Testing Out Websites IT Pros Should Know

NetworkWorld posted the following websites that IT pros should know for 2009 so I thought I would give them a try and then give my 2 cents.

NetworkWorld.com says that savvy IT executives need to connect to the latest innovations on the Internet if they want to keep up with their 20-something employees and improve business performance. They suggest:

1. Linked In, the de rigueur Web 2.0 site for IT professionals that has 30 million members and a host of new features that make it the most productive networking site on the web. JDW Comment: A must have service for any business professional wanting to keep in touch with colleagues and business contacts.
   
2. Google Apps for Business, a software-as-a-service or cloud computing option that's the future of enterprise IT departments. JDW Comment: A very nice solution for small business that want to minimize costs to their startup and on-going IT costs.
3. VMware Communities - Chances are you’ve already embarked on a server virtualization project, and continued consolidation of your servers is a key money-saving goal for 2009.
4. Secunia.com, a site that aggregates security vulnerability information from leading vendors, providing you with one-stop shopping for the latest news about security bugs and the software patches available to fix them.
5. Green Grid, a website that offer advice to make sure your data center is energy efficient and saves money.
6. Twitter, a real-time messaging service that provides an easy way to keep your staff and co-workers informed about where you are and what you're doing. You can also sign up for the latest technology headlines from Wired, Slashdot and others. JDW Comment: Still trying to figure out the attraction to this service but I am willing to give it a try.
7. Yammer - If Twitter seems too frivolous to you, try Yammer. It’s essentially Twitter for the office. The benefit of Yammer is that it’s a private communications channel for coworkers to share quick messages about what they’re working on, get questions answered or blast out news.
8. Ruby on Rails - Ruby on Rails is one of the best open source tools to appear in recent years. This Web development framework lets you create working applications in a matter of hours.
9. Enterprise Mobility Matters - Like it or not, the latest smartphones – the BlackBerry Storms and Apple 3G iPhones (Slideshow: Smartphone showdown: iPhone vs. BlackBerry Storm) – are headed toward your corporate network.