Lenovo, which purchased IBM’s PC business last year, has unveiled its first Lenovo-branded dual-core notebook computer with widescreen, designed for small business customers with a limited IT budget. The Lenovo 3000 N100 automates routine security and maintenance tasks with a new suite of productivity tools. It weighs 5.6 pounds and comes in 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch widescreen models to provide more data viewing space in spreadsheet applications or improve DVD watching in the optimized format. The N100 is available with an Intel Core Duo or Solo processor and offers connectivity features such as integrated 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN and 10/100 Ethernet on all models, with Bluetooth on select models.
Bear’s beta attacks intruders
Panda Software has readied the beta version of GateDefender Integra, an all-in-one appliance that protects SMBs against all types of network threats through seven types of protection: firewall, VPN service, intrusion prevention system (IPS), anti-malware, content filtering, anti-spam protection and Web filtering. The device is installed at the gateway between the corporate network and the Internet (or another network). It is managed through a straightforward, centralized Web administration console. Panda says GateDefender Integra scans all inbound and outbound traffic in the corporate network and ensures networks protection without degrading the performance of the connection. It automatically updates the virus signature file every 90 minutes.
SMB-flavoured storage and management
The CLARiiON AX150 and AX150i networked storage systems from EMC Corp. are designed for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Based on the vendor’s CLARiiON RAID (redundant array of independent disk) architecture, the CLARiiON AX150, for Fibre Channel connectivity, and CLARiiON AX150i, for iSCSI connectivity, offer compact data protection. Each model is user-installable and can support up to 10 host servers, scaling from 750 GB to 6 TB of capacity. New features include: support for Serial ATA (SATA) II disk drives; a iSCSI Installation Wizard, for simple installation through an enhanced Web-based wizard; and improved data protection features that allow the AX150 systems to support up to eight concurrent array-based data snapshots, for improved backup and recovery operations.
Services software, as a service
NetSuite, a provider of hosted business software suites, has added a version of its software for the services industries. Offered as software as a service, NetSuite Services Company Edition helps consulting and professional services companies manage their clients, projects and business operations without necessarily investing in an expensive computing infrastructure. Through role-based dashboards, consultants, managers and clients themselves can actively track the status of projects, tasks and activities. NetSuite Services Company Edition automatically tracks project metrics such as percentage completed or time budgeted and spent on project tasks. Managers can also analyze and optimize employees’ workloads, efficiency and availability.
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