CompTIA A+ Exam Prep: Tools of the Trade

While every computer technician has his or her own methods and tools for working on computers systems, section 1.4 of theCompTIA A+ Exam (220-702) requires you to know the names and functions of certain tools that are most commonly used in computer repair and maintenance.

You may or may not use all of these tools in your particular methods, but it is important to know what they are and how to use them — and not just for the exam — you never know when you’ll come across an obscure problem that may require a certain tool to troubleshoot with.

So the more useful tools at your disposal, the more efficient and resourceful of a technician you can become.

Today we’ll take a look at multi-meters, power supply testers, cable testers, loopback plugs, extension magnets, anti-static mats and wrist straps.

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Multi-Meters

A multi-meter is an electronic ohm/voltage measuring tool most commonly used in testing computer power supplies.

Is the motherboard not powering on? You may want to use a multi-meter to test the power connector going to the motherboard. Are USB devices not powering up? Use a multi-meter to ensure that you’re getting a full 5v from each USB port.

Multi-meters come with either digital or analog displays. Be sure to get a multi-meter that can measure within the proper range, as some multi-meters are made specifically to handle much higher voltages (for example, to test power in houses or businesses) and won’t be as accurate as those made for lower voltages.

Power Supply Testers

Power supply testers are very similar to multi-meters, except instead of giving you an ohm/voltage reading from a positive and negative pin, it gives you a green or red LED or a specific message on a small screen, such as an error code. While this takes some of the guesswork out of figuring out voltages, it also gives much less of a detailed reading.

Rather than using positive and negative pins, power supply testers allow you to actually plug in PSU connections. This makes testing power supplies much faster, and easier than having to find the correct pins.

Cable Testers

Cable testers do just what the name suggests. The most common type of cable testers found in a technician’s toolkit is an Ethernet cable tester. These come particularly handy when making custom sized Ethernet cables. We all know how easily a twisted pair can become… twisted.

It is generally good practice, and can save some troubleshooting time in the future, to run newly crimped Ethernet cables through a cable tester before putting them to use. They are also great for testing cables in the field.

Damage to Ethernet cables is especially hard to spot, since they are housed in a protective sleeve. Without visible external markings, you can rarely tell if a cable has been pinched or otherwise damaged. Using a cable tester to find these faults can save you hours of troubleshooting time.

Loopback Plugs

Loopback plugs are small devices used to perform loopback tests. To put it simply, you can plug in a device that is meant to transmit and receive data on a network, and the loopback test will verify that the device can both send and receive data well enough to work on said network.

It does this by sending a signal (or packet) addressed back to the same device. The test will let you know if the packet was sent, and if it was also received. This can be extremely useful for testing and troubleshooting malfunctioning network hardware.

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Anti-Static Mats and Wrist Straps

Anti-static mats and wrist straps are used to ground yourself (usually to the computers case) so that static does not damage PC components while working inside of a computer system.

Many technicians that I know personally seem to argue the importance of using anti-static mats and wrist straps. Some technicians swear by them, others only use them to make their clients feel more comfortable and safe while the work is being done, and others never use them at all.

One thing is certain: static can harm electronics, including the many components within your computer system.

While I do own both anti-static mats and wrist straps, I too have been guilty of skipping this step on my personal machines. I have yet to damage a component, usually because I stay grounded by touching the computer’s case, but I do recognize that not using a form of anti-static grounding device can be dangerous to your (or your client’s) hardware.

In the end, it’s up to you to decide if you’ll use the mat (which is great for setting down loose components), the wrist strap (which is helpful so you can use both hands instead of using one to ground yourself to the case), or a different grounding method altogether.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that static does hurt electronics, and unless you practice some sort of grounding method, you run the risk of damaging a component or motherboard.

Extension Magnet

Originally, I had written about using low-powered extension magnets inside of computer system. IT Professional Dave Levinter brought up a concern that made me decide to rewrite this section.

While low-powered extension magnets are acceptable in most cases, and many computer technicians use extension magnets or magnetized screwdrivers inside computer systems, saying that they’re safe isn’t exactly a safe statement in of itself. Magnets vary in power and some parts of computer systems, like the hard drive, can become damaged by stronger magnets. Anything more powerful than a standard magnetized screwdriver should only be used outside of a computer system. In fact, the CompTIA A+ Exam recommends using a pair of plastic tweezers instead, whenever possible.

More powerful magnets are still quite useful for IT Professionals, but for other uses. Finding dropped screws for example, or reaching screws or even tools dropped behind desks and furniture.

How To Become A CCNA

The majority of people who are “thinking” about going after their CCNA, sadly, will never follow through. They might look through a book at the bookstore or visit a certification-based website on occasion, but that’s it. They have no plan for success, and therefore the success will not happen.

Those who do pursue the CCNA the right way, with the right plan, are creating the foundation for unlimited success in the IT field.

How do I know that? I’m living proof. I picked up my first Cisco book years ago. I had been doing some basic network installations and helpdesk work, but I didn’t really know a subnet from a hole in the ground. (And the explanations of subnetting that were around then didn’t exactly help.) I earned my CCNA, worked my way through the CCNP, and later made the decision to tackle the world’s most difficult IT certification, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification.

On February 26, 2004, in Raleigh, North Carolina, I passed the CCIE R&S Lab. Since then, I’ve started a highly successful Cisco training company, The Bryant Advantage, and a successful consulting business as well.

I’m telling you this not to impress you, but to show you what is possible. Not easy, but possible. One reason I do so well with my books and classes is that I remember what it’s like to get started with your Cisco studies. I’m not one of these people who acts like they were born with all this knowledge. I know what it’s like to look at a chapter in a CCNA book and wonder if you can learn all this stuff and pass the exams.

I did it, and you can do it, too.

Just as important as you earning a passing grade on the CCNA exam is the fact that the work you do in studying for the CCNA is the most important study you’ll ever do.

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There's a good reason I use a pyramid in my company's logo. When viewing an ancient Egyptian pyramid, where do we tend to look? At the peak. That’s natural. But what is the most important part of the pyramid? The foundation.

Pyramids built thousands of years ago are still standing not because they have a great peak, but because they have a great foundation.

It’s this foundation of Cisco knowledge that you are building when you study for the CCNA. Perhaps you don’t want to go after the CCIE now, but the day may come that you do go after it. It’s also my experience that 90 – 95% of CCNAs pursue the CCNP. The CCNAs who have a solid foundation of networking knowledge are the ones who get it.

The CCNP exam that trips up most candidates is the troubleshooting exam. Look at it this way: How can you troubleshooting anything if you don’t know the basics of how it works?

You can’t. So keep in mind that while you’re going after the CCNA, you’re building your professional future.

To build this future, you need a plan. That’s what this article is all about. By following the steps I outline here, you will greatly maximize your chances not only of passing the CCNA, but excelling on exam day, on the job, and in your future certification endeavors.

Starting On Your CCNA Success Path

First, you need to decide to succeed.

Too many Cisco certification candidates take a hesitant, “maybe I’ll fail” approach to their study. You must eliminate this attitude and replace it with a “I have passed” approach. Act as though you have already passed, and your passing score on exam day is a foregone conclusion. When you show up on exam day, you're already a CCNA; you're just there to make it official.

I spend 15 – 45 minutes a day writing down my goals for the day, the month, and the year. I have found that writing down my goals cements them in my mind, and your mind is the world’s most powerful computer. By reminding yourself on a daily basis that you are going to pass the exam, you actually program your mind for success.
If you’re not writing your goals down on a daily basis, you’re missing a great method of accelerating your life and your career. It takes 15 minutes a day, and it’s the best investment you’ll ever make.

Decide On The Two-Exam Path Or The One-Exam Path

It’s early in the process, but you’ve got an important decision to make. Do you want to take the single CCNA composite exam, or take the two-exam path?

The two-exam path consists of the Introduction To Cisco Networking exam and the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices exam. You can also take the single CCNA exam.

I tell my students that the path they choose should reflect their level of experience. There is a good amount of overlap between the Intro and ICND material; the real difference between the two exams is the depth to which you’ll be questioned on various topics.

The Intro exam material includes some Ethernet and TCP/IP basics, and cabling information. If you’re familiar with how Ethernet works, and you know your Ethernet cabling types and differences between them, you probably want to go straight for the CCNA composite exam. If you’re a newcomer to the field, or not familiar with TCP/IP and cable types, I recommend you take the Intro exam and then the ICND exam.

Developing Your Study Plan
Now that you’ve made your decision as to the two-exam vs. one-exam approach, you’re ready for the most important part of the entire CCNA process: Developing your study plan.

That’s right, this is the most important part of your CCNA chase. Without this study plan, your study will be unstructured, random, and most likely unsuccessful.

There are several steps involved in developing a successful study plan. Let’s examine them one at a time:

First, schedule your exam NOW.

I know what you're think. "Okay, Chris has lost his mind. Why should I schedule my exam now? I haven’t started studying yet!"

From experience, I can tell you that this technique works. People complain about timetables and deadlines, but the truth is that people do their best work with a deadline.

I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard this:

“I’ll schedule my exam when I’m ready.”

You know when “ready” is? For many people, NEVER. I know someone who’s been preparing for their CCNA for years – literally! He’s going to schedule that exam when he’s ready. He’s been getting ready for years!

By scheduling your exam now, you give yourself a mental deadline. You’ll be surprised at how focused your mind becomes when you know the date of your exam before you start. I have used this technique for my CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE exams. It will work for you!


Both sites have test center locators, so no matter where you are in the world, you can find the testing center nearest you.

We all have times of the day that we’re mentally sharper than others. I personally am a “morning person”, so I always schedule my exams for first thing in the morning. If you’re stronger in the afternoon, schedule an afternoon exam.


Next: Schedule Your Study Time, And Track It.

Ever hear someone describe their study time like this?

“I don’t know why I haven’t passed the CCNA exam. I’ve been studying for four months!”

Do not make the mistake of measuring your study time in weeks and months.

What does it mean when someone says they’ve been studying for “months”, anyway? I hear that all the time, and it doesn’t mean anything. It’s a totally inaccurate way of measuring how much studying you’ve done, and it’s also a good way of fooling yourself as to how much work you’ve actually put in.

Consider this example: Sam studies 90 minutes a day, six days a week. His study time is uninterrupted and quiet. Sam does this for eight weeks.

Bill studies 45 minutes a day, six days a week. His study consists of opening his book in front of the TV, and taking phone calls while he thumbs through the pages. Bill does this for twelve weeks.

Over eight weeks, Sam will put in 72 hours of solid study.

Over twelve weeks, Bill will put in 54 hours of subpar study.

Yet Bill will say, “I’ve studied for three months!”

Instead of doing what Bill did, do what Sam did. Make a commitment to study “x” minutes a day, stick to it, make sure your study is uninterrupted, and track your study time. You’re much better off to get six hours of quality study time a week than to get 10 hours of constantly interrupted time.

You can track your time using Excel, or even Notepad. Every day, write down how much time you spent studying and the topic(s) you studied. You have to write this down. Not only will you have an accurate picture of how much study you’re actually putting in, you’ll be able to make sure that you’ve spent adequate time on every exam topic.

Would you make an appointment with a client, or another professional like a doctor, and then just not show up? Of course not. That would be incredibly unprofessional. 

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Consider your study time an appointment with yourself. Just as you would not be late or skip an appointment with someone else, do not skip this appointment with yourself.

Next: Keep Your Goals Away From The Trolls

If you let your friends and coworkers know you’re pursuing certification, hopefully they will be supportive. Sadly, though, some of them won’t be.

I’m reminded of a person I worked with years ago who walked by my cube one day and saw a Cisco certification book on my desk. She then spent ten minutes telling me why certifications stink, anybody can get them, there’s a nine-year-old in Missouri that has an MCSE, blah, blah, blah….

What was really interesting is that while she would tell anyone who would listen that anyone could get a certification, she herself did not have one. There were two reasons that she spent so much time badmouthing my certification pursuits.

First, she was threatened by my ambition. Second, she wasn’t doing anything with her career and her time, and therefore she didn’t want anyone else doing anything, either.

I’m telling you this because these people are everywhere. I don’t care what Internet forum you go to, or what certification you’re going after, when you declare your intentions, there will be some people who feel it’s their duty to tell you that you’re wasting your time.

Keep your goals away from these trolls. Do not spend time with these people, whether it’s in person or on the ‘Net. You’re not going to change their mind, and you must NOT let them change yours. Professional computer certifications, particularly Cisco certifications, are definitely worth pursuing. Again, I’m living proof. I now own my own training company, write my own Cisco certification books, and own a successful consulting business. If I had listened to that troll, I wouldn’t have accomplished any of this.

Carrying Out Your Study Plan

You’ve scheduled your exam; you’ve created a document to track your study time; you’ve planned exactly when you’re going to study. Now the plan must be carried out, without exception.

What exceptions do I mean? Cell phones. Televisions. IPods. Significant others. The list can go on and on.

It’s one thing to have a plan, and an important thing; now you’ve got to make sure you carry it out to its fullest potential. That’s easy to say until you’re studying and a friend calls, or you remember that TV show you wanted to watch is on tonight, or you start surfing the Web for Cisco information and end up playing a game.

You MUST make these small sacrifices in order to achieve your main goal, the CCNA. To paraphrase the Marine Corps slogan, the pain of missing a TV show is VERY temporary, but the pride of passing your CCNA with flying colors is forever.

TV will be there when you’re done studying. Your significant other will be there when you’re done studying. And believe it or not, people once existed without cell phones. Turn the phone off. Turn your instant messenger service off. Turn your text pager off. Despite what we think, the world can do without communicating with us for 90 minutes. It’s better to have 90 minutes of great study than 180 minutes of constantly interrupted study.

How To Spend Your Study Time

CCNA candidates generally spend their time split between book study, practice exams, and lab time on real Cisco equipment. The best study is done by a combination of these, not by overly relying on one. Let’s take a look at each method.

Book study – I’ve never understood why some people (usually the trolls we were talking about earlier) talk about book study like it’s a bad thing. “You can’t learn about technology from books.” What a load of manure. You have to learn the theory before you can understand how a router or switch operates. The best way to learn the theory is to read a good book.

At the CCNA level, you doubtless know that you have dozens of choices when it comes to books. Some books really do gloss over some important topics, such as binary math and subnetting. Make sure to pick a book or books that go beyond just explaining the theory and that give you a lot of explanation of router configs and real-world examples as well.

Practice Exams: Practice exams are good in moderation, but don’t use them as your main focus of study. Occasionally, I’m asked for study tips by candidates who have taken the exam a few times and not passed yet. I ask them what they’re doing to prepare, and they give a list of companies they bought practice exams from. (You see a lot of this on Internet forums as well.)

Don’t fall into this trap. Practice exams are fine if used as a readiness check, but some candidates just take them over and over again, which renders them basically useless.

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On top of that, some of them cost hundreds of dollars. That’s money you’d be much better off spending on Cisco equipment to practice on.

Again, I’m not against practice exams as a supplement to your studies. Just don’t make them the main focus of your study. Taking practice exams over and over and hoping the exam will be just like the practice exam is a recipe for disaster. As I tell my students, when you’re in front of a rack of routers and switches during a job interview (or at 2 AM when you’ve been called in to fix a problem), the correct answer is not “D”. You’ve got to know what to do.

And how do you learn these skills? Funny you should ask.

Lab Time On Real Cisco Equipment. Again, speaking from experience: This is the most important part of getting your CCNA, succeeding on the job, and going on to get your CCNP.

Getting hands-on experience is critical to developing your networking skills, especially your troubleshooting skills. Although simulators are better than they used to be, they’re still not Cisco routers, and they never will be.

You do your best learning not only when you’re configuring your routers, but when you screw something up.

That’s so important, I want to repeat it – loudly:

You do your best learning when you screw something up.

Why? Because then you have to fix it; that’s how you develop your troubleshooting skills. You can read about all the debug and show commands in the world, but you don’t really understand how they work until you’re figuring out why your Frame Relay connection isn’t working, or your RIP configuration isn’t working.

This is true at every level of the Cisco Learning Pyramid. I can show you the show ip protocols output or what you get when you run debug ip rip, and you might remember it for a little while. But when you use it to troubleshoot a lab configuration, you WILL remember it.

Putting your own practice lab together will also help get you over what I call “simulator question anxiety”. If you spend any time on CCNA Internet forums, you’ll see discussion after discussion about these exam questions.

There’s no reason to be anxious about them if you’re prepared. You don’t want to be the person who walks into the testing room that’s scared to have to create a VLAN or an access list; you want to be the person who walks into the testing room confident of their ability to perform any CCNA task. The best way to be that confident is to know you’ve done it – on real Cisco equipment.

There are several vendors that sell routers and switches on ebay; most of them sell CCNA and CCNP kits that include all the cables and transceivers that you’ll need as well. (And how is a simulator going to help you learn about cables and transceivers?) Keep in mind that you can always sell the equipment after you’re done with the CCNA, or you can add a little equipment to it to go after your CCNP.

Whichever of these methods you use (and I hope you’ll use all of them), make sure to keep them in balance with each other. Don’t depend too much on just one.


On the topic of learning how to troubleshoot… as you run labs on your Cisco equipment, you’ll run into questions or problems that you don’t know the answer to yet. Get used to using Google (or your favorite search engine) to find the answer to these problems.

There’s nothing wrong with asking questions of someone else if you’re not able to find the answer yourself. Trying to find the answer yourself is another important troubleshooting skill you need to start developing today. Don’t be one of these people who posts a simple question on a forum without trying to find the answer yourself. Besides, you get more satisfaction and build more confidence when you determine the answer yourself.

The Big Day Approaches….

As exam day nears, you know you are on your way to success because you have already completed these steps:
1. You decided to succeed.
2. You decided on your exam path.
3. You scheduled your exam.
4. You created your study plan.
5. You tracked your UNINTERRUPTED study time.
6. You kept your goals away from negative influences.
7. You balanced your study between books, practice exams, and lab time.

At this point, some CCNA candidates are panicking. They start “cramming”, hoping they can jam all that information into their heads in the last minute. This is a study technique that needs to be left behind when you leave high school. Cramming for exams is for junior high. You’re a professional, in a professional field. You do not cram, because you don’t have to. You made a plan and stuck to it. Now as we approach exam day, use these techniques to maximize your effort.

First, get lots of rest. LOTS of rest. A well-rested candidate is a successful candidate.

Second, if you are not familiar with the location of the testing center, drive to it several days before the exam. The last thing you want to do is drive around like a mad person the day of your exam, trying to find the testing center. (Or, as happened to a friend of mine that the testing center had moved to the other side of town!) If you have a morning appointment, make sure you allow for rush hour traffic patterns. There’s one testing center in my city that takes 15 minutes for me to get to, except for one hour in the morning – if I go then, it takes 40 minutes. Allow for rush hour ! Do NOT rely on MapQuest or any other “driving directions” website the morning of the exam. They’ve been known to be wrong. (Trust me on this.)

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Call the center and ask for directions. Many testing centers have directions to the center on their website, but it’s always best to call.

Mentally rehearse your success. See yourself passing the exam, because that is exactly what you are going to do. Finally, take a practice exam the same way you’ll take the real exam. Time yourself, use a pen and paper, and use only 40 – 50 questions. (By the way – there is no scientific calculator available to Cisco certification candidates in the exam room. You have to know how to perform conversions involving hexadecimal, decimal, and binary numbers. Get as much practice on this as you can.)

The Day Of The Exam

Today, all the planning and work you’ve done for your CCNA exam pays off. You wake up confident and ready to go, because you’ve followed these steps and you know passing the exam is a foregone conclusion. There are still things you can do to maximize your chances of success!
Show up on time. Yes, I know everyone says that. The testing center wants you there 30 minutes early. So why do so many candidates show up late, or in a rush? Again, if you have a morning exam appointment, make sure to allow for rush hour traffic.

Use the headphones. Most candidates in the room with you understand that they should be quiet. Sadly, not all of them do. Smacking gum, mumbling to themselves (loud enough for you to hear, though), and other little noises can really get on your nerves in what is already a pressure situation. In one particular testing center I use, the door to the testing room has one setting: "Slam". Luckily, that center also has a headset hanging at every testing station. Call ahead to see if yours does. Some centers have them but do not leave them at the stations. Wearing headphones during the exam is a great way to increase your powers of concentration. They allow you to block out all noise and annoyances, and to concentrate on your job -- passing the exam.

Prepare for the "WHAT??" question. No matter how well-prepared you are, there may be one question on any Cisco exam that just stuns you. It might be off-topic, in your opinion; it may be a question that would take 10 of your remaining 15 minutes to answer; it might be a question that you don't even know how to begin answering. I have talked with Cisco exam candidates who got to such a question and were obviously so thrown off that they didn't do well on any of the remaining questions, either.There is only one thing to do in this situation: shurg it off.

Compare yourself to a major-league pitcher. If he gives up a home run, he can't dwell on it; he's got to face another batter. Cornerbacks in football face the same problem. If they give up a long TD pass, they can't dwell on that. They have to shrug it off and be ready for the next play.Don't worry about getting a perfect score on the exam. Your concern is passing. If you get a question that seems ridiculous, unsolvable, or out of place, forget about it. It's done. Move on to the next question and nail it.

Finish with a flourish. Ten questions from the end of your exam, take a 15-to-30 second break. You can't walk around the testing room, but you can stand and stretch. By this point in the exam, candidates tend to be a little mentally tired. Maybe you're still thinking about the "WHAT??" question. Don't worry about the questions you've already answered -- they're done. Take a deep breath, remember why you're there -- to pass this exam -- and sit back down and nail the last ten questions to the wall. There is one final piece of advice I’d like to give you for exam day: BE AGGRESSIVE.

You’re in that testing room for one reason: to PASS. Occasionally I hear someone say that they’re taking an exam “just to see what it’s like”. That’s not a winning attitude. You’re not there to see what it’s like; you’re there to pass so you don’t have to see it again. Would you work on a router or switch with the attitude of “let’s just see what happens”? Not on my network. And not on anybody else’s, hopefully.

Go in the testing room with an aggressive attitude. You’ve planned; you’ve studied; you’ve sacrificed. You’re ready to seize your destiny and pass the exam. We play the game to win the game. We take the exam to pass the exam. And from someone who’s been there – there is no feeling in the world like seeing “PASS” on that computer screen!

Some Final Exam Tidbits

For many of you, this may be your first Cisco certification exam. Here are a few tips that all candidates should find helpful, especially first-timers.

Make sure to bring your wallet or purse. You cannot take the exam without proper identification. You're required to have two picture IDs.

Make sure the marker you are given had a fine point and is not dry.

When you go in, you’ll be asked to enter your testing ID. Once you do that, the exam engine starts running. However, this doesn’t mean the test starts.

When you take a Cisco exam, you’ll first be presented with a survey. The survey consists of 10 – 20 questions asking about your background, preparation methods, and comfort level with different technologies. This is a good time to catch your breath before starting the exam. The survey will only take about five minutes, and this time does not count against your exam time. Finally, the exam starts! Since you have prepared correctly and efficiently, this will be a pleasant experience for you. Speaking of that grade, you’ll be presented with it about five seconds after you answer the final question.

Cisco exams no longer allow CCNA and CCNP candidates to go back once a question is answered, so be prepared for that.

I hope you've enjoyed this look at how best to prepare for your CCNA success. The Cisco certification program has made tremendous professional success possible not only for me, but for CCNAs around the world.. That success is waiting for you. By following the plan I’ve laid out for you here, you can begin creating the foundation for an incredible future.

Avaya Is Said to Plan $1 Billion IPO for as Soon as April

Avaya Holdings Corp., the communications-gear maker owned by private-equity firms Silver Lake and TPG Capital, plans to hold its initial public offering as soon as April, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

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The company, based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, filed in June to raise $1 billion in an IPO. It put off the sale amid stock-market swings that left some investors reluctant to buy shares in newly minted companies, said the people, who asked not to be identified. The timing could slip, the people said.

Cisco Systems Inc., the top manufacturer of networking equipment and a competitor to Avaya, slumped 11 percent last year, while rival Juniper Networks Inc. dropped 45 percent. The weakness reflected concerns that customers would delay upgrades amid economic turmoil. The outlook brightened in recent weeks after quarterly results from Cisco exceeded profit and sales estimates and analysts predicted that AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. telephone company, would step up capital spending.

Avaya Inc., which is owned by Avaya Holdings, reported on Feb. 13 that its fourth quarter net loss narrowed to $26 million from $180 million a year earlier while sales rose 1.5 percent to $1.39 billion. The company cut costs in fiscal 2011 by eliminating jobs and consolidating facilities.

Market Share

Synergy Research Group said in August that Avaya gained share in the global market for voice equipment for corporate customers. It ranks No. 2 in the market behind Cisco.

Telecommunications capital spending began increasing last year for the first time since 2009, according to Yankee Group. The research firm said last May that global expenditures will rise to $302.2 billion in 2014 from $275.7 billion in 2011.

Stacey Torman, a representative of Avaya, declined to comment.

AT&T, based in Dallas, is planning to make “reasonably healthy” orders from networking companies this year, Jefferies Group Inc. said in report yesterday.

Avaya was spun off from Lucent Technologies Inc. in 2000 and taken private in 2007 for $8.2 billion. Later, it acquired an equipment business from Nortel Networks Corp. for $943 million.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are leading the IPO, Avaya said in its June 9 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company didn’t disclose how many shares it will sell or give a price range in the filing.

Maintenance fee nerves jangling at Oracle?

Oracle bending to customer demand or playing a crafty hand?

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Chris Kanarakus reports that Oracle has waivered extended support fees. Given what we know about Oracle’s masterful account control in its customer base you might be forgiven for wondering why this is the case. Citing Forrester analyst Paul Hamerman, Kanaracus offers several possible explanations including:

Keep customers happy while not force marching to Fusion
Waiting for Fusion to reach feature/function parity with eBusiness Suite
Keep customers from straying into the arms of third party maintenance providers like Rimini Street

I sense the decision is much more pragmatic. As Kanaracus observes, maintenance fees are extraordinarily lucrative, generating gross margin north of 90%. Until recently, maintenance fees have been a small fraction of total IT spend. When weighed against for example the cost of upgrade, they often look like little more than a rounding error. So what has changed? I sense there are several factors in play:

Direct IT department spend has stagnated or is falling yet demands for IT to deliver value are rising.
Newer technologies and especially those that are sold on a consumption basis are coming in directly via line of business departments rather than IT.
While most commenters recognise that cloud based applications will remain a minor part of the overall landscape for the immediate future, the long term threat is real for incumbents like Oracle.
Oracle, like every other incumbent on-premise player is desperate to maintain margins while figuring out a way of getting on the cloud bus.

My guess is that Oracle is viewing this combination of factors as creating an environment where treading lightly keeps the cash register ticking over while giving the company breathing space. The question in my mind is just how long that breathing space will last.

In The New Technology Elite, Vinnie Mirchandani makes the bold statement:

For too long IT has been an expensive and low-payback back-office investment. Now technology in the companies’ products is allowing them to generate revenue and growth.

As I look back over time and think about the numerous ERP failures, the lack of genuine innovation, the stress that some companies have felt and yet balance that against the fat margins companies like Oracle, SAP, Infor, Microsoft and others make I wonder whether the maintenance chickens are finally coming home to roost.

In Oracle’s case, the problems are compounded by a less than stellar performance in its hardware story. As Larry Dignan observed:

The problem, however, is that Oracle saw new software license revenue gain only 2 percent in the second quarter from a year ago to $2 billion. Updates and support revenue was up 8 percent to $4 billion. Hardware systems revenue fell 14 percent from a year ago to $953 million in the second quarter. In addition, Oracle couldn’t blame currency fluctuations either—the growth rates in constant currencies mirrored the actual results.

As Oracle closes out its Q3, analysts will be watching all line items to better understand where the real weaknesses are in Oracle’s business model.

Intel sneaks out quad-core Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E processor for under $300

If Intel’s six-core Sandy Bridge-E CPUs were too rich for your blood (and wallet), the chip giant is now giving you a more affordable option. The Core i7-3820 sports only four cores, but it also carries a much lighter price of $294. The new chip has a higher clock speed than its siblings at 3.6GHz, but [...]

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If Intel’s six-core Sandy Bridge-E CPUs were too rich for your blood (and wallet), the chip giant is now giving you a more affordable option. The Core i7-3820 sports only four cores, but it also carries a much lighter price of $294.

The new chip has a higher clock speed than its siblings at 3.6GHz, but its Turbo Boost maxes out at 3.9GHz like the Core i7-3960X. It also has only 10MB of cache, while the 3960X comes with 15MB and the i7-3930K includes 12MB.

The 3820 is priced lower than the Core i7-2600K, despite having some key advantages (support for quad-channel memory and PCIe 3.0), though it requires a new, pricey X79-based motherboard. Would you rather get the new CPU and motherboard, or go with the older processor and cheaper LGA 1155 motherboard? Let us know in the Talkback section.

Apple launches the iPad into the classroom

A home is where treasures are kept. Treasures in many California homes are in the form of furniture collections with a coffee table from a favorite antique store or a wing-back chair you inherited from a grandmother , or may be your electronics collection with flat screen high-definition television and surround sound equipment. Even your garage is full of things boxes of treasures of which you may only have of vague recollection.

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Your most important treasures are, of course, your wife and children. Naturally, you want all these to remain safe and a part of your life. Unfortunately, there are others who share your world who would like to relieve you of these treasures for their own gain. There may come a time when you feel the need to protect yourself and those you love with security. California security is available in many forms: by a guard with training in Los Angeles, by electronic alarm systems, or by camera surveillance.

Investing in an alarm system for your home can help you sleep better at night in your own bedroom, as well as help you play better when away from home on vacation or business trips. Representatives from alarm system companies may visit your home in person to help you design the perfect alarm system to protect your possessions and your family. Sophisticated electronic systems are disguised in a simple control panel that mounts on a convenient wall in your house, which can then be programmed to alert you and local law enforcement when a door or window of your home is opened, or when an intruder is seen on camera surveillance.


For example, one man was concerned about nightly robberies which were occurring in his small rural mining town. He traveled out of state often with his work. He decided to be proactive in protecting his possessions, and bought an electronic alarm system with a proven track record. One feature of this system included the capability to alert him by mobile phone text if his home alarm system were activated. One week after he bought and installed the system, he received a text that his alarm system had sounded. He immediately called the local police near his residence. Law enforcement was already en route; they caught the thief, who was still at the residence in the act of removing expensive electronic equipment.

There are ways to be sure your personal guard has training in Los Angeles and is completely trustworthy. One such service, called the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, accepts applications from would-be guards. The Bureau, and other companies like it, then checks criminal history and posts applicants who are ready for employment as guards on their web site. It is important to note, however, that some states may allow those applicants with a past history of felony or misdemeanor offenses to qualify for employment as a registered guard after careful review of circumstances and possible rehabilitation. Some applicants with a criminal history may become guards, but may be restricted from carrying a weapon.


Not everyone needs this type of personal security. However, a widow in a large city felt particularly vulnerable after her husband’s death. She even suspected she was being followed when she left her house to go shopping or to walk her dog. Her children, who lived out of state, contacted an agency that provided personal security guard protection at specified times of the day to help her feel more confident every time she went out of her home. The widow saw no more evidences that she was being followed by strangers, and she was comforted to know someone was nearby that she could trust to help her if needed. Her children were also comforted to know the one they treasured was protected.

Oracle seeks new trial in IP theft suit against SAP

Oracle's plan to drag its legal fight against rival SAP's defunct TomorrowNow subsidiary through a second trial is not surprising, analysts said Tuesday.

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The company clearly wants to distract SAP by forcing it to go through another bruising battle in court, they said.

"SAP wanted to get this whole messy affair behind it as quickly as possible," said Frank Scavo, president of Computer Economics, an IT research firm. "Right now, SAP has a lot of momentum, but if Oracle can keep the dispute alive it keeps SAP on the defensive."

Oracle on Monday rejected a federal judge's September ruling that had awarded it $272 million in damages in its IP infringement lawsuit against SAP.

Judge Phyllis Hamilton's decision cut about $1 billion from the $1.3 billion in damages awarded by a jury hearing the suit in late 2010.

Hamilton said Oracle could either accept the damages she awarded or seek a new trial.

Oracle has claimed--and SAP has subsequently admitted -- that the now-closed TomorrowNow subsidiary infringed on Oracle's intellectual property and IPs when it delivered third-party support and maintenance services to Oracle customers.

Oracle in September had vowed to seek the $1.3 billion awarded by the jury. In the motion filed Monday U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Oracle formally rejected the $272 million award and said it had "no choice but to elect a new trial."

Accepting Hamilton's ruling would "force Oracle to risk waiving its right to appeal the Court's decision on the motions for judgment as a matter of law and for a new trial," the company said.

Scavo said Oracle's motion for a new trail isn't surprising. "Oracle's continued pursuit of SAP is just one battle in the war against third-party support," he noted.

Oracle has filed a similar lawsuit against Rimini Street, a provider of low-cost support services for users of enterprise software products from vendors such as Oracle, Siebel, PeopleSoft and SAP.

Rimini Street has claimed its services cost just half of what enterprises would otherwise need to pay Oracle, SAP and others for maintenance and support,

Oracle, which derives substantial revenues from such services, has claimed that Rimini and TomorrowNow are able to deliver the services only by illegally using Oracle software.

Scavo said the Rimini Street battle is more critical for Oracle than the TomorrowNow fight. "If that decision goes against Oracle, it essentially validates the legal basis for third-party support," he said.

Paul Hamerman, an analyst at Forrester Research, said Oracle's request for a new trial should have been expected given the significant difference between the jury's damage award and the judge's decision.

Also, he said "Oracle can afford to drag this out. The rivalry motivates Oracle to keep SAP on the defensive, and prolongs the agony for SAP, which just wants to put this case behind it," he said.

IT executives should take note of Oracle's actions and be careful when entering into contracts with third-party software service providers, Scavo added.

"Organizations that are currently looking at third-party maintenance should have their legal counsel take a careful look at the proposed contracts to ensure that their interests are adequately protected," he said.

In a statement, SAP said it was "disappointed that Oracle has passed up yet another opportunity to resolve this case. We will continue to work to bring this case to a fair and reasonable end."

Preparing Open Source Software Compliance Guidelines

The purpose of these Open Source Software Compliance Guidelines (Guidelines) is to provide guidance in the development of procedures designed to verify compliance with the license requirements of various open source software applications and code (OSS) used internally or included in products for distribution. Technology lawyers, advisors and consultants need to be aware of issues surrounding open source software in order to properly advise their clients.

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The output of these Guidelines should be (1) an Open Source Software Compliance Policy (OSS Policy) that describes the policies and procedures applicable to the company's use of OSS, and (2) an inventory (OSS Inventory) of all OSS approved for use within the company.

The OSS Policy must be designed with the company's culture and specific way of operating in mind in order to be effective. The OSS Policy should also be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

The OSS Inventory is the ultimate output of these Guidelines and the OSS Policy. However, it will also serve as a ready document, in modified form, that can be provided to customers that may request a listing of OSS contained in distributed products and to a potential partner or acquirer which is performing due diligence.


It is important to note that 3rd party proprietary software will often contain OSS components. Therefore, particularly when such software is being included in a distributed product, it is necessary to have the vendor identify all OSS components so that they can be considered along the lines as set forth below.

Designated Gatekeeper:

A person or committee should be designated for approval of all OSS proposed to be used internally or included in products for distribution. In order for this procedure to be effective, notice must be provided to relevant company personnel that the company requires prior approval of all OSS utilized in any manner within the company. Such notice must be conspicuous and repeated at regular intervals. In addition, supervisors must also be instructed to reinforce this requirement. Special attention must be paid to development teams which are accustomed to pulling OSS from various places, and usually operate subject to tight deadlines.

Request for Approval:


1. Requests for approval should be submitted within the amount of time prior to use/implementation as stated in the OSS Policy. The approval process should be initiated with the submission of a document that contains at least the following information:

2. Name/Version Number/Source of Open Source Software

3. Name of Applicable License (e.g., GNU General Public License v.2, zlib, BSD), and Source Address for the License

4. Name of Entity/Person Granting License

5. Source Address from which OSS will be Obtained

6. Description of How OSS will be Used (e.g., internally, as a development tool, embedded in distributed product, etc.)

7. If included in distributed product, description of the manner in which these OSS will interact with the company's proprietary source code (i.e., will the OSS be compiled and/or linked statically or dynamically with the company's proprietary source code?)

8. The manner in which the OSS will be implemented (e.g., modified vs. unmodified, standalone, statically linked, dynamically linked, etc.).

9. Description of whether the OSS will be modified

10. Statement as to whether the OSS is a key product component

11. Statement as to whether the OSS well-known and widely used

12. Target date for OSS use/implementation

Approval Process:

The approval process involves examining risk areas relating to using the particular OSS. Risk areas may include:

1. Does the OSS license require making modified source code publicly available?

2. Does the OSS license require that source code for company's proprietary software be made publicly available? (e.g., will there be static linking of GPL code with company's proprietary software?)

3. Has there been litigation or other issues relating to the subject OSS?

4. Does the OSS license contain ambiguous terms, thereby potentially placing a cloud on company's rights to use the OSS in a certain manner?

5. Will lack of warranties and intellectual property indemnification pose a risk to company vis-à-vis customer expectation and demands?

It is important that the approval process be conducted quickly, and the expected time period for approval should be set forth in the OSS Policy. Otherwise, users and developers are likely to get frustrated and find ways to get around the procedures as deadlines approach.

When new versions of approved OSS are used, an expedited approval process should take place. This allows the OSS Inventory to be kept up to date, and will prevent gaps forming in the inventory that could end up becoming large holes.

Compliance:

The goal of an OSS Policy is to achieve compliance with each OSS license. Depending upon the licenses involved, compliance may include any of the following:

1. Inclusion in appropriate documentation of warranty disclaimers, liability exclusions, author attribution, and proprietary rights notices.

2. Inclusion in appropriate documentation of the applicable OSS end user license agreement.

3. Public delivery or availability of source code for the unmodified version or the modified version.

4. Public delivery or availability of source code for company's proprietary software if linked to a "copyleft" open source software code in a manner that requires this result.

5. Marking of modifications made to the OSS source code.

Audits:

On a periodic basis, at least annually, an audit should take place to verify that the OSS Inventory is accurate and up to date. The audit process can be as simple as distributing the OSS Inventory to key personnel who will sign off on it, or as complex as installing monitoring software that will identify OSS on the company's computer system. The extent of the audit will depend upon company's needs and the volume of open source OSS in use.

OSS Training:

Current and new employees should participate in an OSS Policy training session to ensure that they are aware of the company's procedures and requirements in this area.

Why you can't afford to resist the cloud

Large and small enterprises are creating new business opportunities through their use of the cloud, at the expense of those who are slower to adapt.

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While many are still digging in their heels against moving to the cloud, they’re finding it harder and harder to do so. Not only because the business case becomes stronger every day, but also because cloud platform providers are acting to address the objections that used to slow or stymie adoption. This week saw Amazon provide another hook between its AWS cloud and enterprise data centers with the launch of its Storage Gateway appliance, which makes S3 storage look like just another iSCSI interface in the data center. Yesterday VMWare announced multi-cloud capability for its Cloud Foundry platform, eliminating provider lock-in for organisations that run their apps on the platform. Of course there are bad ways as well as good ways to use these hybrid tools, but that’s a topic for another post. The key takeaway is that cloud providers are taking steps to allay many of the concerns that have been raised in the past by enterprise IT buyers.

Meanwhile, it’s the business case that provides the compelling argument for going cloud. Yesterday, I heard two fascinating accounts from opposite ends of the enterprise spectrum about the transformative effect of cloud in their businesses. Both were speakers at Cloud Expo Europe in London, providing more grist for the mill of my forthcoming book about the emergence of frictionless enterprise. I was attending as a speaker on behalf of cloud platform distributor Boston [see disclosure].

Banking multinational HSBC was at one end of the spectrum, demonstrating that transformation isn’t just for small, green-field enterprises. It was a delight to hear the enthusiasm and confidence of Barry Childe, head of research, innovation and delivery for the bank’s global banking and markets division. His presentation talked about how cloud allows an organisation to reduce complexity, dramatically lower costs, and provide the best IT solutions to its business units — not just in theory but based on the bank’s proven experience. “This is not vapourware, this is about delivery of end solutions,” he insisted.

While he’s not allowed to publicly cite metrics, Childe did say that the bank’s cloud projects had more than lived up to expectations, stating: “I would consider our performance as exceptional.” I wondered whether those cloud-powered IT solutions were simply a matter of helping the bank do better what it had always done, or were some of them going beyond the bank’s traditional activities? His reply to my question was emphatic: “We’re doing things we could never have dreamed about a few years ago.”

At the opposite end of the scale, startup CEO Geoff Newman described how the cloud has helped his company grow from an investment of less than £10k to become a multi-million-pound business in just two years. Recruitment Genius is what I would call a classic frictionless enterprise story, finding its niche by using the cloud to take friction out of the recruitment process — its service posts a company’s job ads to a tailored selection of online job boards, filters the responses and provides an online applicant tracking system where recruiters can sort the CVs and arrange interviews.

Behind the scenes, its use of the cloud to drive its infrastructure is equally game-changing. All staff work virtually, using Gmail, Basecamp, Dropbox and Voipfone to collaborate. The company stores its applicant CVs on AWS, saves its Java code libraries on Google Code and runs its SQL database on Azure, with all files backed up to JungleDisk. It hosts its other servers on UK cloud hoster ElasticHosts, its videos on Vimeo and achieves a distinctive web presence with online fonts from Monotype Imaging’s fonts.com. Even the programmers that develop the company’s online functionality are hired on-demand using the cloud and are paid by the hour. “We’re able to scale our workforce and our cloud computing as necessary,” said Newman.

With its lean infrastructure and operating costs, and its direct connection into online job boards and social media, Recruitment Genius is hollowing out the business model of traditional recruitment agencies — as the company says on its website, “In 2009 we realised we had smashed our own recruitment agency model, but in its place was something far more exciting and effective.”

There’s a warning there for everyone that attempts to dismiss the cloud as a fad or as just another means of delivering IT. Those who really seize its potential are creating entirely new business opportunities — not only start-ups like Recruitment Genius but also big established firms like HSBC. And those initiatives are stealing business away from others that are slower to react to what’s going on. As the cloud matures, resistance isn’t merely futile; ignore the cloud and you could find your business has bought a one-way ticket to the scrapheap.

Cisco aims to simplify, unify collaboration products' design, interfaces

Cisco is in the midst of a major initiative to better integrate its various collaboration products and to give their interfaces a uniform, consistent design in order to make them easier to use and more effective at helping employees work with each other.

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The project is known internally as Futurama, and it's driven by the company's conviction that the consumerization of IT is a real trend in the enterprise. Thus, Cisco wants collaboration products like WebEx, Quad, Jabber IM, Tandberg and Social Miner to replicate the "user-centric" simplicity of consumer social networks and consumer mobile devices.

In addition, these collaboration products will continue to be integrated with each other until they provide a "seamless," unified experience so that users can move among them organically as their collaboration tasks require, said Raj Gossain, vice president of product management of Cisco's Collaboration Software Group.

"It's not just about making each of our products great unto themselves. Our objective is to bring these solutions together so that as people escalate from different experiences they feel that they are engaging with Cisco collaboration technologies in a consistent fashion: similar controls, common identity, elegant user experience," he said.

Cisco has been working aggressively on the Futurama user-experience design effort for the past year, and its results are just starting to show up in product upgrades and enhancements, but users will see a major push in this area this year, he said.

The fruits of Futurama will appear not only in the user interfaces of collaboration applications but also in the design of Cisco collaboration devices, such as the Tandberg video conferencing products, its IP phones and its Cius tablet.

"We're trying to deliver a common user experience so that everything feels like it's coming from the same vendor. We're making great progress. You'll see a number of new solutions launching this year that are delivered against that Futurama spec," Gossain said. "It's all about a quality, elegant experience, that's easy, intuitive and consistent."

The goal is to tap into the consumerization-of-IT trend and reduce the training and adoption burden that many enterprise computing technologies and products still place on IT departments and employees, he said. "We want to make these solutions as easy to use as Apple products, and as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn."

An example of Futurama's influence can be seen in the new version of the WebEx web-conferencing and online-meetings application, which was announced in November and is currently in public beta, he said. The Quad enterprise social-networking software will also feature Futurama-inspired design enhancements this year, Gossain said.

"You'll see products launching in the next few months that comply with this internal standard that we've established," he said.
Cisco, best known for its networking hardware, recently identified enterprise collaboration as one of several growth markets it's focusing on. It has been investing in and developing its collaboration portfolio in recent years and believes it now has a very strong offer to compete against the likes of Microsoft, IBM, Google and others.

Specifically, Cisco's collaboration stack now includes IP telephony, high-end telepresence, enterprise social networking, online meetings, and Web conferencing and social media monitoring. The company is focusing on both on-premise and cloud software that can be accessed via a broad range of platforms, browsers and devices.

Avaya SMB collaboration platform gets robust new mobile client

Android and Apple iPhone devices will get a richer conferencing and unified communications experience with Avaya IP Office 8.0.

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The latest version of Avaya’s unified communications platform for small and midsize businesses boasts two major changes: a robust mobile application and the ability to integrate communications features into certain key business applications.

The mobile component of Avaya IP Office 8.0 is called one-X Mobile Preferred for IP Office. Initially available for Android devices (Apple iPhone is coming soon), the application allows users to manage who is on a conference call — allowing them to invite, view, mute or drop participants. The mobile application is recognized by the IP Office presence application, so that people can tell when you are available or shouldn’t be disturbed. There also is a “geopresence” feature that broadcasts where someone is located. (Part of me can see the usefulness of this feature, but it also smacks a little bit of employee babysitting.)

one-X Mobile Preferred is an extension of Avaya’s Essential Mobility technology.

The other major enhancement to Avaya’s latest SMB unified communications platform update comes in the form of new plug-ins to widely used business productivity applications.

Oracle prices its SAP HANA rival Exalytics, signaling imminent release

Oracle made a splash on Tuesday when it announced the general availability of its Big Data Appliance, but the company also quietly released pricing information for Exalytics, another new member in its family of specialized hardware-software appliances and a likely competitor to SAP's HANA product, suggesting that a general-availability announcement for that product is imminent.

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Both Exalytics and HANA incorporate in-memory databases, providing a performance boost over systems that read and write data from disks. HANA was released in June.

Oracle's Engineered System price list, which was updated Tuesday, states that the Exalytics In-Memory Machine X2-4 costs US$135,000, along with an additional $29,700 for annual support and other fees.

The machine consists of a single server with 1TB of RAM and four Intel Xeon E7-4800 processors, each with 10 cores, according to an Oracle whitepaper. Exalytics machines can also be clustered together.

But the machine pricing doesn't account for the software that runs on it, which includes the TimesTen in-memory database and Oracle's Business Intelligence Foundation Suite, the latter of which is a licensing prerequisite for TimesTen, according to the price list.

Oracle is charging $34,500 per processor license for TimesTen on Exalytics, along with another 22 percent of that sum for annual maintenance. In contrast, TimesTen processor licenses are priced at $23,000, plus 22 percent maintenance on Oracle's current Technology Global Price List, which was last updated Oct. 20.

However, TimesTen on Exalytics costs $300 per Named User Plus if customers decide to use that purchasing model, with a minimum of 100 users, compared to $460 per Named User Plus on the global technology list.

BI Foundation Suite, meanwhile, is priced at $450,000 per processor license, or $3,675 per Named User Plus. The number of BI Foundation Suite licenses must be the same as the number of TimesTen for Exalytics licenses, according to Oracle.

Oracle has done some engineering to make TimesTen and BI Foundation work better together on Exalytics, according to the whitepaper.

Exalytics also "supports the broad portfolio of Oracle BI and EPM applications right out of the box," and customers who have existing applications built with Oracle BI Enterprise Edition and Essbase can migrate them to Exalytics without changes, according to the whitepaper.

"They're charging more than I thought they would for the hardware," said Eric Guyer, an independent consultant who advises Oracle customers on purchasing strategies with the vendor. Guyer, who also writes the blog oracleoptimization.com, had previously estimated that Oracle would list price the hardware at about $95,000.

"Obviously, there's a lot less margin for the hardware than software," Guyer said. "I haven't seen a discount further than 25 percent on hardware from Oracle, not on x86 gear." By that measure, an Exalytics system could end up costing a customer about $101,250 for the hardware. "They've given themselves headroom for negotiation."

As far as the software goes, customers should base their decisions on the type of deployment they have in mind, according to Guyer. Those looking to deploy Exalytics-powered reports and applications to a small subset of workers in their organization would find the named user licensing model more economical, whereas the processor model would make sense if the goal is to deliver such features to "uncountable" numbers of users.

Going by list price, the processor model would result in a machine with a price tag approaching $10 million. But customers can expect significant discounts from Oracle on the software, perhaps greater than 70 percent, bringing the average price down to about $3 million, he said.

"Oracle didn't have a good Q2," Guyer noted. "Going into Q3 and Q4, for someone that really wants this Exalytics machine, I think they could really negotiate this down."

Indeed, Oracle's second-quarter results, which showed a 14 percent drop in hardware systems product revenue, may have accelerated the release schedule for both Exalytics and the Big Data appliance. Oracle is under pressure from investors to boost the hardware business and its leadership is no doubt looking to give sales teams as many products as possible to push as its fiscal year draws to a close.

Meanwhile, Oracle shares many customers with SAP and some of those may be evaluating HANA.

While SAP plans to position HANA over time for transactional as well as analytic workloads, the rivalry between the two companies' products is difficult to deny.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, for one, has previously mocked SAP's plans for HANA. And Ellison's keynote at last year's OpenWorld introducing Exalytics prompted senior SAP executive Sanjay Poonen to write a scathing essay, arguing that Exalytics was based on old technology.

It was not immediately clear how Oracle's pricing for Exalytics directly compares to HANA.

Pricing for HANA depends on the use case and SAP hasn't disclosed a uniform price list, said spokesman James Dever. "Each deployment can be different so at this phase we haven't disclosed standardized pricing."

Another wrinkle is the fact that Exalytics and Oracle's other appliances are built only with Sun hardware, while SAP is working with a range of hardware vendors that are creating HANA systems, adding more potential variability on pricing.

In any case, Exalytics' cost may not be a major barrier for Oracle, depending on the circumstances.

"When BI is too slow, executives may yell at IT," said analyst Curt Monash of Monash Research. "This can make IT urgently want a solution, with price-effectiveness not being the chief buying criterion."

Outsource PHP Developer From PHP Web Development Company

Outsourcing is the most prominent field of modern business era as it provides several benefits that we can get in terms of cost savings, focus on core business, Cost restructuring, Improve quality, Operational expertise, Access to talent, Risk management, Reduce time to market and Tax Benefit. Outsourcing is become the essential part of all modern businesses.

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Now days outsourcing of software industry is really at boom as it provides several mutual benefits to outsourcing company and the company who hire the outsourcing company. Outsourcing the php developers for web development is also a most common part of software outsourcing as in the outsourcing countries php development is being done on major scale because it provides several benefits.

Here are some benefits of php web development :-

1) Open source language:- Php is an open source language as it is free of cost. This is the best feature of php as web development is being completed at very low cost.

2) Straight-away and secured language:- The web application developed in php language are very fast and immensely secured and this should be the basic requirement of a php web application development, hence php web development company are generally more concentrating on php web development.


3) High usability and friendly language:- Php has the great usability among many web developing languages and this feature is originated because of its friendly nature as it is easy to learn, and adaptable.

4) Compatible with many operating systems and web servers :- Php is compatible with many operating systems and web servers, this feature lead it to say most common web development language.

5) Support various databases:- Php support almost all databases like Mysql, Oracle, Sybase and others. Thus provides great functionality in web development.

6) Consistently updating language:- Php is not a sleeping language it is always updating by global experts according to need of modern web development and thus always provides better and better benefits in web development.

Thus we have known the several most important benefits of php web development that avails a php web development company in php outsourcing.

Now the question that arises in our mind is what are the guidelines on which we can decide a company is good for php development or not.


Here are some points that we have to keep in mind while choosing an outsource php development company:-

1) First of all find out a company which has the dedication and business ethics which you have in your organisation as these are really important things in terms of outsourcing a php web development company.

2) Is the company has the expertise that your company required?. For accomplishing this task you can also take help of a company for choosing the talent pool that you need.

3) Look the company should be flexible enough in terms of services and harnessing the talent.

4) Identify the organisation and people who have taken the service benefits from outsourcing php development company.

5) Updated with latest technology is also an important point as far as considering the outsourcing php web development company.

6)In last, demo of services and product will also help you in choosing the right php web development company.

In summary, we have known the several benefits that an organisation can get by hiring an outsource php web development company for php web development. And also the key points that help us in choosing the right php web development company.

Expertsfromindia.com is a very reliable and fast growing php web development company. It has great specialisation in php web development. EFI has very talented pool of php developers which provides very customised and prompt services. You can also outsource php developers for full time, part time or salary basis.

Home Education within the UK - A Helpful Guide For Other Countries

Education is not thought-about a privilege. In most jurisdictions, 'education' is taken into account as an essential half of a kid's rights.

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Within the UK, education has always commanded a high priority in the society. The govt., in turn, has continuously adopted a liberal education policy, as highlighted from the laws of the land. That's why the concept of Home Education (HE) has invariably been an integral part of society in the UK.

Why Home Education?

Because of a multicultural and plural society as prevalent within the UK, the reasons for folks to opt for Home Education may vary. A number of the common factors influencing parents' decisions regarding the tutorial desires of their kids include:

- Non secular, philosophical, or religious compulsions

- Unsatisfactory school system

- Lack of suitable schools in the locality

- To meet the precise and/or special desires of some youngsters, like those littered with diseases such as Cerebral Palsy, autism etc.

- Failure of kid and college management to effectively tackle bound conditions in college, like bullying, corporal punishment etc.


- Financial reasons etc.

Recently, the Parental Responsibility has emerged collectively of the major reasons for Home-Educating youngsters in the UK. Additional and additional oldsters are trying to learn the art of true parenthood and are relishing the extra responsibility of being (really) responsible for the growth of the thought method within the child.

Whatever might be the compelling circumstances, Home Education is here to stay, and is being increasingly most well-liked in the UK. An estimated 100,000 kids between the ages of five and 16 are being given Home Education by their folks in the United Kingdom, and the figure is possible to extend in the coming years.

Benefits of Home Education

Home Education (tutorial-based teaching) has several benefits over classroom education (instructions-primarily based teaching). Some of these embody:

1. The child tends to receive individualistic and so much more attention at home than at school.

2. Comfy home environment in the corporate of parents offers the child an ideal environment to learn.


3. The absence of awe-inspiring lecturers suggests that fast feedback from the child to assess his/her learning capabilities.

4. The Kid can learn at their own pace, and follow their own curriculum and interests.

5. Enhanced self-motivation and self-discipline within the child.

6. Instilment of parental values instead of peer values in the child.

7. Cultivation of courage to arrive at freelance decisions.

8. Avoid damaging competition in search of higher grades from the peers and fellow students.

9. Special youngsters need special attention that can only be provided underneath home conditions.

10. Above all, as a parental responsibility of teaching your child, nothing is a lot of beneficial and satisfactory than to take complete responsibility of your kid's education.

Shortcomings of Home Education

One should conjointly consider some disadvantages of Home Education before deciding the academic way forward for the child. Some of these embody:

1. Non-development of social skills thanks to the absence of interaction with peers and teachers.

2. Special experience and skills needed to show may be lacking within the parents. Moreover, they could not be abreast of the most recent technologies and teaching aids that may facilitate the child learn better.

3. Even each the parents combined could not know all the themes needed for the right education of the child.

4. Oldsters might ultimately pay a substantial quantity of time equipping themselves with the abilities to show their kid; thus, losing out on the chance to supplement the family income.

5. Laboratories, gyms, and different facilities provided by school authorities could not be accessible from home.

6. A child's progress will not be adequately monitored, especially as they are doing not must follow the National Curriculum or take SATs.

Home Education in UK - Legal Side

The UK is divided into totally different legal jurisdictions. As an example, there are totally different sets of laws applicable in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. However, substantially, of these jurisdictions follow similar legal principles and postulates, with minor variations.

Home Education has legal sanction in all 3 regions within the UK. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 (England and Wales), Sections thirty of Education (Scotland) Act 1980, and Article forty five of Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, are the relevant legal provisions that provide the requisite teeth to the concept of Home Education in the UK.

Here is that the outline of these legalities as applicable within the UK:

Solely 'education' is compulsory under UK laws and not 'schooling.'

No qualification is prescribed for the fogeys desirous of giving Home Education to their child.

Parents are at absolute liberty to determine how they need their kid to be educated at home.

No compulsion of following the National Curriculum or observing faculty hours.

Folks should ensure that their kid receives an efficient full time education, suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude, and to any special instructional needs the child might have.

Oldsters are not legally obligated to tell the Local Education Authority (LEA) after they decide to educate their youngsters at home. If the kid has never been registered at a State faculty, or if you progress to an area served by another LEA, you're not obliged to notify the LEA, though you'll do so if you wish. If you're taking your kid out of a state college in England or Wales, the head teacher should remove the kid's name from the register and inform the LEA. If your kid has special desires and attends a special school, you need permission to deregister.

However, if you are withdrawing your child from a State school in Scotland, the LEA should be informed.

No special Government grants are available for Home Education in UK.

No formal tests are required to pass by the child. However, the LEA might ask for data informally at intervals to observe your child's progress.

There is no prohibition on the Home Education of a statemented kid provided he/she is not attending a special school, in that case you need the consent of the LEA.

Home-Educated kids will take GCSEs as non-public candidates or as students of correspondence courses. But, it's not compulsory to require GCSEs.

To handle the concern for social deprivation of Home-Educated youngsters, in many areas, home educators meet frequently for social, educational, and alternative activities. Kids conjointly attend clubs, classes, sporting and leisure activities in the community. Youngsters get to interact with people of all ages as well as their peers.

Jillian Cook has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Special Education, you can also check out his latest website about:
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