Readers Review Hot Products - 27 Feb 2008

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 ableto refresh my understanding of complicated topics by watching the relevant sessions again if I needed to. After using boththe SQL Server 2005 and Java training programs, I managed to learnwhat I needed to—all without having to be away from office, and itdidn’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 ToolsUnitrends 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 decidedto go with a Unitrends Data Protection Vault (DPV), which allowed us to replicate data to a climate-controlled, fire-proof vaultthat is stored off-site. The DPV is protected by surveillance and securitysoftware, 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 ManagementEnsim 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 aWindows shortcoming than something that Ensim Unify could do. I’ve also found that the Ensim support staff and sales team are someof the nicest and most courteous people I’ve come across in thisindustry—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