Debra Littlejohn Shinder

Windows Media Center began gaining fans when Microsoft added it to the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Vista. Windows 7 is expanding this availability — complete with a new look and enhanced functionality. Deb Shinder hits the highlights.

Intel’s Nehalem processor architecture offers some impressive new technologies, including enhanced Hyper Threading, TurboBoost, and Quick Path Interconnect. See why Deb Shinder says a Nehalem-based system will let you do more and do it faster — and at the lowest operating cost ever.

Whether you’re anxious to upgrade to Windows 7 or you just want to know what to expect if and when you do, there are lots of factors to keep in mind. Deb Shinder addresses some of the biggest concerns, from hardware requirements to driver compatibility to upgrade paths.

Voice over IP is growing in popularity because companies are attracted to its potential for saving money on long distance and international calls. Still, fewer than half of all businesses are using VoIP because of a few drawbacks. This episode of Sanity Savers for IT Executives discusses the biggest obstacles standing in the way of widespread corporate adoption of VoIP.

As the push for businesses to adopt eco-friendly practices gains momentum, IT leaders are searching for ways to bring greener technologies and more environmentally responsible strategies to their organizations. See how you can boost efficiency and reduce costs by going green.

From circuit boards to monitors to batteries to cables, toxic substances pose a very real threat to those who work with computer equipment. Here are some hazmat basics that every IT pro should be aware of.

Upgrading to a new operating system — whether it’s one personal computer at home or an office full of workstations — can be a stressful experience. You do it to take advantage of new features or to be able to run new applications, but you approach it with trepidation because you know there are always …

Deb Shinder outlines a few of the reasons she thinks the i760 is a better phone for business purposes than the iPhone — and most other competitors.

This information is also available as a PDF download. Voice over IP (VoIP) can provide substantial savings on your telephone service by allowing you to use an IP network to make phone calls instead of the traditional telephone companies’ public switched telephone network (PSTN). Many organizations today run IP networks over wireless technology, and it’s …

This information is also available as a PDF download. Like it or not, network administrators these days must take on the added task of playing Big Brother — monitoring employees’ use of the computers and network. Even if the company’s management philosophy allows for some private use of company equipment, you often need to know …

This information is also available as a PDF download. Every general computer networking class teaches the OSI and/or DoD networking models, and we all learn that everything begins at the bottom, with the physical level. Likewise, when it comes to IT security, physical security is the foundation for our overall strategy. But some organizations, distracted …

Microsoft offers eight versions of Office 2007 — which is nice in terms of flexibility, but it certainly complicates the decision-making process. Deb Shinder looks at the price structure, explains which applications each suite includes, summarizes the capabilities and enhancements of the various applications, and describes three sophisticated features that certain editions support: Integrated Enterprise Content Management, integrated electronic forms, and Advanced Information Rights Management.