Compiled by Emily DiFilippo
Measuring Net Ads with Better Accuracy
NetRatings, Inc., producer of Nielsen//NetRatings services, has launched a new analytical service, Nielsen//NetRatings Internet Advertising Strategies, aimed to gauge global advertising trends and user activity with maximum accuracy. The project is headed by Kate Maddox, director of Internet Advertising Services, who e describes the reasoning behind this new service: "As Web advertising increasingly
becomes an important element of integrated marketing campaigns and evolves into a major revenue source for companies, advertisers need accurate and timely market data in order to make informed media buying decisions." The Nielsen//NetRatings Internet Advertising reports will use data collected from the Nielsen//NetRatings worldwide panel of 165,000 home and work Internet users. Focus will be placed upon click-rate trend analysis, top clicked-on banner ads, comparison between on and offline trends, and more.
Hone Your Strategies in Aspen
The Standard will be hosting its Net Returns conference from September 7th to the 9th at the St. Regis Aspen in Aspen, CO. Top executives and leaders of the Internet economy will be in attendance to deal with issues faced by Internet strategists. The conference will focus on the development of online business strategies through presentations, case studies, sharing of successful experiences, industry specific breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. To register, visit www.thestandard.com/events.
Adding Speed to the SSL Equation
The Phobos Corporation, a producer of networking hardware, has introduced a solution to slow encryption/decryption processes. This new network interface card, the IN-Boost SSL, is a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet card that offloads the burden of secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption/decryption processing from servers. The processes require complex mathematical operations that can overwhelm servers and cause errors and crashes. Encryption is necessary, however, to provide safe online transactions for e-commerce, healthcare, finance, travel, government and education purposes. The IN-Boost card can assure secure transactions for small to medium-sized businesses and can handle up to 50 times more transactions than other similar devices. Chris Bodily, Phobos product marketing manager, says that "In-house tests show that the IN-Boost SSL significantly outperforms SSL accelerator cards and other SSL offloading
devices that typically cost 3 to 5 times more. A typical server in our test labs can handle at most only 30 secure transactions per second. . . . With the IN-Boost SSL installed, secure transactions climb to over 200 per second." The card is currently priced at $2,495. For more information, visit www.phobos.com .
Networking Management Solutions for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses
The NetMAX division of Cybernet Systems has introduced a new package--the NetMAX Professional Suite--that will provide networking management solutions for small to mid-sized businesses. It's a combination of the NetMAX Firewall ProSuite, the NetMAX Internet Server ProSuite and the NetMAX FileServer, all in one package. Utilizing the Linux operating system, users can secure, connect, and share
networks. The Professional Suite, currently priced at $549, includes the Apache Web server and Sendmail email server. It can be installed within 15 minutes and is easy to upgrade because of its Intel(R)-based
architecture. For additional information, visit www.cybernet.com.
Get the Best Out of Your Banners Artificially
Artificial Life, Inc., producer of intelligent software robots for the Internet, has introduced its newest development, the Artificial Life Banner Bot. These bots, based on Artificial Life's SmartEngine technology, are intelligent, animated characters with individual personalities that exist within banner advertisements. They are capable of integrated conversations with users and can answer questions as well as entertain. The purpose of the characters is to increase the typical 1 percent click-through rate of banner ads and to make banners a more efficient method of advertising. Bots also have the capability to store and analyze conversations with users in order to provide companies with knowledge of consumer needs and trends. To view and talk with several bots and to learn more about them, visit
www.artificial-life.com/bannerad.
In Need of Better Support?
Top e-business executives, from such companies as Help Desk 2000, MyHelpDesk, Inc., Previo, Primus, Peregrine, Service911.com, and Shaman will gather in San Francisco September 20-22 for the the eSupport 2000 User Forum, an event hosted by e-support infrastructure software provider Support.com. The forum, to be held at the Palace Hotel, will focus on the "exploration, vision, and future of e-support." Case studies from the likes of Cisco, GE, Chase H&Q and others will be presented. E-support vendors such as Serviceware and Courion will give live demonstrations. The purpose of e-support, says Tom Rodoni, vice president of marketing at Support.com, is to create "enhanced customer relationships and increased customer retention, acquisition, and loyalty." To learn more about the forum, visit www.support.com.
The Search You're Searching For?
For those looking to inexpensively at search capabilities to their websites, the makers of Searchbutton, a search engine provider, claims to have one of the easiest solutions available. To install Searchbutton on your site, no software, hardware, or complex programming is necessary. You simply add a search
form and one line of HTML and the Searchbutton search robot with support for 15 different languages will index all of your text. A Community Search feature facilitates the creation of micro portals to other sites to create more extensive search results for visitors. There are several Searchbutton servers at various locations and all are monitored 24 hours a day, so responses are rapid. Both word and phrase searches are possible, as well as other types. You can also customize the presentation of your search results. After all this, Searchbutton's Rapid Results Wizard can provide you with activity reports on visitors to your site and the types of searches they are doing. After installation, Searchbutton continues to visit your site to monitor changes and keep information current. To learn more about this service, visit www.searchbutton.com .
Panasonic Debuts New Laptop
Panasonic Personal Computer Company presents its newest notebook PC model, the Toughbook (R) 27. This new product features the Intel(R) Pentium(R) III 500 MHz processor. It has an active Matrix color LCD touchscreen with 800 x 600 SVGA resolution and anti-reflective "DayBrite (TM) ARX" LCD technology to facilitate outdoor computing. The computer is capable of both wired and wireless applications and has a 56 Kbps modem. Other features include a 512 KB pipeline burst 22 cache,
shock-insulated 10GB removable hard drive, 64 MB RAM standard, 2.5 MB VRAM, and multiple storage options. It has a pressure-sensitive touch pad and is capable of Signature Capture. The notebook is said to be "ruggedized" due to its full magnesium alloy case, removable die-cast aluminum carry handle, water-resistant keyboard and touchpad, dust-proof hinges, and sealed port and jack covers. Its dimensions are 2.6" (height) x 9.7" (depth) x 11.9" (width) and it weighs 8 pounds. For more information on the Toughbook (R) 27, visit www.panasonic.com/toughbook .