1. Legacy Partners--Managing in "Real Time." ... OK, I'm exaggerating a bit. But here's the story. ... Legacy Partners (formerly Lincoln Property Company) is one of the nation's largest asset managers of commercial and residential real estate for institutional investors. So Legacy's managers need to make frequent decisions that depend upon the performance of an asset, for example cash flow, rental history and maintenance costs. Like many real estate executives, they need an inexpensive way to get daily updates from PC-based systems in the field in order to monitor their assets in "real time."

This will be a common challenge faced by many organizations as networks become more pervasive and on-site site property managers get wired to a central office. Dedicated phone lines to hundreds of locations are prohibitively expensive. E-mail attachments don't work well (if at all) because of large file sizes, and FTP transfers are not secure. ... Legacy chose Hilgraeve's Drop Chute+ instant file transfer software. Now their property managers can transfer files daily using a simple drag and drop windows interface and the Internet. ... How does your company access information from the field to make better decisions? Send e-mail to me at , and I'll report more in a future Dispatch.

2. Dupre + Scott's Extranet Access. ... Patty Dupre and Mike Scott, principals of Dupre + Scott Apartment Advisors in Seattle, WA, closely track the Puget Sound region's multifamily market. Their web site, which offers good value for investors, developers and brokers, currently features a new Client Advisory that forecasts the impact of Boeing job cuts on the apartment market. Further, their clients "have access to Dupre + Scott's computer model used for this forecast in a password-protected area." It's a great example of how an extranet can strengthen connections with clients. ... Do you have a Web Success story? Send e-mail to Peter Pike . ... Visit recent Web Success stories.

3. New PikeNet Home Page. ... It's still a work in progress, but check out the new PikeNet home page. I think that you'll like it. ... Note the Billboard Banner, which is just one of many marketing opportunities at PikeNet.

4. Finding Area Codes at InfoSpace. ... My favorite site for looking up a business address is InfoSpace. You can also look up an Area Code. Hey, the web can lead to all sorts of calls outside of business hours--like 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast! ... For step-by-step instructions, see the Web Related section of the PikeNet Knowledge Base (left side of home page).

5. Dispatch Goal--6,000 Subscribers. ... This Dispatch will be sent to 5,979 subscribers, so I'm nearing my goal of 6,000 by year-end. I need just 21 more in the last two days. So please encourage your colleagues to sign up! ... Go to the PikeNet home page and click the "Subscribe!" link below the logo.

-- Peter Pike