Our guest blogger today is Cortez Johnson, Security Engineer for Saber Network Solutions in Asheville NC. His certifications include GCIH, CCAI, and CCNA.
Security is a reoccurring topic in today’s business environment. Businesses work diligently to secure company assets and employees from threats. At the same time they are responsible for preventing company data from falling into the hands of competitors or cyber criminals. Most importantly, customer data must be guarded against those who use stolen data to commit fraud and identity theft. Information security is the assurance that data remains confidential, maintains integrity, and is available only to authorized users. It is imperative to have adequate information security on a company’s computer network.
Sadly, information security is often overlooked or even neglected on small and medium sized business (SMB) networks. One of the main arguments heard from SMB is that their networks are too small to attract cyber criminals. According to McAfee, “52 percent of them believe they are off of criminals’ radars.” This is far from the truth. The fact is cyber criminals are targeting these networks because they are less visible and lack adequate security. More chilling is the fact that 80 percent of network compromises are committed from the inside of the network. A popular saying among information security professionals is not “if” your network will ever be attacked, but “when” will it be attacked.
Information security is difficult to define and hard to categorize. However, for the sake of this article, information security will be broken down into three areas: physical, computer, and network. Following is a description of each type of security.
Physical Security
Physical security is the implementation of measures to deter criminals or unauthorized personnel from gaining physical access to assets. Most companies do a good job with physical security. Measures such as locks, surveillance cameras, alarms, and fencing are widely used. Information security would be null and void if a network is physically accessible to criminals or unauthorized personnel.
Network Security
Information and network security are often used interchangeably; however, network security will be defined as the combination of requirements necessary to secure network devices and resources. Components such as computer use policies, physical security, computer security, network auditing, incident response, and network monitoring are just some of the issues a SMB should address to assure that data is secure and safe. Small and medium businesses should make a goodwill effort to adequately address these areas.
Computer Security
Computer security often gets confused with network security; however, the two are not the same. Computer security is one component of network security that deals with regulating access to individual computer resources to protect them from malice intent and unauthorized use. This is accomplished through a combination of monitoring and shutting down unnecessary services, installing anti-spyware and anti-virus software, and password protecting user accounts. There are multiple after market software applications available to help guard computers against malicious software and threats from the Internet. Computer operating systems also have several built-in applications.
Conclusion
In all fairness, IT departments are already stretched with the tasks that must be performed on a daily basis. Still it is unnerving how little resources are put into information security. Ideally, security would be implemented anytime data, network resources, or employees need to be protected from threats, such as criminals and unauthorized personnel. When companies are attacked they lose time, money and resources. It is a great idea to have an expert audit your network to unveil vulnerabilities and weaknesses. In the end, an audit could save your business money, resources and embarrassment.
Saber Network Solutions LLC (hereafter Saber) is a computer network consulting firm located in Asheville, NC. Saber was founded by Alex Newman, Robert Ryder, and Cortez Johnson in November 2007 to serve the Information Technology needs of small and medium businesses and institutions throughout Western North Carolina. We specialize in integrated networks, wireless solutions, LAN and WAN management, and server management. We also sell Cisco routers and switches as part of our high quality solutions.
Resources:
http://www.securitystats.com/virusstats.html
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DH1zI8QYi4A
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080725-study-size-doesnt-matter-when-it-comes-to-cybercrime.html
Monday, August 4, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Green Computer Solutions
This week we have a guesst blogger: Robert Ryder, Saber Network's resident expert on all things green. He wrote this article for us outlining the basics of green computers:
The increasing global focus on environmental issues has now expanded to include the world of computing. We are hearing and reading a lot now about “green solutions” for business. Is “green computing” just a fad, a catchphrase, or a marketing tool? Or is it something real that can help your business and the environment?
Even though the term “green computing” seems to be new, the idea has been around for a while. The U.S. government created the “Energy Star” program in 1992 as a means of encouraging increased efficiency in electrical consumer products, including computer equipment, and the program has now been adopted by the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other countries. In order to be labeled as “Energy Star,” an appliance must meet a certain standard of power efficiency. A new specification for computers was put in place in 2007, requiring even more efficiency in power use in order to obtain the Energy Star label.
Of course, green computing goes far beyond choosing components with the Energy Star label. Green computing is essentially a way of thinking about the use of resources in the most efficient and least destructive manner, but a manner that does not restrict our ability to run our businesses to their fullest potential. Its techniques include virtualization, a means of maintaining separate computer systems in one physical hardware configuration. This means that less hardware must be purchased and less energy must be used because fewer machines are running.
Computer power management is another method of saving energy and money. ACPI is an industry standard that allows systems to turn off components automatically when they are not being used. Additionally, some computer processors now come equipped with technology that allows them to reduce the amount of energy used depending on the workload. A simple but often underused method of saving energy is simply turning off components when not in use. If a computer does not need to remain powered on after hours to run a program, it should be turned off. Power supplies and hard drives are designed to be turned on and off and doing so should not shorten the life of these components.
Computer recycling is quickly becoming a critical part of doing business. In many states there are laws requiring that computer components stay out of the landfill. Old equipment can be donated to schools or other non-profit organizations or can be taken to recycling centers. Printer cartridges and office paper should always be recycled to prevent excess waste.
Teleconferencing and telecommuting are other means of saving both energy and money. Although there are times when face-to-face meetings are necessary, teleconferencing is often a viable option, and it saves time and reduces rapidly increasing travel expenses. If you have employees who can do some or all of their work from home, telecommuting is another good opportunity for saving on energy costs. The company will either save the expense of an entire workstation or, if the employee is only at the office part-time, will drastically cut the amount of energy that employee consumes.
Having your telephone system integrated into your computer network (also known as voice over IP) can be an energy-saving and cost-saving measure. In a new office, voice over IP eliminates the need to install wiring for both a phone system and a computer network because the phone and data moves over the same cable. Most wiring contains copper, which is becoming increasingly expensive and can be a hazardous material if not properly disposed. If your company is looking to install a new phone system and has an existing network, voice over IP will very likely be a good option, eliminating the need to supply power to two wiring systems.
Computer systems use a lot of power and over time can generate many by-products, some of which are harmful. By choosing wisely when installing networks and computer equipment and through thoughtful daily use of computer resources, we can reduce the negative impact we have on the environment and save money at the same time. Green computing is an idea whose time has come.
The increasing global focus on environmental issues has now expanded to include the world of computing. We are hearing and reading a lot now about “green solutions” for business. Is “green computing” just a fad, a catchphrase, or a marketing tool? Or is it something real that can help your business and the environment?
Even though the term “green computing” seems to be new, the idea has been around for a while. The U.S. government created the “Energy Star” program in 1992 as a means of encouraging increased efficiency in electrical consumer products, including computer equipment, and the program has now been adopted by the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other countries. In order to be labeled as “Energy Star,” an appliance must meet a certain standard of power efficiency. A new specification for computers was put in place in 2007, requiring even more efficiency in power use in order to obtain the Energy Star label.
Of course, green computing goes far beyond choosing components with the Energy Star label. Green computing is essentially a way of thinking about the use of resources in the most efficient and least destructive manner, but a manner that does not restrict our ability to run our businesses to their fullest potential. Its techniques include virtualization, a means of maintaining separate computer systems in one physical hardware configuration. This means that less hardware must be purchased and less energy must be used because fewer machines are running.
Computer power management is another method of saving energy and money. ACPI is an industry standard that allows systems to turn off components automatically when they are not being used. Additionally, some computer processors now come equipped with technology that allows them to reduce the amount of energy used depending on the workload. A simple but often underused method of saving energy is simply turning off components when not in use. If a computer does not need to remain powered on after hours to run a program, it should be turned off. Power supplies and hard drives are designed to be turned on and off and doing so should not shorten the life of these components.
Computer recycling is quickly becoming a critical part of doing business. In many states there are laws requiring that computer components stay out of the landfill. Old equipment can be donated to schools or other non-profit organizations or can be taken to recycling centers. Printer cartridges and office paper should always be recycled to prevent excess waste.
Teleconferencing and telecommuting are other means of saving both energy and money. Although there are times when face-to-face meetings are necessary, teleconferencing is often a viable option, and it saves time and reduces rapidly increasing travel expenses. If you have employees who can do some or all of their work from home, telecommuting is another good opportunity for saving on energy costs. The company will either save the expense of an entire workstation or, if the employee is only at the office part-time, will drastically cut the amount of energy that employee consumes.
Having your telephone system integrated into your computer network (also known as voice over IP) can be an energy-saving and cost-saving measure. In a new office, voice over IP eliminates the need to install wiring for both a phone system and a computer network because the phone and data moves over the same cable. Most wiring contains copper, which is becoming increasingly expensive and can be a hazardous material if not properly disposed. If your company is looking to install a new phone system and has an existing network, voice over IP will very likely be a good option, eliminating the need to supply power to two wiring systems.
Computer systems use a lot of power and over time can generate many by-products, some of which are harmful. By choosing wisely when installing networks and computer equipment and through thoughtful daily use of computer resources, we can reduce the negative impact we have on the environment and save money at the same time. Green computing is an idea whose time has come.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Converged Network = Increased Productivity
Well, the site survey went very well. This accounting firm will see a real "Return on Investment" by implementing a converged network. One of the greatest benefits of a converged network is increased productivity. Below I've listed some the productivity boosts associated with this new technology:
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• IP Phones
The IP phone can collect information from various sources, such as cellular phone personal contact information and inventory or account databases, and show this information on its display screen. A built in system directory lets employees look up other employees’ names and extensions and dial these numbers with a single keystroke. XML applications used with IP phones also allow users to access the weather forecast and stock quotes, perform inventory checks, enter time card information, reserve merchandise for customers, and more.
• Improve Mobility with PC-Based Phones and Wireless Phones
PC-based phones, also called softphones, eliminate or lessen the need for a desk-bound phone set. A PC or laptop can become an employee’s communication device, allowing that person to set up phone calls with a click of a mouse. He or she has instant access to all the on-site directory and extension dialing information, as well as personal directories.
The Cisco 7920 Wireless phone has the same features as a wired IP phone and allows employees to roam without incurring cell phone charges. They are convenient for employees, such as store and warehouse managers, yard foremen, or health care personnel, who roam about during a typical workday but who need to remain available to answer important customer calls or communicate with other employees.
• Improve Communications with Advanced IP Telephony Features
There are a number of flexible IP telephony features that can improve communications for a business. With the paging feature you can use the IP phone to call a group of employees, or an entire department, or make an overhead announcement in a store or warehouse. Another IP telephony feature is the intercom function. It is used to contact a specific individual with the stroke of a key, and without requiring a ring cycle, delivering instant one-on-one voice communication.
• Easily Replicate Telephony Configuration
Because the converged network offers IP telephony features on a single platform, the configuration can be easily replicated across multiple sites and branch offices. This makes branch deployments easy to manage and troubleshoot.
• Simplify Network Management Using the GUI
The network management tool uses a graphic user interface that is simple, user-friendly, and web-based. It does not require technical expertise.
The IP phone can collect information from various sources, such as cellular phone personal contact information and inventory or account databases, and show this information on its display screen. A built in system directory lets employees look up other employees’ names and extensions and dial these numbers with a single keystroke. XML applications used with IP phones also allow users to access the weather forecast and stock quotes, perform inventory checks, enter time card information, reserve merchandise for customers, and more.
• Improve Mobility with PC-Based Phones and Wireless Phones
PC-based phones, also called softphones, eliminate or lessen the need for a desk-bound phone set. A PC or laptop can become an employee’s communication device, allowing that person to set up phone calls with a click of a mouse. He or she has instant access to all the on-site directory and extension dialing information, as well as personal directories.
The Cisco 7920 Wireless phone has the same features as a wired IP phone and allows employees to roam without incurring cell phone charges. They are convenient for employees, such as store and warehouse managers, yard foremen, or health care personnel, who roam about during a typical workday but who need to remain available to answer important customer calls or communicate with other employees.
• Improve Communications with Advanced IP Telephony Features
There are a number of flexible IP telephony features that can improve communications for a business. With the paging feature you can use the IP phone to call a group of employees, or an entire department, or make an overhead announcement in a store or warehouse. Another IP telephony feature is the intercom function. It is used to contact a specific individual with the stroke of a key, and without requiring a ring cycle, delivering instant one-on-one voice communication.
• Easily Replicate Telephony Configuration
Because the converged network offers IP telephony features on a single platform, the configuration can be easily replicated across multiple sites and branch offices. This makes branch deployments easy to manage and troubleshoot.
• Simplify Network Management Using the GUI
The network management tool uses a graphic user interface that is simple, user-friendly, and web-based. It does not require technical expertise.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Hello World!
This is the first posting of Saber Network's blog. The purpose of this blog is to help the local business community sharpen their competitive edge in this modern techno-global economy. Click on the comments link below and send me any questions that you might have regarding any computer related technology. If I don't know the answer I will find the expert that does. From time to time we will invite guests from Cisco, Microsoft, Redhat, and others to post information on the latest technologies that are relevant to businesses today.
Tomorrow I am conducting a site survey for an accounting firm who is upgrading their phone system to the new Cisco UC520. I will post more on this and the benefits of integrated networks tomorrow.
Send me your questions!
Tomorrow I am conducting a site survey for an accounting firm who is upgrading their phone system to the new Cisco UC520. I will post more on this and the benefits of integrated networks tomorrow.
Send me your questions!
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