G-Tech: June 25, 2007

No More Sticky Labels
As government tries to keep tabs on sensitive content circling the globe, tracking and labeling inventory becomes a tedious and time-consuming endeavor. HP's Handheld sp400 All-in-One product eases those tasks with a portable, high-performance printing solution. Users point the scanner to a 1D or 2D bar code, postal code or OCR code to capture supply-chain management information. Then the scanned data is sent to a management system using integrated Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities. Once new label information is received, the user rolls the device over the printing area and an image is applied directly to the surface. The handheld device provides printing speeds of up to 40 inches per second, and rugged construction allows for use in tough environments. The Handheld sp400 will be available in the fourth quarter; pricing information hasn't yet been announced.

Secure Wireless Networking in a Box
What's in high demand from government customers? Secure, high-performance wireless networks. And now, Adtran delivers that in a single chassis. The NetVanta 1335 is a multiservice access router that integrates a modular IP access router, 802.11a/b/g wireless access point (WAP), 24-port Layer 2/3 Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch, firewall, VPN appliance and Digital Service Unit/Channel Service Unit (DSU/CSU) devices for connecting an in-house line to an external digital circuit. RapidRoute technology provides enhanced performance to support IP telephony and Internet access, with advanced features like Quality of Service (QoS) and Network Address Translation (NAT), and Wi-Fi capabilities provide dual radio support at speeds of up to 54 Mbps, 802.1x for user authentication, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) and Virtual Access Points (VAPs) for segmenting wireless networks. The NetVanta 1335, at 1U (or 1.75 inches) high, includes a single expansion slot that fits any of the NetVanta Network Interface Modules (NIMs) or Dial backup Interface Modules (DIMs). It also includes one or two Gigabit SFP/1000Base-T Ethernet interfaces for stackable abilities. The NetVanta 1335 is priced from $1,595 to $2,795, depending on capabilities.

Keeping an Eye on IT
In the shadow of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, government and education institutions struggle to ensure availability of their IT environments. Aten Technology announced the KH98, a new 8-port KVM switch that features an intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) 2.0 for constant monitoring of multiple servers. Each switch can monitor up to eight servers, and cascading allows up to 73 KH98 units to be connected for controlling and monitoring up to 512 computers--all from a single console. The KH98 can also monitor the health of up to 512 IPMI-enabled servers over a LAN and provides maintenance tools such as system reset and power on/off. Administrator/User password authorization provides enhanced security. The KH98 IPMI KVM switch costs $499.95.