In-Depth

IT Briefs: Managing SAP Changes, New Cisco Wireless Products

• By ARC Advisory Group
• 05/07/2004

SAP Helps Their Customers Manage Change

SAP announced a new Change Request Management application within their premium maintenance offering MaxAttention to help customers more effectively manage upgrades and add-ons to SAP software. SAP is adding Change Request Management as an integral part of SAP Solution Manager to support the life cycle of SAP software.

According to the company, Change Request Management enables end-to-end tracking, auditing and documenting of changes -- from planning to implementation and testing, to technical processes such as distribution, deployment and versioning. It accelerates implementation cycles and reduces implementation risks and costs. Change Request Management supports experts in executing business process definitions and changes as well as patches and upgrades, while providing a centralized and integrated overview of these changes.

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Cisco Announces New Wireless Products

Cisco Systems announced several new and enhanced wireless products as part of their Structured Wireless-Aware Network (SWAN). These include a new Wireless LAN Services Module (WLSM) for the Catalyst® 6500 Series switches. The new module supports up to 300 Access Points (AP) and 6,000 users. It allows centralized configuration and policy enforcement with fast Layer 3 roaming across all network subnets. These services can be applied in various user classes such as staff, guest, and temporary workers, providing greater control of access to network resources. Also, Cisco introduced the Aironet 1300 Outdoor AP. This device provides either building-to-building or outdoor network infrastructure in a rugged form factor.

ARC Senior Analyst Harry Forbes notes “Cisco’s strategy is to tightly integrate wired and wireless networks, and thus reduce TCO through the sharing of administrative and security infrastructure across both networks. Manufacturers, including the process industries, should also note Cisco’s new outdoor APs and high-availability wireless LAN configurations. These could support migration of more and more plant functions to wireless clients.”