Whether you're looking for the latest research on computer systems, personal digital assistants, software for customer relationship management or information security, you'll now be able to find that information and more on the Johns Hopkins intranet.

Networking and Telecommunications Services has developed an agreement with the Gartner Group, an international research and advising firm dedicated to the field of information technology, for access to a significant portion of its database. This information, which resides on the Hopkins intranet, is updated weekly and is available at the Homewood, APL and East Baltimore campuses, including Bayview, to all faculty, staff and students with a valid IP address.

Mike McCarty, chief network officer for Hopkins, says that Hopkins has been working with Gartner for more than 10 years and has now developed a new agreement that will allow a broad constituency to access the information.

"The Gartner research deals with a variety of topics related to various IT technologies, relevant topical issues such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, business strategies, comparisons of technical solutions and a vast array of other topics," he says.

There are two databases available: Dataquest and DataPro.

According to the Gartner Web site, Dataquest provides "mission-critical market intelligence for IT manufacturers, service providers and high-technology investors, including global and regional market data and analysis for all major IT, semiconductor and IT service markets."

DataPro focuses on products and services to "help you quickly gain a thorough understanding of specific technology areas and product categories ... based on a rich product database built from multiple information sources."

The site can be accessed through links on the main NTS page: http://nts.jhmi.edu or by going directly to the intranet site http://gartner.hosts.jhmi.edu.

Users can search either or both of the databases by using the index or by utilizing the Hopkins search engine located at the bottom of the initial page.