Picture this: You’ve been in IT for the past 15 years. The IT manager of a big firm, you manage a team of 10 IT staff that serves the in-house needs of more than 500 employees, and you know you do a great job at it.

After another day hard at work planning the new PBX migration project, your mobile phone rings. It’s your CEO on the line. There’s a problem with his home PC, which refuses to boot. He needs to retrieve a critical document from it for a keynote presentation the next day. He lives down the road from you.

So what do you do now?

A) Tell him you’re an IT manager, and you don’t do PC servicing anymore.

B) Tell him that you’re at as much of a loss as he is.

C) Tell him not to worry and show up at his house an hour later with the team leader.

D) Tell him not to worry and that you’re be right over in 5 minutes yourself.

If your answer is option A, B, and maybe even option C, then I suggest you head down to Toni’s excellent Career blog for some advice on getting a new job.

If your answer is D, then perhaps this Right Tool post is for you.

Sometimes, there’s no other way but to rollup your sleeve and get your hands dirty. Nothing beats being prepared, however. To help you along, I have put together a list of items that you can assemble into your very own system administrator survival toolkit.

The list is presented in no particular order.

The Tools

As you might have noticed by now, today’s Right Tool post is somewhat different. Instead of the tool, I’m presenting you with a list of 20 tools that you might want to consider throwing into your own system administrator’s toolkit. (Come on, you know real IT pros builds their own kits.)

1. Cable tester
2. Portable labeler
3. Bluetooth mouse
4. Anti-static strap
5. Releasable cable ties
6. Portable hard disk drive
7. Encrypted USB flash drive
8. Crimping tools
9. Hard disk wiper
10. Hard disk to USB adapter
11. USB hub
12. RJ11 cable
13. Patch cables
14. Multimeter
15. Screwdrivers
16. Multi-plug adapter
17. Original disc media
18. Serial to USB adapter
19. RJ-45 extender
20. Wireless modem

Check out this gallery for a more detailed discussion of each tool.

The Right Tool for the Job?

How well does this lineup represent your needs? Please let us know what you would put in your toolkit. And yes, it should be something you can lug around relatively easily, so you can leave out that 42-U server rack and SAN array.

Office productivity applications are critical business components. This is as true for Macintosh computer owners as it is for Windows users. Whether users are creating documents, spreadsheets or slide show presentations, they require a powerful office suite that is easy to use, creates attractive files and is widely compatible with other users.

The Tool

Microsoft Office 2008 For Mac (Full Version is $399.95 and requires a Mac with an Intel, PowerPC G4 or G5 processor, 512MB RAM, DVD drive, 1.5GB of free disk space and an HFS+ hard disk format) is Microsoft’s newest productivity suite. In addition to including a new interface that makes it easier to create professional documents, spreadsheets and presentations, manipulate text and images, insert attractive graphics (including charts and tables) and apply numerous new styles and templates, Office 2008 provides Mac users with access to Office’s new open XML file formats.

Microsoft Office 2008 boasts numerous advantages over free office productivity suites and older Microsoft Office platforms:

• Widespread compatibility with other Microsoft Office users
• New ribbon-like user interfaces
• Powerful tools for easily adding professional graphics treatments to documents, spreadsheets and presentations
• Simple upgrade paths from earlier versions of Microsoft Office (and the Entourage email program)
• Universal application (works on Intel- and PowerPC-powered Macs)
• Enhanced Entourage interaction with Exchange servers
• PDF output options

There are a few minor disadvantages to Microsoft’s latest office suite, but none that are unanticipated:

• Users must become familiar with a new interface (just as is true with the new office platform for Windows users)
• Cost; the full version (which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Messenger and Entourage) runs $399.95), while the upgrade version costs $239.95

Conclusion

Microsoft Office 2008 For Mac delivers important new office productivity features (including a smart new interface, time-saving contextual methods and graphical tools and compatibility with the new XML-based open file formats) at reasonable cost. Small businesses that rely upon Macintosh computers for fulfilling daily tasks and responsibilities will be well served using Microsoft’s latest office suite tailored specifically to the Mac platform. This is especially true for Exchange server users that seek to better sync Entourage with corporate email systems.

View my screenshot gallery of Microsoft Office for the Mac 2008.

If you have ever been a system administrator or network manager, you can appreciate a tool that allows you to efficiently check the health of various components of your network. Receiving alerts to problems the moment they happen lets you solve them as quickly as possible and prioritize your time effectively.

So how can we accomplish this? Well, if you’re a Linux guru and have plenty of time on your hands, you can always write tons of custom scripts to do the requisite monitoring. However, if time is at a premium and you want something more complex than a network ping, you need to consider other solutions.

The Tool

Today, we take a look at the GFI Network Server Monitor, software that promises to scan automatically for network failures and irregularities. System administrators can be alerted to problems via email, pager, or even SMS.

The tool can monitor a variety of devices, including Windows and Linux servers, and even routers. You can download it over at GFI, where a 30-day evaluation version is available.

I tested GFI Network Server Monitor, and concluded that it has several strengths and weaknesses.

Pros

• Easy to setup — you can expect to be up and running within the hour
• Good library of built-in checks that you can instantly tap into
• Simple, intuitive configuration interface
• Mature product that just works

Cons

• Cost of product is tiered by number of IP addresses monitored — can get costly pretty quickly
• Web interface is pretty limited by current standards

The Right Tool for the Job?

GFI Network Server Monitor is not perfect. Despite the plethora of built-in checks with configurable settings, it is possible to find oneself in a situation where the checks library proves inadequate. Still, GFI has a done a pretty good job of anticipating the most common kind of options. If it fits your budget, it is most likely able to perform to your expectations.

For me, the GFI Network Server Monitor is The Right Tool for the Job.

View my screenshot gallery of GFI Network Server Monitor.

Within the open source — and especially the Linux — community, there are basically two options for replacing Microsoft Outlook: Kontact and Evolution. As you know, Outlook is an all-in-one e-mail, calendar, task, and contact application that also publishes information. In a corporate environment (especially a large corporate environment), most companies use an Exchange server to handle mail. If you are an employee in such an environment, and you want to adopt a Linux desktop you will be very limited in what you can do with an Exchange server. Will either Kontact or Evolution fit into your environment? Let’s find out.

The Tool

Evolution was started by the manic-brainiac known as Miguel di Icaza. His goal was to finally have an all-in-one that would make businesses give Linux on the desktop a serious look. He achieved his goal. Evolution comes packed with all the features you would expect in such a tool: Email, Calendar, Contact management, Tasks and Todo lists, Exchange support. Evolutions’ standards support includes: IMAP, POP, SMTP and Authenticated SMTP, as well as Microsoft Exchange 2000 and 2003. And now that Exchange is “owned” by Novell it is enjoying GroupWise support (currently in beta.) Evolution also enjoys S/MIME support as well as Palm device support.

The Right Tool for the Job?

Evolution, the relief of administrators everywhere, acts and behaves very similarly to Outlook. So users will not suffer from much (if any) learning curve. The UI is intuitive and user-friendly. To the average user they probably wouldn’t even notice if you exchanged their Outlook with Evolution. To the power user, well, that might be another story. One of my biggest beefs with Evolution, for some time now, has been the problem with PDA support. The gpilotd daemon has been nothing but flaky for the last several years. But that small price to pay does not detract from the power of Evolution. If you are looking for a single application to replace Outlook you need look no further than Evolution. It is as feature rich, easy to use, and (in my experience) far more reliable than Outlook.

Of course using Evolution to replace Outlook does come with this warning: Use with Exchange is not seamless. You may sometimes find that events aren’t shared or invitations aren’t received. This is to be expected with any software attempting to communicate with anything created by Microsoft. Expect a little flakiness now and again and you will not be upset.

View my screenshot gallery of Evolution.

Your company (like most companies) have multiple needs for various types of PDF documents. The problem? Most applications that create complex pdf documents are costly, resource hogs, and difficult to master. Because of the level of difficulty, many of these applications also require the hiring of employees with specific skill sets. This skill set will often bring the cost of ownership to a level most small businesses can not meet. An alternative is necessary. I have used one such alternative for many years with outstanding results. The alternative? Scribus.

The Tool

Scribus is an open source alternative to applications like Quark and Pagemaker. But don’t let the price (or the open source license) fool you. Scribus is a serious application that can pull off serious tasks.

Scribus is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows and is currently enjoying release 1.3.3.11. It offers “press ready” output, has outstanding color management support, and an outstanding support community.

The beauty of this tool, however, is that it’s far easier to use, demands far fewer resources, and costs nothing to own. But just how simple is this tool to use? As you can see in the related screenshot gallery, I created a multi-layered PDF document to find out exactly how simple Scribus is.

The Right Tool for the Job?

After using Scribus for many years, for many tasks (from 50+ page newsletters, to resumes, to book printing), I can assure you that this tool is up to just about any Desktop Publishing task you can throw at it. Whether you are a small company needing a newsletter or brochure or a print shop needing something a bit more serious, Scribus is the Right Tool for the job.

Read my comprehensive screenshot review of Scribus desktop publishing.

Apple Macintosh computers have long boasted fast, secure operation and outstanding approachability. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) performed admirably, but all OSes become stale in time. Is an updated OS needed to fuel today’s powerful Mac computers?

The Tool

Mac OS X 10.5, known as Leopard, introduces numerous improvements to Apple’s popular OS. Besides new enhancements to the Safari Web browser, Mail, Spotlight and iCalendar and important new tweaks to the Dock, Leopard introduces an almost foolproof backup utility known as Time Machine.

All told, Mac OS X Leopard boasts numerous advantages:

• Improved Dock features and functionality
• Foolproof backups using the Time Machine utility
• Updated Automater, Disk Utility and iCalendar applications
• Simplified Firewall, Sharing and Network features
• Cover Flow views within Finder, which simplifies finding needed files

There’s only one disadvantage I can spot:

• My 1.5GHz PowerBook G4 now takes maybe 30 seconds longer to boot up. But that’s a small price to pay for all the new features and time-saving functionality cram-packed into Leopard.

The Right Tool for the Job?

Priced at only $129, the OS upgrade is a no brainer. The Dock’s time-saving features alone justify the purchase for this consultant-on-the-go. Were there ever any question, Time Machine’s ability to essentially ensure complete system backups occur automatically put the issue to rest quickly.

Read my comprehensive screenshot review of Mac OS X Leopard.

I have successfully installed and used Nolapro in the company I work for. It’s a simple, reliable, and affordable means to an often overwhelming end. My screenshot gallery details the installation and initial configuration of NolaPro so that your company can enjoy the benefits of a robust POS system.

The Job

I was tasked with finding a cost-cutting Point Of Sale solution for the hair salon for which I am employed (as both stylist and sole-IT admin.) Although the job seemed simple, I quickly found out just how hard it was to find an open source solution for this task.

The Tool

Fortunately my search lead me to NolaPro. This application is promised to solve all of my Point Of Sale needs. The feature set is as rich as other, more costly solutions (which often require the purchase of proprietary hardware.) NolaPro can be installed on either Linux or Windows (or can be hosted, for a fee, on the NolaPro servers.) I opted to install the system on Linux. The requirements are simple:

Hardware: Any intel-based PC running any modern Linux OS.

Software:

• Apache Webserver
• MySQL >= 4 Database
• PHP >= 4
• Zend Optimizer
• lDialog (Linux standard)

Once the dependencies are met it’s time to install.

The Right Tool for the Job?

This post and my related screenshot gallery only skim the surface of the power of Nolapro. But obviously this open source POS is a powerful solution that should easily fit the bill for your business. Small, Medium, or Large - Nolapro has proven to me to be the perfect solution for anyone wanting a powerful POS solution without breaking their business’ bank. Give Nolapro a go - you won’t regret it.

View my comprehensive screenshot gallery on NolaPro.

Windows computers require protection from a wide variety of common viruses and spyware programs, not too mention unwanted intrusions. Novice users are particularly vulnerable to system infections and identity theft. A single software suite is required that can address all these issues.

The Tool

Norton Internet Security 2008 delivers effective tools, a simple interface and the default settings novice computer users require to secure their systems and protect personal data. In addition to boasting improved performance, the new 2008 iteration of the popular software suite also includes thorough firewall support and rootkit detection as well as trusted antivirus and antispyware engines.

Norton Internet Security 2008 possesses several advantages for novice computer users:

• Simple installation
• Improved performance
• Simple-to-navigate menus
• Windows Vista compatibility
• Internet Worm protection
• Email and instant messaging security
• Award-winning virus and spyware protection
• Rootkit detection
• Vastly customizable settings
• Comprehensive reporting

There are some disadvantages, however:

• More advanced users typically don’t require many of the features bundled with Norton Internet Security 2008, including phishing detection, identity protection and the Security Inspector that helps audit a system’s security settings.
• Price; users requiring only antivirus and antispyware protection can save 25 percent or more by purchasing an antivirus/antispyware only product. Novice users with multiple PCs, however, will benefit, as Norton Internet Security 2008 can be installed on up to three different PCs per household.
• Phishing and identity theft protection commands system resources; more savvy users will enjoy improved system performance by running applications that seek only to block viruses and spyware versus having to maintain firewalls, phishing controls, identity theft processes and other background services. Novice users, however, may well find the price of trading available system resources for protection worthwhile.

The Right Tool for the Job?

Norton Internet Security 2008 delivers powerful antivirus and antispyware protection, along with identity safeguards and effective third-party firewall services, in a single package. While more advanced users will find many of the features unnecessary (as more sophisticated users generally implement hardware-based firewalls and are more educated as to common Web threats, phishing vulnerabilities and identity theft practices), novice computer users will be well served by the security suite.

Read my comprehensive screenshot review of Norton Internet Security 2008.

Network administrators often need to monitor computer usage in their organizations to make sure that users are adhering to organizational policies. Network monitoring tools are also helpful when providing help desk assistance over the phone, to make sure that the user is not having trouble following your steps.

The Tool

Network LookOut Administrator Professional provides you with a way to see live screens of remote computers. It captures the physical console environment and redirects the output to a remote workstation. The product does not use a virtual desktop. Further, communication between the client and the host can be encrypted in order to protect your organization’s information.

The Right Tool for the Job?

Network LookOut Administrator can be an incredibly useful product for an IT help desk or for a company that wants to monitor the computing activity of its employees.

The company actually produces four products:

• Net Monitor for Employees
• Net Monitor for Employees Professional
• Network LookOut Administrator
• Network LookOut Administrator Professional

The Net Monitor for Employees is the most limited of the group, and does not even support remote agent installation, nor does it support remote control. It’s a view-only product. Net Monitor for Employees Professional, on the other hand, is the most feature-filled of the four and even includes the ability to record a remote desktop.

Outside of a help desk scenario, I can see where this line of products would be useful in organizations worried about employee productivity or adherence to computing policies.

Read my comprehensive screenshot review of Network LookOut Administrator Professional.

Windows computers require protection from a wide variety of common viruses and spyware programs, as well as another unwelcome malware threat: rootkits. A software application is needed that will monitor a system for infections, continually update itself, effectively prevent and remove infections when found and not overly cannibalize system resources.

The Tool

Norton AntiVirus 2008 With AntiSpyware provides effective coverage against viruses, spyware, Internet worms and even rootkits. With a redesigned engine for Windows Vista and Windows XP, the Norton platform also boasts faster performance than in the past.

Compared with other leading security applications, Norton AntiVirus 2008 with AntiSpyware boasts several advantages:

• A highly effective antivirus and antispyware engine
• Improved performance
• Windows Vista compatibility
• Internet Worm protection
• Email and instant messaging protection
• Spyware protection
• Rootkit detection and removal

Norton AntiVirus also possesses an easy-to-use graphical interface that’s been tweaked in the 2008 version. Scheduling scans and reviewing event logs is even easier than before.

There is one drawback, however:

• Norton products aren’t always the easiest to uninstall, necessitating the occasional use of the Norton Removal Tool.

The Right Tool for the Job?

Norton AntiVirus 2008 with AntiSpyware delivers strong and respected antivirus and antispyware engines, while also improving performance. In informal tests I conducted using Windows Vista, the new Norton antivirus program consumed only minimal RAM and didn’t noticeably slow system performance.

Read my comprehensive screenshot review of Norton AntiSpyware.