible to test, and require exact duplication of the production datacenter hardware to ensure reliable recovery. VMware Site Recovery Manager uses hardware- and operating system–independent mobile virtual machines to deliver a groundbreaking solution, which can make disaster recovery more rapid, reliable, manageable, and affordable. VMware Site Recovery Manager delivers centralized management of recovery plans, automates the recovery process, and enables dramatically better testing of recovery plans.

In other words, Site Recovery Manager makes VMware images of all your servers and allows for recovery to dissimilar hardware. They even have an architecture for testing and documenting the plan. Pretty cool stuff.

Expect to see a couple more announcements this week on the VMware front as they are in the middle of the VMworld conference in Cannes, France right now. Expect to actually see the software they announced in Q2 '08 (except Lab Manager, which is available today).

Data on the move – Protecting your data with encryption

Encryption is one of those things that everyone talks about, but when it comes to implementing it, the effort and performance impact are often too great, making it a “nice to have” feature but one that rarely makes it onto the laptops where it is needed. Still, protecting IP is a huge responsibility and one that probably deserves more attention than it currently receives.

Dennis Kennedy has a good post over on his blog, linking to an article he wrote in the February 2008 issue of the ABA Journal that discusses both full-disk and folder encryption options. There are a lot of considerations, such as whether to encrypt the whole disk or just some of the data, management of the encyrpted content, backup & recovery issues that encryption will introduce and key management. It is usually one or more of these that end up overwhelming decision makers, resulting in encryption efforts being tabled and pushed off until “next time.” With more processing power and faster drives available, encrypting data should no longer be a performance issue, but all the other concerns are still there.

Backup and recovery issues are particularly pressing. Protecting data is very important, but if the data is so well protected that it cannot be backed up or managed then it probably isn’t actually what you want to be doing. Key recovery is the big thing to look at from that perspective. Microsoft includes BitLocker in the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Vista, which is managed in a very similar way to the Encrypted File System (“EFS”) of Windows XP. BitLocker is better than EFS, including the ability to encrypt the entire boot volume in many scenarios, but it still has some shortcomings. Setting up and deploying multiple systems in this sort of configuration is not a simple task, which is still the main stumbling block in the way of broader deployment of encryption.

A significant encryption stumbling block that has frequently presented itself is correctly integrating with Enterprise Content Management systems. Fortunately the recent improvements in the encryption tools allow for either the individual folder to be encrypted or the entire disk, making the integration significantly easier, especially if the echo location is appropriately managed.

Another recent bit of encryption news that came out recently is news of a means to crack pretty much all of these encryption standards on a computer by taking advantage of the fact that computer memory doesn’t clear itself immediately when a computer is shut down. The theory is that the encryption key will be held in memory and then can be read by a malicious third party by putting the memory chips in another computer. This attack assumes that someone would have access to your computer, some special equipment and the means to freeze the memory chips to -50°. Suffice it to say, not really likely to happen.

So get started with encryption. Your data will thank you for it.

Gigabit speeds from space

Japan is working to extend high-speed Internet service into outer space, with the launch today of a satellite designed to blanket the country and near-by neighbors with gigabit speed Internet access. Connectivity to the service requires a small dish for the end-user, similar to the DirecWay/HughesNet service available in the USA. If the performance lives up to expectations the Japanese space agency and their partner Mistubishi expect to launch more satellites to bring the coverage worldwide.

The main problem I can foresee with this service is the latency for accessing content. There is more to connectivity than just bandwidth, and space-based services often have high latency (a signal traveling to space and back takes a lot of time, even at light speed) and latency adversely affects a number of applications. Web browsing probably won't be affected, but things like real-time audio or video will suffer, as will thin client applications that need low latency numbers to perform reasonably. Still, that much bandwidth without last-mile concerns is a nice option to have, either as a secondary line for business continuity, for email and web traffic or just because the bandwidth number is really, really big.

Upgrade Weekend

Planning a major system upgrade involves accounting for any number of things, including the end-user impact of the effort. In most cases this would involve setting up alternate access methods, contact centers and other contingencies. Or, you could just shut everything down and not answer any phone calls for three days. I generally don't recommend that approach, especially in an industry where customer interaction is important, like travel. Ryanair, the European LCC airline is shutting down their entire operation for three full days, starting in a couple hours.

It is definitely an interesting decision from a technology perspective. Such a major system upgrade probably isn't something that can be easily implemented in parallel and data slowly migrated over. Still, a migration that take three full days to implement must be costing them a pretty penny in lost revenue and customer service issues.

Vista SP1 incompatibility list released

Microsoft has published the list of apps that break when SP1 is applied. Fortunately it is a short list (only 12 apps); most are 3rd party security apps live firewalls and anti-virus packages. There are a couple on the list that are interesting and worth noting, if for no other reason than the symptoms:

• NYTimes Reader "stops working when the right mouse button is pressed."
• Novell Zen Configuration Manager 10.0.x is not supported in Vista SP1.

Considering that the Novell Client for NT and/or the ZenWorks client seemed to break every time a hotfix was applied, much less a service pack, the incompatibility here isn't all that surprising. It is good to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Growing Lexis-Nexis

Reed Elsevier, the parent company of data conglomerate Lexis-Nexis, has announced an addition to their data processing and analytics portfolio, Aplharetta, Georgia-based ChoicePoint. This move grows out the Lexis-Nexis data services offerings and also is apparently a defensive move financially, according to the story. Also according to the story both companies have a history of "losing" customer data.

I'm not sure whether this really matters at all or not in the grand scheme of things for Lexis-Nexis users, but it has their name in the story, so it must be important, right?

SP1 won't break Vista...

But the prerequisites might!

There are two patches that are required on Vista systems prior to installing SP1. One of them, KB937287, has been having some problems over the past week, including a number of systems going into an endless reboot cycle that can only be resolved with a DVD copy of Vista (which costs extra from many manufacturers, so it isn't readily available to all users). Microsoft has pulled the update from the Windows Update site pending a resolution of the issues.

I've got it installed on my laptop, so it isn't all bad, but it will definitely prevent SP1 from going out smoothly if Microsoft can't get this resolved quickly.

An update on those cable cuts in the Middle East

The International Telecomunications Union (ITU) is weighing in on the cable cuts from a few weeks back, and their view is that it is pretty suspect. While trying to not "preempt the results of ongoing investigations," the ITU's head of development also will not "rule out that a deliberate act of sabotage caused the damage to the undersea cables."

Considering that 5 cables were damaged across the same region within a couple weeks, I agree with him. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks its all a bit too "convenient" that they all happened.

Motorola and RIM lock horns on patent fight

RIM is in the middle of a patent battle again, this time with Motorola over "exorbitant royalty fees" associated with using WiFi technologies on handhelds. RIM has counter-sued Motorola over a different set of patents. This all seems to stem from the expiration of a licensing agreement between the two parties that was originally signed in 2003. And now that Motorola's fortunes are slipping notably on the handset sales side of the ledger - especially in the pricy smartphones - they look to be making up the revenue on the licensing side. Plus there's the issue of Motorola's acquisition of Good Technology last year, giving them a product suite that competes directly with RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

I'm guessing that this will eventually be resolved through dollars and cents negotiated out at some level, making it more of an issue to shareholders than users, but it is worth keeping an eye on it, just in case.

Dell buys MessageOne

The independent email hygiene and archiving vendors are disappearing rather quickly. Google picked up Postini last year and has made some progress in leveraging their service offerings as part of their offerings. This week Dell made a play in the space, picking up MessageOne as "part of their SaaS portfolio." I'm not actually sure that Dell has a SaaS portfolio to add this to; I can't think of any. So I don't really know what the end game here is, other than to pick up a decent recurring revenue component.

I like the MessageOne product, and I hope Dell doesn't mess it up too much with the acquisition.

Significant switch in mobile WiFi connectivity options

The single largest collection of T*Mobile WiFi hotspots is found in Starbucks shops, or at least they used to be. Starbucks and ATT have announced that the entirety of the Starbucks network (~7,000 locations) will be migrating to ATT as the WiFi provider. This is huge, making ATT the de facto leader in WiFi connectivity overnight, rather than a reasonable split between them and T*Mobile. As an added bonus, if you are an ATT high-speed subscriber at home or the office there is a good chance that you get the WiFi access for free as part of this deal. Furthermore, anyone who buys a Starbucks stored value card, puts more than $5 on it and makes a purchase once a month automatically gets 2 free hours per day of access. Oh, and all the T*Mobile subscribers out there are also going to get to keep their access for "at least the next five years" so it looks like everyone is coming out ahead on this deal.

The main driving force behind this move seems to be Apple, who is pushing for media sharing at the Starbucks locations for their devices, including the iPhone. Most Starbucks already have Apple media servers on the premises, so the next step isn't that hard to see, with more media available for local delivery.

Citrix adopting the Xen product name

In an effort to "streamline the product line" Citrix has decided to rename the Presentation Server platform, again. From WinFrame to MetaFrame to MetaFrame Presentation Server to Presentation Server to the latest incarnation, XenApp, Citrix seems to come up with a new product name with each passing version. If nothing else it lets them keep putting out press releases with new names for their product in between actual newsworthy events, but otherwise it seems to be a lot of effort without out much benefit.

I almost understand this one, as it lets them play on the fact that the XenServer virtualization platform can be used to virtualize the application presentation layer (a.k.a. XenApp/Presentation Server) and also the XenDesktop platform.

Also, Citrix formally announced the XenServer 4.1 platform. The pricing seems comparable to VMware's options and they claim similar functionality and performance.

Dell pulls back on AMD

Barely 18 months after bringing AMD into the fold, Dell is pulling back on the chip vendor, removing almost every desktop model using the processor from their website. Dell claims that the demographics don't match up, with AMD being mostly used by consumers outside the United States, and Dell mostly selling to domestic companies. They are keeping the AMD processors on their server line, which is where AMD has a more compelling play in the business world anyways, so it isn't that big a deal, but the press is eating it up.

Vista SP1 now available, sortof

Reversing their earlier plan to hold off on the release of SP1 until March when all new computers would have it pre-installed, Microsoft has announced plans to release SP1 to "technical customers" including distribution to anyone who participated in the beta program. It is expected to be released to Volume License customers later this week and on TechNet by the end of the month. And if you got the RC2 bits from Microsoft earlier this year, you're already running SP1. They changed the version number but none of the files.

Of course, the fact that SP1 doesn't make Vista all that much better makes this announcement a bit anti-climatic, but at least Microsoft is responding to the occasional customer uproar appropriately.

Email hygiene from Google/Postini

When Google gobbled up Postini a few months back they said they were doing so in order to make it a part of their offerings to corporate environments. It looks like they were serious (and that they aren't going to be funding it via AdWords).

The new offerings "Powered by Postini™" are split into three levels. The most basic Filtering service offers basic message hygiene on inbound email. The Security offering includes "enhanced virus detection," can be used to scan outbound emails and also offers content filtering rules. The third offering, Discovery, adds email archiving and discovery (1 year included in the base option, with additional costs for longer retention).

These are pretty much the Postini services that existed when Google made the purchase, so it looks like very little has changed - good news for folks who have been using Postini for a while and also folks looking to go that way, as the product is pretty solid.

Team collaboration, Google style

Google Apps are great for individual users, but even SMB companies have been very slow to adopt the idea, much less major corporations. The main concern has always been how to control the data, both from an access and security perspective, and also making sure that compliance rules are being enforced. Some progress has been made on that front, with Google announcing Google Apps Team Edition this week. The basic idea is that an administrator can create a set of rules for their domain and then users can access the approved apps using their work account name information. This is a very easy way to implement chat, for instance, without needing to install and maintain a full infrastructure for it. Ditto for document sharing, calendaring and several of the other apps that Google currently supports.

The more I look at this, the more I wonder what is actually new about it, other than the press release. I've been using Google Apps for Proton Associates for a while now, and I can approve or remove the various components and make all the access changes I want, controlling who in the organization can get access or do other things. They're pushing the compliance bit and messaging hygiene setup that they can offer thanks to the Postini acquisition, but otherwise I don't see what the real news is here. That being said, it is a pretty impressive set of services being offered. They are even touting migration tools from other platforms into Google Apps, such as pulling your Exchange data into Google Mail using an IMAP dump (though there are some pretty serious limitations, not the least of which is the need to collect all the usernames and passwords).

I like the Google Apps platform, and I think that it makes a lot of sense for a number of small organizations, but I am still not buying it for general use in organizations that are of any significant size - there are too many little things that aren't quite right with it for widespread adoption.

Dell closes EqualLogic deal, announces new models

Three months after the initial buyout was announced, Dell has closed their acquisition of iSCSI storage vendor EqualLogic. When asked about possible conflict of interest in thier partnership with EMC and their pruchase of EqualLogic, Dell's Senior VP of Products, Brad Anderson, basically said that Fiber Channel storage isn't growing and iSCSI is, so Dell is making the jump. There are a couple of interesting bits in that comment from Mr. Anderson, including an implication that EMC isn't as strong a player in the iSCSI space as they wish they were (not a surprise to me at all) and also that the storage market continues its shift towards a commodity-style approach rather than a differentiation in terms of technology.

Dell also announced the 5000 series of EqualLogic appliances, though I can't really tell what the differences are from the older EqualLogic models. The new ones have some additional capacity thanks to a 1TB SATA drive option, and the SAS drive models are now in the same "number" family as the SATA model, but there doesn't appear to be any new technology in the software running the system, which is probably a good thing for now.

Server 2008 and Vista SP1 out the door

Vista SP1 i