Despite the economic roller coaster--and in some cases because of it--technology vendors keep coming at us with new and improved products and services. Which means we get to keep doing what we do best--hands-on testing on networks that mirror your live production environments.
This year, in fact, we took our testing to an unprecedented level, creating a fictional widgets manufacturer, NWC Inc., and building a lab to the company's specs (see "A Start-Up Is Born"). We devote most of our time at NWC Inc. to business applications testing--technology editor Lori MacVittie's April 3, 2003 cover story on Web services is a great example of what we can accomplish in the new facility. We're also using NWC Inc. as a complement to our Syracuse, Green Bay and Chicago labs to test other kinds of software and hardware--management packages and security systems, for example.
And we've integrated more business analysis into our stories because--let's face it--product performance, ease of deployment, ease of use, scalability, manageability, price, features and all the other factors we evaluate and rate don't mean much if the product doesn't deliver some business benefit--preferably one you can measure in dollars and cents--or the vendor's viability is in doubt.
To say we were impressed by many of the products we tested in the past 12 months would be an understatement. In what has become an annual tradition, we endured some agonizing internal "discussions" in selecting our Well-Connected Award winners and finalists, which span 35 categories in seven core markets, and in choosing the best of the best in each market.
Each year our most heated debates surround the grand prize winner. This year, we zeroed in on SecureLogix ETM (Enterprise Telephony Management). This outstanding product serves as both a management package and a security system for voice implementations, preventing that unauthorized modem from becoming a back door to your entire data network.
Let us know if you like our picks or have some favorites of your own.
REPORTS
Analyize In-Line NAC strategies and products.
ANALYTICS Plan and design your enterprise blade server deployments
2009 IT Salary Survey: Meager Raises, Solid Prospects
Though raises are notably smaller than a year ago, and job security’s shrinking, IT careers are looking safer than many others in this economic downturn. Get all the findings in InformationWeek's 2009 IT Salary Survey. Available FREE for a limited time.
REPORTS
ANALYTICS
Follow 
