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8/4/2004 -- I love information technology. Good thing, since it’s how I make my living. And lately, we’re seeing a lot of good things happening in the IT arena. More and more tech jobs are becoming available. Hardware is getting cheaper and cheaper even as it gets faster and faster (Moore’s law in action!). Companies are loosening their IT budgets, and are starting to bring on more IT projects — upgrades, new systems, custom software. And, of course, the technology itself is ever-changing, mostly for the better.
What are some of the most significant technology changes, you ask? Many, of course, but below are my top five improvements/changes in technology over the last year or so.
Exchange Server 2003
I’ve been working with Exchange since its introduction, and any of you who’ve had the pleasure of working with Exchange 4.0 can appreciate how far Exchange has come. With 5.5 we saw the beginnings of enterprise-class stability, performance and scalability, coming to fruition with Exchange 2000. Now, with this latest version, Microsoft has really sweetened the pot.
For starters, they’ve incorporated Mobile Information Server into Exchange 2003. With features like wireless Active Sync and Outlook Mobile Access, Exchange 2003 does a great job of supporting mobile devices (especially those that run Pocket PC). Outlook Web Access is also greatly improved. While still not as rich an interface as regular Outlook (it is a web application, after all), OWA now has enough functionality to serve as the primary mail client for most users. In fact, we now have clients that use OWA exclusively — no support headaches with MAPI profiles!
I’d like to see better integration with Active Directory, being able to use OUs as distribution lists, for example, but overall I am quite happy with Exchange.
Centrino Processor
Intel, along with the various notebook manufacturers, likes to tout the built-in wireless networking that the Centrino processor affords. But that’s not why I like it (I mean, a wireless cardbus adapter is under $90). No, I love this chip because of its performance and low power requirements. In the past, you had to choose between performance and long battery life in a notebook. With the Centrino, you get both.
Wireless Networking
I am writing this column on my laptop in my easy chair — no power cables, now network cables, no cables at all. The mouse I’m using is happily interfacing with the laptop via Bluetooth, while the laptop’s built-in 802.11b wireless adapter keeps me connected to the Internet. Yes, WiFi technology has been around a while, but in the last year or so it has really become ubiquitous. Most of my clients have wireless networks in place, and you gotta’ love those HotSpots! Ah, what can be better than sipping a grande mocha with whipped cream while enjoying high speed Internet access! O.K., lots of things. But when I’m out and about it’s sure good to know that Internet connectivity is as close as the nearest Starbucks.
Microsoft Terminal Services
I like a lot of things about Windows Server 2003, but I think its most significant improvement is in terminal services. Want full audio support? True 24-bit color support? Seamless and automatic mapping of local disk drives? You get it all with Remote Desktop Clients connecting to Windows Server 2003 terminal services. Yes, I know Citrix offered these things for a while now, but at much greater cost and increased management expertise. I like that I don’t need to license Citrix in order to provide my clients with a desktop environment that rivals a full featured PC.
I also like the improved terminal server load balancing available in Windows Server 2003. By referring to a session database, terminal services running on load balanced servers can ensure that users whose sessions are disconnected are reconnected to the correct server.
Low Cost Firewalls
Remember when implementing a stateful-inspection, full featured firewall meant buying a Cisco PIX or CheckPoint Firewall 1? You’d be shelling out at least $10K, and you’d need to hire a tech guru to get it configured properly. These days, you can get a decent firewall, Internet router, wireless access point, DHCP server, and even print server all rolled into one very affordable and easy to configure device.
My company’s business model wouldn’t work without these firewalls. There’s no way we could remain profitable if we had to put an expensive firewall at each client site. And the fact that these devices also support VPNs is icing on the cake.
There are certainly other important technology advancements that we’ve seen over the last year or so. Let me know your favorites by posting them below. 
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