Sunday, October 28, 2012

WebMethods Consultant at Atlanta, GA and Chicago, IL

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Apple Bonjour


Apple Bonjour is a group of networking technologies designed to help devices and applications discover each other on the same network.
Bonjour is Apple's version of the Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf) standard, a set of protocols that allows certain communication between network-connected devices, applications and services. Bonjour is often used in home networks to allow Windows and Apple devices to share printers. Technically, Zeroconf is a group of open Layer 2 protocols for quickly setting up an IP network. The original name of Bonjour was Rendezvous, but Apple changed the name in 2005 after a trademark dispute with a company called Tibco Software.
Bonjour was originally designed to locate Apple devices on a single network with one router, but because it is such a useful tool for network administrators dealing with IT consumerization, wireless vendors are helping to bring Bonjour to the enterprise. Aerohive, for example, has released a free VMware virtual appliance that allows Bonjour to operate across networks on different subnets or virtual LANs. Cisco has announced that it would turn its WLAN controllers into a Bonjour gateway, providing network administrators withpolicy-based management capabilities BYOD end users.
Bonjour software comes preinstalled on OS X, the Mac operating system, and on iOS, which runs on iPhones and iPads. Some Apple software, such as iTunes and Safari, automatically installs Bonjour on Windows machines.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012


LIKEJACKING

Likejacking is a variation on clickjacking in which malicious coding is associated with aFacebook Like button. The most common purposes of likejacking include identity theftand the dissemination of viruses, social spam and hoaxes.
A "Like" is an endorsement of a post, product, business or some other page content, registered by clicking the button associated with that item. There are two basic types of likejacking. Both involve a post that is likely to attract the user, such as an offer for a free gift card or a compelling video, and both spread through ill-advised or automatically generated shares and likes. The initial post may be enabled through a hacked account or the acceptance of a request to add a friend, who turns out to be a scammer.
In one variation, clicking on the post itself brings up a splash page that is coded so that if the user clicks anywhere on the page, it registers as a "Like" and shares the original post to the user's Facebook wall. The purpose of this type of exploit may be spreading a hoax or fraudulent promotion of a business or product.
In the other version, the developers responsible for the post add coding to the Like button that leads users through a series of pages designed to gather their personal information, such as surveys and membership applications. The scammer may receive payment for each completed survey. Applications for membership may require credit card information for "fee payment."
Here are a few common examples of likejacking:
  • An image of a sick or injured child with text claiming that Facebook will donate $1 toward the child's care for every like.
  • A false offer for a free voucher or gift card. These have included offers of $50, $100 and $250 give-aways from Starbuck's, Costco and Walmart.
  • A bogus offer for a free iPad, iPhone or other popular electronic device.
  • An image of an attractive young woman along with a compelling message such as "The Prom Dress That Got This Girl Suspended From School."
To protect yourself from likejacking, security experts recommend that you use caution in clicking, liking or sharing posts and be extremely skeptical about any free offers

Thursday, October 4, 2012


Tumblr

Tumblr is a free social networkingwebsite that allows registered users to post multimedia content to their own customizable blogs.
Given its simple, concise nature, Tumblr is not best suited for long text-based posts like full articles; rather, it's good for broadcasting short messages to readers. Themicroblogging platform is praised for its simplicity in aesthetics, management and content posting. Many Tumblr blogs feature humor, fashion, design and art.
Each Tumblr blog is referred to as a tumblelog. Members can post text, images, videos, links and audio files to their tumblelogs. They can personalize their tumblelogs with different themes, which are largely free but can be professionally designed for a price. Primary tumblelogs are public and cannot be password protected, but specific posts can be made private. One account can host multiple tumblelogs.
The blogging site features a dashboard interface for accessing most of the website's features. Members can follow one another, "like" content with the click of a button and comment on posts.
A popular tool is the "re-blog" button. Users can click on a post they like and it will be published to their own Tumblr for followers to see. Tumblr limits users to 250 daily posts to control bandwidth use and spamming. There are Internet petitions asking Tumblr to terminate the posting limit because, some users say, their freedom of speech is being oppressed.
More than 50% of Tumblr visitors are under the age of 35. The retention rate of users istwice that of Twitter. Tumblr was founded by David Karp in February 2007. According to Tumblr, as of July 2012, the platform boasts more than 70 million blogs, 30 billion posts and 16 billion monthly page views.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012


Salary Negotiation Tips to Bargain For Salary Increase


Do you have the feeling that your employer is continually taking advantage of you? It maybe the right time to plan for a salary negotiation if you feel that you’re constantly contributing good value to your company and not getting the pay that you deserve. Effective negotiation helps to resolve situation like this and find solutions that are acceptable to both parties.
Most people are very uncomfortable discussing on the topic of salary increase. This kind of feeling is very common as we are all having fear of being rejected or worry to upset someone during the negotiation. To demand for the right salary that you deserve, you’ll need to learn some negotiation fundamentals.
Asking for a salary increase has to begin with a strategic plan, and preparation is the key to be successful in any form of negotiation. You can get a pay increase even if your company is under salary freeze. Here are some effective salary negotiation tips and tactics you can use to fight your case without fear.
1) Assess the situation and know what to target for Before asking for a salary increase, you need to explore your company’s policy on salary. Check out if there is any established range for your position. Find out if there are other people in your organization doing similar work, and how much they are being paid. If there is no constraint from the pay policy and you’re indispensable, you should feel optimistic and confident with the salary negotiation.
You can bench mark “job search” web sites on the internet to determine how much other companies in the same industry are willing to pay for a comparable position. Different organization may use different job title for the same work. Therefore making comparison of the job scope maybe needed. Understanding the current market value for your position will determine how much you’re worth. This allows you to set a figure in mind to shoot for during the salary negotiation session.
2) Be confident with the negotiation If you are a key person in your organization making good contribution, you are armed with bullets, and you can ask for more during the negotiation. Don’t worry of losing the job. At the end of the negotiation session, you’ll either get a salary increase or you’ll figure out you’re not in the right organization that can meet your salary expectation. You may want to start to explore other job opportunities.
3) What else besides monetary rewards you should negotiate The remuneration package needs to be evaluated as an overall deal. Don’t leave out rewards such as share options, leave passage, pension plans, bonuses, subsidies, etc. The negotiation can be for a raise of any of these rewards. Other non monetary rewards you can demand are the medical coverage, insurance coverage, annual leave, flexible working hours and company car.
4) Draft a letter to request for a meeting on salary increase Never discuss you salary matter with the boss in an ad hoc manner such as after a meeting. If you want to get good result, write a formal letter to your boss by declaring your purpose and arrange suitable time for a discussion. If you’re having difficulties to get started, you can seek professional help or refer to the proven pay raise letter examples for ideas on the appropriate format and contents.
5) Prepare a package to sell your contribution You need to package and sell your special skills, accomplishments and contributions for your job objectives, and not to forget to emphasize your special achievements.
6) Build good credibility and demonstrate your value The discussion will be very much smoother if you have built good credibility with the company. Holding the meeting at the right time, for example after delivering some good value to the company, will lower the resistance in getting approval for a salary increase. Attend the meeting with confidence and discuss the case as professional as possible. Personal needs such as “I require more money because of my eldest kid is going to college next year” should not be used as a reason to support the pay raise.
7) Ask smart questions and let the employer do the talking Ask intelligent open-ended questions and lure the employer to do the talking. Be a good listener and let the employer bring about giving you what you want. The employer always thinks that their decision is the best, and they strongly believe in it. Don’t challenge their viewpoint, but make them convince your worth and get them to approve your raise.
8) Start negotiation by setting an aggressive goal One of the tactics often use in salary negotiation is to “demand for higher and compromise for lesser.” Get the employer to make the first offer to you before you tell them your target. They may offer more than what you expect by surprise. If you’ve done your homework well on the pay range, you can set your target slightly higher then the upper range. Explain and justify why you’re an outstanding employee.
9) Be prepared to move on for a better job If you can demonstrate to the employer that you are prepared to walk away should the negotiation fails, you have created tremendous power and pressure to make the employer compromises. Never show the employer that you are desperate for the job.
Conclusion The objective of a salary negotiation is to find solutions that are win-win for both parties. To ensure the negotiation is successful, you need to prepare all necessary information, learn negotiation tactics for effective bargaining and set up a face-to-face session to discuss the case professional. If you can show the employer that you are willing to move away, you will have more leverage on your bargaining. If you’re not easily replaceable in your organization, you should feel confident with the negotiation. If you wish to learn more on salary negotiation tips and tactics, visit our website for more info on all aspects of career resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1602644

Monday, October 1, 2012


Virtual Database

A virtual database, also called a federated database, is a way to view and query several databases as if they were a single entity.
The goal of working in a virtual database is to be able to look at data in a more unified way without having to duplicate it across multiple databases or manually combine the results from multiple queries. In a homogenous environment, virtual databases can help distribute the load of very large databases.
Each component database in the system is completely self-sustained and functional. When an application queries a virtual database, the system figures out which of its component databases contains the data being requested and passes the request to it. The biggest challenge to building a virtual database is that the developer needs to first build a universal data model. The data model serves as a map to every source of data within the company. Finding a single schema that can address all of a company's data needs can be difficult, particularly if data is dirty.
Integrating disparate databases under a centralized console offers several benefits. First, federated databases offer an alternative to merging databases together, which can be a tedious task. Second, they help programmers avoid the tight coupling of applications with legacy databases by eliminating vendor and schema lock-in. Applications can be written to target the intermediary layer - the virtual database - as opposed to a specific database by a specific vendor. Finally, applications need only to be connected to the virtual database in order to work with data from multiple databases.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pinterest

Pinterest is a social curation website for sharing and categorizing images found online. The site's name is a portmanteau of the words "pin" and "interest."

Site members can add a "Pin it" button to their browser and then select and "pin" online images to virtual pinboards, which are used to organize categories. Visitors can browse or search for image content and can follow the boards of other users and can "like" or repin other users' pins. Current Pinterest categories include architecture, art, DIY and crafts, fashion, food and drink, home decor, science and travel.

Pinterest requires brief descriptions, but the main focus of the site is visual. Clicking on an image will take the visitor to the original source, so, for example, if a woman clicks on a picture of a pair of shoes, she might be taken to a site where she can purchase them. An image of blueberry pancakes might point to a web page with the recipe; a picture of a whimsical birdhouse might lead the visitor to instructions for how to build it.

Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp. The Pinterest service launched as a closed beta in March 2010. Pinterest membership was initially by invitation-only but is now open to the general public. In 2011, TechCrunch selected Pinterest as the year's top startup, and Time magazine named it as one of the top 50 websites of that year. As of January 2012, the site had 11.7 million users.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

VMware Horizon Mobile

VMware Horizon Mobile is mobile virtualization and application wrappingsoftware that lets IT administrators control corporate data and applications on end users' smartphones and tablets.

VMware Horizon Mobile for Android takes a mobile virtualization approach to managing and securing corporate data and applications. Using ahypervisor installed on the mobile device hardware, it creates a custom operating system onto which only IT-approved applications may be installed. All personal data and apps remain on the device's original operating system, untouched by IT, and the user may switch back and forth between the two operating systems as needed.

VMware Horizon Mobile for iOS takes an application wrapping approach, in which software added to the application enforces policies that determine how corporate apps, and the data they contain, can interact with a device's operating system or other apps. Both technologies are part of the VMware Horizon Suite, which is scheduled to be released in 2013.

Monday, September 24, 2012


Five Whys

Five Whys, sometimes written as "5 Whys," is a guided team exercise for identifying the root cause of a problem. Five Whys is used in the "analyze" phase of the Six SigmaDMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) methodology.
The exercise begins with a facilitator stating a problem and then asking the question "Why?" (meaning "Why did the problem occur?"). The group brainstorms answers based on direct observation. Once the group agrees upon an answer, the facilitator again asks the question, "Why?"
The exercise got its name because it generally takes five iterations of the questioning process for the group to arrive at the root-cause of a problem -- but it is perfectly correct for the facilitator to ask less than five "whys" or more than five "whys" depending on the group's needs.

Here is an example of how a Five Whys exercise might proceed:
Facilitator: Our websites were down from 2pm to 2:45 pm on Saturday. Why?
Group: Because the external DNS server failed.
Facilitator: Why did the external DNS server fail?
Group: Because the central process unit (CPU) was peaked at 100% and couldn't handle outside requests.
Facilitator: Why did the CPU peak at 100%?
Group: Because the server kept trying to auto-update Windows.
Facilitator: Why did the server keep trying to auto-update Windows?
Group: Because when the administrator created the server, he forgot to uncheck the auto-update service.
Facilitator: Why did the administrator forget to uncheck the auto-update service when he created the server?
Group: Because he was in a hurry and got distracted by an alarm going off.
Once the team has agreed that they have identified the root cause of the problem - in this case, the administrator getting distracted and forgetting to turn off auto-update, the facilitator should help the group to determine corrective action.
Facilitator: How can we make sure that each administrator unchecks auto-update when he creates a new server, no matter how hurried or distracted he gets?
Group: Create a vanilla server image with auto-update turned off. Have administratorsclone this image when deploying new servers.

Five Whys originated in the Toyota Production System, where it was used for post-mortem investigations into equipment failures and workplace safety incidents. It has proved to be especially useful for helping management teams identify and fix problems that at first glance appear to be technical problems, but upon further investigation, turn out to be people problems.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Revel Virtual Touch

Reverse electrovibration, also known as virtual touch, is an augmented reality (AR) technology that facilitates electronic transmission of the human tactile sense, allowing end users to perceive the textures and contours of remote objects. The field of study involving virtual touch is known ashaptics.

Advancements in reverse electrovibration are under development by Disney Research of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Disney's system, called REVEL, imparts a low-level signal, creating an oscillating, weak electric field around the user's skin. Signal variations correspond to texture variations in the distant object. The signals are generated in such a way that the resulting sensation in the fingers mimics the sensation of sliding the fingers over the object. No gloves or specialized back-pressure-sensor-like devices are necessary. The technology delivers such a small amount of current into the user's body that it poses no health risk.

The most highly anticipated application of reverse electrovibration is one allowing a person to sense the texture of a distant object on the touch screen of a computer or tablet device. The technology can allow for the transmission of Braille characters, as well as conveying the "feel" of everyday objects.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012


Multipath I/O


Multipath I/O (MPIO) is a Microsoft framework designed to mitigate the effects of a host bus adapter (HBA) failure by providing an alternate data path between storage devices and a Windows operating system. MPIO enables up to 32 alternate paths to add redundancy and load balancingfor Windows storage environments.
Pathing is a networking approach used to address the specific needs of storage networks by changing the way that communication paths are managed and organized. Unlike connection failures in message networks -- which generally just require that the connection be retried -- in storage networks, a failure is more likely to cause a systemcrash. Storage networks also require faster error recovery.
Technically, MPIO represents a hybrid approach to multipathing, combining software specific to each HBA -- the Device Specific Module (DSM) -- with the MPIO features integrated into the Windows operating system. While the DSMs must be written for specific hardware and cannot be generic, Microsoft designed MPIO to be as HBA-agnostic as possible. As such, it depends on the rest of the hardware and software to work correctly in order to do its job.
MPIO requires at least two HBAs connected to the storage device. (A dual-port HBA may provide two data paths, but it still represents a single point of failure.) In a storage area network (SAN) you also need to ensure that any switches or routers laying in the data path have enough path management intelligence to handle disruptions caused by an HBA failure.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012


DMAIC

DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is an approach to problem-solving defined by Motorola as part of the Six Sigma management philosophy.

DMAIC, which is pronounced "de-may-ick," is a tool for improving an existing process. The steps can be summarized as follows.

Define: State the problem, specify the customer set, identify the goals, and outline the target process.

Measure: Decide what parameters need to be quantified, work out the best way to measure them, collect the necessary data, and carry out the measurements by experiment.

Analyze: Identify gaps between actual and goal performance, determine causes of those gaps, determine how process inputs affect outputs, and rank improvement opportunities.

Improve: Devise potential solutions, identify solutions that are easiest to implement, test hypothetical solutions, and implement actual improvements.

Control: Generate a detailed solution monitoring plan, observe implemented improvements for success, update plan records on a regular basis, and maintain a workable employee training routine.

DMAIC, which is used to regain control, should not be confused with a similar Six Sigma process called Sigma DMADV. DMADV, which stands for "define, measure, analyze, design, verify," is applied to new processes to make sure that they achieve Six Sigma quality.
Six Sigma methodologies, which were originally used in manufacturing to improve quality, are now used in many disciplines including project management, education and agile software development. All Six Sigma processes are executed by Six Sigma experts designated according to "belt color," using a scheme similar to the ones used in martial arts.

Goobuntu (Google Ubuntu)

Goobuntu (Google Ubuntu) is the default operating system (OS) that Google uses for its employee computer desktop workstations.
Goobuntu is basically a long term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu with custom security features. Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) is an open source Debian-based Linux distribution managed by the private company Canonical Ltd. Although new versions of Ubuntu are released every six months, the LTS version isreleased every two years, making it a good choice for large enterprise customers like Google.
According to Google engineer Thomas Bushnell, Google partners with Canonical's Ubuntu Advantage support program and Google administrators use Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) and Puppet for desktop management. Employees are encouraged, but not required, to use the OS -- but all Google's development tools are built for Goobuntu. The OS does not have a default graphical user interface (GUI); employees can use Ubuntu Unity,GNOMEKDEX-Window or X-Terms.

Friday, August 24, 2012

What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day



How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list.

http://www.fastcompany.com/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/640/poster/2012/08/3000619-poster-942-what-what-successful-people-do-first-hour-their-work-day.jpg
Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks? It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too.
The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list.

Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.

Tumblr founder David Karp will “try hard” not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. “Reading e-mails at home never feels good or productive,” Karp said. “If something urgently needs my attention, someone will call or text me.”
Not all of us can roll into the office whenever our Vespa happens to get us there, but most of us with jobs that don’t require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work. It’s an idea that serves as the title of Julie Morgenstern’s work management book Never Check Email In The Morning, and it’s a fine strategy for leaving the office with the feeling that, even on the most over-booked days, you got at least one real thing done.
If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Otherwise, it’s a gradual but rewarding process of training interruptors and coworkers not to expect instantaneous morning response to anything they send in your off-hours.

Gain Awareness, Be Grateful

One smart, simple question on curated Q & A site Quora asked “How do the most successful people start their day?”. The most popular response came from a devotee of Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who pitched the power of mindful first-hour rituals long before we all had little computers next to our beds.
Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.” Part of it involves light exercise, part of it involves motivational incantations, but the most accessible piece involves 10 minutes of thinking of everything you’re grateful for: in yourself, among your family and friends, in your career, and the like. After that, visualize “everything you want in your life as if you had it today.”
Robbins offers the “Hour of Power” segment of his Ultimate Edge series as a free audio stream (here’s the direct MP3 download). Blogger Mike McGrath also wrote a concise summary of the Hour of Power). You can be sure that at least some of the more driven people you’ve met in your career are working on Robbins’ plan.

Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First

Brian Tracy’s classic time-management book Eat That Frog gets its title from a Mark Twain saying that, if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad. Gina Trapani explained it well in a video for her Work Smart series). Combine that with the concept of getting one thing done before you wade into email, and you’ve got a day-to-day system in place. Here’s how to force yourself to stick to it:

Choose Your Frog

"Choose your frog, and write it down on a piece of paper that you'll see when you arrive back at your desk in the morning, Tripani advises."If you can, gather together the material you'll need to get it done and have that out, too."
One benefit to tackling that terrible, weighty thing you don’t want to do first thing in the morning is that you get some space from the other people involved in that thing--the people who often make the thing more complicated and frustrating. Without their literal or figurative eyes over your shoulder, the terrible thing often feels less complex, and you can get more done.

Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do

Feeling unfulfilled at work shouldn’t be something you realize months too late, or even years. Consider making an earnest attempt every morning at what the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford to do:
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Customer Service” (or Your Own Equivalent)

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark answered the first hour question succinctly: “Customer service.” He went on to explain (or expand) that he also worked on current projects, services for military families and veterans, and protecting voting rights. But customer service is what Newmark does every single day at Craigslist, responding to user complaints and smiting scammers and spammers. He almost certainly has bigger fish he could pitch in on every day, but Newmark says customers service “anchors me to reality.”
Your own version of customer service might be keeping in touch with contacts from year-ago projects, checking in with coworkers you don’t regularly interact with, asking questions of mentors, and just generally handling the human side of work that quickly gets lost between task list items. But do your customer service on the regular, and you’ll have a more reliable roster of helpers when the time comes.
What do you with the first hour of your workday to increase productivity and reduce stress? Tell us about it in the comments below.



Wednesday, August 8, 2012


Racemi

Racemi (pronounced "Ray-SEE-me") is a data center software vendor that specializes in cloud provisioning and cloud migration products.

Racemi's products enable physical-to-cloud (P2C), cloud-to-physical (C2P) and cloud-to-cloud (C2C) migration. The company's products support Amazon Web Services, Rackspace, GoGrid and Terremark cloud infrastructure services.

Racemi products include Cloud Path, a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) application that enables the migration of existing physical and virtual servers to cloud provider environments. The product also enables cloud service migration. Another product, DynaCenter, is a cloud migration platform that enables the migration of server workloads among diverse physical, virtual and cloud platforms. DynaCenter moves the entire server stack, including the operating system (OS) and applications, as well as network and storage configurations.

The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. In its LinkedIn profile, Racemi calls itself "a moving company for the cloud."

Monday, August 6, 2012


BlackBerry Balance

BlackBerry Balance is a feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server that allows IT administrators to deploy, secure and remove specific applications and data on BlackBerry smartphones.

Research In Motion introduced BlackBerry Balance technology in 2011 in response to theconsumerization of IT trend. Its goal is to give IT administrators control over corporate assets on employees' mobile devices while leaving personal assets unmanaged. Although BlackBerry Enterprise Server is mobile device management (MDM) software, BlackBerry Balance more closely resembles a type of mobile application manager (MAM).
BlackBerry Balance technology is available in BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.3 and above and on devices running BlackBerry OS 6.0 or higher.

Thursday, August 2, 2012


PICK chart

A PICK chart (Possible, Implement, Challenge and Kill chart) is a visual tool for organizing ideas. PICK charts are often used after brainstorming sessions to help an individual or group identify which ideas can be implemented easily and have a high payoff.
A PICK chart is set up as a large grid, two squares high and two squares across. The PICK acronym comes from the labels for each quadrant of the grid:
Possible - ideas that are easy to implement but have a low payoff.
Implement - ideas that are easy to implement and a high payoff.
Challenge - ideas that are hard to implement and difficult to determine payoff.
Kill - ideas that are hard to implement and have low payoff.
Once each idea from the brainstorming session has been placed on the most appropriate square, it becomes easier to identify which ideas should be acted on first. In a group setting, PICK charts are useful for focusing discussion and achieving consensus.
Although PICK charts are often associated with the Six Sigma management philosophy, they were originally developed by Lockheed Martin for lean production. Today, PICK charts can be found in many disciplines outside manufacturing including education, marketing and agile software development.


Thanks..

Wednesday, August 1, 2012


Outlook Anywhere


Microsoft Outlook Anywhere is a software feature that allows end users with Microsoft Office Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003 to access corporate email and calendars over the Internet from outside the corporate domain without having to log into a virtual private network (VPN).


All Microsoft Office 365 suite users connect to Microsoft Outlook with Outlook Anywhere. Formerly known as RPC over HTTP, Outlook Anywhere allows Exchange administrators to use Group Policy and the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to manage how end users outside the corporate domain can connect to corporate Exchange servers. Administrators can use the same secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates and firewall rules they use for Outlook Web App.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012


Shoeshining


In tape backup, shoeshining (also known as backhitching) is the repeated back and forth motion a tape drive makes when there is interruption in the data stream.
When data is sent to tape, it needs to flow at the same speed the tape is running. If there is a mismatch between speeds, the tape drive will try to accommodate it. For instance, if abackup server is sending data slower than the tape drive processor writes it, the drive will periodically stop and wait for data to catch up. Once the drive determines there is enough data to start writing again, it will rewind to the exact place where the last write took place, reset the tape heads and continue. All this happens very quickly; to the casual observer, the wheels on the tape drive just seem to stop and jerk back and forth (like someone shining their shoes) before moving forward smoothly again.
Because tape is a medium that requires blocks of information to be recorded or read sequentially, blank spaces are not acceptable. Buffers (temporary storage areas) can help with temporary speed mismatches, but they can fill up or empty when the mismatch is chronic.
Excessive shoeshining indicates there is a problem. Repeated back and forth motion not only causes a degradation of service, it also causes excessive wear and tear on both the tape and the tape drive. To prevent shoe-shining, backup administrators need to strike the right balance between the number and speed of backup tape drives, the amount of data being sent to the tape library and the connectivity between components.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012


Stateless App


A stateless app is an application program that does not record data generated in one session - such as information about user settings and events that occurred -- for use in the next session with that user. The trend toward cloud computing is driving interest in stateless apps.


In a computing context, "state" can be defined as a set of conditions that exist at a given point in time. A stateful application records information about changes in state caused by events during a session, including those caused by user interaction. That means that the application can call up information that will enable configuration changes and so on to remain consistent from one session to the next. The need to retrieve state information, which may be stored on the client device or a remote server, can increase the demand for bandwidth.


Web apps are usually stateful, as are most of the APIs (application-program interfaces) that interconnect them with other Web apps and services. In a cloud environment, however, it's preferable that apps be stateless for the sake of scalability and portability. Furthermore, many important cloud technologies are not equipped to deal with state data. Amazon, for example, recently announced that it was implementing what it called sticky sessions - a mechanism for passing on state data - because its elastic load balancing (ELB) implementation was found to break stateful apps.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012


Metro Apps

Metro apps are touch-screen-friendlyapps written especially for Microsoft'sSurface line of tablet computers.
Metro apps are available from the Windows store for use on any computer that runs Windows RT or Windows 8. The apps will work not only on tablet devices, but also on any desktop or notebook computer that uses a keyboard and mouse, provided that the correct OS(operating system) is installed. Microsoft plans to introduce Metro apps to support communications, scheduling, news, weather, sports, financial information, music, videos, books, travel, and other popular consumer activities. In addition, there will be an app for cloud storage.
The original designers of Metro apps based their approach on a perceived consumer demand for apps that are engaging, immersive, interactive, touch-based, and usable in multiple form factors. They are built for a tiled UI (user interface) with limited, intuitive, functional graphics. Metro apps are based on the Metro design language, originally conceived for mobile Internet devices (MID) and smartphones.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012


Sideloading

Sideloading is the installation of an application on a mobile device without using the device's official application-distribution method.
Sideloading works differently on different mobile platforms. To enable sideloading on an Android OS device, for example, the end user simply checks a box in the operating system settings. On an Apple iOS device, however, the end user must jailbreakthe device to enable sideloading. Once sideloading is enabled, the user can download and install applications from any website or third-party app store.
Sideloading offers mobile device users a way to access more applications than are available through commercial app stores such as Google Play or the Apple App Store, but it is important for the end user to understand there can be risks. Commercial app stores screen for malware and other threats and assume responsibility for digital rights management (DRM). Applications from other sources may not have been screened for malware and may be pirated.

Thursday, June 28, 2012


Software-defined networking (SDN)

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an approach to networking in whichcontrol is decoupled from hardware and given to a software application.
When a packet arrives at a switch in a conventional network, rules built into the switch's proprietary firmware tell the switch where to forward the packet. The switch treats sends each packet going to the same destination along the same path, and each packet is treated the exact same way.
In an SDN, however, the network administrator uses third-party software to shape trafficfrom a centralized control console. The administrator can change the switch's rules when necessary -- prioritizing, de-prioritizing or even blocking specific types of packets with a very granular level of control. This is especially helpful in a cloud computing multi-tenantarchitecture because it allows the administrator to manage traffic loads in a flexible and more efficient manner.
SDN is sometimes referred to as the "Cisco killer" because it allows network engineers to support a switching fabric across multi-vendor hardware and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Currently, the most popular specification for creating an SDN is an openstandard called OpenFlow.

Saturday, June 23, 2012


Cloud Database




A cloud database is a database that has been optimized or built for a virtualized computing environment.


Optimizing an already existing database for the cloud provides benefits such as:


The ability to pay for storage capacity and bandwidth on a per-use model.
The ability to move the database from one location to another (cloud portability).
Scalability on demand.
High availability (HA).
Putting the database in the cloud can be an effective way to support and cloud-enable business applications as part of a wider software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment by simplifying the processes required to make information available through Web-based connections.


Another benefit of moving a company's databases to the cloud is storage consolidation. Databases in multiple departments of a large company, for example, can be combined in the cloud into a single hosted (DBMS).