Bytware

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Bytware Newsletter: COMMON Focus Special Edition, October 2007

Monday, October 8th, 2007

Special Events:
Get set for a very special event at COMMON Focus
All eyes will be on Columbus when the first ever COMMON Focus kicks off this weekend. In celebration of this unique event, Bytware has a very special event of its own that will kick off as the show opens. Look for information in the bag you receive at check in, and then visit booth 8 for more details!

Support News:
Bytware Support Forums and Information Database
Bytware customers are finding the online Support Forums to be an indispensable source for information about their products. If you haven’t already visited the forums, check them out today! You can interact with technical support specialists and even submit support requests for quick online responses. To gain exclusive access to the new Support Forums, just visit this link and follow the instructions to register.

Company News:
Cafe Bytware COMMON exhibit wins Grand Prize
We are pleased to announce that our popular Cafe Bytware exhibit, seen at the Anaheim and Miami conferences, has been awarded the Grand Prize in the 2007 liquidlibrary design competition. The annual competition, sponsored by liquidlibrary and its parent company Jupiter Images, draws numerous entries from around the world each year and selects a single winner and four finalists from the field. Catch Cafe Bytware again in Nashville at the spring 2008 show. And in the meantime…

Company News:
Bytware unveils all-new tabletop display at COMMON Focus
For the more intimate expo environment of COMMON Focus, we’re unveiling an all-new tabletop design based on the larger Cafe Bytware theme! Be sure to join us at Booth 8 in Columbus to check out the new display and get the latest news about Bytware products and our special event!

Security News:
Security Attacks and Breaches on the Rise (IT Jungle)
Two recently released reports by organizations that track attacks on corporate networks probably not make network and security administrators sleep any better. But, given all of the malware, worms, and other nasty stuff out there in the electronic world, they probably were going to sleep with one eye open and one hand on the BlackBerry anyway. Read the full story by Timothy Prickett Morgan and get up to date on some of the alarming recent finds in the world of system security.

Security News:
Security consideration for PHP on System i (IBM)
Considering implementing PHP on your System i? Already done so? Make sure you are up-to-date on some of the key security issues that PHP can represent. This brief IBM Redbook Wiki provides a great starting overview of PHP, configuration settings, and basic authentication issues. You’ll then be led to some additional sources to help get you started off on the right track with PHP on System i. Read the IBM Redbook Wiki.

Tech Tip:
Send CL commands to other jobs
PeekPlus gives programmers the ability to send CL Commands to other jobs, providing advanced diagnostic and recovery features not otherwise available. You can access QTEMP objects, change the LDA, grant authorities and much more. Find out how in this tech tip. (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

Tech Tip:
Be warned of impending storage problems
The use of abnormally large amounts of disk is often the result of other problems such as a runaway job, extensive logging, or the installation of a new program without the addition of more storage to accommodate it. Find out how to prevent these and other issues before they can impact your operations. (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

CONTACTING Bytware, Inc.
For sales and product inquiries, please use our online contact form.
For technical support please fill out our online support form.
If you prefer to speak to someone by phone, please call 775.851.2900,
Monday – Friday, 6 am – 5 pm
PST.

© 2007 Bytware, Inc.

Bytware Newsletter: August/September 2007

Saturday, September 1st, 2007

Product News:
New version of PeekPlus now availablePeekPlus, the long-trusted tool that allows monitoring of and interacting with users in real time, has been updated to version 3.5. The new version adds V5R4 compatibility. PeekPlus provides the ability to view activity on a user’s screen up to the last keystroke to enhance training, catch potential errors, and audit users without impacting or reducing their performance. Security investigations can also be enhanced with PeekPlus by monitoring user activity in suspicious situations. All of this and more is possible with PeekPlus. Learn more about PeekPlus.

Support News:
Bytware Support Forums and Information Database
The all-new Support Forums are becoming a popular source for interaction with our technical support specialists. If you have not already visited the forums, check them out today. You can get the latest information and assistance for your Bytware solutions and view items of interest specific to the product for which you have current support. You can also access technical tips and user guides, and even submit support requests and receive online responses from our expert technical support specialists. To gain exclusive access to the new Support Forums, just visit this link and follow the instructions to register.

Company News:
Bytware recognized with two Summit Creative Awards
The Summit International Awards has honored Bytware in the 2007 Summit Creative Awards competition. Bytware’s set of iconic product logos received the Bronze Summit Award and the original music composed for Café Bytware’s interactive presentations received the Silver Summit Award. Over the course of fourteen years, the Summit International Awards has established itself as one of the premier arbiters of creative excellence. Using rigorous evaluative criteria and top international judges, this unique competition evaluates work based on the strength of the idea, the quality of execution, and the work’s ability to persuade. Bytware also received two Summit Creative Awards in 2006 for the Object Integrity Famous Quotes print advertising campaign. View the winning work online.

Promotion Winners:
20 System i users claim free PeekPlus licenses
Congratulations to the following companies who received free PeekPlus licenses in our recent “Bytware 20/20″ promotion: Amsterdam Printing, Continental Commercial Products, NCSEAA, Blue Sky Casino, Caremark, CDW, City of McKinney, Concordia Bank, DR Horton, FFE Transportation Services, Fresh Express, Glatfelters Insurance, Gold Toe Moretz, O’Reilly Auto Parks, Pinnacle Entertainment, Severn Trent Services, Workmens Insurance Group, Fredericks of Hollywood, Shamrock Foods, United South & Eastern Tribes. Bytware promotions give you a great opportunity to add award-winning software to your System i. Watch for the next promotion and bring home great solutions.

Virus News:
McAfee untangles results of anti-virus comparative test
On August 8, at LinuxWorld, start-up vendor Untangle performed an anti-virus comparative test pitting nine commercially available anti-virus solutions against its own ClamAV-based anti-virus solution. McAfee untangles the results to reveal serious flaws in the methodology used in this test. Read McAfee’s report online.

Virus News:
300,000-threat mark reached five months early
At the end of 2006, anti-virus software leader McAfee—whose engine powers StandGuard Anti-Virus—predicted that the number of viruses and malicious code threats would reach 300,000 by the end of 2007. It appears that their estimate was quite conservative. We’re already there. The 300,000 mark was passed on August 1, 2007, when the 5088 DAT weighed in with 300,450 threats. The latest release, DAT file 5106 dated August 27, 2007, lists the number of threats detected as 316,329. This is an alarming development as the predicted number came to pass a full five months early, a signal that the rate of virus proliferation is increasing at an ever faster pace.

Education:
An Objective Approach to Security (Free White Paper)
i5/OS may be famous for security, but it doesn’t go far enough in protecting your system’s data; it doesn’t differentiate how the data being accessed can be used. Therefore, it’s wise to supplement your security with third-party solutions that secure how data can be used with network applications. transaction security and how to overcome them. Download the free white paper.

Education:
The Modern Security Threat and Regulatory Compliance (Free White Paper)
The evolving threat from viruses is challenging the ability of IT management to keep up with security requirements and the ability of software developers to outsmart the criminals behind the code. As SOX-style legislation spreads to other countries, the international nature of today’s business world makes the challenge even greater. In this paper we examine the modern virus threat and how this threat can impact System i. In addition, we look at how management of the threat ties into the now all too familiar Sarbanes-Oxley law, as well as the emerging Japanese flavor of the same, known perhaps affectionately as J-SOX in its home country. With specific guidance from COBIT and NIST, this helpful resource can bring you up-to-date on the globalization of regulatory legislation and how best to mitigate the virus threat on your System i-based network. Download the free white paper.

Tech Tip:
Excluding an Object from being monitored
Do you need to know when a critical communications line is down? Messenger can monitor the Work with Configuration Status (WRKCFGSTS) display for lines, controllers, devices, and network interfaces for abnormal statuses. Here’s how… (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

Tech Tip:
Auditing unused User Profiles
User profiles are typically the central point of any security implementation because they identify a user’s authority to all functions and objects. By auditing user profiles, you can determine whether your security guidelines are being followed. It is recommended that you regularly produce and review an audit report for user profiles not being used. Here’s how… (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

CONTACTING Bytware, Inc.
For sales and product inquiries, please use our online contact form.
For technical support please fill out our online support form.
If you prefer to speak to someone by phone, please call 775.851.2900, Monday – Friday, 6 am – 5 pm PST.

© 2007 Bytware, Inc.

Bytware Newsletter: March/April 2007

Sunday, April 1st, 2007

Product News:
StandGuard Network Security adds GUI
Recognizing the evolution of System i and the needs of administrators, Bytware has enhanced StandGuard Network Security with a graphical user interface that offers additional ease-of-use and reporting capabilities unique to a windowed environment. New features include: a robust event viewer; a new time-saving browser; export capabilities to enhance analysis of security data; and the ability to search and filter SQL statements, providing users with a new method for studying security on their system. View more information…

Product News:
New Messenger Technical Packet now available
We are pleased to announce the availability of a new 61-page technical packet covering all of the features of MessengerPlus and MessengerConsole. This is a great resource both to those considering an automated monitoring, notification, and consoling solution for the first time and to those already using Messenger. Existing users will find this ‘quick’ and complete view of Messenger’s features — both long-time and new – a great refresher and may find features not currently being used, while those taking a first look will find it an invaluable tool for comparing capabilities to other solutions. Download your free copy today!

Special Offer:
[Bytware 20/20]: Win one of 20 free PeekPlus licenses!
In honor of our twentieth year serving the System i community, we’re giving away twenty free licenses of PeekPlus, the solution that started it all! PeekPlus is a powerful help desk, training, and security enhancement tool that allows you to see another user’s screen in real-time, up to the last keystroke. Just license MessengerPlus, MessengerConsole, or StandGuard Network Security before May 31, 2007, and qualify for a drawing for one of twenty free licenses.

Company News:
Bytware sheds light on I.T. Truths
Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Well, that’s not exactly true. We’ve uncovered some more certainties that pertain to I.T. operations, and we’re unveiling them in our new campaign “I.T. Truths.” Look for the I.T. Truths in upcoming issues of System i News, IBM Systems Magazine, and COMMON.CONNECT. And if you can handle the truth, we’ll lay it on you right now, at the “I.T. Truths” microsite. Visit and find out how Bytware solutions can help make the truth work for you.

Company News:
Café Bytware COMMON exhibit wins ADDY Award

We are proud to announce that the American Advertising Federation has honored Bytware with the coveted ADDY Award for our COMMON exhibit “Café Bytware,” recognizing excellence in design and communication. This marks Bytware’s 11th ADDY. Café Bytware also received an ACE Award from the American Marketing Association in 2006. We thank you for your support of Café Bytware and invite you to visit us once again in Anaheim!

Company News:
Bytware to be included in HarperCollins’s Creativity 36 Annual
Two Bytware pieces were selected from amongst more than 3,000 entries from 29 countries for publication in the upcoming HarperCollins book “Creativity 36.” Now in its 36th year, the Creativity Awards competition publishes a 400-page, full-color collection of the best design and communications pieces from around the world each year. We are honored to have our Object Integrity Scanning Famous Quotes campaign and “The Houston Record” website included in this hardcover tome that will be available in bookstores worldwide beginning this summer.

Support News:
Bytware launches new Support Forums and Information Database
For 2007 we have launched all-new Support Forums where you can get the latest information and assistance for your Bytware solutions. In these bulletin board-style forums you can view items of interest specific to the product for which you have current support, can access technical tips and user guides, and even can submit support requests and receive online responses from our expert technical support specialists. To gain exclusive access to the new Support Forums, just visit the following link and follow the instructions to register: http://www.bytware.com/forums/register.php?do=signup. Once your registration has been approved, you will be able to enter to the forums at any time by visiting http://www.bytware.com/forums/

Virus News:
McAfee Virus Definition Library passes 230,000 threats
Over the course of 18 years, the number of viruses and malicious code threats gradually crept higher and higher until at last it reached 100,000 in September 2004. Since that time the growth has been tearing forward at breakneck speed. McAfee’s DAT file-which powers StandGuard Anti-Virus-reached 200,000 last summer, and on February 28 the number surpassed 230,000 with the release of weekly DAT version 4973. McAfee projects 300,000 by the end of this year, highlighting the urgent need to protect all servers and systems with anti-virus software.

Education:
The Yin and Yang of Messaging (MC Press Online)
In Chinese philosophy, balance is achieved between yin-the sustaining principal-and yang-the creative principal. When it comes to System i messaging, the same balance can enhance your operations and bring success and prosperity to your organization. Today’s messaging solutions provide sustaining, constant automated monitoring capabilities along with notification features that offer many creative avenues for eliminating disruptions to your network and operations, as well as taking control of broad ventures with System i at the center. Read the full article…

Education:
Outlook on Viruses and System i (MC Press Online)
If 2006 was any indication, the malware landscape won’t be getting better any time soon. New threats are emerging at the fastest rate ever, and the potential consequences are alarming. In terms of System i, the traditional view of the system as an impenetrable island is a recipe for disaster. Take a look at some trends and predictions, along with speculate on how they could affect you. Read the full article…

Tech Tip:
Reset auto numbering in MessengerPlus and MessengerConsole
Messenger assigns a consecutive number to each *EMAIL page that it sends to uniquely identify that message, and the number can grow very large over time. If your cellular or paging providers charges per character for email messages, it could benefit you to reduce the number of characters by resetting Messenger’s auto-numbering periodically. View the full tip. (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

Tech Tip:
Classifying events to identify potential security risk
The events generated by StandGuard Network Security version 2.3 are assigned two key values to aid in classifying their potential security risk. Viewable from the Security Event Log, these values can help you identify potential security risks and fine-tune your security policy. Here’s how to use this information to your advantage. View the full tip. (Note: Your Support Central username and password are required to access this tip.)

CONTACTING Bytware, Inc.
For sales and product inquiries, please use our online contact form.
For technical support please fill out our online support form.
If you prefer to speak to someone by phone, please call 775.851.2900, Monday – Friday, 6 am – 5 pm PST.

© 2007 Bytware, Inc.