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MacTech conference returning to LA in October
I've been to the MacTech Mac and IT consultants conference a few years in a row now, and I have to say: If you do any Apple consulting or development, it's a great show to see. The Sheraton Universal here in Los Angeles is a great setting, and MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin always puts an excellent event together, filling the three day schedule with great speakers, lots of opportunities to network and talk with other pros (over excellent food and drink), and even some nice offsite trips, like parties at Universal Studios and special events at places like the famous Griffith Observatory. MacTech has just announced details for this year's flagship conference in Los Angeles, and as you can see, there will be some very big names and faces showing up at the Sheraton from October 17-19 this year. The joint sessions will be run by two department heads from the Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Mac luminaries like Andy Ihnatko, Andy Lee, and Kyle Kinkade will host sessions along with lots of other good folks from the community around the world. Registration is open now -- early bird pricing is $999 ($300 off of regular pricing) and ends on August 31. MacTech is always a great time every year, and this year promises to be no different. If you have an interest in this show, be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible. TUAW is a media sponsor of this event, and has worked with MacTech on event coverage in the past.
WebHelpDesk acquired, Mac and Linux versions disappear [Updated]
Web Help Desk is software that runs on Mac OS Server, among other platforms -- it's an enterprise "help tracking" package that allows small and large companies to track IT and help support across large teams and customer bases. Users access the ticketing system via their web browsers, or via their iPhones with the Web Help Desk iOS app. The company that makes this software just got acquired by another IT software company called Solarwinds, but apparently Solarwinds is planning to do things over there a little differently: the Mac and Linux version download links have been removed from the website. A salesperson at the company emailed TUAW reader Neil, and says that "moving forward [Web Help Desk] is strictly Windows-based." That's a strange decision -- according to the company's page, even Apple makes use of the Web Help Desk software, so there's definitely a call for the Mac version. On the company forums, another representative says the issue isn't quite over yet: Web Help Desk will continue to support previous Mac customers, and hasn't yet decided what the future holds. In the meantime, there are plenty of alternatives for issue-tracking systems like this, many of which will work fine on Mac OS (and quite a few that are open source as well). Our own Brett Terpstra recommends the hosted Tender web app as a support solution, so that's worth checking out as well. Still, migrating from one of these systems to another is likely a huge pain, so hopefully Web Help Desk and Solarwinds will find the resources necessary to keep its Mac version up and running. Update: Solarwinds has contacted TUAW to say that the Mac and Linux versions are still available from the company, and still supported. Anyone who wants to use or try out the software on Mac or Linux need only ask, and the software will be provided to them. So why were the links removed? Denny LeCompte, the VP of Products at Solarwinds, had this to say in our comments: "Since we acquired Web Help Desk on July 25 and started selling it the very next day, we handed a brand new product to our sales team with very little time to train them. For the short term, we chose to reduce the variety of OS's we support for the 30-day free evaluation period. We did that to make it easier for the sales engineers to support the new product and provide a great experience for customers. We chose Windows to start with because it was the most popular evaluation download for Web Help Desk. We expect that we'll add back OS's to the evaluation as the internal team comes up to speed on the new product. And as a couple of the commenters point out, the UI is completely web-based, so we're really only talking about which server OS it runs on. The founder of Web Help Desk was and is a big Apple fan, and the product is built on an Apple coding platform, and the UI has a very Mac OS feel to it. It's one of the reasons so many Mac folks have gravitated to the this product, and one of the main reasons we chose to acquire it." You can read more of his statement below. Thanks, Neil!
Microsoft: our nature makes it tough to show everything Windows Phone 8 can do just yet
If you saw Microsoft unveil Windows Phone 8 and were disappointed that it only had a handful of conspicuous new features to show, such as that new Start screen and NFC support, don't worry: that's just the tip of the iceberg. Senior product manager Greg Sullivan (not pictured here) tells Pocket-lint that much of the information provided so far had to be revealed early to please developers and IT managers, many of whom can't wait until the last minute. Unlike a certain rival in Cupertino, Microsoft has a range of partners to work with and can't just be ready to go "hours after" the OS is announced, like those that control both the hardware and the software. That split is good news to us, as it sounds like there's a raft of public-facing Windows Phone 8 features waiting to surface between now and the end of the year -- whatever impressions we had in June may have been conservative.
ServiceNow IT firm CEO says company is "wall to wall Apple"
ServiceNow captured the attention of Wall Street following its successful IPO last week. Speaking to CNBC about its IPO, CEO Frank Slootman said the company was "wall-to-wall" Apple. "Our company, we're all Apple, wall to wall," he said. "Not just on the iPhone, also our notebooks, laptops and so on." He also hinted that his company is not unique and that other businesses are embracing Apple as well. ServiceNow delivers IT service management solutions for businesses. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company was founded in 2003 and has over 500 employees in offices worldwide. [Via AppleInsider]
MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management
At today's Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft alluded to some of the next-gen OS' enterprise features, including a trusted shared Windows core, encryption, secure boot and IT device management. Company VP Joe Belfiore recognized that some business users haven't been satisfied with the operating system's previous suite of enterprise features, and that definitely appears to be one focus of Windows Phone 8. BitLocker Drive Encryption will provide support for device security, while IT administrators will have have the ability to push apps to handsets while sidestepping the Marketplace. Office will also have a greater presence in Windows Phone 8, though we don't know exactly how that will play out just yet. Enterprise clearly hasn't been a primary target of Microsoft's mobile OS to date, but that could very well change beginning this fall. There's also a new Company Hub feature, which will allow companies their own app distribution pipe, as well as giving IT administrators the ability to highlight specific things depending on what's important to their organization. With so many Windows machines in the workplace, it's pretty smart for Microsoft to take a serious dive into this stuff, and it's honestly really slick. There's also a Microsoft IT app, which the company claims will be provided in template form so that outfits can tweak it to fit specific needs. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!
AT&T creates virtual work partition for smartphone users
In today's BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workplace, there's an issue that often arises. Many smartphone owners who are choosing to use their personal devices for work use find it obtrusive when corporate IT departments wish to manage their devices. Now AT&T has introduced a new technology called "Toggle" to allow employees to access work apps from their own smartphones without becoming a security threat. Toggle is similar to virtualization and can be installed after an AT&T customer buys an iPhone or certain models of Android smartphones. The technology also works on the iPad as well. To enter the "work side" of their phones, users tap a special application icon that is a portal to work-related email and text messaging. Any document attachments that are accessed through Toggle are encrypted, and Toggle even has its own secure web browser. AT&T will help corporate customers set up private app stores for custom business applications. For those apps, data is pushed to phones over SSL, and administrators can manage the work partition as much as they like -- all without infringing on the privacy of their employees. The cost to corporations is US$750 for configuration and training, plus $6.50 per device per month. There's also a support fee of $1.50 - $2.50 per month.
AT&T's BYOD effort coming to BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone with Toggle 2.0
If you work in a corporate environment, it's probably fair to say that you've at least heard of the trend known as BYOD (bring your own device). While the idea remains just that for many enterprises, AT&T is hoping to make the transition a bit more practical for everyone with its latest Toggle 2.0 platform. First and foremost, the app separates one's work and home life, and allows IT admins to ensure that work content remains separate, encrypted and secure. It also allows users to draw on their business wireless plan while in work mode, and then switch to their own personal plan while off the clock. AT&T first launched Toggle for Android late last year, but with its new Toggle 2.0 system -- developed in conjunction with OpenPeak -- it plans to extend the platform to iOS devices in the coming weeks. Versions for BlackBerry and Windows Phone are also in the pipeline, and are said to arrive by year's end. Businesses will need to pony up $6.50 per month, per device for the service, which is on top of any implementation fees and optional managed services. To learn more of what Toggle 2.0 might mean for you, check the full PR after the break.
Switched On: Cisco's hard-luck hardware
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. When you think about companies that dominate specific technology markets, alongside names such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Intel. SAP and Oracle, you would no doubt include Cisco Systems. Founded in 1984, the networking giant, which has grown largely via acquisition over the years, earned $43 billion of revenue in 2011. That placed it at #64 on the 2011 Fortune 500. Cisco has a current market value of about $113 billion. Linksys, acquired in 2003, has remained among the top-selling home networking brands, and Cisco recently moved to bolster its TV service provider business -- formerly known as Scientific Atlanta -- with the acquisition of NDS. But for all the success that Cisco has had building connections among network endpoints, the company has had a tough road when it's come to selling end-user devices directly to end-users over the last few years.
MacTech Boot Camps offer fine Apple consultant training at a great price
MacTech has posted its Boot Camp schedule for the rest of the year, including some excellent day-long training sessions for Apple IT professionals and consultants. The company will be in Washington, DC on June 27, then San Diego on August 7, Minneapolis on September 5, and finally Miami, Florida on December 5. Tickets for all sessions are available now. MacTech's world-class conferences offer information about best practices and insider info on how to consult for the Mac. Sessions cover topics like marketing your consulting firm, running support calls effectively, installing Windows on a Mac and creating a reliable backup system. We've been to MacTech's conferences before, and they're always well-run and full of quality information. TUAW has a deal for readers who attend the event. Just follow this link to register and receive US$200 off registration, plus a free subscription to MacTech Magazine (print and iPad version). You must sign up by June 7 for that deal, so don't wait. MacTech is a great resource for the Apple consultant community. If you do any kind of work in the field, definitely check and see if they're coming to a town near you.
How your company will control your Windows RT Tablet
Windows on ARM really opens up the world of Windows to some great hardware. So great in fact that you'll probably have to buy one yourself if you want one to use at work. But a time will come where you'll want to get your work email and maybe even an app or two. You might already realize that by adding an ActiveSync email account to your tablet opens your new device up to restrictions by your system administrator -- like requiring a lock screen password or the ability to remotely wipe it – and in the Windows x86 world, your company uses things like an Active Directory (AD) Domain and its Group Policies to lock things down. But, AD isn't an option for Windows RT. According to the Building Windows 8 blog, Microsoft has instead built in the ability to connect to the company network to access apps, while at the same time, gives the admin the ability to control all the familiar AD security settings like bad password attempts, complexity requirements and can even verify your anti-malware software status. Of course if you leave the company or just want to use your tablet without entering a password, you can always break the tie and regain control of the security.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion integrates RIM, iOS and Android device management
With iOS now offering business-friendly security features, the shift away from BlackBerry is well underway, and the transition hasn't exactly played out well for RIM. Now, the company even appears to be embracing the recently established competition, by launching BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. Beginning today, the new enterprise management tool will support not only BlackBerry devices and PlayBook tablets, but also Android and iOS tablets and smartphones, through the Universal Device Service. Business customers will be able to use Mobile Fusion to configure devices with email and calendar access, create groups, establish security policies, manage lost phones, detect rooting and jailbreaking, and even control roaming to help curb pricey fees. RIM is offering the service with a free 60-day trial, with full pricing info likely to roll out before that two-month e-taste dissolves. You'll find more details at the BlackBerry for Business Blog by clicking through to the source link below.
Fujitsu Lifebook Ultrabook hands-on (video)
We still don't have detailed specs or even a model number, but we just had a chance to go hands-on with Fujitsu's new Lifebook Ultrabook at CeBIT. The 14-inch device will ship in red and silver, and is very thin -- 16mm, to be more precise -- including a frameless display that folds flat 180 degrees to lie flush. The nearly edge-to-edge LCD looks fantastic, at least powered off. There's a webcam up top, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, a proprietary Ethernet connector, SD card slot, an HDMI port, headphone jack and a Kensington Security Slot. There also appears to be a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader -- just one of the proposed security features for Fujitsu's yet-to-be-named enterprise Ultrabook. The magnesium body is very lightweight, at 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs), though the lid did feel a bit flimsy, at least on the sample we saw today. Pricing details have yet to be announced, though Fujitsu reps have confirmed that the Ultrabook will ship by early summer. Jump past the break for a closer look in our video hands-on.%Gallery-149468%Update: It turns out that the Ultrabook does not fold flat -- the device we saw at the Fujitsu press conference had this capability, but only because it's a shell-only mock-up.
Fujitsu teases new premium Lifebook Ultrabook at CeBIT, promises more details tomorrow
We're here at the Fujitsu press conference at CeBIT, where the company just teased a yet-to-be-named premium Ultrabook. We don't have many details at this point, but we were able to confirm that it will include a 14-inch frameless display, a magnesium housing and a standard variety of connectivity options, including LTE, WLAN and Bluetooth. The notebook will weigh in at less than 1.5 kg and will measure 16mm thick. Fujitsu is marketing the Ultrabook as an enterprise device, with a full suit of security features, including a fingerprint scanner, TPM module, FDE and ATP. More details are promised for tomorrow, so you'll need to hang tight for a model number, pricing and a full spec rundown, though we're told to expect it to hit the market this summer.
Galaxy S II does work and personal phone duties at once with Telefonica's Dual Persona service
It wasn't so long ago that the corporate world was ruled by RIM, but with the rise of Android and iOS, more folks are wanting to use their personal handsets both for work and play. Enter Telefonica's Dual Persona service that's making its debut on the Galaxy S II. It's powered by VMWare's Horizon Mobile technology that lets you jump between home and work profiles with the tap of an app, and provides notifications for both profiles no matter which one you're currently using. Basically, the work profile is an instance of virtualized Android based in the cloud, meaning your company's IT folks can manage corporate information on your phone without compromising your personal privacy. Samsung plans to give more of its mobile phones Dual Persona in the coming months, so if you don't own a GSII, there's still a chance your phone could get a split-personality, too. PR's after the break.
MacTech Boot Camp
"MacTech Boot Camp is specifically designed for those techs and consultants supporting home users, small office/home office, and small-to-medium sized businesses. This one-day, hotel-based, seminar is designed specifically to help you be the most successful consultant you can be. Learn. Network. Expand your horizons." We're a media sponsor for the MacTech events, and from what we have seen they are quite excellent. Plus, there's a special deal for TUAW readers here that'll save you US$200. To see what sessions and topics will be covered, check out this page. For a full schedule, look here. Did I mention lunch is included? Seriously, if you are a consultant for the clients mentioned above, these Boot Camp sessions are an excellent way to get up-to-date on what's going on with Apple technologies.
Forrester: Apple makes strides into enterprises, users iWork hard for the money
Forrester has announced the results of its latest survey, which encompassed 10,000 enterprise computer users, across 17 countries. It looked at the degree of Apple product adoption in businesses and support for them within IT services. There's plenty to chew on, but here's the big one; over a fifth of those surveyed uses an Apple product for work. This, however, includes workers using their personal devices for work tasks, with 11 percent using their iPhone, 9 percent their iPad and 8 percent working on their Macs. Half of the enterprises included in Forrester's survey plan to increase the number of Macs used by 52 percent, while nearly half of the firms are already issuing Apple PCs to employees, gaining even more traction within IT departments in the US and Western Europe. Unsurprisingly, given its premium pricing, those using Apple gear are more likely to be higher paid, while also (paradoxically) younger and in a senior rank. More specifically, 43 percent of those making over $150,000 a year use an iPhone, iPad or Mac. No cause or effect here, ladies and gents, but we'll be putting in our expense claim for a new set of business iPads very soon.
Managing 12,000 iPads: SAP CIO shares lessons learned
SAP's CIO Oliver Bussmann has a singularly interesting point of view on using the iPads in a business environment: He oversaw the implementation of iPads at SAP, which was an early adopter of using Apple's tablet in a full-scale company. He recently talked with the folks at InfoWorld, and says that going about the process open-mindedly was the best way to do it. SAP figured, right when the iPad was announced, that its employees would be using them anyway, so the company took a very ad hoc approach to supporting them in the workplace, building on what its employees did with iPads rather than trying to structure actual work functions around them. Bussmann seems to say that the biggest issue on an iPad is security, but technology is getting better all the time, apparently, and the latest version of iOS 5 introduces some new improvements that should help IT departments with all of the headaches that come from having sensitive information available on the iPads. Most interestingly, however, Bussmann says that iPads do have one important advantage over traditional PCs in a business environment: Users seem much more willing to interact with and "explore" data on the iPad. I agree with this -- even in my own iPad usage, I'm much more ready to search for a good restaurant or browse through ticket prices sitting on my couch with an iPad versus sitting in front of a computer screen. I don't know if that difference has been fully explored by developers yet, but it's definitely something to think about going forward, especially when implementing the iPad in a specifically business environment.
MacTech announces a full year of events
MacTech has been doing well with its annual Mac IT conference event (which I've attended the past two years here in Los Angeles), and the company recently announced that it is spreading out with some one-day MacTech InDepth events. But this morning, the company revealed that it's going even bigger than that. MacTech will be holding fifteen different events in 2012, all over the US, featuring the annual conference in October and a few more InDepth one-day events. MacTech is also holding a series of Boot Camp events designed specifically for IT engineers supporting smaller businesses and home users. You can see the full schedule below. As you can see, MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin will probably be a very busy guy. Some of the events are clustered around one city; Chicago in July, for example, and New York in April. But this is definitely a much more packed schedule for these MacTech events than we've ever seen before. If you run IT for any businesses or clients that use Macs, odds are there's something good going on near you. Feb 16, MacTech Boot Camp, Phoenix, AZ Mar 7, MacTech Boot Camp, Seattle, WA Mar 28, MacTech InDepth: Lion Server Administration, Austin, TX Apr 18, MacTech Boot Camp, New York, NY Apr 19, MacTech InDepth: Lion Server Administration, New York, NY May 17, MacTech InDepth: Network & WiFi Design & Troubleshooting, Boston, MA May 18, MacTech InDepth: Mobile Device Management, Boston, MA Jun 27, MacTech Boot Camp, Washington, DC Jul 18, MacTech InDepth: Network & WiFi Design & Troubleshooting, Chicago, IL Jul 19, MacTech InDepth: Mobile Device Management, Chicago, IL Aug 7, MacTech Boot Camp, San Diego, CA Sep 5, MacTech Boot Camp, Minneapolis, MN Oct 17-19, MacTech Conference, Los Angeles, CA Nov 7, MacTech InDepth: Network and WiFi Design and Troubleshooting, San Jose, CA Dec 5, MacTech Boot Camp, Miami, FL
Apple searching for global channel chief
Apple has apparently hired an executive from HP to handle its IT channel business in the UK, and the company is still searching for a global channel director, according to Channelnomics. Apple hired one Trevor Evans to run things in the UK, who joined the company after resigning from HP while on leave. And the company is reportedly looking under every rock it can to figure out who can run its global IT channel, making sure that all of its various retail outlets and groups have all the right connections they need. Apple's criteria are "stringent," say the reports, so Cupertino wants to make sure it finds the exact right person for the job. Obviously this is an important one -- as great as Apple's retail experience can be, there is a huge opportunity to be had on the back end as well, making sure that sales go smoothly and that sales professionals are well-informed and connected. As Apple's retail business continues to grow around the world, it'll need to make sure whoever steps into the position can handle things well.
CEO bans email, encourages social networking
Who needs email when you have text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and a menagerie of alternative communication tools? Not Atos, a French IT firm that's planning to give email the boot. Over the course of the next eighteen months, CEO Thierry Breton hopes to ween 80,000 employees off of the old standby, pushing text messages, phone calls and face-to-face chats as alternatives. Breton strives to promote a collaborative social network similar to Facebook or Twitter to fill email's void and suffice as an easily accessible global network. Having himself been email sober at work for three years, Breton claims email is inefficient, and a burden to the workflow. Will this new social environment promote efficiency, or will pet photos and status updates become the new spam? If employees can't keep their social inclinations under wraps, Atos may have to resort to the Medieval carrier pigeon. Delivery estimates for long distance range from five days to never.
