———————————————————- Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included. ———————————————————- How to Really Install a Modem

By Stephen Bucaro

Most motherboards now come with sound, video, and even networking built-in. But a modem is not usually built-in to a motherboard. This is because modem technology has been changing very rapidly. It is preferable to have the modem on an expansion card.

Most modem manuals assume that Plug and Play will automatically install the modem correctly, but this is rarely the case. Use the four steps described below to properly install a modem.

Step 1. Download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s Web site.

Most modems come with an Installation CD. The problem with this is that the CD contains drivers for eight different operating systems and it usually tries to install the wrong one. Even if it does install the correct driver, its usually not the latest version. Also, the CD usually comes with several non-essential programs (AOL etc.) that the modem company earns commission on when you install them.

I admit, its difficult to download a driver before you install the modem. You may be replacing an old modem, or you may have another computer, or a friend with a computer with access to the Web.

Preferably, do this before you purchase the new modem. That way you can see what kind of driver and technical support is available for the modem before you shell out the cash.

Step 2. If you are replacing a modem, remove the old modem.

First physically open the case and remove the old modem. Then start the computer and remove the modem in Control Panel. If the system is Windows 2000 you will have to login as Administrator. Open the Modems utility, select the name of the modem on the General tab. Then click on the Remove button.

Step 3. Install the new modem.

First physically install the new modem. If the system is Windows 2000 you will have to login as Administrator. Plug and Play may install the new modem for you, that means it found an old driver on your system and used that to install the modem. Or it may start the “Add New Hardware Wizard”. Click on the Cancel button.

The “Add New Hardware Wizard” is rarely able to find the proper driver for a modem, and when the Wizard appears as the computer starts, it blocks your access to Explorer, so you can’t use Explorer to locate a driver. Just click on the Cancel button to close the Wizard.

After Windows starts you can open the “Add New Hardware Wizard”. The Wizard will attempt to detect any new hardware. Then it will give you the option to “select the hardware from a list.” Choose the option to select from a list, then click the Next button. In the list select “modem” and click on the Next button. Then it will give you the option to let windows “try to detect your modem” or “select the modem from a list.”

PnP will not be able to detect your modem if it’s a model developed after your Windows installation disc was mastered. Nor will it appear on the list. Just select the closest match from the list, then update the driver afterwards.

If Plug and Play installs old drivers, open the Control Panel “System” utility. Click on the Device Manager tab and in the device type list, open the branch for “Modem”. Select the name of the modem and click on the “properties” button. The modems “Properties” dialog box will open. Select the “Driver” tab and click on the “Update Driver…” button. The “Update Driver Wizard” appears. Use the Wizard to install the new modem driver.

Don’t be surprised if the “Update Driver Wizard” updates the driver by removing the modem and adding it again (with the new driver).

The modem “driver” will most likely not be a single file. It might be a group of files with extensions like .vxd, .exe, .ini, .dll, etc. The list of files is contained in a text file with the extension .inf. So when you install the “driver” you are actually reading the files and other configuration from the .inf file.

Step 4. Don’t forget to reconfigure your dial-up connection with the new modem. If you are a system administrator, don’t forget to see that everyone else’s dial-up connection gets updated as well.

Using the four steps described above, you can work around Plug and Play to properly install a modem with the latest drivers.
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I would like to think I know something about computer. But the sorry fact is that I have no idea what I am doing right here. All I want do is backup all of my important stuff, mostly my pictures. I have tuns of photos of everything good, and everywhere good, that I have been in the last eight years or so. At least since we got our digital camera. For hours, tonight I tried to do this stuff. It just did not work out for me. Whatever it was that I was doing, it was not right. I loaded the CD in the slot, and followed the instructions that were on the screed. And then when it was all done doing whatever it was that it was doing, I didn’t know what to do next. So then I just plugged in this portable hard drive thing and it went to work getting all of the pictures copied on to it. Was wondering what was going to happen when I get a new computer and I needed to copy all of the pictures to it. It took a few hours of computer sitting, but I finally got it all done. But now, I don’t know how to get all of the photos off of the new storage device. I called the Geek Squeak, and they said that I needed to take it in to get looked at, and it could wind up costing me hundreds of dollars. Or I could just do it online for cheap. In fact that always seems to be the best way, just do it online. Do it all online.

While routers accept and generate broadcasts, they do not forward them. This can be quite a problem when a broadcast needs to get to a device such as a DHCP or TFTP server that’s on one side of a router with other subnets on the other side.

If a PC attempts to locate a DNS server with a broadcast, the broadcast will be stopped by the router and will never get to the DNS server. By configuring the ip helper-address command on the router, UDP broadcasts such as this will be translated into a unicast by the router, making the communication possible. The command should be configured on the interface that will be receiving the broadcasts.

R1(config)#int e0

R1(config-if)#ip helper-address ?

A.B.C.D IP destination address

R1(config-if)#ip helper-address 100.1.1.2

Now, you may be wondering if this command covers all UDP services. Sorry, you’re not getting off that easy! The command does forward eight common UDP service broadcasts, though.

TIME, port 37

TACACS, port 49

DNS, port 53

BOOTP/DHCP Server, port 67

BOOTP/DHCP Client, port 68

TFTP, port 69

NetBIOS name service, port 137

NetBIOS datagram service, port 138

That’s going to cover most scenarios where the ip helper-address command will be useful, but what about those situations where the broadcast you need forwarded is not on this list? You can use the ip forward-protocol command to add any UDP port number to the list.

Additionally, to remove protocols from the default list, use the no ip forward-protocol command. In the following example, we’ll add the Network Time Protocol port to the forwarding list while removing the NetBIOS ports. Remember, you can use IOS Help to get a list of commonly filtered ports!

R1(config)#ip forward-protocol udp ?

<0-65535> Port number

biff Biff (mail notification, comsat, 512)

bootpc Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) client (68)

bootps Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) server (67)

discard Discard (9)

dnsix DNSIX security protocol auditing (195)

domain Domain Name Service (DNS, 53)

echo Echo (7)

isakmp Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (500)

mobile-ip Mobile IP registration (434)

nameserver IEN116 name service (obsolete, 42)

netbios-dgm NetBios datagram service (138)

netbios-ns NetBios name service (137)

netbios-ss NetBios session service (139)

ntp Network Time Protocol (123)

pim-auto-rp PIM Auto-RP (496)

rip Routing Information Protocol (router, in.routed, 520)

snmp Simple Network Management Protocol (161)

snmptrap SNMP Traps (162)

sunrpc Sun Remote Procedure Call (111)

syslog System Logger (514)

tacacs TAC Access Control System (49)

talk Talk (517)

tftp Trivial File Transfer Protocol (69)

time Time (37)

who Who service (rwho, 513)

xdmcp X Display Manager Control Protocol (177)

R1(config)#ip forward-protocol udp 123

R1(config)#no ip forward-protocol udp 137

R1(config)#no ip forward-protocol udp 138
As you can see, the ip helper-address command helps work around the fact that broadcasts aren’t forwarded by routers by default, and if you just need to send one or two broadcast types, the other types can be turned off easily.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNA study guide from The Bryant Advantage!

Datacraft Solutions, www.datacraftsolutions.com, is the leading e-kanban provider worldwide. In the new Oaklea Press book “The Big Squeeze: Ten Ways to Cut Your Company’s Expenses 10% Right Now,” the benefits of the e-kanban process is highlighted.

The book is a compilation of ideas and insights submitted by hundreds of corporate executives giving ways they have found to save on everything from health insurance and telecommunications to transportation, logistics, and parts procurement.

The author, Patricia E. Moody, set up an Internet blog for executives from across the globe to share cost-savings ideas, and hundreds responded. This book distills and organizes this material, which was offered by managers from such well known businesses as Hilton Hotels, Motorola, Dell Computers, and Ford Motor Company.

Ken McGuire, Massachusetts-based lean pioneer, MEACCAPECD, urges readers to “go paperless!” McGuire noted on pages 151-152 of the “The Big Squeeze” and notes, “Datacraft Solutions allows small and medium-sized companies to have a network more secure than they could afford to buy and more reliable that than they could afford. The barrier to entry is zero…you cannot afford not to try it.”

Matthew Marotta, CEO of Datacraft Solutions, noted that, “finding rapid ROI elements of lean encourage the basic continued process improvement concept. e-kanban generates rapid and measurable cost-savings.”

“The Big Squeeze” is being issued in hardcover, retails for $23.95, and can be purchased at the publisher’s website, http://www.LeanTransformation.com. The International Standard Book Number is 1-892538-45-8. The value of Datacraft Solutions is just one of the many suggestions detailed in the book.

Datacraft Solutions www.datacraftsolutions.com Matthew Marotta 800-819-5326

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Choosing an MR3 encoder may seem simple enough, but true blue music lovers know that not all MP3 encoders are the same. Most of the MP3 encoders on the Internet can give very mediocre performances, if you do not use them well. Knowing how to manipulate settings can spell the difference between having poor quality or superior MP3s.

If you want to know how to use an encoder to produce excellent quality without having to search for hours and hours in the Internet, read on.

Maximizing your MP3 coders

Most MP3 coders that you can download for free over the Internet are already capable of ripping audio direct from your CDs and encoding them into MP3 format in one simple interface. Most of them are also easy to use. So the contention is not really about MP3 encoding features and user-friendliness – it’s how you set your computer.

If you just want crisp ‘CD quality’ music, then tweak your settings to a 128kbps bit rate. That speed is enough to give you excellent sound quality for regular listening.

But if you are very particular about sound and know much more about encoding than the average reasonable person, then amp up your settings to a bit rate of 192kbps. Remember that high bit rates translate to larger MP3 files. This is not a problem if disk space is not a concern, but if it is, then stick to the basic 128.

You can also choose to use Variable Bit Rate (VBR) that automatically switches the bit rate used while the song is playing. It switches to higher bit rate during more complex parts and goes back to basics when the sound is simpler. The VBR technology is a godsend for discriminating MP3 fanatics who want to save on disk space, but still want excellent sound quality. With VBR, you never have to sacrifice any of the two.

The polar bears (Thalarctos maritimus) live in the Arctic regions of the north near open water where they can find their main source of food which are seals. These bears are huge with adults at 7 to 8 feet tall and up to 1,600 pounds. Polar bears are white to creamy white all year round which gives them excellent camouflage against the Arctic snow when hunting. Along with the Arctic fox, the polar bear is the most northerly located land mammal on earth.

Unlike other species of bears, polar bears have longer necks and smaller heads making them appear more streamlined. Despite their large sizes, they are incredibly fast being able to run up to 25 miles per hour. At speeds like this, a polar bear can outrun a reindeer. They are also excellent swimmers being able to swim at about 3 miles per hour but for considerable distances.

During winters, they spend most of their time on the ice floes hunting seals. Polar bears have rough, leathery pads on the bottoms of their feet to maintain footholds on slippery ice surfaces. Their adaptation to the cold Arctic waters is even more impressive. Their thick coats of fur traps a deep layer of insulating air around their bodies. An inner layer of fur is so compact that it is almost impossible to wet it. An outer layer of long guard hairs mat together in the water which forms another layer over the inner layer. After a polar bear leaves the water, it simply shakes its body which results in most of the water being thrown right off leaving the bear almost dry. These protective layers of fur ensure that the polar bear’s skin is kept dry most of the time, even while in the Arctic waters.

Polar bears hunt seals by waiting for seals to come through holes in the ice to breathe. They also stalk their prey utilizing their white camouflage abilities against the mounds of ice. Sometimes polar bears have been known to crawl on their bellies until they are close enough to rush their prey, particularly if no cover is available. Besides seals, polar bears will eat Arctic foxes, birds, baby walruses and even man if they are extremely hungry.

Males and females stay apart for most of the year except during the summer mating season. Females tend to breed only every other year and when they do, usually 1 to 4 cubs are born during March to April. The polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for 1 to 2 years. The life span of polar bears can be up to 34 years.

The Inuit hunt polar bears for their fat, tendons and fur. Scientists say that climate changes have been reducing the ice floes in the Arctic which has disrupted the polar bear’s feeding grounds and migration patterns. There are estimates of about 22,000 to 25,000 polar bears left in the world with 60 percent of them in the Canadian Arctic region. Their populations are thought to be stable for now but some speculate that the species is at risk. Some think that if climate changes continue at its present rate and if worldwide hunting is not adequately controlled, polar bears could face extinction in about 100 years. There is presently much debate on adjusting annual hunting quotas of polar bears, even for Inuit hunters, to further help protect these great bears.

Polar bears have become the most popular symbol of the Arctic north with representations used in everything from soft drink commercials to corporate logos of northern based companies including Canadian North airlines. Nunavut even has their license plates cut in the shape of a polar bear. Tourists can see polar bears in the wild through unique tours on specially designed tundra buggies in Churchill, Manitoba Canada. It’s also not surprising that polar bears are some of the most sought after Inuit art sculptures. Polar bears are definitely the rulers of the Arctic north.

Ever since you picked up your first CCNA book, you’ve heard about multicasting, gotten a fair idea of what it is, and you’ve memorized a couple of reserved multicasting addresses. Now as you prepare to pass the BCMSN exam and become a CCNP, you’ve got to take that knowledge to the next level and gain a true understanding of multicasting. Those of you with an eye on the CCIE will truly have to become multicasting experts!

Having said that, we’re going to briefly review the basics of multicasting first, and then future tutorials will look at the different ways in which multicasting can be configured on Cisco routers and switches.

What Is Multicasting?

A unicast is data that is sent from one host to another, while a broadcast is data sent from a host that is destined for “all” host addresses. By “all”, we can mean all hosts on a subnet, or truly all hosts on a network.

There’s a quite a bit of a middle ground there! A multicast is that middle ground, as a multicast is data that is sent to a logical group of hosts, called a multicast group. Hosts that are not part of the multicast group will not receive the data.

Some other basic multicasting facts:

There’s no limit on how many multicast groups a single host can belong to.

The sender is usually unaware of what host devices belong to the multicast group.

Multicast traffic is unidirectional. If the members of the multicast group need to respond, that reply will generally be a unicast.

The range of IP addresses reserved for multicasting is the Class D range, 224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255.

That range contains a couple of other reserved address ranges.

224.0.0.0 – 224.0.0.255 is reserved for network protocols only on a local network segment. Packets in this range will not be forwarded by routers, so these packets cannot leave the segment.

Just as Class A, Class B, and Class C networks have private address ranges, so does Class D. The Class D private address range is 239.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255. Like the other private ranges, these addresses can’t be routed, so they can be reused from one network to another.

The remaining addresses fall between 224.0.1.0 and 238.255.255.255. That’s the “normal” range of multicast addresses. These addresses can be routed, so they must be unique and should not be duplicated from one network to the next.

In my next BCMSN / CCNP multicasting tutorial, we’ll take a look at the different ways in which Cisco routers and switches interact to forward multicast traffic.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Since the US Department of Defense established the worldwide Global Positioning System (GPS) network, it has been put to a very wide variety of uses by governments, corporations, organizations, and individuals alike.

It has been put to good use for many years in its original, and most obvious, purpose of coordinating military operations. In fact, if it weren’t for GPS, many modern military operations and practices would simply not be possible. It is also frequently used in search-and-rescue missions as well as disaster relief efforts.

In addition to this, GPS technology has proven to be instrumental in numerous scientific research expeditions, especially in very remote regions such as mountain ranges and the north and south poles.

The other side of GPS functionality, which is sometimes forgotten, is the many uses it can be put to by individual consumers. GPS handhelds and other GPS devices are available for sale through many ordinary retail channels, and can be very useful for a variety recreational purposes. For example, having a GPS device handy when camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or boating can be an excellent way to ensure that you don’t get lost, even if you somehow manage to wander off course.

Another common consumer use of GPS technology is for safety security purposes. Using a GPS tracking system can be an excellent way to combat crimes such as theft and kidnapping.

In 1933 came the first hint that something was horribly wrong with Modern Physics’ view of the universe. The galaxies and star clusters were moving away from each other, and doing it in ways that just couldn’t be possible given the basic assumptions of science at the time. From that day forward, scientists have been baffled and befuddled as the view of reality continued to depart from the mechanized nuts and bolts world of the 19th Century, into a fuzzier, more etheric and maleable one. The more scientists observed, the deeper the conundrum became.

By 1997, the Hubble Telescope was in full operation, and with this expanded view of the universe, the conclusion became that “something”–some kind of energy–has been continually rushing into the universe, pushing galaxies apart. It was dubbed “Dark Matter” because it couldn’t be seen or measured, only deduced. This Dark Matter theory began explaining things in strange new ways for modern physicists, who were concluding that up to 95% of the mass of the universe couldn’t be accounted for–an embarassing situation for many scientists…

However, these conclusions opened up huge possibilities for the understanding and verification of many forms of ancient medicine, as well as early theories about how the universe was formed and how matter is created. Enter Dr. Yury Kronn.

After spending nearly 20 years deep in research into quantum mechanics and dark matter, and serving as a professor at Moscow University, Dr. Kronn began to feel the constrictive effects of the Soviet on his work, as well as the work of his colleagues. In 1982, Dr. Kronn, together with ten other Russian dissidents, organized the “Trust Group,” the first independent movement in the history of Russia for Trust and Peace between Russia and the Western world. In 1987, Dr. Kronn was again part of Russian history when he chaired the Disarmament Section of the first Moscow International Symposium for Humanitarian Problems, which was broadcast around the world. The KGB and Russian authorities persecuted him for his social activities. Finally, he was able to immigrate as a political refugee to the U.S. in 1988. Dr. Kronn arrived in the United States to start a new life with only a suitcase and $150.

Still on his mission to export his knowledge for the good of humanity, Dr. Kronn’s immediate application of his research was in medicine. With the U.S. alternative health business booming, Dr. Kronn found many eager ears for his theories and his work, and soon was able to construct the Subtle Energy Field Infusion Generator (SEFIG).

The SEFIG had the unique ability to separate the “dark matter” or subtle energy from the electromagnetic energy residing in any substance. It was able to extract and “save” this subtle energy “signature” and then generate this signal and infuse it into any object. Associations with alternative medicine practitioners, medical doctors and scientists, provided ample opportunity to test the effects of this subtle energy infusion on people. “You know that traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy use the term ‘Chi’ for the energy which, according to them, sustains life in all living organisms,” says Dr. Kronn. “Indians use the term ‘Prana’ for this same universal force. Actually each culture has its own term for this force. My technology is based on equipment that allows access to the world of that mysterious force we call subtle energy.”

Another Dr. Kronn breakthrough was the discovery of different sub-divisions, or frequencies, within the subtle energy domain. In fact, he found that any substance had its own subtle energy signature. Additionally, by borrowing from the ancient modality of acupuncture, Dr. Kronn was able to extract the energetic signatures of the human acupuncture meridians, and infuse this energy into an ingestible substance, such as an ionic mineral solution. Says Dr. Kronn, “We print vital energy patterns onto magnetic tapes, infuse them into liquid trace minerals, crystals, oils and creams. Energy patterns can be infused into any substance capable of storing information. These energy infused substances serve as delivery tools of the patterns to the human energy system. We call them ‘energy tools.’”

Test and after test, and extensive clinical use confirmed the same, consistent results among practitioners. Each time a client was given a subtle energy formula, it was like giving them a sudden jolt of life energy, or “chi,” strengthening the targetted meridians. In many cases, this new infusion of energy was sufficient to “tip the scales” in favor of the patient over their condition or disease. “We found many effective vital energy patterns,” reports Dr. Kronn. “One example is the pattern we call ‘Stress Relief’ (E-1). Ten drops of trace minerals infused with E-1 in a glass of water, relieves anxiety or agitation in minutes, relaxes tension, helps you sleep well, even for people who have sleeping problems. Imprinted in cream (E-3) this energy pattern demonstrates really miraculous properties. As a rule, it takes pain away–in the case of soft tissue damage, in less than a minute. It prevents bruising, prevents burns from blistering, and it drastically accelerates the healing process.”

Many of the practitioners reported stronger and more defined measurements when testing for possible remedies using kinesiology or electro-dermal screening devices. And in many cases, the subtle energy formulas alone resolved cases outright. Redding, California, Naturopath Dr. Dan Davis reports, “I have a room with over 400 items I can use to help my patients’ wellbeingness. With the E-1, E-2 and E-3, literally half those products I don’t need any more.”

Despite the predictable results of subtle energy (“chi”) use in medicine, the modality is slow to gain acceptance in the medical community, just as Acupuncture, Qigong, Reiki or even homeopathy are dismissed. The simple fact is that subtle energy does not interact directly with physical matter, and so, measuring devices cannot measure it. And for the vast majority of medical scientists, if the energy cannot be measured, it does not exist. “Scientists already know that the particles of dark matter don’t interact with the electromagnetic field,” Dr. Kronn says. “But our scientists have not yet made the next logical step towards understanding the universe’s function, and that is that the Chi force field does not interact directly with the particles of our physical world. That is why scientific equipment cannot measure it. That is why the majority of scientists don’t believe in the existence of Chi.”

To answer this conundrum of current modern science, Dr. Kronn cites several experiments to help confirm his subtle energy indirect-interaction hypothesis:

Changes in the infrared spectrum of water under the influence of receiving energy from a healing practitioner using a method called “laying on hands.” (REF.)
Strong changes in the pH of water and alcohol and in the solubility of dye under the influence of a healing practitioner’s energy. (REF.)
There is a significant change in the precipitation process of salts of different metals as the planets change their position in reference to each other. (REF.)
In addition, to answer the famous “placebo effect” among humans–where the suggestion or expectation of an effect by the patient often causes the effect–Kentucky veterinarian, Dr. Gary Tran, has used subtle energy formulas on animals, from snakes to dogs, cats to birds, with great success very consistently. “With animals there is no placebo effect. I use the E-1 a lot to sedate and tranquilize intractable animals so that we can work with them. It’s especially good with cats. Cats are very difficult to work with, especially to medicate them. I use E-1. I give them about five drops, and the nasty ones I give 10 drops and they pretty much calm down and are easy to work with.” Additionally, Dr. Kronn has demonstrated dramatic results on plants and seed germination.

The future potential of subtle energy science and its therapeutic uses are quickly being realized. “I believe that human potential is almost unlimited,” declares Dr. Kronn. “Among other things, my group is working on energy patterns for stimulating ‘paranormal abilities’ in people. It is possible that these abilities could become normal for a vast number of people. I hope that it will be possible to fully realize our human potential and make great improvements in the quality of our lives in this stressful age.”

GRAPHICS: http://www.subtleenergysolutions.com/newsletter-yurykronn.html

About the Author

Boyd is the webmaster of www.subtleenergysolutions.com and the newsletter writer for that site. He enjoys a wide range of experience both in the ways of the internet, alternative health, environmental issues, and in freelance writing. An active, professional drummer, Boyd performs in the Portland area with several area blues and R&B bands. Boyd is also an avid, daily practicing Bikram Yoga student.

The September/October issue of Time Compression Technologies magazine includes a feature article, “Lean Manufacturing: How Big is the Market? Lean Enterprise: How Much Bigger is the Market?” authored by North America’s leading manufacturing journalist, Thomas R. Cutler (www.trcutlerinc.com).

Cutler provided a detailed history of the lean manufacturing marketing including how e-kanban solutions are central to an effective lean manufacturing initiative. According to Matthew Marotta, founder of Datacraft Solutions, “We do not charge for upgrades to the system as we learn about new best practices that clients ask us to incorporate. Before Datacraft incorporates the request, it is reviewed buy a lean advisory board to validate the value of the best practices and the value added impact upon our partner community. Once it is passed, they develop, test, and implement.”

The hosted solution provides the customer with their own set of servers which are maintained offsite by and outsourced set of administrators. All of the administration fees, equipment, support teams and software updates are all included in the monthly service fee which is less then the cost of hiring an internal system administrator.

The value of an ASP is that manufacturers can buy “by the drink”, low risk, and a see a rapid ROI. Only internet access is required.

The non-ASP option leaves manufacturers investing a large sum into the communication network, IT personnel, IT training, application servers, consulting for system modification, along with all the hidden costs that come with it. The only disadvantage of using an ASP is the client never owns the system (application), only their own data. This concern tends to be the issue of IT since they want to control all phases of the e-kanban operation. The cost of the control is wasteful and completely antithetical to a Lean Initiative.

While some ERP systems QAD, Factory Logic, and Supply Works have some e-kanban functionality is not their core focus, so manufacturers are purchasing the ERP system at a significant price tag including all the prices increases (and upgrade charges). From the perspective of Lean functionality and immediate ROI the cost cannot be justified, unless there is a plan for a manufacturer to replace the ERP system.

Datacraft Solutions www.datacraftsolutions.com Matthew Marotta 800-819-5326

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