VLCM

HP & Microsoft Exchange 2010

2012-01-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

The average person spends more than two hours a day just on e-mail alone. This equates to employees sending and receiving over 200 e-mail messages a day and this torrid pace will only continue to increase by 10 percent a year. E-mails continue to push data capacity requirements with audio, video, and document attachments. These data heavy e-mails mean that the average mailbox can exceed 10 GB in just four years.

The top two challenges for businesses are e-mail growth and management (Forrester Survey: Feb. 2011). Users continue to expect more from Exchange with technology growth.

The Solution: HP Storage

HP Storage is Simple: Reduce complexity by driving ease of use within your Exchange environment.
HP Storage is Optimized: Improve efficiency, capacity utilization, and the ability to support enhanced business continuity all while reducing costs.
HP Storage is Scalable: Start small but think big! HP Storage non-disruptively scales along with your company and its growing number of Exchange users. Rapidly employ larger mailbox sizes and increase number of mailboxes all with enhanced reliability and improved performance.

Why Microsoft Exchange 2010?
Exchange has drastically been redesigned from the 2003 version. E-mails have increased in size and quantity. Users now want increased access to emails. Since users can no longer use .pst/offline archives they require a bigger quota for their mailboxes. Exchange was optimized for SAN and needed to be redesigned to allow low cost SATA drives.

Exchange 2010 is designed to deliver higher levels of reliability and performance with a lower TCO and wider range of deployment.

Exchange 2010 Enhancements:

Reduced I/O per second (IOPs) requirement and lower acquisition costs with a choice of direct attached storage (DAS) or lower cost drives in shared storage arrays — Exchange 2010 delivers up to a 70-percent reduction in disk I/O over Exchange 2007. Additional disk types meet the minimum performance required to run Exchange, so organizations can use the new architecture to drive down storage costs.
Exchange 2003 requires SAN for HA and performance—Exchange 2010 has greater flexibility in storage options with SANs to DAS.

Choose HP

25 years of experience and partnership with Microsoft.
Proven leader in Microsoft Exchange deployments: storage and management software technologies that can address both direct attached storage (DAS) and storage attached network (SAN) deployments for Microsoft Exchange.
HP can help deploy Microsoft Exchange 2010 in the cloud through HP Exchange Cloud Services.

VLCM has the right solution to meet your specific network needs. VLCM is a certified partner of HP and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products. Please contact us for more information.
Source: HP Literature from HP Portal

HP Innovation: WLAN Performance

2011-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

The growth and popularity of interactive bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications and the widespread adoption of mobile technology are pushing legacy Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) to the edge. The high performing E-series 802.11n WLANs support the rapid growth of mobile devices and the increased popularity of interactive multimedia applications.

HP continues to set the industry standard with the first three-spatial stream 802.1n dual-radio access points. The new HP E-MSM4600 and HP E-MSM466 dual-radio 802.11 APs deliver Gigabit Ethernet client access, offering superior range and coverage with unmatched performance and reliability for today’s on-the-go, tech-savvy workforce.

The Causes of WLANs overload:

Proliferation of mobile devices

Advancements in mobile technology, smartphones, transformed IT over the last decade. Annual smartphone shipments are expected to surpass yearly PC shipments by 2012. Laptops and PCs already regularly outsell desktop PCs. Legacy 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks were designed for occasional access and hotspots.

Explosion of wireless users

Today’s business professional have constant access to wireless use through their smartphones, tablet PCs, notebooks, and laptops. These devices depend on wireless LANs to efficiently and reliably conduct business from any place at any time.

Growing popularity of interactive multimedia applications

Interactive rich media applications are used to increase productivity, improve collaboration, and maintain costs. These applications include video conferencing, unified communications, Web conferencing, telemedicine, all bandwidth intensive applications that require high-throughput, low-latency networks.

Support for mission-critical services

Wireless networks of today are required to enable mission critical services with stringent performance, reliability, and security requirements.

Challenging RF environments

Wireless LANs are now deployed in hospitals, campuses, and warehouses. Construction materials, building structures, and legacy devices can cause interference and RF challenges for 802.11 a/b/g networks.

Many enterprises are transitioning to wireless as the primary means of network connectivity. Organizations such as healthcare and higher education are foregoing cabling altogether. The IEEE 802.11n wireless networking standard was specifically created to extend the performance and reliability of 802.11 LANs and has the potential to bring wired Ethernet performance to wireless networks and usher in a new era of mobile innovation and productivity.

802.11n Innovations:
-Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology
-Channel bonding (allows two 20 MHz channels to be combined to form a single 40 MHz channel, efficiently doubling the transmission channel width)
-2.4 GHz or 5 GHz operation

HP continues to be an innovator, providing the first near Gigabit Ethernet performance in the industry with the HP E-series: HP E-MSM460 and HP E-MSM466 802.11n dual radio access points (APs).

Key differentiators:

Three-spatial-stream MIMO for industry-leading throughput.
Closed loop beamforming for improved coverage with less transmission overhead.
Band steering for optimal WLAN performance
Concurrent operation in 5 GHz band
Optimized WLAN architecture
Backward compatibility for graceful and cost-effective deployment

The HP E-Series 802.11n dual-radio access point series delivers the highest data rates and throughput available in today’s marketplace while offering the best price and performance in the industry.

VLCM has the right solution to meet your specific network needs. VLCM is a certified partner of HP and HP networking. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products. Please contact us for more information.

*Source: HP Technical Whitepaper-"Setting the industry benchmark in WLAN performance"

Integrated Network Management: HP Intelligent Management Center

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Enterprise-Class Solution

Intelligent Management Center (IMC) is one of the most recent additions to HP’s network managers, admitted in 2010 to HP’s portfolio with the acquisition of 3Com Networks by HP. IMC Enterprise Edition is a stand-alone, comprehensive management platform for delivering next generation, integrated, modular network management capabilities that efficiently meet the needs of advanced, heterogeneous enterprise networks. IMC Enterprise Edition is designed on a service-oriented architecture (SOA) using a business application flow model as the core and features an on-demand, modularized structure. This combination allows the efficient implementation of end-to-end business management. IMC software's modular design provides an effective integration of traditionally separate management tools. Together, they provide complete management of resources, services, and users.¹

Network managers need an infrastructure that performs reliably, predictably, efficiently, and still remains cost effective. HP IMC solution supports all major network management areas: fault and availability, configuration, performance, and security. Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) breaks down network requirements into seven key factors: Scalability, Flexibility, Service Orientation, Automation, Collaboration, Security, and Cost Efficiency. HP IMC solution meets each of these requirements, providing a mature, integrated approach for managing complex, multi-vendor, and heavily virtualized infrastructures across multiple functional areas.²

Scalability: Designed to handle tens of thousands of managed nodes with a hierarchical and/or distributed mode of deployment. Also can scale down entry point to a single IMC server, ideal for a low element amount, from a couple hundred to a few thousand elements. IMC solution is capable of supporting 50 operators concurrently.

Flexibility: Designed to support all networking technologies and architectures currently in common use (more than 2600 specific devices from over 35 different manufacturers.)

Service Orientation: Designed to allow logical grouping of managedelements by organizational and/or geographical structures. Allows application awareness from the network perspective.

Automation: Capabilities of autodiscovery, root cause analysis, and configuration policy audits.

Collaboration: Widget-based homepage approach assembles effective, informational views. Primary navigation is organized by Resources, Users, and Services. Common Task areas are organized by Alarms, Reports, and Systems. Boasts over 50 report templates which can be run on a ad hoc or regularly scheduled basis. These results can be formatted as a PDF or delivered in CSV format.

Security: Offers integrated network security management through integral controls within the core product and with Endpoint Admission Defense (EAD), and add-on module,.

Cost Effectiveness: The singular, multi-functional, multi-vendor integrated management platform significantly cuts operational costs in result of fewer systems to administer, fewer vendors to manage, and less training required.

Intelligent Management Center Software Platform Free-Trial

HP offers a free, 60-day trial of IMC’s Enterprise Software.

Download

IMC software is compatible with Microsoft® Windows® Server and supports the management of HP and third-party devices. The base license supports 200 managed devices; additional node licenses can be purchased.¹

Sources:

1. HP Literature
2. EMA: Seven Priorities for Integrated Network Managent

VLCM and Gartner: Debunking the Myth of the Single-Vendor Network

2011-12-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

Single-vendor networks have been the industry standard for far too long. Gartner’s article debunks the myth of the single-vendor's superiority. Gartner gathered information from hundreds of client interactions and performed detailed interviews of nine organizations that introduced a second vendor into their single-vendor network. Gartner found evidence that the introduction of a second vendor into your Cisco or any single-vendor network is far more beneficial than previous thought.

Debunking Popular Myths

Introducing a new vendor means more expenses; additional staff, initial capital costs, and ongoing maintenance.

Truth: None of the participants in the study required increased staffing or increased labor budget to help manage the dual-vendor network. Gartner also found that the dual-vendor network diminished total initial costs and noted more ongoing maintenance expenses for Cisco-only networks. Multiple and dual vendors are more capable of providing comprehensive-lifetime warranties and site license maintenance that take into consideration the economies of scale when servicing high volume products within an infrastructure, which considerably reduce maintenance compared to a single-vendor network.

My IT staff has already been accredited as a Cisco Certified Internet Expert (CCIE). Introducing a second vendor will require expensive training of my already skilled talent.
Truth: Transferring Cisco skills to other vendors’ products is relatively simple. Cisco trained or not, the majority of knowledge is based on network technology and is transferable from vendor to vendor. Many vendors will provide delta training. Most organizations invested three to five days for incremental training but found that their team required less time and picked up the information without difficulty. The one-time incremental cost is 1% to 2%.

Introduction of a second vendor will cause interoperability. Two vendors’ products in a network won’t work reliably together.

Truth: Gartner found interoperability to be a very minor issue for all organizations interviewed. Simple practices keep vendors performing together smoothly.

Use standards as much as possible, especially interfaces between building blocks within the networks¹.
Reduce interface points to a minimum.

Regularly engage in network (hygiene) activities, ensuring the proprietary protocols are reduced or eliminated from the network.

Perform proof-of-concept testing when introducing the new technology into your network, regardless of products from an incumbent or new vendor.

If I introduce a second vendor then I will have to purchase an abundance of management tools.
Truth: Gartner found that second network vendors often offered their element management system for free and included training to familiarize the staff with the new tools. Nearly every network management team interviewed by Gartner used a variety of industry-standard, vendor-independent SNMP tools prior to adopting a second vendor, requiring no additional investment with implementation of a second vendor. Vendor-neutral network management tools prevent the lock-in and limited alternatives of single-vendor management tools.
Tools included in Gartner Research:

CA Spectrum

Dartware InterMapper

EMC Ionix (Smarts)

HP Network Node Manager

Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold

MRTG

Paessler PRTG

Solarwinds Orion

Statseeker

VLCM has the right solution to meet your specific network needs.VLCM is a certified partner of HP and HP networking. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products. Please contact us for more information.
Sources: Gartner Research, ID Number: G00208758; Debunking the Myth of the Single-Vendor Network¹

HP’s Innovative Intelligent Resilient Framework

2011-11-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

Reduce your network complexity and boost performance with HP's Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF). IRF is HP’s answer to reduce complexity and cost in switched Ethernet networks. IRF virtualizes Ethernet switches, providing an intelligent, unified network that boasts numerous benefits over ordinary approaches built on Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). IRF flattens your network, eliminating the aggregation layer and provides a common, virtualized fabric spanning data center core, distribution, and access layers. This administers more direct, higher capacity connections between the user and network resources. IRF extends network control over multiple active switches, up to nine, consolidated around a single management IP address to create an ultra-resilient virtual switching fabric.

IRF Advantage: Simplicity

Design and Operational Simplification, Flatter Topology

Simplify network setup, operation, and maintenance with a single virtual switch that operates across network layers rather than managing switches individually. Layers two and three operate as a secondary backup in the event of primary switch failure.

Less Device Configuration

IRF simplifies initial network design and ongoing network operations by 85% or more by consolidating configuration files. Up to nine devices are operated from a single configuration file, reducing the administrative load and the potential for the introduction of function-impacting manual configuration errors.

IRF Advantage: Performance

Higher Efficiency

Loop-free non-blocking architecture keeps all links active, providing high-bandwidth connectivity throughout the switching plane.

Scalable Performance

Bundle several parallel links between switches and servers with IRF and Link Aggregation Control Protocol.

Faster Failover

Rapid recovery and network convergence under 40 milliseconds (faster than the several seconds required by STP).

IRF Advantage: Resiliency

Distributed High Availability and Resiliency

IRF fabric can be configured for full N+1 redundancy. Mission-critical virtualization capabilities, live migration and application mobility, across IRF domain and extend across the Layer Two WAN infrastructure.

Geographic Resiliency

Switches can be extended horizontally and continue to function as a single logical unit whether locally installed, distributed regionally, or situated across distant sites. Link installations up to 70 kilometers apart, providing the same failover rate of in-house servers.

In-Service-Software-Upgrade (ISSU)

Switches have the ability to be taken offline for services without effecting or disrupting traffic to other switches in the IRF domain.

HP’s IRF approach is unique, encompassing not only automate optimization/recovery and switch virtualization, but delivers substantial simplification and automation of network management tasks. VLCM is pleased to be a certified partner with HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products. Please contact us for more information.

Sources:

Enterprise Management Association: HP IRF Simplifies Networks and Operations

HP White Paper: Reducing Network Complexity, boosting performance with HP IRF technology

HP ProLiant and BladeSystem: Innovation for the Enterprise

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

HP enterprise customers are able to free up significant budget to drive innovation in their own business and unlock their organizations full potential with HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem. HP possesses 20 years of leadership in the market, holding the number one market share for both x86 servers and blades with over 20 million ProLiants and two million Blades sold. HP’s legacy is built on innovation, driving breakthrough efficiencies across Management, Energy, and Financial efficiency.

Management Efficiency:
Management is key before, during, and after the server is deployed. Embedded Integrated Lights Out remote management in iLO3 and HP Insight Control can cut half the time it takes to deploy, manage, control and optimize your ProLiant and BladeSystem infrastructure. Tasks that took hours or even days are now done in minutes. HP is the industry leader in server virtualization, driving integration with major VMware.

Energy Efficiency:

Energy efficiency doesn’t just reduce your overall power usage, it allows you to manage and plan your power usage by giving you the information you need to make educated decisions. From the sea of sensors integrated throughout the server to highly efficient common slot power supplies, all the way out to intelligently managing power real-time with Intelligent Power Discovery, HP helps customers maximize every how, watt, and dollar.

Financial Efficiency:
Companies need to maximize the existing budget and make financially efficient investments for the future. HP BladeSystem and Virtual Connect FlexFabric provide platform options for an extreme scalable modular architecture, and datacenter solutions like HP Performance Optimized Datacenters. This guarantees HP enterprise customers a scalable, modular, change-ready infrastructure that is the preferred platform for SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle.

HP ProLiant has been number the one x-86 server for 58 consecutive quarters and is the number one platform in the industry. With models to meet all application workload demands, HP and VLCM have the right solution to meet your specific needs. VLCM is pleased to be a partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.
Source: HP Literature

HP BladeSystem: The Ultimate Converged Infrastructure

2011-11-16T07:14:00.000-08:00

HP BladeSystem is a no compromise infrastructure that changes with your needs while maximizing every hour, watt, and dollar. This modular design continuously meets your changing business needs by quickly being scaled, repurposed, and upgraded. Future-proof your company with BladeSystem. The 23: 1 consolidation allows you to put up to 60% more servers in the same physical space, reducing IT sprawl while reducing total cost of ownership up to 56% over traditional infrastructures.

HP BladeSystem Benefits:

Alignment across the business
Innovation across the organization (HP labs, Enterprise Services, Enterprise Business, R&D global)
Demonstrated Value
Commitment to and proven interoperability
Interoperability and Incremental customer adoption

Reduce capital expenses up to 40% versus a traditional infrastructure.

Core infrastructure is shared in an HP BladeSystem environment, reducing capital costs significantly lower than traditional rack-based infrastructure. Blades share power, network, and storage infrastructure at the enclosure level. Since equipment is not needed for each server, there is a drastic reduction in Power Distribution Units, power cables, LAN and SAN switches, connectors, adapters, and cables. Bring in newest generation technologies by just changing the components that need to be changed instead of the “rip and replace” approach used for traditional infrastructures.

Double the capacity of your data center without adding power infrastructure.

Dynamically control power limits based on workload demand to reclaim over-provisioned power and cooling capacity, without impacting performance. You can see exactly how and where you’re using your power at the data center level and focus scarce power resources on your most important business priorities. A built-in Sea of Sensors provides a real-time thermal control system so fan speeds self-adjust.

Double productivity of administrators, reducing your operating expenses.

Server management and administration personnel costs can represent over 80% of the costs of a typical IT organization today. Compared to a rackmount environment, the time needed for routine server administrative tasks with HP BladeSystem, such as deploying and configuring new servers, can be reduced by up to 15%, using Insight Control. With Virtual Connect technology, provision server network and storage connections upfront for your entire environment to eliminate add/move/change requests. By eliminating manual coordination between server, storage, and network administrators for everyday tasks, and automating resource-intensive manual tasks, your administrators can install, deploy and reconfigure server connections to storage and networking in 90% less time compared to traditional infrastructure. HP BladeSystem Matrix, which simplifies provisioning of entire infrastructures, can decrease the actual time needed for ongoing administration 60% or more, freeing up staff to focus on other priorities.

HP BladeSystem keeps you in control and helps you manage your IT Needs.

Reduce complexity and eliminate sprawl
Provision infrastructure and applications in minutes
Reduce IT operations and maintenance resource costs
Manage optimized heterogeneous environments confidently
Instantly respond to business demands

Close the gap between business demands and what IT can deliver
Rapidly provision Cloud services
Deliver in-house, outsourced via cloud
Assure continuity of services

VLCM is pleased to be a partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.
Source: HP BladeSystem Literature

HP ProLiant Changes the Way IT Serves Your Business

2011-11-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

HP ProLiant servers fuel rapid business innovation with breakthrough levels of management, energy, and financial efficiency. HP has been the market share leader in blade servers for 59 consecutive quarters. ProLiant servers will provide a 97% reduction in power, 27 times more performance (watt vs G4), and 12 times faster server deployment.

Optimize assets by extending capability without adding power, cooling, or space, and extend the life of your data center for years. Buy and manage less IT, reducing your IT space with a 20:1 consolidation, which means 95% fewer systems to buy and manage. See your ROI in 30 days and reduce downtime by 83% with Insight Control management software, to proactively monitor and manage your servers from anywhere. Bring on new applications with a fast, complex application infrastructure that can be up and running in less than 2 hours.

HP continuously sets the standards in innovation and the ProLiant series is no exception.

The HP Intelligent Power Discovery is the industry’s first automated, energy aware network.
HP Dynamic Power Capping reclaims trapped power and cooling capacity.
HP Virtual Connect connects servers to LANS and SANS for the lowest costs and least amount of power.

ProLiant Insight Management leads the way with HP Insight Foundation, HP Insight Control, and HP Matrix Operating Environment. The Insight Foundation gives pre-failure alerts and remote “phone home” support pre-instrumented in every ProLiant server. HP Insight Control gets you more for every hour, watt and dollar invested in your ProLiant infrastructure. Finally, the HP Matrix Operating Environment lets you provision your infrastructure in minutes.

ProLiant Servers Choices

HP ProLiant DL—Versatile, rack-optimized servers with a balance of efficiency, performance, and management.HP ProLiant SL—Optimized and scalable for high-density or massive compute environments.

HP ProLiant BL—Infrastructure in-a-box. Proven to save time, power, and money in large and small data centers.

HP ProLiant ML—Expandable tower and rack servers for growing businesses.

HP ProLiant MicroServer—Starter server for businesses with 10 or less clients.

Converged Infrastructure Solutions

HP BladeSystem—Out-of-box IT infrastructure for less cabling, connections, power and management.

HP CloudSystem Matrix—A converged infrastructure foundation for a cloud network. Provision a complex infrastructure in minutes, not months.

VLCM is pleased to be a partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

For more information visit: www.hp.com/go/proliant; www.hp.com/go/bladesytem; and www.vlcmtech.com.

HP Elite Premium Support: Always On

2011-10-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Premium Support for Fast-Paced Professionals

Technical support isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about getting you back to business quickly and effortlessly. VLCM is here to assist you and so is HP. When HP designed the new Elite family of PCs to exceed the needs of professionals, they designed a customer support program to match.

HP Elite Premium Support delivers rapid response, quick resolution and a high level of stress-free customer care, only available to our Elite customers. And it’s included with every HP elite product – even previously purchased HP Elite PCs.

Great Service Without the Wait

HP Elite Premium Service is designed to be exceptionally simple for professionals with little time to wait. Here’s how it works:

Just Three Simple Steps for Elite Premium Support:

1. Begin by dialing 1-800-334-5144

2. Say “EliteBook” or “Elite Desktop” when the voice automated routing system asks for a shortcut

3. An Elite accredited representative will be connected to your call, ready to help

Top 5 Elite Premium Support Features

1. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

2. Fast call response times and fast trouble-resolution times

3. Elite accredited technical support professionals who are highly efficient and highly trained

4. More in-depth trouble-shooting and investigation

5. Elite support available to all current and future Elite customers at no additional charge

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for information on Interactive Intelligence.

HP Innovations keep up with your demands

2011-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Built to take it. Inside and out.

Business today moves at a blistering pace. If your business pace is as fast as ours at VLCM, then you’ll know there just isn’t time – in the office or on the road – for anything less than peak performance and peak reliability. That’s one reason why VLCM teamed up with HP — to assist you along your journey. HP Elite PCs are built with design innovation and protection in mind.

Extended battery life up to 32 hours

When you’re on a roll you need a notebook that can keep up. A properly configured HP EliteBook 8460p with HP Ultra Extended Life Notebook Battery can be configured for up to 32 hours of battery life, so you can keep working without having to worry about running out of juice.

HP DuraCase means greater protection for your HP EliteBook

Inspired by aircraft engineering, HP EliteBook Notebook PCs with HP DuraCase have display enclosures, which are comprised of an outer layer of bead blasted aluminum that is bonded to a magnesium inner shell for strength and stiffness. Exteriors are further reinforced by magnesium alloy bottom cases, which are 18 times stronger than plastic cases, providing excellent protection for system boards, hard drives, optical drives, and other key components.

The smudge-resistant, scratch-resistant HP Durafinish case and precision-stamped chasses protects the HP EliteBook Notebook PC while protecting the users’ professional image. And the EasyAccess Door and precision aluminum-alloy hinges make it more secure when closed, yet always easy to open.

HP EliteBook Notebook PCs also feature spill resistant keyboards with drains. HP DuraKeys are 50 times more resistant to visible wear than keyboards without this protection.

HP Elite Desktops PCs are built with components that are designed for tool-free access, so you spend less time and energy performing maintenance, replacements, and upgrades. Many adjustments and installations can be accomplished with a simple turn of a color-coded, built-in latch – no need for huts, bolts, special tools, or even a screwdriver. From adjusting drive trays to installing graphic cards, we make it quick, easy, and convenient to maintain your PCs.

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on the HP Elite Series.

HP Elite Series

2011-10-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Beyond Compare

Simply HP’s toughest, most reliable PCs in business today.

VLCM is committed to providing elite products that will help grow your business. HP calls it Elite for a reason. It’s a unique combination of durability, reliability, security and efficiency. And it’s been designed with only one goal – to perform remarkably in tough conditions. HP has always been a leader in cutting-edge computer technology. Now, with new Intel architecture, HP has taken processing power to the next level. Then, to make sure it’s always ready when you are, HP has combined it with unprecedented toughness and durability.

HP’s goal isn’t just to create a durable computer; it’s to create the world’s most reliable computer. That’s why HP designed an Elite Series of PCs to be the most robust PCs that HP has ever created.

And to make sure that HP Elite PCs can always keep up, HP tested them. They’re tested at temperatures that range from -20*F to 140*F, as well as drops, shocks, pounds, and shakes. The HP Total Test Process demands that HP doles out this kind of punishment for more than 100,000 hours. It might be overkill, but it makes for one seriously high caliber computer.

Rigorously tested for toughness and durability

At HP, they know offices aren’t always indoors, and they aren’t always air-conditioned. But whether it’s a high rise, highway, or the high Sierra, having a PC you can rely on is critical. That’s why HP tested their HP Elite PCs for more than 100,000 hours.

HP Elite PCs have been tested in conditions you’d rather avoid. Like a bone-chilling -20*F. Or a blistering 140*F. Or altitudes of up to 15,000 feet. In fact, the HP EliteBoks are so tough; they received pass ratings for seven U.S. military standards criteria.

For example, the HP EliteBook Notebook PCs have been subjected to the following:

1. Drop Test: HP testers drop the notebook 26 times on each side, edge, and corner to make sure it’s ready to take the daily abuse you may inflict.

2. Vibration Test: Since notebooks are meant to be as mobile as you are, HP simulates the vibrations of 1,000 miles of ground transportation.

3. Dust Test: Dust is blasted at the notebooks for six straight hours to make sure internal and external components won’t fail in harsh environments.

4. High Temperature Test: The notebook is placed in an oven and baked at 140*F to mimic extreme heat conditions.

5. Low Temperature Test: HP knows there are times when notebooks face the most extreme weather, so they put their notebooks in a freezer set at -20*F.

6. Temperature Shock Test: HP subjects the notebook to sudden temperature changes greater than 18*F within one minute.

7. Altitude: The notebook sits in a chamber that simulates the pressure of an altitude of 15,000 feet.

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on the HP Elite Series.

Discover the Five Key Reasons to Choose HP Elite PC's

2011-10-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we want to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. Here are five reasons why to choose HP Elite PC’s to fulfill your business computing needs.

1. Quality & Reliability

HP’s most reliable and robust PCs, the 2011 HP Elite series was designed to withstand the constant use of business professionals. Elite series engineering surpasses 8 tough military standards for drops, vibration, dust, temperature, altitude, and more. And to ensure your PC is ideal for rugged, fast-paced environment, each Elite PC endures 100,000 hours or tests before it reaches your hands.

2. Service & Support

Available 24 hours a day, 356 days a year, you have exclusive access to a dedicated team of Elite-accredited support professionals. With the advanced technical skills and experience to quickly resolve issues and provide answers to your questions, HP Elite Premium Support keeps you on point and in business. Simply call 1.800.334.5244 and say “EliteBook” or “Elite Desktop.”

3. Design Innovation and Security

Far exceeding industry standards, a properly configured HP EliteBOok 8460p with Ultra Extended Life Notebook Battery can expand your reach with up to 32 hours of battery life. Venture out from the office with sophisticated HP ProtectTools such as Drive Encryption and Credential Manager. And continue to look great with smudge-resistant, HP DuraCase aluminum hinges and magnesium/aluminum display enclosure, a spill resistant keyboard that drains away liquid, and HP DuraKeys that are 50 times more resistant to wear.

4. Collaboration

HP Elite PCs come standard with tools for collaborating with your team, business partners, or customers. HP Virtual Rooms is your economical, online command center for conducting face-to-face business in real time across town and around the world. Whiteboard, editing tools, and the ability to share common applications are included.

5. Total Cost of Ownership

Extended purchase lifecycles ensure your company can buy HP Elite products over long purchase phases in order to help avoid premature reimage expenses on software and peripheral hardware. HP Elite can also help enable lower operating costs with improved power saving technology such as new processors, 89% energy-efficient power supplies, a solid state storage drive, and power management solutions.

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on the HP Elite Series.

Net Nanny

2011-09-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we focus on IT solutions for your business, but we also know that you may need internet protection in your home. Content Watch has a great home internet-filtering solution called Net Nanny.

Net Nanny can block not only pornography, but hate sites, questionable chat rooms and other dangers of the Internet. You can configure Net Nanny to block online game and gambling sites, and even make it so your children can only install and play computer games with parental ratings that you deem appropriate.

Remote Management

Powerful Remote Management tools exist to help parents to manage and maintain Internet policies from any Internet connection. Net Nanny also synchronizes your settings almost instantly.

Integration with Popular Search Engines

Net Nanny integrates seamlessly with “Safe Search” options found in popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, AltaVista, Lycos, AllTheWeb, and MSN. This means your children can’t search on a search engine and see links to blocked sites. This feature enables better protection against pornographic images when doing an “image only” search. If a child attempts to turn off the safe search capability from the search engine, Net Nanny will turn it back on in real-time as the search is occurring. The only way to bypass the safe search is with your unique administrator password, which only you as the parent knows.

Total Customization

As a parent, you will have the administrator password that easily allows you to customize the level of Internet access for users in your home. You can have full unfiltered access to the Internet while making sure that your children are fully protected. You have the ability to partially or fully block Instant Messaging, Peer-to-Peer downloading, and chat rooms. You can even allow or disallow access to specific sites that you choose.

We hope that you enjoyed learning about ContentWatch over the past month. If you have any further questions, please contact us for more information.

Next month, we will be highlighting HP Desktops.

Content Protect - Educational Suite

2011-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

VLCM works closely with school districts throughout Utah. While working with schools, we see a great need for Internet protection software like ContentProtect. Here is a brief overview of ContentProtect – Educational Suite and how it benefits IT departments.

Manage your company's Internet access, privacy, and applications with ContentProtect Educational Suite from ContentWatch. ContentProtect Educational Suite includes three powerful functions that will help your company achieve greater employee productivity, protect employer/employee privacy, and manage the applications that employees can run on your computers including:

· Internet filtering through the leading Internet filtering application for small/medium businesses-ContentProtect.

· Application Manager: a new application designed and developed by ContentWatch that allows administrators to control what applications can run on computer systems.

Benefits to IT Departments

Administrators of IT departments have many issues to deal with. ContentProtect Educational Suite is a web filtering solution that helps make their job easier… not more difficult. Here is how ContentProtect makes content filtering of the network trouble free:

Increase Productivity, Decrease Liability: Filter or block any unwanted content that either creates a liability for your organization (pornography, hate mail, etc.) or hurts productivity (shopping, games, entertainment, etc.)

Fully Customizable and Controllable: ContentProtect Educational Suite is highly customizable, permitting Administrators to create organization, group, or individual filtering settings for employees, rather than forcing them into a “one size fits all” scenario like some products do.

Remote Management Dashboard: Allows administrators to view reports, make changes to user’s Internet policies, and permit or terminate Internet access, all from a remote Internet connection. Administrators can also receive email notifications when employees may be trying to access, override, or in some way violate the user’s Internet policy.

Reporting: ContentProtect Educational Suite provides the ability for administrators to view reports anywhere and at any time. Having data stored in the ContentWatch Data Center permits access to online reports from any internet connection. Reporting includes logs of IM traffic, bypass or disable attempts, and more.

VLCM is pleased to be a partner of ContentWatch. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as ContentWatch. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on ContentWatch.

Content Protect Security Appliance

2011-09-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we know how important it is to monitor your company’s network while also maximizing your bandwidth. Content Protect, a ContentWatch product, is a great solution for all your network-monitoring needs.

The ContentProtect Security Appliance is a powerful gateway device containing all the tools you need to manage, optimize, and monitor everything that is happening within your network. With the ContentProtect Security Appliance, you have the power to proactively protect your network from abuse and attack while simultaneously maximizing the precious bandwidth you depend on. Solve your network’s biggest issues before they get out of hand— irresponsible users, spyware, slow Internet, and more.

Maximize the Performance of Limited Resources

The ContentProtect Security Appliance makes it easier for small organizations and branch offices to optimize network and application performance, even with very limited resources. ContentProtect Security Appliance scans deep into the packet payload to quickly identify non-critical and detrimental traffic and then prioritizes mission-critical traffic based on your organization's objectives. By ensuring mission-critical traffic gets through, ContentProtect Security Appliance maximizes your organization's performance

Comprehensive Control in One Efficient Device

It delivers unified threat management and WAN optimization in one device, eliminating the latency and complexity caused by implementing multiple single-purpose appliances. Its revolutionary Network Analytics makes it easy to see and report on user activity, application performance, and threat control by showing how isolated events impact performance as a whole. The ContentProtect Security Appliance generates granular reports on a specific user, prioritizes branch applications and stops spyware, viruses, inappropriate content, and more with one clear interface.

Easily Manage Distributed Environments

The ContentProtect Security Appliance makes it easier for administrators to manage distributed environments. Specifically designed for branch office and small office implementation, the ContentProtect Security Appliance reports usage in real-time and allows administrators to quickly identify and control the users, applications, and threats that impact network performance. Additionally, with the ContentProtect Security Appliance in the branch and another ContentProtect Security Appliance at headquarters administrators can easily optimize WAN or VPN connections.

VLCM is pleased to be a partner of ContentWatch. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as ContentWatch. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on ContentWatch.

ContentProtect - Professional Suite

2011-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we want to protect your company’s Internet. As a proud partner of ContentWatch, we know how great their products like ContentProtect - Professional Suite are.

Manage and protect your company’s Internet experience with powerful, state-of-the-art Internet filtering software. Your organization can increase productivity, reduce liability, and preserve precious bandwidth by implementing ContentProtect Professional Internet filtering.

ContentProtect Professional Internet filtering offers the most effective and flexible Internet filter available today. You can easily customize ContentProtect Professional’s settings to fit the needs of each employee in your organization, for separate groups and departments, or even company-wide.

Measurable, Quick Return on Investment – In an environment where as much as 2 hours a day is lost to non-work related Web Surfing, ContenProtect will pay for itself within the first few days of use.

Customized White Lists – ContentProtect permits you to create customized lists of unacceptable or acceptable websites. For example, you could set up a white list of sites that you would only allow your employees to visit.

Perfect for Mobile Computer Users – Because of its client-based architecture, ContentProtect is a perfect fit for mobile or notebook computer users. Regardless of how the user connects to the Internet, filtering is present. Without a client-based solution, a user could simply bypass the corporate network by using an alternate.

Value and Ease of Use – ContentProtect does not require additional hardware expenses (servers, gateways, routers, proxy servers, etc.) Simply purchase the software and install it on your computers and ContentProtect will begin filtering.

Here is a link to a few videos that will help you understand what a great product ContentProtect truly is. Click here to view the video.

VLCM is pleased to be a partner of ContentWatch. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as ContentWatch. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on ContentWatch.

Why Advanced Threat Protection is Better Done Through the Cloud

2011-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Guest Speaker: Peter Firstbrook, Research Director, Gartner

IN THIS EDUCATIONAL WEBCAST:

Security Turned Upside Down: iPad, Facebook & Mobile Users

Why Cloud Security Delivers Better Protection than Appliances

The ‘consumerization’ of IT has blurred the lines between business and personal smartphones and tablets. This further complicates the challenge of protecting mobile laptops that bypass on-site security appliances deployed at company locations. Attackers are now using Facebook, email and encrypted payloads to compromise the weakest components of enterprise security: your users' mobile devices. Once compromised, these devices become a beachhead for hackers to gain access to corporate networks and sensitive data.

Join Gartner Research Director Peter Firstbrook – as well as cloud security thought leaders from Zscaler – to learn:

How iPad, Facebook & Mobile Users Turn Security Upside Down: Peter Firstbrook

• Implications of mobility and blended threats on security

• Key requirements for web and mobile security

• Are large enterprises shifting from appliances to cloud security?

• Recommendations for CIOs and heads of security

With Real-life Demos: Michael Sutton, VP of Security, Zscaler

• Step-by-step demo of blended threat attacks

• Detailed techniques used by attackers

• Demonstration of why defense in depth is a critical component

Simplify Security with the Zscaler Cloud Service – Jay Chaudhry, CEO, Zscaler

• Total Cost of Ownership of cloud security

• Customer Case Study Selection criteria for cloud security services

• Deployment experience and benefits

Ask the Experts – Question & Answer Session

For dates and registration, click here.

HP Mobile Printing

2011-08-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Technology is changing every day. More things are becoming mobile, and printing is not an exception. At VLCM, we know that you are on the go and in need of quick printing.

HP mobile printing has never been this easy. Print from anywhere, anytime, from any mobile device, including netbooks, smartphones, notebooks, or anything capable of sending an email.

Print wherever business happens

Create the crucial connection between your business and your documents. HP’s web-connected devices with HP ePrint mobile printing lets you print business documents from your mobile device when and where you need them. Send your print jobs to your HP ePrint-enabled device—whether you’re in the office, at home, or at customers offices—then simply collect the printed pages. Make printing more accessible to clients and mobile workers by allowing them to print to your office’s printer.

HP ePrint-enabled device

With their easy portability and ever-expanding capabilities, mobile devices give you instant access to all kinds of different information and content. Larger documents, presentations, and PDF files, however, can be difficult to read on small, handheld device screens. Now you can easily print these documents to read or take with you.

Easily print on the go

You can print from a wide variety of mobile devices using one of several methods:

• Email—Using any email-capable mobile device, attach your document to an email message. Simply send that message to the email address of an HP ePrint-enabled printing device and collect your printed document.

• Mobile apps—For even easier on-the-go printing, use the HP ePrint mobile app for Blackberry and Nokia smartphones. After downloading the mobile app from your mobile device’s app store, you can use your mobile device to locate the HP ePrint-enabled printer or multi-function printer closest to you. Just select the print button to wirelessly print your business documents and photos.

• Mobile driver—From the HP ePrintCenter website, download the HP ePrint software to your Windows® or Mac computer, then easily send photos, documents, and more to the closest HP ePrintenabled printing device by selecting Control-P.

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Check out our blog next week to learn about Content Watch.

HP CP3525

2011-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we work with businesses of all sizes. The HP CP3525 is ideal for small and medium businesses that need a fast, networked color laser printer to print professional-quality marketing materials and documents.

Fast and Easy

Easily print eye-catching color and black-and-white documents at speeds up to 30 ppm. Produce your own professional-quality brochures, flyers, postcards and newsletters in the comfort of your office on your timeframe.

• Boost productivity with black and color print speeds up to 30 ppm

• Typical office print job time to completion can be nearly 3.5 times faster with instant-on technology

• Get outstanding print quality and sharp images with HP ImageREt 3600 and improved HP ColorSphere toners

Flexible manageability

Enjoy the flexibility of having the option to print in black or color, while efficiently managing color usage with the HP award-winning color access control. Plus, print black pages for the same cost as on a black-and-white HP LaserJet.

• Print black pages for the same cost as on a black-and-white HP LaserJet

• Easily control color usage with the HP award-winning color access control technology

• Process complex print jobs faster by expanding onboard memory from 256MB up to 1GB

Print shot quality

Create impressive brochures, newsletters and other marketing materials yourself using HP ColorSphere toner and Original HP specialty media. Replenish paper less often with two-sided printing and an additional paper tray available on select models.

• Print a wide variety of documents from 4 x 6 to 8.5 x 14 inches on plain or glossy media

• Produce print shop-quality documents with HP ColorSphere toner and Original HP specialty media

• Print with fewer interruptions—up to 850 sheets at a time—with the optional 500-sheet paper tray

Stress Free

Get performance you can count on with this color laser printer. Take control of your print jobs with the color display and easy-access paper tray. Enjoy stress-free maintenance with easy-to-replace supplies and alerts from HP SureSupply.

• Quickly check printer status with the easy-to-use back-lit control panel

• Enjoy fast and easy maintenance with the single-access supplies door

• Avoid downtime by quickly clearing paper jams using the single-access paper door

• Easily manage your printing supplies and reduce downtime with HP SureSupply alerts

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on HP.

Do more, reduce costs, and protect your investment

2011-08-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

With Laserjet Enterprise M4555 MFP Series

At VLCM, we use HP printers every day to print things like invoices, banners, newsletters, posters, and thank you cards. We enjoy the peace of mind that comes with using printers that are reliable and efficient.

This intuitive workgroup multi-function printer makes it easy to print, copy, scan, digitally send, and fax—all from one device that is small enough to fit on your desktop.

Performance you can rely on

Improve workgroup efficiency with black-and-white print and copy speeds up to 55 pages per minute. Maximize uptime and handle a steady stream of print and copy jobs with an input capacity of up to 2,100 sheets. Enjoy versatile paper handling with a choice of two different output options—a 500-sheet output bin or a 3-bin, 900-sheet mailbox that sorts, staples, and stacks (features vary by model). Manage print jobs directly from the multi-function printer, using the HP Easy Select pivoting color control panel. Image preview makes it simple to add, delete, rotate, and reorder pages for digitally sent jobs right from the control panel. Use the walk-up USB port to print from—and save scans to—a flash drive.

Easy to manage and add solutions

Save your IT department time and money with HP Web Jetadmin—an award-winning, industry-leading tool for efficiently managing a wide variety of networked HP and non-HP devices. Protect your investment and accomplish more. HP FutureSmart firmware ensures that your MFP will have the most up-to-date features long into the future. The HP open extensibility platform simplifies the development and deployment of HP and third-party solutions. Print to your HP multi-function printer, using a smartphone, notebook, or other mobile device with HP ePrint. For businesses deploying BlackBerry phones, HP ePrint Enterprise enables printing on any networked printing device.

Advanced security features

Protect your sensitive data with the pre-installed HP Secure High Performance Hard Disk. Even if the hard disk is removed, the data it contains is encrypted, helping to keep it secure. Keep confidential print jobs private—use authentication methods such as requiring a PIN at the control panel to retrieve jobs. Expand IP addresses on your network with IPv6 and implement network access control with IPsec. Protect your most sensitive business documents with encrypted emails and PDFs.

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on HP.

Press Release: Charity Golf Tournament

2011-08-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

GOLF TOURNAMENT BENEFITS CANCER RESEARCH

Local company organizes a charity golf tournament to support the fight against cancer

SALT LAKE CITY, UT—VLCM, a leading IT provider for the Rocky Mountain Region will be sponsoring their fourth annual United Against Cancer Golf Tournament at the Wasatch Golf Course on September 21, 2011.

The tournament benefits Huntsman Cancer Foundation (HCF). All proceeds fund research and development of new ways to diagnose and treat cancer. The main purpose of HCF is to support the mission of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). Annually, they secure one third of the operating budget for HCI. HCI, part of the University of Utah, belongs to the people of Utah and is funded in large part by its citizens who make donations and help build awareness.

“The Huntsman Cancer Institute started with one family’s dream and got off the ground with their initial investments, but one family cannot do it alone. We rely on the generosity of individuals, corporations and community groups,” said Lori Kun, Director of Development at HCF.

VLCM has been Huntsman Cancer Foundation’s IT partner since 2007, and a supporter long before that.

“Having VLCM as a partner defrays a big cost of doing business by providing work stations, servers, and software for our non-profit. With the Huntsman family’s donation to cover most administrative costs and VLCM providing our IT, 100% of donor dollars fund their intended purpose—life-saving cancer research,” said Kun.

VLCM values the ideals of HCF and is honored to assist them in making a difference.

“Everyone’s lives have been affected by cancer to some degree. Research is a key to finding a cure and providing hope to individuals who are fighting against cancer. We know Huntsman Cancer Foundation uses our donations for effective research that will touch thousands if not millions of lives,” said Michael Linton, VLCM Vice President of Managed Services.

Those who are interested can participate as a hole sponsor or in a foursome.

For registration information please contact Shaun Steel at 801.262.9277, or by email at ssteel@vlcmtech.com.

VLCM was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City. The company offers customized IT solutions and warranty or non-warranty repairs for small to medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit, and government organizations. VLCM’s approach is to learn about IT needs, recommend the best IT solutions, train IT staff, and help safely install new technology.

Contact Information:
Lynda Mellor, Marketing Director
Office: 801-262-9277
Email: lmellor@vlcmtech.com

HP Laserjet Enterprise P3010 Printer Series

2011-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

For the month of August, we will be focusing on HP printers. At VLCM, we know how important it is to have dependable printers at work. This reliable, high-performance, networked laser printer is ideal for businesses that need to print high volumes and confidential documents on a variety of media types.

HP performance and durability

Enjoy print speeds up to 42 pages per minute and a first page out in as little as 7.5 seconds. Instant-on technology provides up to a 50 percent faster warm-up time from low-power mode and up to 50 percent energy savings over competitive laser products. All-in-one Original HP print cartridges with built-in intelligence deliver reliable, consistently outstanding results, page after page, cartridge after cartridge. Get more out of each cartridge with the optional high-capacity toner cartridge.

Advanced security features

The printer includes a built-in hardware integration pocket so you can connect and house your HP and partner security card swipe and authentication devices. Help secure data using IPsec with encryption accelerator assist, along with support for IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. Retrieve confidential print jobs by entering your PIN using the 10-number key pad. Store data more securely by adding the optional HP High-Performance Secure EIO Hard Disk. Its advanced security features protect sensitive data at rest on your HP printer – all without impacting performance.

Flexibility to expand

Extend your printer’s capabilities to meet your business needs with an open EIO slot and two internal accessory ports. Plus, add up to 512 MB memory. Improve productivity with a maximum input capacity of up to 1,600 sheets. Easily print on different types and sizes of media—including labels, envelopes, transparencies, and card stock—with adjustable paper trays. The printer supports A4, A5, A6, letter, and legal sizes from all trays. Choose the optional 500-sheet paper tray for added flexibility.

Easy to use and manage

Use the printer’s front-panel host USB 2.0 port to get convenient, walk-up USB printing that supports common PDF, PRN, and PS file extensions. Reduce calls to IT with features like the four-line LCD control panel and the show-me-how menu. Easy-to-use controls visually walk users through procedures, setup, and troubleshooting. Easily set up and manage your print fleet with industry-leading HP Web Jetadmin and the HP Universal Print Driver. These solutions allow you to install, configure, monitor, troubleshoot, and manage your printing devices from anywhere on the network. Enjoy hassle-free recycling—cartridges returned via HP Planet Partners are recycled responsibly. HP provides free postage for returning HP print cartridges, the ability to request pickup for used computer equipment, the flexibility to recycle many types of technology products

VLCM is pleased to be an Elite Partner of HP. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as HP. Please contact us for more information.

Tune in next week for more material on HP.

Email Security and Data Protection

2011-07-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

VLCM knows how important it is to keep your emails protected and secure. This is one reason why we teamed up with Sophos. Sophos has a great Email Security and Data Protection plan to help you with all your email protection needs.

What it does

Prevent embarrassing data breaches, gain the confidence of your partners and customers, and keep you inboxes free from spam and malware. Sophos Email Security and Data Protection proactively blocks inbound and outbound threats with unrivaled effectiveness and simplicity while protecting confidential and sensitive information, delivering high-capacity, high-availability gateway and groupware security and data protection. One license provides end-to-end threat and data protection with hands-off managed appliances and easy-to-use software. Sophos makes email security and data protection simple.

Protect your email: Zap more than 99% of spam with real-time technology. Virus threats keep evolving, but Sophos Email Security and Data Protection helps you stay ahead.

Comply with regulations: Sophos integrates encryptions with email appliances and mail gateway. Data loss protection is your best bet for safe data.

Keep it simple: Sophos will work around you with products that are easy to use and really flexible.

Sophos will back you up: You’ll get automatic updates from Sophos’s threat research team. You’ll get great technical in-house support that is included in every license.

VLCM is pleased to be a Gold Partner of Sophos. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products such as Sophos. Please contact us for more information.

Starting next week, we will be focusing on HP Printers and Supplies.

Endpoint

2011-07-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Protect your computers and data
VLCM knows how important it is to have virus, data, spyware and hacker protection for your computers at work. We are a Gold Partner of Sophos so that we can supply you with all your computer and data protecting needs. Endpoint is one of Sophos’ best products to protect you.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Data Protection secures computers and data without stretching your budget. It automatically protects against the latest threats with a combination of proactive anti-malware technologies and ensures protection is up to date without impacting system performance. Data is secured and regulatory compliance is achieved with full disk encryption, control of removable storage devices and applications like P2P, VoIP and IM and ensures that endpoints meet your required security policies. Administration and fixing problems across all Windows, Mac, Linux and UNIX machines is simple and quick with the central management console, while 24x7x365 support is included as standard in every license.

The Endpoint scanning engine is the fastest and most effective in the business. Here are a three of the many features that you will find in Endpoint:

Live Protection

Sophos Endpoint uses cloud technology to protect your computer from new threats. Live protection includes: live anti-virus, live URL filtering, and live anti-spam. With live anti-virus, when one of your computers identifies potentially suspicious files, Endpoint instantly checks with its database and tells the computer if that file relates to a real threat, blocking it if it does. Live URL filtering connects your computers to a constantly updated list of millions of infected websites, adding around 40,000 new sites every day, so your users can’t get to them. And to top it off, with Sophos live anti-spam, it checks things like sender IPs, message and attachment fingerprints, destination URLs and checksums against the latest data. This allows you to keep your inboxes clear of spam and your email servers running smoothly.

Management

You can protect Windows, Mac, Linux, UNIX and virtualized platforms – all from one console. From the single console, Endpoint enables you to:
• Fix problems fast and clean up remote computer
• Get instant reports and schedule them to be sent automatically
• Get automatic alerts, and you can create and apply policies
• Get a look at guest computers before you let them on your network

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Endpoint helps you monitor data transfers so you can control what users do with customer information and sensitive internal information. The DLP has been simplified so you can setup policies quickly and easily using pre-defined data definitions, like bank account details and Social Security numbers. You can automatically allow or block file transfers at the endpoint and via email. No matter what, you get to audit and review all end-user decisions from the management console.

To try a free trial of Endpoint, click here!

VLCM is pleased to be a Gold Partner of Sophos. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as Sophos. Please contact us for more information.

Look for more information on Sophos’ products and services next week.

Anatomy of an Attack

2011-07-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Learn how today’s cybercriminals target your computer, identity, and money and get practical advice on how to combat anything that comes your way. Sophos security experts will explore how malware threats actually work and what you can do to protect your company.

To see the "Anatomy of an Attack" video, click here.

If you want to attend an "Anatomy of an Attack" seminar on July 19th from 10:00am-2:30pm in Salt Lake, call us to reserve a seat.

VLCM is pleased to be a Gold Parnter of Sophos. When you team up with VLCM, you'll benefit from proven services and products, such as Sophos. Please contact us for more information.

Look for more information on Sophos' products and servicess next week.

Securing Your Data With Sophos

2011-07-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

This month, VLCM is focusing on Sophos, a software company that provides endpoint, encryption, email, web, and NAC security solutions that are simple to deploy, manage, and use. At VLCM, we have watched as mobile devices and social media have changed the way businesses communicate internally and market themselves externally.
Securing your mobile device

Mobile devices have quickly become standard business tools storing sensitive business information and enabling email on the move. With the increase of mobile devices, the risks to business reputation, communication, and continuity are slowly becoming more serious. Just like your desktop is threatened by viruses, mobile devices are threatened by data theft, disruption of mobile phone networks, and the hijacking of phones to send unauthorized revenue-generating SMS messages. At SophosLabs™, they have already identified 200 examples of malicious codes for mobile devices.

Your mobile device can be infected in many ways including email, MMS, external memory cards, PC synchronization, and even via Bluetooth. As you look for ways to protect your personal and business mobile device, make sure your security plan covers the following items:

o Threat management – identification and removal of viruses, spyware, and spam.

o Device access control and management – enforcing a password policy and application management.

o Data protection – encryption of sensitive data on devices and remote data deletion

o Network access control – controlling VPN connections across public networks, validation of devices when they connect to the corporate network.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Data Protection protects critical business data while ensuring that users remain productive. Crucially, the software gives IT administrators the ability to implement and lock down consistent company-wide security policies for mobile devices.

Securing your social media

When social media was starting to gain traction, many businesses banned their employees from using sites such as Facebook at work. As social media has grown in popularity, so has the tolerance for its use in the workplace. Ironically enough, those businesses that once banned social media, are now hiring PR and marketing personnel whose main focus is social media marketing.

Here are 8 quick tips to help make your personal and business social media sites more protected:

1. Know your company’s social media policy so you don’t unknowingly break the rules.

2. Use long passwords with upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

3. Review default settings on each social networking site. Avoid providing personal information such as birthdays, mobile numbers, and travel plans whenever possible.

4. Remember that everyone can see pictures that you post. Don’t upload images that could embarrass you, your company, or your customers.

5. Social networking sites are not personal diaries. Assume that everyone can read whatever you post.

6. Malware authors, spammers and phishers are increasingly active on social networking sites.

7. Don’t click on links just because you know the sender. Malware will infect a user and then fire itself out under their name to all their contacts.

8. If you don’t know the sender, the best thing to do is ignore it. Spammers try to connect with you by sending invitations.

VLCM is pleased to be a Gold Partner of Sophos. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as Sophos. Please contact us for more information.

Look for more information on Sophos’ products and services next week.

Source: www.sophos.com

When is a good time to move to VDI?

2011-06-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Over the past month, we have given you good look at what Virtual Desktop Integration (VDI) is. Now we want to help you know when would be a good time to move over to VDI.

• If you have a hardware-update scheduled consider moving to VDI and thin clients. Thin clients normally have a 7 – 9 year lifecycle, minimal moving parts , ideal for rugged environments such as Healthcare or MFG. Thin clients can further reduce opex costs by using about 1/10 the power of a typical fully loaded PC.

• If your organization is planning to migrate to a new OS. This is an ideal time to move to a virtual desktop environment. You can deploy your new OS as a Virtual Desktop and repurpose and extend the life of your desktop hardware and break the upgrade cycle.

• If you need to ensure the integrity of company data. By establishing proper access to critical information then a centralized VDI model can help you meet requirements subject to government-imposed standards such as SOX or HIPAA. And if you software developers in house you can keep your IP safe and secure in the data center and provide a virtual desktop for developers.

• If you are going through a Merger and Acquisition, you need to provide groups of people immediate access to key business applications such as accounting or CRM. With a VDI you can deploy a virtual desktop in minutes.

• If you are very mobile and need to access your desktop and applications from home, on road or remotely. VDI is ideal to provide these remote or mobile workers secure access to their workspace when and where they want.

VLCM is pleased to be a Premier Partner of VMware. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as VMware. Please contact us for more information.

VLCM hopes that you enjoyed this month’s VMware-focused blog posts. Check in next week for our new topic.

Problems With Desktop Computing

2011-06-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we are adamant about finding personalized solutions for each of our customers. VMware does the same by identifying some of the problems with desktop computing and coming up with a solution – VMware VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure).

Challenges

PC Management is Time Consuming and Inefficient

Managing a distributed PC environment is extremely time consuming and inefficient. Staff needs to be on-site and able to support users, which takes time away from working on other projects that can lead to either increasing company revenues or saving the company money.

Desktop Operating Costs are High

The complex environment of PCs has become extremely expensive to support and maintain. More than 70% of the total cost of ownership of a desktop is spent on managing the PC. With PCs so dispersed across an organization and with so many of them, IT struggles to keep track of those devices. In addition to the high costs, the PC is underutilized. Typically a user is only logged onto their computer for 8 hours per day with the PC idling while the user is in meetings, traveling, and performing other duties.

Low End User Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Service levels for end users can be low and unplanned downtime from OS/hard drive failures or virus and malware infections are high. End users tend to be tied to device in order to access their desktop; requiring them to sit at the same physical PC to access the applications and data required for their job. This can limit the user’s flexibility. Many organizations are looking for ways to improve employee productivity by making a user’s personalized corporate desktop available anywhere, at any time, and from any device

Security and Compliance Risks

Maintaining control over data and information that resides on individual PCs is almost impossible. When data resides locally, the threat of intellectual property or sensitive information walking out the door or being lost is always a major concern. Plus, lost or stole laptops can end up costing organizations millions of dollars and expose the organization to litigation.

VDI Solution

This end to end integrated solution elegantly and simply solves the problems plaguing the traditionally desktop model. VMware View™ 4.5 is the leading desktop virtualization solution, built to modernize the desktop through the transformation of application and OS management while enabling unprecedented flexibility for end-users. VMware View unlocks the desktop components including the operating system, applications, user data and settings allowing IT to manage them independently for improved business agility. VMware View dynamically assembles these components on demand, giving end-users a single, personalized desktop accessible from a range of devices with all applications and information immediately available for a consistent user experience.

VLCM is pleased to be a Premier Partner of VMware. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as VMware. Please contact us for more information.

More to come on VMware products and services next week.

ABC’s of Virtualization

2011-06-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

At VLCM, we know the importance of educating our employees and customers about our products and services. Here are some of the basics about virtualization to help you with your education on virtualization.

What is Virtualization?

Today’s x86 computer hardware was designed to run a single operating system and a single application, leaving most machines vastly underutilized. Virtualization has transformed the way computers work. Virtualization lets you run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine, with each virtual machine sharing the resources of that one physical computer across multiple environments.

Why Should your Company Virtualize?

1. Get more out of your existing resources: Pool common infrastructure resources and break the legacy “one application to one server” model with server consolidation.

2. Reduce datacenter costs by reducing your physical infrastructure and improving your server to admin ratio: Fewer servers and hardware means reduced real estate and power costs. Superior management tools improve your server to admin ratio.

3. Increase availability of hardware and applications for improved business continuity: Securely backup and migrate entire virtual environments with no interruption in service.

4. Gain operational flexibility: Respond to market changes with dynamic resource management, faster server provisioning and improved desktop and application deployment.

5. Improve desktop manageability and security: Manage and monitor secure desktop environments that users can access locally or remotely – with or without a network connection.

What is a Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine is a tightly isolated software container that can run its own operating systems and applications as if it were a physical computer. A virtual machine behaves exactly like a physical computer and contains its own virtual CPU, RAM hard disk and network interface card (NIC).

What is a Virtual Infrastructure?

A virtual infrastructure lets you share your physical resources of multiple machines across your entire infrastructure. A virtual infrastructure consists of the following components:

• Bare-metal hypervisors to enable full virtualization of each x86 computer.

• Resource management and consolidated backup to optimize available resources among virtual machines

• Automation solutions that provide special capabilities to optimize a particular IT process such as provisioning or disaster recovery

A Brief History of Virtualization at VMware

Virtualization was first developed in the 1960’s to partition large, mainframe hardware for better hardware utilization. VMware invented virtualization for the x86 platform in the 1990’s to address underutilization and other issues, overcoming many challenges in the process. Today, VMware’s technology is used by more than 170,000 customers, including 100% of the Fortune 100.

Hopefully you enjoyed learning the ABC’s of Virtualization. If you’re interested in learning about virtualization in more depth, click here.

VLCM is pleased to be a Premier Partner of VMware. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as VMware. Please contact us for more information.

More to come on VMware products and services next week.

Benefits of Desktop Virtualization

2011-06-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

This month, VLCM is focusing on VMware’s Desktop Virtualization (VDI). We want to start off the series of VMware posts by giving you an idea of some benefits that come from using VDI.

Virtual desktops and applications create a more flexible business infrastructure so you can quickly respond to changing business needs. VDI helps to streamline desktop management, bring business continuity and disaster recovery solutions to the desktop, and ensure corporate security and vendor licensing compliance.

Streamline Desktop Management

Using VMware View (a Desktop Virtualization Solution) allows you to instantly provision desktops to local and remote users from the datacenter. It allows you to play rich media content, use multiple monitor configurations and seamlessly access attached peripherals. As a VMware user you can use your personalized desktop from anywhere, without suffering the lag time of earlier technologies. And if this isn’t enough, with VMware View, you can perform maintenance and troubleshoot user issues without engaging in expensive on-site visits or maintaining remote IT staff and infrastructure – reducing your overall desktop costs by 50%.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recover Solutions

VMware View 4 is the only desktop virtualization solution that provides built-in business continuity and disaster recover for the desktop at no additional charge. With VMware View you can:

• Access your virtual desktop from a wide variety of devices over any network connection to ensure business continuity

• Keep desktops running even when server hardware goes down with automated failover recovery

• Shift desktop computing resources automatically as user needs and application loads change with dynamic load balancing

Ensure Corporate Security and Vendor Licensing

Protect your organization’s information assets and ensure compliance with industry and government regulations such as HIPAA, SOX, government mandates on settings for PCs and more with desktop virtualization. VMware desktop virtualization solutions enable enterprises to secure data, centralize control of desktops and software access and maintain compliance without sacrificing end user needs.

VLCM is pleased to be a Premier Partner of VMware. When you team up with VLCM, you’ll benefit from proven services and products, such as VMware. Please contact us for more information.

More to come on VMware products and services next week.

Three Very Big Steps Forward for the MacBook Pro

2011-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

The MacBook Pro family has next-generation processors and graphics, a new FaceTime HD camera, and high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology. The MacBook Pro delivers unprecedented performance in a patented aluminum unibody design that is as thin and light as ever.

Introducing Thunderbolt.
The fastest, most versatile I/O ever in a notebook.

Imagine accessing multiple streams of uncompressed HD video — from your notebook — at speeds that let you edit an HD feature film in real time. That’s how Thunderbolt technology will connect the next generation of high-performance peripherals to the next generation of computers — starting with MacBook Pro. Ultrafast and ultraflexible, the Thunderbolt pipeline is more than 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0, and it offers unprecedented expansion capabilities. It changes what you can do on a notebook.

The Thunderbolt port will give you plug-and-play performance with a whole new world of Thunderbolt peripherals, as well as with the Apple LED Cinema Display and other Mini DisplayPort peripherals. You can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display. And with support for video and eight-channel audio, it’s easy to connect HDMI-compatible devices — like your TV and home stereo — using the HDMI adapter you already have. Current VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort adapters are also supported.

New Intel Core i5 and i7 processors

Up to 2x faster at the core

New quad-core Intel Core i7 processors are standard on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro. And the 13-inch models feature the new dual-core Intel Core i5 processor or the fastest dual-core processor available — the Intel Core i7. All the models use Intel’s recently refined chipsets. So what does all that mean for the new MacBook Pro models? Bottom line, they perform up to twice as fast as the previous generation,breezing through demanding tasks like editing HD video, compiling audio, or rendering a multilayered image file. And since Mac OS X Snow Leopard is designed to take advantage of every processor core, it captures every last bit of performance from the processor.

Turbo Boost 2.0.

Say you’re using a processor-intensive application like Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro that benefits from extra power. Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance technology that automatically increases the speed of the active cores — up to 3.4GHz. Turbo Boost 2.0 is even more dynamic and efficient. By shifting core frequency in smaller increments than before, it allows the processor to manage performance without sacrificing efficiency. All this takes place behind the scenes, so your work just goes smoother and faster.

Hyper-Threading.

Hyper-Threading is now standard on every MacBook Pro. This technology allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core, so Mac OS X recognizes eight virtual cores on a quad-core processor and four on a dual-core processor. When you’re running multiple applications at once, the processor spreads tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores.

Say hello to FaceTime for Mac.

Now your smile goes even further.

FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, and laugh with anyone on an iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod touch, or Mac from your Mac. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. Sure, it's great to hear a voice, but it's even better to see the face that goes with it.

A phone call now comes with a friendly face.

From the tiny camera on your Mac comes a huge video-calling experience. The window frame and controls fade away so you can enjoy your conversation without distractions. With picture-in-picture view, you can see how you look to the person you’re calling. Use the new MacBook Pro or the new iMac and callers will see even more: you in eye-popping 720p clarity. And everyone can gather around the Mac screen and get in on the fun. When you call someone on an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or iPod touch, you see everything on the other end without a hitch. Whether they use the front or rear camera or rotate from portrait to landscape, FaceTime for Mac smoothly adjusts the view.

Video calling with one click.

FaceTime is easy to set up on your Mac. All you need is an Apple ID and an email address and you’re ready to roll. To start a video call with your best friend, just find her entry in the contacts list. FaceTime works perfectly with Address Book so you don’t have to enter your contacts from scratch. Click her phone number if you want to call her iPhone 4. To call her iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, use her email address. An invitation pops up on her screen. When she accepts, the video call begins. And there you are, face to face with the most important people whether that is your family or clients.

VLCM is proud to provide you with the newest and hottest technology on the market with Apple’s MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is leading the way with three new steps forward with next-generation processors and graphics, a new FaceTime HD camera, and high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology.

Please contact us for pricing and more information on the newest Apple technology including the MacBook Pro.

More to come on VLCM products next week.