CIOs Protect IT From Lawyers ...

By Mark Hall

June 21, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - ... with a clever tool that helps your software understand legalese. With Oblicore Guarantee ESP, shipping today, IT managers can get extra insurance that their organizations are complying with the nitty-gritty details of service-level agreements. According to Hal Steger, vice president of worldwide marketing at Oblicore Inc. in Columbia, Md., by using the SLA Language of Modeling, or Slalom, a contract's blizzard of prose is rendered into easy-to-define, programmable service-level objects (SLO) that are then linked to specific IT operations. Users get a slick dashboard view of the state of SLA compliance. If something appears out of whack, you click on a problem area and discover how severe the penalty will be for blowing the SLA. Because the software integrates with tools like Tivoli and Unicenter, you can discover the source of the operational problem of any SLO in jeopardy. Depending on how precarious your SLA is, Oblicore could keep you off many a slippery slope. Pricing starts at $175,000.
Disk Defragger Strikes Chord ...


Gibson's Les Paul Indian Guitar

... with Gibson Guitar Corp. John Kindt, senior network engineer at the famous Nashville guitar maker, says he has installed the latest version of PerfectDisk, disk defragmentation software from Raxco Software Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md., on his Microsoft SQL Server and Exchange systems for 1,500 users spread across the globe. Prior to PerfectDisk, Kindt used Microsoft Corp.'s tools to trim the number of file fragments, but he still suffered performance problems, especially with e-mail, which he calls "our most important app." He says the defragging tool solved the performance problem caused by files strewn hither and yon. He also appreciates the advanced scheduling features of PerfectDisk, which he says he didn't find in other products. Raxco CEO Bob Nolan points out that everyday use of software disperses file fragments across a disk, but PerfectDisk creates a logical view of file locations for the file system, which greatly improves disk performance. He says applications like Lotus Notes, digital video and CAD applications are particularly susceptible to file fragmentation. Kindt says the tool's user interface is "functional" but could be improved, which Nolan says will happen with the next release in Q4. Before volume discounts, per-server pricing for PerfectDisk 6.0 starts at $249; it's $44 for PCs.

Map Web Services Dependencies ...
... to create a view like the London Underground of your Web services application world. That's what you'll be able to do when Web services management tool AmberPoint 4.3 ships in August, claims vice president of marketing Ed Horst at AmberPoint

Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Additional Resources

Xerox

Win a color printer!

By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!

Microsoft

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 today.

Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

White Papers & Webcasts

Accelerate SSL Encrypted Applications
The amount of SSL traffic is growing in the enterprise. Because it is encrypted, it cannot be properly controlled and accelerated. Blue Coat...

Usability Is Everything
Learn what sets Workday's HR and Payroll solutions apart from the competition....

ESG Lab Field Audit
Many companies have successfully implemented Riverbed WAN optimization solutions within their Cisco networks. This ESG Lab Field Audit document explores the success that...

The Value of Real SaaS at Workday
Cost savings, speed to value, and innovation brought to the enterprise by Workday's software-as-a-service solutions for HR and Payroll....

Shape Your Apps Strategy to Reflect New SaaS Licensing and Pricing Trends
Why are smart companies choosing software-as-a-service? Find out in the complimentary Forrester Research report...

SaaS at Flextronics, Inc.
Dave Smoley, CIO of Flextronics, discusses the real value of software-as-a-service and why he chose Workday for his HR solution....

Natural User Interface for Enterprise Applications
Learn how a revolutionary user interface can make a complex enterprise application so intuitive even casual users can jump right in....

Why Compliance Pays
This OnDemand webcast explores the relationship that firms with best compliance records have higher revenue, greater customer retention, lower financial losses from data...

A Truly Global HCM System
Learn about a system built with advanced object-oriented technology that support multi-national requirements and costs less to implement, maintain and upgrade....

Agile Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for Rapid ROI
Find out how combining ECM and BPM will help adress issues about content rich business processes....

All White Papers | All Webcasts