Archive for August, 2011
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD ) is coming. Are you ready?
Are you tired of purchasing computing equipment for your employees? It will probably not surprise you to learn that the vast majority of business owners are tired of the expense. Add in tech help to keep your devices working and your PC’s become a significant cost; after all, your PC’s cannot get viruses and illegally [...]
Full StoryWhy Freelancers Should Telecommute From A Coworking Space
If you’re a freelancer who works from home, you know how stressful this lifestyle can be. Boredom and lack of social contact can be enough to drive a person mad. This is why coworking spaces have emerged as a popular alternative for teleworkers. Coworking spaces are like big offices were you rent a desk and [...]
Full StoryHow Does SaaS Delivery Make Microsoft Exchange Better?
You may have heard about cloud computing, hosting applications, Software as a Service, and wondered exactly what these terms mean. They are not just the latest buzz words. Cloud computing, hosting or Software as a Service has become the new way to help businesses increase efficiency and productivity while cutting costs. “Hosting providers” or “Cloud [...]
Full StoryHow To Move Your Stuff To The Cloud With CoreVault (Video 3 of 3)
In the previous 2 videos, our friends at CoreVault discussed the basics of preparing for a move to the cloud. Specifically, we showed you how to select the right partner, how to coordinate the right timing, and how to select the right tools and technology to prepare for this move. In this latest video, Jeff [...]
Full StoryHow To Evaluate The Support Capabilities Of SaaS Providers
Some SaaS applications are very intuitive and easy-to-use. For services like these, you probably won’t need to worry about support. But for more complex SaaS applications – such as CRM – you’ll want to make sure that help and training are available when you and your employees need it. Fast support and quick resolution will [...]
Full StoryMost Common Ways Hackers Exploit Using Social Engineering
Even in the most secure environments, there is still a weak spot that can never be fully protected. Of course, I’m talking about the human element. When hackers trick end-users into willingly providing access to sensitive information or critical systems, this is often called “Social Engineering” In the 1990s, Kevin Mitnick became the worlds most [...]
Full StoryHow Cloud Computing Affects HIPAA Compliance
In the United States, every healthcare provider and every company that deals with protected healthcare information (PHI) must adhere to the guidelines stipulated under the HIPAA act. HIPAA is designed to protect patient privacy, and does so by enforcing strict rules over how medical information is collected, handled, protected, used and disclosed. Although HIPAA does [...]
Full StoryWho Owns Data In The Cloud?
An interesting question was posed on a recent teleconference on data security when a healthcare practice uses a Cloud-based Electronic Medical Record system (EMR): Whose data is it? It is more than a debate point because, as illustrated below, there are significant issues that potentially arise as the volume of data stored increases. The leadership [...]
Full StoryHow SMBs Benefit From Cloud Computing
The SMB market has seen some of the fastest growth in adoption of cloud computing technologies. This has been especially true when it comes to Infrastructure-as-a-Service (servers hosted in the cloud) and Software-as-a-Service (cloud-based applications, hosted by remote providers). Because of the way in which these cloud-based technologies help Small and Medium-Sized businesses save money [...]
Full StoryThe Changing Face of Collaboration in the Enterprise
There’s been a dramatic shift in how we exchange information and collaborate in the workplace. We’re officially in the “social media era,” where working with each other means IM, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. As these technologies transition into the traditional enterprise, even the most customary and mundane tasks are expected to live up to [...]
Full StoryWhy You Might Want To Avoid Buying A Tablet
Given the recent buying frenzy over the failed HP Touchpad, which went on a short-lived and insane price drop of $399 to $99, a lot of people have been re-evaluating their need for a tablet. Manuel Lemos from PHPClasses was good enough to send his input about the true tablet experience. These are the dark [...]
Full StoryTools and Timing For Moving Servers To The Cloud (Video 2)
This is the second video in CoreVault’s 3-part series about moving your systems to the cloud. Often, businesses imagine “the cloud” as being this overwhelming concept that’s the exclusive domain of technology uber-experts. But the reality is that everything about cloud computing revolves around making technology simpler, easier and more accessible to businesses. When your [...]
Full StoryHow To Tell When Virtualization Is A Poor Fit For Your Organization
Virtualization is so hot, so hip, and so sexy that vendors and the media seem to make it sound like a magic pill that can fix all of your IT management problems. However, this is not always the case. Despite all of the hype, there are certain situations where server virtualization might not be ideal [...]
Full StoryWhat Is Application Packaging
Like it or not, we live in a Windows-dominated world. And nearly all of these machines have different hardware. As we all know, you can’t just copy a program onto Windows and expect it to work. Instead, it must go through an installation process where its roots embed themselves deep into the system. Usually, this [...]
Full StoryThe Negative Effects Of Telecommuting and Teleworking on Employee Morale
Thanks to the cloud and mobile computing, employees can now take their cubicles with them anywhere they go. And this new capability has revolutionized the office structure of many organizations. Obviously, employees love working from home since it’s easy, liberating and convenient. But after the first month of working from home, the novelty often begins [...]
Full StoryHow Do Ping Of Death and IP Fragment Attacks Work?
The ping of death was a type of attack that worked on a number of older systems, including Windows 95 and many web servers. This attack allowed hackers to remotely crash the victim’s machine over and over, effectively taking it offline with very little effort. And because this attack was very simple, it could easily [...]
Full StoryThe Benefits Of Virtual Appliances
The “hardware appliance” delivery model is one that’s very convenient, and appeals to both consumers and vendors. It’s no wonder that pre-configured computer appliances have been so well received in both the consumer market and the enterprise. Today, you can purchase everything from storage servers, to NAS devices, to DVRs as all-in-one boxes that have [...]
Full StoryHow Do You Move Your Servers To The Cloud? (Video 1)
On this blog, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about cloud the amazing benefits of virtualization and cloud computing. But have you ever wondered about what first steps you’d have to take before moving your servers to the cloud? Well then, you’ll definitely want to check out this next series of videos from our [...]
Full StoryKey Points to Consider When Upgrading Or Designing A New Datacenter or Server Room
Your business is facing an interesting challenge when it comes to designing your enterprise data center. The previous method of having servers support each office no longer really delivers an effective or secure solution. What are some of the things you should consider as you plan your updated data center? The first thing to consider [...]
Full StoryHow Virtualization Helps With IT Maintenance Costs
When we think about the costs associated with owning and managing IT systems, maintenance costs and hardware costs are 2 of the most important ones which come to mind. And thanks to Moore’s law, hardware prices are now dropping at an exponential rate every year. But as these hardware costs continue to fall, IT maintenance [...]
Full StoryA Worker Scorned: Real-Life Security Threats Presented By Former Employees
Jon-Louis Heimerl is the Director of Strategic Security for Solutionary inc. Solutionary provides managed security solutions, compliance and security measurement, and security consulting services. He has over 25 years of experience in security and security programs, and his background includes everything from writing device drivers in assembler to running a world-wide network operation center for [...]
Full StoryCode Can No Longer Be Trusted: Fix Computer Security From The Ground-Up, Once And For All.
I believe that computer security can be fixed, completely fixed, tighter than a drum…. it’s not easy, but it’s not rocket science either. When you run a program, you have to trust it completely. This is insane. Sure, antivirus programs help weed out the known bad eggs, but the way around is to write a [...]
Full StoryMost Common Types Of TCP Attacks
TCP attacks are amongst the simplest and most common types of hacking incidents you might run into. Whenever 2 machines want to communicate over the Internet, they usually follow a standard sequence: First, a SYN packet is sent to initiate the conversation. Then, a series of numbered ACK packets are sent between the 2 parties [...]
Full StoryDon’t Believe that Mobile Computing Has the Power to Change Everything? Just Look at Its Impact in the Travel Industry
The whole world is going mobile. The Nielsen group predicts that smart phone sales will outpace regular mobile phone sales in 2011, driving an insatiable appetite for mobile offerings that let users do more right in the palm of their hands. So now is the time to get on board with rolling out IT services [...]
Full StoryTop 4 Security Benefits Of Virtual Private Networks
Virtual private networks are used when computers on 2 separate networks need to securely communicate across a public network. For example, a company might create a secure tunnel that links up the private networks of 2 offices across the Internet, eliminating the need for more expensive leased lines. Or an employer might require that their [...]
Full Story7 Reasons Why Testing Backups Is Critical
One of the oldest clichés in the data protection world is the fact that 9-in-10 companies will fail after a major data loss incident. And this should not be surprising to anyone. Given how critical digital information has become to the daily operations of our businesses, it’s still astounding to see how many organizations still [...]
Full StoryWhat Is Hardware Emulation Virtualization?
Probably the best-known type of virtualization is what’s commonly referred to as “Hardware Emulation”. Back when IT departments were struggling to get work done with machines at full capacity, it made sense to assign one physical server to every IT function. Your typical datacenter would have one box for SQL, a box for the Linux [...]
Full StoryTape is Still Great
When asked recently where I didn’t agree with the status quo in IT, it came to me almost instantly: tape. It seems that tape has many more enemies than friends these days, but it still has its place and I’m tired of hearing “do you still use tapes in your business? Quit wasting your time [...]
Full Story2 Main Types Of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
A virtual private network is a secure encrypted connection that allows 2 systems to communicate across a public or untrustworthy network. VPNs help ensure that any data submitted across the public infrastructure remains unchanged, authenticated and confidential. There are 2 leading types of Virtual Private Networks used by companies. Remote Access VPNs In the early [...]
Full StoryHow Does 2-Factor Authentication Work?
When your employees are working from within the office, it’s a fairly simple matter to control who gets in and out of the building. But when employees are accessing the internal systems from external networks, security becomes a much more serious challenge. If someone steals an employee password, how would you catch and stop the [...]
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