Stories by Brian Chee

Microsoft Lync 2010: Unified communications comes of age

Every once in a very long while, I get to review a product that strikes me as a stepping stone toward the future. Microsoft Lync 2010 combines instant messaging, VoIP calling, live meetings, and videoconferencing, but it's more than the sum of these parts. Although Lync integrates with almost any PBX, it puts the PC at the center of communications so effectively that it could send your current phone system packing.

Written by Brian Chee21 April 11 01:27

Superior storage for small networks

The Netgear ReadyNAS series of network attached storage units serve as a prime example of how the industry has changed over the years. They were originally a product of Infrant Technologies, a veteran of mainframe disk subsystems that poured decades of serious storage experience into the small drive system for SMBs. Nearly four years into Infrant's acquisition by Netgear in May 2007, the ReadyNAS line now stretches from SOHO to enterprise NAS.

Written by Brian Chee16 March 11 00:24

Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440

Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 stands apart with smooth setup, a nice set of features, and potential for growth

Written by Brian Chee11 May 09 16:55

Intel NAS Performance Toolkit

Iometer and IOzone are great tools for testing storage devices, but they have one significant drawback: They dive deep into the minutiae of the block storage and file systems they measure and, thus, yield results that might as well be written in Greek (apologies to the Greek people) if you're not a hard disk engineer.

Written by Brian Chee11 May 09 14:55

AdderView CATxIP 1000

The AdderView CATxIP 1000 packs just enough punch at a sweet price for SMBs and remote offices. IP KVMs have revolutionised datacenter management, granting IT unprecedented remote access to the datacenter via a Web browser. Collocation services just wouldn’t be practical without IP KVMs and other types of remote-management technology.

Written by Brian Chee21 April 09 15:05
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