Minicom
CAT 5 Audio and Video Broadcaster: $345
www.minicom.com

As one component of a complete a/v display system, the Minicom Broadcaster sends audio and video data over ordinary CAT 5 cable to any number of display stations in real-time. Clearly, this seems to be a perfect solution for anyone interested in commercial signage.

Minicom claims the Broadcaster can distribute video to hundreds of displays, though most installations will probably be much smaller. As mentioned, A/V signals from the Broadcaster travel over CAT5 cabling to a remote unit, which outputs to a monitor at resolutions as high as 1600 x 1200. Each screen can be up to 360 feet away from the host PC.

The Broadcaster itself outputs to eight ports. Should your customer require expansion, each optional line splitter enables eight more. Naturally, Minicom's distribution system begins getting pricey when you start adding extra splitters and remotes. However, the Broadcaster and a handful of remotes, together priced under a grand, make for an impressive A/V network.

Human Concepts
OrgPlus 6 Professional: $1,599
www.humanconcepts.com

Every copy of microsoft Office includes a presentation tool
called OrgPlus Express. The add-on helps create detailed org charts, allowing your customers to map out businesses with fewer than 30 employees and support key business decisions. However, once they outgrow the Express version, you'll want to suggest OrgPlus 6 Standard, the small business charting app, or OrgPlus 6 Professional, better suited for medium-sized companies.

OrgPlus 6 Professional is particularly noteworthy because it can automatically create organizational charts based on data already housed in an Excel file or SQL database. It can also collect information from Active Directory—perfect for companies with employee details housed in Windows Server. The charts can be customized according to one of 36 pre-defined templates or completely from scratch.

Once completed, OrgPlus charts can be published to a corporate intranet or embedded in a Microsoft Office application. A predefined schedule can then regularly update them to keep employee data current.

StorCase Technology
Data Express DX115 Removable SAS Enclosure: $179
www.storcase.com

Small businesses have a thing for RAID 1. Even when customers
don't ask for the technology by name, they usually know that it's possible to deploy redundant hard drives in an entry-level server. When the subject of drive failure comes up, hot-sparing is often recommended as an inexpensive technique for quickly repairing a broken RAID array.

A device such as StorCase Technology's Data Express Removable SAS Enclosure makes it easy to pop a spare hard drive in an ailing server or use as a transportable backup mechanism. Either way, a SAS receiving frame automatically ensures compatibility with the enterprise storage standard and less expensive SATA disks.

The Removable SAS Enclosure fits in any 5.25" peripheral bay. It's lockable, sports its own cooling fan, and is rated for 50,000 insertions. The enterprising VAR should be able to take StorCase's enclosure, mate it to an effective storage subsystem, and deliver either high-performance backup or a reassuring failover for RAID.

Trend Micro
Client Server Messaging Security for SMB 10-user: $615
www.trendmicro.com

Gone are the days of recommending three different (and equally expensive) software packages to remedy virus woes, the malady of spam, and determined hackers. Trend Micro's Client Server Messaging Security for Small and Medium Business rolls all of that functionality into an integrated defense with a reasonable price.

The solution is tailored to best fit the small business layout. Central servers are protected, including Small Business Server 2003 machines running Exchange Server 2003. Local desktops are similarly safeguarded. You can even deploy the software on remote systems connecting to the network over a VPN. Workstation users don't have to worry about a thing—management is completely centralized.

Compared to competing packages, it's surprisingly easy to remotely administer Client Server Messaging Security. A browser-based interface gives the low-down on protection status and outbreak information. And if you're away or working remotely, it'll also email alerts as they happen, which should give contracted service providers peace of mind.

NVIDIA
Quadro NVS 440: $490
www.nvidia.com

Productivity is all the rage these days, and there's plenty of research suggesting two monitors are better than one when it comes to getting work done. Fair-enough—nearly all discrete graphics cards support two monitors with mixed configurations of digital and analog outputs. Call it a value-added given.

Only a select few products can accommodate more than two displays. Yet NVIDIA's Quadro NVS 440 is equipped to handle four. The quartet is enabled by a pair of graphics processors built onto the Quadro NVS board. They feed into two high-density DMS-59 connectors, which in turn branch off into four DVI ports. Digital displays work at up to 1920 x 1200 while analog monitors may span 2048 x 1536.

Unlike NVIDIA's Quadro FX series, the NVS only does 2D despite its 256MB of memory, PCI Express x16 interface, and twin-chip layout suggesting otherwise. In fact, it dissipates a mere 31W of power—low enough to warrant a passively cooled heatsink. Between the unprecedented connectivity and absolute silence, financial services customers should love the Quadro NVS 440.