Free Systems Management ...

Computerworld - ... software adds spice — and advertising — to your admin’s tool chest. Scot Abel, CEO of Spiceworks Inc., says that IT, particularly at small and midsize companies, gets the shaft when it comes to systems management software, which he contends is expensive to buy and overly complex to install and manage. In contrast, Abel claims that his Spiceworks IT Desktop software offers “dramatically simplified” management capabilities. And it’s free — as long as you don’t mind letting a portion of your screen’s real estate be used to show context-sensitive ads. For example, if you’re reviewing a printer’s status, you might see an ad touting ink-jet supplies. Abel says IT Desktop gives you reports about what software is on your network, the available disk capacity on your storage systems, printer ink levels and much more. In early 2007, look for Spiceworks to add support for log-ins from multiple accounts and for attachments that contain info about the trouble tickets IT Desktop generates.

Gather your dispersed development team ...
... in a single (virtual) space. Such is the vision of Darren Levy, founder of GatherSpace.com, an online service offered by Levy Consulting Inc. According to Levy, even small and midsize companies like his are using outsourced or offshore developers on software projects. But many can’t afford spendy project management tools to keep track of whether a new application’s features meet the original specifications. Levy says GatherSpace.com’s service is based on the so-called use-case approach to application requirements management, enabling users to prioritize software features, check their status and see how well they match the original requirements documents. “It helps build software by consensus,” he claims. Next month, GatherSpace.com plans to add test management tools for quality assurance engineers, and a licensed, on-premises version of the software is due next year Levy says. The online service costs $75 per month for a 20-member project team.

’Tis the season to fret about ...
... the online experiences of your Web shoppers. Although it may be a bit late to improve your Web site for this year’s holiday season, Keynote Systems Inc. can help you get a jump on the 2007 shopping action with a testing service called Transaction Perspective High Frequency, which it plans to launch in late December. Using Internet Explorer to automatically bang on your site up to four times per hour from as many as 114 locations, Keynote will let you see how shoppers interact with all those Web 2.0 features you’ve been adding. “You can measure whatever an IE browser can touch,” says Abelardo Gonzalez, a Keynote project manager. Among other capabilities, you’ll be able to determine how fast pages load and locate performance bottlenecks. Pricing starts at $1,295 per month for testing from 10 locations.