No corporate PC group test would be complete without a system from Big Blue and, since we strive for completeness, here it is. Built to the normal high quality we've come to expect from the IBM corporate factory, the NetVista A40p wouldn't win any prizes in the looks department, but it has all the security and manageability features IT managers look for.

Highlight of the NetVista A40p is the inclusion of an embedded security sub-system. A daughtercard attached to the motherboard has a built-in 256-bit encrypted security chip, which is designed to work with a suite of other security elements, such as anti-virus software, security policy software, firewalls, and IPSEC (Internet Protocol Security). In addition to the security chip you get a case lock, provision for a U-Bolt and a chassis intrusion detector, and the motherboard also supports the Alert on LAN 2 specification.

But not everything is so well designed. A glaringly bad point appears when you try to upgrade the memory by using the second DIMM slot - you can't. The slot is so close to the AGP slot that you have to remove the graphics card before the release catch on one side of the DIMM slot releases fully. Untidy, in an otherwise thoughtfully crafted system.

Only one of the two 5.25-inch bays is free, the other being occupied by the LG 48-speed CD-ROM drive, while both the 3.5-inch bays are occupied by the floppy drive and the 30GB Maxtor hard drive.

The IBM NetVista A40p, although not be the fastest system in this group, is well built with some excellent manageability and security features.