Features

Features

• How to build a managed service provider business

  With hardware and software sales increasingly commoditized, the motivation for building a managed service provider business has never been greater, but getting from Point A to Point B isn't so easy. We explain what the risks are and how to make a ...  Continue Reading

• Customers' favorite security hardware and software

  With hundreds of information security products available, choosing the right one can be daunting. Here are the top products chosen by "Information Security" magazine readers -- your customers.  Continue Reading

• The benefits of desktop virtualization

  Desktop virtualization is quickly picking up steam as a viable alternative to traditional distributed desktop architectures. Find out its key benefits and the different methods of implementation.  Continue Reading

• NETGEAR Partner Program

  Learn about NETGEAR's partner program in this standardized checklist.  Continue Reading

• Juniper Networks Partner Program Checklist

  Learn about Juniper Networks' partner program in this standardized checklist.  Continue Reading

• What are the standard margins and volume requirements in vendor partner programs?

  Margins and volume requirements vary across the different vendor partner programs. Learn how to determine whether the margins and volume requirements offered in a vendor partner program are reasonable.  Continue Reading

• What are the questions a reseller should ask in evaluating vendor partner programs?

  Evaluating vendor partner programs is easier when you ask the right questions. Learn the five questions you should ask about your business when evaluating vendor partner programs.  Continue Reading

• Managed services contracts

  Value-added resellers venturing into managed services need to consider the details of the managed services contract they provide to customers. Learn what goes into a managed services contract in this edition of Channel Explained.  Continue Reading

• Do you have a policy for decommissioning end-of-life storage hardware?

  Security policy should provide guidance for the organization on how to decommission storage hardware containing unprotected information. Learn why such guidance is vital to any data storage security project.  Continue Reading

• Remote office/branch office (ROBO) storage services

  ROBO storage services make use of technologies in use at SMBs and large companies to address customers' remote office/branch office disaster recovery and backup needs.  Continue Reading

• Networking hardware vendors

  Selecting a networking hardware vendor can be confusing if you don't know the ins and outs of potential vendors' partner programs. Use our organized Partner Program Directory to assess the standardized checklists for each router and switch vendor's...  Continue Reading

• Data security: Alternatives to data leak prevention

  Data leak prevention technology has its drawbacks. Fortunately, these weaknesses can be addressed with more established technologies such as encryption and data rights management.  Continue Reading

• XPath, command and directory traversal injection attacks

  Learn about XPath, command and directory traversal injection attacks and how they might affect your customer's network.  Continue Reading

• XXE, LDAP and buffer overflow injection attacks

  Learn about XXE, LDAP and buffer overflow injection attacks.  Continue Reading

• What routing protocols will you use in a network design project?

  OSPF and EIGRP are popular routing protocols and both can play a role in network design projects. Learn the differences between OSPF and EIGRP routing protocols and why each one brings benefits to your network design.  Continue Reading

• What are the physical network considerations?

  The physical network, including the network cables, is an important part of any network design project. Learn best practices for making sure the physical network is properly configured and the WANs and LANs are able to support the business needs of ...  Continue Reading

• How to survive a recession in the IT industry

  The downturn in the U.S. economy may not have affected your business yet, but prudent service providers will heed this advice to protect themselves.  Continue Reading

• Partner Program Directories

  Our partner program directory series organizes vendors' partner programs by their products. Each uniform checklist covers the partner program's traits and privileges allotted to the different tiers, when applicable. Learn about each company's ...  Continue Reading

• How to set up a network to optimize performance and reliability

  A reliable network begins with a sound setup. Learn five tips for optimizing your customers' networks for performance and reliability.  Continue Reading

• Service-oriented computing and SOA explained

  Explaining service-oriented architecture (SOA) can be challenging . Sometimes even industry experts get confused about the terminology. This excerpt from "Principles of Service Design" describes a distinct approach to designing solution logic and ...  Continue Reading

• Service-oriented computing: Goals and benefits

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" lays out seven goals of service-oriented computing and talks about how businesses can benefit from this technology.  Continue Reading

• SOA and service inventory approaches in action

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the terms "service composition" and "service inventory," explains what they do and why they are important.  Continue Reading

• What you need to know about service-oriented design

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the service-oriented design process and talks about how to use it effectively.  Continue Reading

• Entity services and business entities explained

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains the entity service model and how it can be leveraged to automate multiple business processes.  Continue Reading

• Service-oriented architecture design best practices

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the term "best practice" and how it applies to service design. It also provides an overview for all the terms discussed in the chapter.  Continue Reading

• Goals of SOA: Integration and interoperability

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the term "interoperability" and describes how service orientation can benefit the process of sharing data.  Continue Reading

• Designing an effective SOA, services inventory strategy

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines service inventory blueprints and the ultimate goal of the SOA transition effort.  Continue Reading

• An introduction to service-oriented computing

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" introduces service-oriented computing's new generation of computing platforms and all the elements therein.  Continue Reading

• Increasing SOA ROI and maximizing automated solutions

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains how service-oriented computing can benefit a company's ROI over time.  Continue Reading

• SOA design standards in action

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the term "design standard" and explains how these conventions customize predetermined design solutions for specific enterprises.  Continue Reading

• Why a SOA methodology should include service-oriented analysis

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" discusses the importance of service-oriented analysis and service modeling.  Continue Reading

• Web services and SOA in enterprise IT environments

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains how service oriented-computing can leverage the potential of Web services.  Continue Reading

• How SOA can improve business-technology management and alignment

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains how service-oriented computing works to align business needs in the face of a constantly changing business environment.  Continue Reading

• Understanding service-oriented technology today

  This excerpt from "SOA: Priniciples of Service Design" revisits fundamental service design elements and depicts how they work in relation to one another.  Continue Reading

• SOA design principles and characteristics explained

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines SOA terms "design principle" and "design paradigm" and explains why they are important to understand.  Continue Reading

• SOA and Web services

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains how to use service-oriented computing to leverage technology advancements and why this skill is important.  Continue Reading

• Tips for federated IT with SOA, standardized services

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines a federated IT environment and how SOA contributes to the standardization of IT resources.  Continue Reading

• SOA design terminology defined

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the basic design terminology establish a common vocabulary. Learn what design characteristics are and why they are important.  Continue Reading

• Exploring SOA patterns and design pattern language

  This excerpt from "Principles of Service Design" defines the terms "design pattern" and "design pattern language" and explains how these two concepts can provide solutions for common design problems.  Continue Reading

• Tips for a vendor-neutral SOA platform and service implementation

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" defines the the phrase "increased vendor diversification options" and discusses how and when they're beneficial.  Continue Reading

• Service-Oriented Architecture

  This excerpt from "SOA: Principles of Service Design" explains the purpose of SOA and defines associated terms: service orientation, services and services-oriented solution logic.  Continue Reading

• What is the purpose of the network being designed?

  Before beginning any network infrastructure design project for a client, the first question to ask is what the purpose of the network is. Knowing the answer to this question is vital as you scope out the project.  Continue Reading

• What is the client's IT budget for the network design project?

  While all clients have expectations for their network design projects, not all have allocated the money needed to accomplish their objectives. Learn why asking about IT budget will help you and your customers get more clarity about what can and ...  Continue Reading

• How to stay profitable in the reseller business

  For many small and medium-sized reseller businesses, expanding your line of business takes time and money, and it's important to know both your up-front capital expenses and ongoing costs so that you can calculate your return on investment (ROI). ...  Continue Reading

• How to prepare for network penetration testing services

  Value-added resellers venturing into services may consider offering network penetration testing. Here are five steps to take before you begin hacking your customer's network to ensure a successful pen test.  Continue Reading

• What operating systems are being used?

  Learn why you need to ask which operating systems are in play with blade server virtualization projects.  Continue Reading

• What upstream/downstream services are in use?

  Learn why you should ask your customers about their upstream and downstream services for blade server virtualization projects.  Continue Reading

• How do you connect storage to a virtual blade server?

  Learn how to connect storage to a client's virtual blade servers.  Continue Reading

• What are your system availability goals?

  Learn why you should ask your clients about their system availability goals before launching blade server virtualization projects. This is especially important when considering disaster recovery and fault tolerance issues.  Continue Reading

• How to install a wireless LAN for businesses

  Installing a WLAN for business clients requires careful planning, as explained in this second installment of our Hot Spot Tutorial on WLAN installation services.  Continue Reading

• Introduction to network centralization and decentralization

  Network centralization is an attempt to improve efficiency by taking advantage of potential economies of scale. Decentralization is an attempt to improve speed and flexibility by reorganizing networks to increase local control and execution of a ...  Continue Reading

• Network penetration tools

  Network penetration tools can be used for good -- or evil. Learn how to improve the security of your clients' networks with the same tools used to do them harm.  Continue Reading

• Guiding principles of network centralization and decentralization

  You don't have to guess whether it makes sense to opt for network centralization or network decentralization for your clients. Using these best practices, such as listening to the needs of your clients and tapping your professional experience, ...  Continue Reading

• Conclusions about network centralization and decentralization

  Network centralization and network decentralization are about making changes. When making such pervasive changes, experts recommend that you consider these guiding principles: know what specific problem you are solving; understand your motivation ...  Continue Reading

• Case studies in network centralization and decentralization

  Network centralization and decentralization projects promise to save companies money, improve network performance and help everyone to do their job more efficiently. But sometimes such projects fail to deliver on some of those promises. By looking ...  Continue Reading

• Encryption software vendors

  Use our Partner Program Directory to choose an encryption software vendor partner. Whether you are looking for a new partner program or want to see what your competition's partner programs are like, our easy-to-read checklists will help you weigh ...  Continue Reading

• Blade server technologies PDF download

  Download the chapter Blade Server Technologies from out Blade Server Reseller Guide in .PDF form.  Continue Reading

• McAfee Partner Program Checklist

  McAfee makes intrusion prevention and security risk management software to help secure systems and networks. Learn the benefits of becoming a McAfee reseller partner with our Partner Program Checklist.  Continue Reading

• Symantec Partner Program Checklist

  Service providers looking for a security vendor partner can get a quick look at Symantec's reseller partner program. Symantec sells antivirus, antispyware, endpoint security, backup, storage and compliance products to SMBs and enterprises through ...  Continue Reading

• Becoming familiar with the Hyper-V administrative console

  This excerpt from "Windows Server 2008 Unleashed" provides a quick guide on navigating the Hyper-V administrative console and the virtual server settings available to be configured.  Continue Reading

• Installing a guest operating system session

  This excerpt from "Windows Server 2008 Unleashed" provides a step-by-step guide to installation of a guest operating system session on Windows Server 2008.  Continue Reading

• Planning your implementation of Hyper-V

  Leveraging Windows 2008 server virtualization requires careful planning; because each Hyper-V guest session is a completely running operating system, you'll need to avoid bumping up against server performance limits. This excerpt from "Windows 2008 ...  Continue Reading

• Check Point Partner Program Checklist

  Value-added resellers, service providers and systems integrators seeking an encryption vendor partner can get a snapshot of Check Point's reseller partner program.  Continue Reading

• How should snapshot overhead be determined?

  When calculating overhead, you should keep storage snapshots in mind. Learn how to account for snapshots.  Continue Reading

• Introduction to the benefits of NAC

  Clients may be confused as to how network access control technologies do what they do, but they aren't confused as to what the technologies do. Value-added resellers and systems integrators are in a good position to help clients sort through NAC ...  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: BIA for small business

  Read this example of business impact analysis (BIA) for a small business from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" to make the process more tangible.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Preparing the BIA report

  This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" outlines some crucial features to be included in a BIA report.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis data points

  Take a focused approach to determining the number and type of data points you collect in your business impact analysis (BIA) and find a balance between information overload and superficial data. This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster ...  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Understanding IT impact

  The information gathered in this business impact analysis (BIA) phase will highlight new priorities, new gaps and new challenges to be addressed through the IT department. This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT ...  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Data collection methodologies

  For business impact analysis (BIA) collect data through interviews and questionnaires. This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" discusses various data collection methodologies and how to carry them out.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Gathering data

  Gathering data for business impact analysis (BIA) can be daunting. This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals " will help you get started and provides the initial questions to ask.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Determining the impact

  This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" lists some specific impacts disasters have on business.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Recovery time requirements

  Use business impact analysis (BIA) to define recovery time requirement terms and looks at how those elements interact.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Upstream and downstream losses

  Learn to mitigate indirect impacts that disasters can have on businesses. In this excerpt from "Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals," the author discusses upstream and downstream losses.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Understanding impact criticality

  When it comes to business functions, develop a rating scale to identify your customers' mission-critical functions. This excerpt from "Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" outlines a business function rating system with ...  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Identifying business functions

  This excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" walks you through common business functions and encourages you to assess those functionalities that are not covered and include them in your BIA.  Continue Reading

• Making the most of your market development funds

  Marketing can be a risky undertaking -- one that value-added resellers (VARs) and systems integrators may be hesitant to put much effort into. However, with market development funds at your disposal, you'd be remiss if you didn't put these five ...  Continue Reading

• How to choose a vendor partner program

  VAR-vendor partnerships can be fraught with tension -- but they don't have to be. You can have healthy, mutually beneficial relationships by choosing the right partners in the first place. Consider these seven criteria when evaluating potential ...  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Introduction

  This chapter excerpt from "Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals" walks you through the process of conducting a business impact analysis.  Continue Reading

• Business impact analysis for business continuity: Overview

  This chapter excerpt from Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals provides the steps you can take to develop a mitigation strategy in cases of business interruption.  Continue Reading

• NetApp Partner Program Checklist

  Value-added resellers learn the benefits of partnering with storage vendor NetApp with this standardized checklist of reseller partner program features.  Continue Reading

• Implementing NAC products

  Network access control (NAC) products can be implemented as infrastructure-based solutions, drop-in appliances or endpoint software. Learn how to determine the best implementation based on your customer's needs.  Continue Reading

• What role do vendors play in your lead generation strategies?

  Learn what role hardware and software vendors can play in a channel reseller's lead generation strategies. Partnering with the right vendors can make all the difference in getting more clients for your services.  Continue Reading

• Storage backup vendors

  Use our Partner Program Directory to choose a storage backup vendor partner. Whether you are looking for a new partner program or want to see what your competition's partner programs are like, our easy-to-read checklists will help you weigh the ...  Continue Reading

• How to make money from SaaS

  Unlike traditional software, which has big up-front costs, SaaS is usually sold on a subscription model, where users pay a smaller amount on a regular basis. Learn the steps to profiting from the SaaS revolution.  Continue Reading

• What is the difference between Snort and Bro?

  While Bro and Snort and both open source intrusion detection systems, they use different methods to detect intrusions and can complement one another on the network.  Continue Reading

• How can the operator test Snort?

  There are various ways to test Snort's intrusion detection capabilities, including setting rules and running tools such as IDSWakeup.  Continue Reading

• How does Snort's flavor of intrusion detection work?

  Snort is a powerful intrusion detection tool. Learn how it leverages traffic patterns to detect security risks.  Continue Reading

• Refining plans for database consolidation

  Database consolidation can bring a number of benefits to your clients, such as lower licensing costs, easier maintenance and a reduced risk of server failure. But there are times when it makes more sense not to consolidate a server. This installment...  Continue Reading

• Business cases for server virtualization: Introduction

  Use server virtualization to solve business problems. This chapter from "Advanced Server Virtualization" describes how server virtualization can be implemented in key areas, such as Disaster Recovery (DR) and high availability, to help reduce costs...  Continue Reading

• Limitations of server virtualization

  Server virtualization has many perks but keep its limitations in mind. This excerpt from "Advanced Server Virtualization" gives examples of when server virtualization is not the best practice.  Continue Reading

• Legacy server and application support

  Use server virtualization to solve legacy server and application support challenges. This excerpt from "Advanced Server Virtualization" tells you how.  Continue Reading

• IBM Partner Program Checklist

  Value-added resellers (VARs) and service providers looking for a storage vendor partner can get a quick look at IBM's reseller partner program, IBM PartnerWorld.  Continue Reading

• Aruba Networks Partner Program Checklist

  Value-added resellers and service providers interested in reselling Aruba networking hardware and software can learn the benefits of becoming an Aruba Networks partner with this standardized checklist. Compare Aruba's reseller partner program with ...  Continue Reading

• Evaluating vulnerability management tools

  When it comes to vulnerability assessments, you must make sure that you are using the right management tool. Learn how to evaluate and select the right tool, depending on your customer's needs.  Continue Reading

• Commercial and open source vulnerability management tools

  Selecting the right commercial or open source vulnerability management tool is not easy. Now that you know how to evaluate the tools, learn how to choose the right one.  Continue Reading

• How many different types or levels of vendor certification are there?

  Learn about the different types and levels of vendor certification.  Continue Reading

• How long does vendor certification take? What's involved?

  Learn how to balance the need for employee IT certification with one's business requirements.  Continue Reading

• Cisco Systems Partner Program Checklist

  Value-added resellers and service providers interested in reselling Cisco networking hardware and software can learn the benefits of becoming a Cisco Systems partner with this standardized checklist. Compare Cisco's reseller partner program with ...  Continue Reading

• How to develop an effective IT consulting marketing campaign

  Learn five key steps to marketing your IT consulting services -- target your audience, develop a message, start mailing, establish yourself as an expert and form partnerships.  Continue Reading