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For a small enterprise that has neither the expertise nor budget for proprietary server technologies, mid-range x64-based servers provide the capabilities and pricing for most SME needs. The differentiation between different vendor products can be based on support, existing relationships, and management functions. The commoditization of the mid-range server has leveled the playing field for hardware options and pricing.

In order to fully appreciate the importance of this subject, it may be helpful to do a quick review of the role of Intellectual Property in modern trade and economics. Much is made of the word "innovation" in today's world, but very few seem to know anything about it. Let's stipulate that creativity, innovation, drives the creation of Intellectual Property, and let's further suggest that IP is the core economic value structure in an Information Society, the civilization model most of the world enjoys today...

IT is often hesitant about taking new directions because of the number of unfamiliar technologies competing for attention, budgetary constraints, fear of change, and skepticism about which new direction will actually provide value. Assess organizational readiness for adopting new technologies in 2011 with the New Technology Adoption Assessment Tool.

Each organization's IT security training program must be tailored to meet its specific needs. Take care to ensure that you make the right decisions concerning the following choices:

•Deciding where to categorize end users.

•Selecting the best training delivery method for end-user training needs.

•Determining which training topics to cover.

Business Intelligence (BI) is a set of processes and technologies which provides consistent, accurate data and analytical tools to meet strategic and operational objectives. The value of BI lies in its ability to manipulate data for the purpose of accurately answering business questions in a timely fashion. BI is constantly evolving and as enterprises mature and grow, so does the need to integrate critical business processes and gather intelligent and consistent information.
Organizations that have implemented BI cite the following key benefits:

You cannot afford to assume that the data center has unlimited capacity; this is even more true for the internal cloud.

Your Challenge

The recent hype surrounding green IT has left some smaller
organizations wondering what steps they can take to ensure initiatives yield successful results. Green IT not only benefits the environment, but can also help the bottom line by cutting costs and generating revenue.

Learn about nine green IT initiatives and key success factors for implementation.
 

Learn to build a Green IT Action Plan by setting realistic goals and choosing projects that IT can perform autonomously. The resulting environmental benefits and cost savings help prove that more extensive projects are both feasible and necessary.

Use this knowledge to promote cross-enterprise collaboration on leading green
initiatives.

Even in small and mid-sized enterprises, the power and cooling of data center equipment can easily cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Employ best practices to boost data center energy efficiency and lower costs.

In order to make sense of the increasing amount of hype surrounding green IT, small enterprises need to understand what initiatives exist and which are most appropriate for adoption. It doesn't take a treehugger to be green. Find out what other small enterprises are doing to green their IT operations.

A 'green' data center is energy efficient, cost efficient, and
environmentally responsible. Investing in green data center
technologies and processes can save the enterprise thousands of dollars a year. Work closely with business leaders to define the value of going green and make the business case for new investments.

A shift in data center economics is occurring, and data centers can expect new green responsibilities to measure and optimize power consumption. Use whole data center efficiency metrics to raise enterprise awareness regarding data center power consumption.

Green opportunities to save money go beyond server energy
efficiency. Stop taking a chip-shot approach to green data center initiatives and develop a complete end-to-end strategy that incorporates cost-effective and environmental best practices throughout the lifecycle of all IT assets.

As energy costs begin to compete with the cost of maintaining the underlying hardware, IT decision makers no longer have the luxury of being complacent towards issues of power consumption and energy management. Any data center can be improved in regards to energy efficiency, cost efficiency, and environmental responsibility.

Air conditioning and cooling account for half the energy gobbled up by the typical data center. Focus on efficient air distribution and airflow management to lower operating costs, increase the density capacity of the data center, and reduce heat-related malfunctions.

As the cost of energy rises, controlling and reducing energy
consumption in the IT department, particularly in the server room, has become an urgent issue for IT managers. All server rooms present the opportunity to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and become more environmentally responsible.

This tool helps managers measure overall energy efficiency in the data center. Gathering and tracking energy efficiency metrics can help decision makers clarify and analyze energy usage data, provide a baseline for calculating the ROI of new energy-saving initiatives, and help identify areas of opportunity.

Before using this tool, IT will need to solicit the help of the facilities department in order to gather the required information. Virtually all energy efficiency-related metric gathering initiatives should be joint IT-facilities projects.

Unexpected network interruptions are inevitable and proper planning for network disaster situations is critical. Network failures caused by power outages, device failures, natural disasters, etc., can impact an enterprise for days unless viable network recovery plans are available and service providers meet their contractual obligations.

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Many businesses - of all sizes - are going for good enough. The current economic landscape dictates that IT must find areas in which to reduce costs. Perform a business impact analysis now in order to identify cost reduction opportunities and to future-proof the enterprise's DRP.

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IT security training is important to orgaizations of all types. Read this if you want to improve the current IT security training program, learn how other companies are performing their IT security training, or have experienced security breaches caused by end-user negligence or ignorance.