used with permission by HP Technology at Work

Do you feel like you spend as much time evaluating new technologies as you do performing your job responsibilities? An over-exaggeration for sure, but carefully choosing network and computing technology obviously helps to determine whether your business operates as efficiently, productively or competitively as possible. That said, what’s the deal with Microsoft® Windows Server 2012?

Introduced last September in Datacenter, Standard, Essentials and Foundation editions—the latter two specifically targeted at small businesses with a maximum of 15 and 25 users, respectively—Windows Server’s sixth release has received mostly favorable reviews for its installation options, user interface, task manager, IP address management and active directory. It’s also received high marks for its inclusion of Microsoft’s newest Hyper-V, resilient file system (ReFS) and Internet Information Services (IIS) 8.0, as well as its overall scalability.

Naysayers lament the elimination of the popular Windows Small Business Server, Windows Home Server and Microsoft Exchange from the new lineup. But even they acknowledge that on-site email within small businesses is steadily disappearing into the cloud or a private cloud, and that Exchange’s exclusion simply speeds this process.

The perfect match?

How can you best decide whether to hop aboard the Windows Server 2012 bandwagon, part of Microsoft’s goal of transitioning and upgrading users to Office 365? Carefully weighing the benefits of lower management complexity and storage costs, improved access and greater network uptime against upgrade costs is a good start. Other enhancements encompass virtualization, networking, storage, cloud computing, automation and overall user experience.

Windows Server 2012 lowers costs through improved management, access and system availability. Key features and benefits include.

• System management: The update’s Server Manager enables multiple-server control and allows remote users to deploy virtual server roles and features, and create custom groups.
• Windows PowerShell 3.0: This feature includes more than 2,300 commandlets—as compared to 200 in Windows Server 2008 R2—delivering a broad management platform for servers, the data center, network and storage.
• The “Server Core” and “Server with a GUI” installation options do not require full reinstallation.

Initial capital investment aside, Windows Server 2012 provides an affordable storage option that leverages commodity storage networking and server infrastructure. Its Hyper-V host and guest operating system levels consume less power than earlier versions and store application data on file shares for greater reliability and availability, with performance comparable to a storage area network.

Simplified administration and flexible storage

The system’s new version of Hyper-V, also included in Windows 8, supports your migration to the Cloud with backup capabilities, as well as network virtualization, multi-tenancy, storage resource pools and cross-premise connectivity. Access to as many as 64 virtual processors and as much as 1 terabyte of memory easily accommodates future business growth.

Combined with Windows Server 2012’s fault tolerance for network adapters, Hyper-V’s new disaster recovery features enable network interfaces to work together, preserving connectivity if one should fail. In other words, the OS delivers the replication of virtual servers for true, uninterrupted business operation. And, on the plus side, the ReFS does not require new APIs.

On the other hand, some businesses using SBS2011 and earlier—and still not sold on the Cloud for email and other applications—may decide to continue using those versions that include Exchange and support more than 25 users (the maximum allowed with Windows Server 2012 Essentials). Some industry experts recommend the 15-user Foundation version only for small businesses with an IT staff, and for those who don’t mind outsourcing management to a Microsoft partner or solution provider.

Making a case for your business

Other critics point to the new operating system’s lack of support for Itanium-based computers and its use of a server version of the sometimes panned Metro User Interface, similar to that used for Windows 8. Some businesses may opt to continue managing their servers with previous versions’ GUIs, rather than PowerShell.

But if you’ve determined that Windows Server 2012’s pros outweigh its cons, the Essentials version is a flexible solution that protects business data while providing access to information from virtually anywhere using almost every device. It accesses cloud services and can be virtualized.

HP ProLiant ML310e Gen 8 and HP ProLiant ML350e Gen 8 servers pair well with Windows Server 2012. The Energy Star compliant ML310e supports Intel’s latest Xeon E3 series quad core processors and accommodates expansion for changing business needs. HP’s built-in SmartMemory prevents data loss and downtime with enhanced data handling while improving workload performance and power efficiency.

The HP ProLiant ML350e also delivers low-cost expansion capabilities with the ability to add a second processor and more hard drive space, memory and storage. It supports both registered and unbuffered memory.

SBS2011 and earlier versions continue to deliver robust performance and comfortable features such as GUIs. The scalable and elastic Windows Server 2012 platform enables businesses to build a private cloud while more securely connecting to cloud services. It delivers the power of many servers with the simplicity of one, while opening the door to every app on any cloud and access to data and apps from any device.

Businesses with the confidence and initial capital to upgrade are positioned to reap strong operational, productivity and competitive benefits for many years to come.

used with permission from Norton by Symantec

Our phones are not just phones anymore. That ‘phone’ that you use to stay in touch with people is actually a little computer (let’s call it a ‘mobile device’) containing valuable information about you, your family, your friends, and your life. Can you imagine losing your mobile device?  Or, what if your mobile device or tablet is attacked by a virus or a phone phishing attack? Because many daily activities were previously done on your PC, the information on your mobile device is now as critical and confidential as data on your laptop or desktop. It’s time to start thinking about protection beyond the PC.

People are using their mobile devices for so much more than just talking to each other. Maybe you’re one of them.  Maybe you use your mobile device to pay your bills, check your email, get driving directions, check on retail discounts, download coupons, purchase movie tickets, check on the weather, book an airline flight, and who knows what else?  With the applications (“apps”) that are available for your mobile device, there are endless possibilities when it comes to making your life easier.

To many, mobile devices (particularly the ones with an Internet connection, or what we call “smart phones”) are a lifeline to work, family, and social lives. Moms and dads use them to stay in touch with their kids; executives use them for everything from booking appointments to tracking stock prices; and business owners use them to help track inventory and stay in touch with their workers, their business partners, and their customers.  It’s never ending.

You might have banking and insurance data, private contacts, and a lot of personal and business information that you use on a daily basis residing right there on your ‘phone’. But what if you lost this mobile device? What if it was stolen? Or, what if your mobile device “got sick” with a virus that threatened to destroy or steal that information?  Let’s take a closer look at some of the precautions and mobile security factoids that you should be aware of as you increase your dependency on that ‘little computer’ in your purse or pocket.

Losing your mobile device

Like anything else, it’s certainly possible that your phone could get lost or stolen. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:

• Lock it - Always lock your phone when not using it and don’t give anyone the password. If your kids have phones, teach them how to use the lock feature on their phone too.
• Hide it - If you can’t take your phone with you, don’t leave it in your vehicle where anyone can see it. This could be an open invitation for stealing. Lock it in your trunk or glove compartment. Better yet, take it with you!
• Don’t advertise your home address - Today’s smart phones often include GPS technology, and if you use this feature it’s quite possible that you have your home address as a “favorite” or frequent destination. It would be wiser to include your home address under a made-up name, so that if your phone is stolen, the culprit wouldn’t have immediate knowledge of where you live.
• Notify ASAP - If you phone is lost or stolen, contact your phone provider right away in order to prevent anyone else from using your phone.  Depending on your provider, you might be held responsible for unauthorized usage if you do not notify the provider within a certain timeframe.
• Old phone awareness - If you decide to get a new phone, don’t forget to delete your personal information from your old phone first.  Most mobile devices have a ‘reset to factory settings’ option, and you should use that before recycling or storing it away.  Also, be sure to remove or wipe clean any inserted memory card as well.
• Secure it - The best thing you can do for the physical safety of your mobile device is to use software that provides an array of features that are specifically designed to thwart unauthorized use of your phone. Norton Mobile Security, for example, not only prevents strangers from using your phone, but will help you or the authorities locate it. In addition, the software lets you lock your phone via the Internet and also will display a message – written by you – that informs anyone who finds the device how to contact you or make arrangements to get it back in your hands.  If it gets to the point that you know your device has been stolen and is unrecoverable, Norton Mobile Security lets you remotely erase data on your phone so that it can’t be used by anyone else.

Phones are not immune to ‘phishing’ attacks

As stated earlier, your mobile device is literally a computer. And just like your desktop or laptop at home and at work, smart phones are susceptible to threats, viruses, and attacks.

You should already know that when using the Internet on your mobile device, don’t click on any unknown links.  In fact, you should adhere to the same website vigilance that you would practice on any other computer. In other words, be careful!

Yes, even on your phone, you can easily click on a fraudulent link that can take you to a website designed to fool you into revealing personal information that can be used to steal your money, your identity, or both.  As recently as last month, there was a phony program, disguised as a Netflix app, distributed to unsuspected victims. The “app” was actually designed to steal account information and, ultimately, people’s identities. A program like Norton Mobile Security protects you from these types of culprits.

Without slowing your mobile device down or adding anything complicated to the mix of programs you may already have on your device, Norton Mobile Security also provides anti-phishing protection, download threat protection, and will even remove mobile threats before they do any harm.

Protect your Tablet too!

Tablet computers have gained in popularity, and just like any other “smart” device, you’ll need to protect your tablet and the data on it from loss, theft, viruses, and other threats. Antivirus and antimalware protection is available on Norton Mobile Security, which scans all files that enter the device. Plus, an on-demand scan lets you check out the safety of applications and files that are already on the tablet.

Just like your mobile device, your tablet requires the same web protection, threat protection, and anti-phishing protection, and Norton Mobile Security delivers it in spades. With features designed to thwart thieves and troublemakers, your tablet’s processing time or web browsing won’t be slowed down at all, despite the added protection.

Summary

We carry our mobile devices and tablets virtually everywhere we go. If you lose these machines, it can cost you time, money, inconvenience, embarrassment, and worse. Be sure to keep these devices protected as you would any other computer.  In fact, all your family devices, used by kids and spouses, should maintain the same level of protection. Be sure to teach your kids that smart and sensible Internet habits are not only applicable to desktops and laptops, but also to their phone and tablet devices as well.

Used with permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com
by Kristi Essick

Many consumers today use personal cloud services such as Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive, Evernote, and iCloud. The lure of these services is clear: they allow users to store files such as documents, notes, and photos on a central server – automatically syncing these files to all of their devices – and to share files with others with the click of a button.

In a recent survey, 75% of US consumers said they planned to use a personal cloud service in the near future, and 72% said they planned to use it to store both work and personal documents.

Consumer enthusiasm for personal cloud service has a lot of corporate IT departments worried, especially since several of these cloud services, including Dropbox and Evernote, have suffered from large security breaches. CIOs know their employees regularly upload work documents to personal clouds and access these services from work computers, which clearly puts enterprise information and networks at risk.

To protect corporate networks, some IT departments have chosen to block access to personal cloud services, resorting to device-level segregation of work and personal content. These same companies often implement enterprise-grade cloud services, such as Box, Accellion, Citrix Systems’ ShareFile, or Egnyte in an attempt to offer an enterprise-sanctioned cloud storage solution. More sophisticated companies sometimes use security software to monitor which cloud services employees access, attempting to filter sensitive file uploads. Obviously, these strategies fall short, as many employees will continue to use their own devices to access personal clouds, and find easy ways to upload company documents to these services.

In light of the inevitable creep of personal clouds into the corporate realm, some companies are adopting a concept called personal-enterprise integration that allows employees to ‘bring your own cloud’, in much the same way they already embrace ‘bring your own devices’, or BYOD. Instead of walling off personal clouds and denying their existence, forward-thinking IT departments are finding ways to integrate employees’ personal clouds in a secure fashion. A recent study showed that 73% of US IT professionals said employees’ use of personal cloud applications has had a direct impact on their decisions to implement cloud technologies in the enterprise.

While companies are still in the experimental stages of personal-enterprise integration, many will ultimately build API connections between popular personal cloud and enterprise apps, predicts Forrester Research in a recent report titled “The Coming Integration of Personal Cloud Services and Enterprise Apps”.

“The tug of war between empowered employees using new technologies to improve their work and IT’s efforts to secure company data and enforce compliance will continue for the next few years,” said Frank Gillett, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, in the report. “Employees will increasingly drag IT into embracing personal cloud services…and CIOs will ultimately find personal-enterprise integration a better choice than walling off personal cloud services.”

To make personal-enterprise integration work, IT departments need access to new technologies – and enterprise IT vendors are starting to develop offerings to help companies securely mix work and personal clouds. At the same time, personal cloud services like Dropbox and Evernote are building in enterprise features to make their offerings more ‘business focused’.

Dual log-in capabilities are a first foray into personal-enterprise integration. Some cloud services allow users to have ‘work’ and ‘personal’ logins for one personal cloud account, partitioning documents into two categories. Microsoft SkyBox and iCloud are leaders in this regard. Another emerging model is the blended personal-enterprise cloud. For example, Evernote and Dropbox are experimenting with corporate versions of their services, allowing companies to sponsor accounts for employees, who maintain control over the accounts. These type of accounts allow IT departments to create corporate folders they can later delete or disconnect when employees leave the company. In another twist, VMWare has been working on offering a ‘secure personal cloud’ service, which would allow IT departments to offer employees a Dropbox-like cloud service, but hosted on secure corporate networks.

Still, these are just baby steps in a move toward greater personal-enterprise integration of cloud services. Going forward, Forrester predicts that IT departments will adopt technologies that let them manage policy, compliance, and security in a granular way.

“Rather than the blunt all-or-nothing control at the device level, IT will develop the ability to attach policy and access controls to individual data objects and create segmented data stores within apps and devices,” according to Forrester.

Whether CIOs like it or not, their employees are going to adopt personal cloud services, if they haven’t already. As Ramin Rastin, regional CIO for Time Warner Cable, recently said in his blog:

“The cloud is not just something the company builds – your employees will have their own personal clouds. This means the CIO needs to come up with a plan for how to deal with personal clouds. The use of such clouds will only grow, so this issue must be dealt with now!”

used with permission from Microsoft at Work

Working on a virtual team can be a challenge. Communications on global teams, with team members in different time zones, can be difficult. Managing remote teams and keeping track of where people store critical information can be tiresome. Here are some suggestions to help with virtual team management and to help your team work more effectively.

1. Use Instant Messaging for quick impromptu meetings

Use instant messaging (also known as IM or chat) to get quick answers or opinions from your teammates. IM programs, such as Windows Live Messenger, are free. At a glance, you can check your coworkers’ status to see whether they’re available to chat online. Use IM in the way that suits the occasion:

• Use video chat to connect visually. All you need is a webcam.
• Use multi-person chat to conduct a spontaneous online meeting.
• IM your teammates’ cell phones when they’re away from their computers. It’s easy if they’re using a Windows Phone or other smartphone.

If your company uses Microsoft Lync 2010, the new unified communications platform from Microsoft, you can make use of its powerful instant messaging features without leaving your corporate intranet.

2. Use a virtual conference room for more formal online meetings

Web-based conferencing, or web conferencing, makes it possible to brainstorm, create a slide presentation, have a staff meeting, or conduct training sessions with a group of people—even if they are thousands of miles apart. Everyone attending sees the same information at the same time, as if they were gathered around one table. These web conferencing programs, such as Microsoft Office Live Meeting, also enable you to share files, use digital whiteboards, and even save the presentation for people who weren’t at the meeting.

You can take notes during a meeting using a digital whiteboard in Office Live Meeting.

Microsoft Lync lets you organize online meetings, including video conferences, and collaborate through whiteboard documents and desktop sharing.

3. Share meeting information

When organizing meetings, the simplest way to keep your team members on the same page is to create a web-based, shared calendar that everyone can edit. Then you’ll know that everyone is looking at exactly the same schedule and can see any changes instantly. You can create a shared calendar in a variety of programs, including Windows Live Hotmail and Outlook.

If you’re using Outlook, you can further organize team meetings by setting up a Meeting Workspace—a website you can use as a repository for all the information and materials you need for a meeting. Before your meeting, send an invitation to those attending and include a link to the workspace where they can see the agenda and find the pertinent documents. After the meeting, use the Meeting Workspace to publish the meeting results and track tasks.

4. Set up a virtual water cooler (a team website)

Set up a website for everyone on your team to share the materials you’re working on. For example, use SkyDrive, which is a free Windows Live service that provides 25 gigabytes (GB) of password-protected online file storage, making it possible to store, access, and share files online with coworkers—from almost anywhere.

If your organization has a Microsoft SharePoint site or an account on a SharePoint server, you can create a team site that has additional features, such as access and version control of documents. You’ll be able to sync documents stored on your SharePoint site with those on your computer and your mobile phone.

5. Review edits of remote coworkers

When you can’t pore over a document together, your team can collaborate on edits by tracking the changes each of you make in your Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote).

Edits and comments appear color coded by reviewer, and each edit is tagged with the date and time of the change, in addition to the reviewer’s initials.

You can accept or reject proposed changes, and when it’s time to distribute the document, you can accept all of the changes to make sure that no stray revision marks or comments remain in the document you plan to distribute.

1. The edits and comments of each person are color coded.
2. Edits are tagged with the reviewer’s initial, in addition to the date and time.

If you don’t want your brainstorming efforts to lose steam while you take turns waiting for one person at a time to finish their edits, take advantage of the simultaneous editing (co-authoring) features in Office 2010. This works a little differently, depending on the program you’re using. For example, in OneNote 2010, you can edit the same OneNote notebook with virtually anyone using OneNote 2010 or OneNote Web App when you save the file to a SharePoint 2010 site or to SkyDrive.

6. Stay in touch: Use a smartphone to keep your important data with you

One challenge to long-distance collaboration is making sure that you have all the documents you need to contribute to a conference call or an online meeting, even when you’re away from your PC. With a mobile device, such as a Windows Phone, and software such as Office Mobile, you can work with docs right on your phone. And with SkyDrive, you can keep them synchronized with your computer, so you always have the latest information with you. Plus, if your team stores information on SharePoint or SkyDrive, you can sync directly from your phone to the documents stored there.

used with permission from Cisco

Virtualization technology is awesome (that’s not hyperbole). Like virtual reality, it overcomes physical limitations.

And virtualization – which abstracts the computing functionality of a device from its physical hardware – strengthens a business financially, by reducing expenses.

Is Server Virtualization Right for Your Business?

Server virtualization consolidates multiple operating systems (OS) on a single server. Consider it if you need to do any of the following:

• Use more applications and OS without breaking budgets for hardware, electricity, and space.
• Reduce the hours that IT staff spend on installing, patching, administering, and supporting applications servers.
• Add storage virtualization to reduce application downtime and simplify backup.
• Master cloud challenges. Having experience with virtual servers will prepare your business for migrating other business-critical services to the cloud.
• Expand your technical skills. Because virtualization converges systems and network operations, “it’ll take you out of your comfort zone if you do only one of the other; today’s engineer needs to be skilled in both,” says Doug Renner, CEO at Peak IP Solutions. A Cisco® Premier Certified Partner, Peak IP Solutions specializes in IP communications and infrastructure, and provides a range of managed services.

Virtualization is a process that entails more than purchasing and installing a product. It’s a technology journey.

To get started, consider the following four steps recommended by some Cisco Certified Partners that have managed virtualization projects for businesses of all sizes.

1. Evaluate Your Systems’ and Network’s Current Performance and Capacity, and Future Requirements

You’re in good company if you’re overdue for a technology refresh.

“It’s common to see customers suffering from server sprawl, trying to coax performance from disparate OS, or limping along with old hardware,” says Edward Sohn, CEO of Ubisec Systems. A Cisco Premier Certified Partner, Ubisec Systems specializes in cloud infrastructure, voice, and security; it also offers Cisco-centric managed services to small and medium-sized businesses.

At the systems level, assess the speed and capacity of your CPUs, processors, and disk I/O, says Sohn. When Ubisec Systems provides this service, “we look at email, file servers, domain services, database applications, hard disk setup, and other systems to evaluate where virtualization could make an improvement,” he says.

At the network level, assess the performance of your switching, routing, and WAN links, says Renner. When Peak IP Solutions provides this service, “we often find that WAN acceleration will make a huge difference,” he says. “And for anyone doing replication, WAN optimization is essential.”

2. Calculate the Payoff: Make the Business Case

In the Innovators article The ROI of Virtualization, Sohn and Renner report on results that businesses have achieved.

3. Create a Strong Infrastructure

Choose virtualization technology that will improve performance as well as reduce complexity and costs, now and in the years ahead. For example, the Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS™) platform provides unified fabric and a single management interface, for higher performance and lower costs.

• Switching: Renner and Sohn recommend 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches, or Gigabit Ethernet at a minimum.
• Hypervisor software: Both partners recommend VMware, the industry leader.
• Servers: ”Virtualization requires beefy network servers,” Sohn says. “Resist the temptation to skimp, or to mix and match server vendors, because over time you’ll experience problems with administration, memory and storage capacity, and performance.”Advantages of Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers include their hard-disk capacity, extended memory, and a management controller that enables “lights out” remote server management. An optional virtual interface card also enables just-in-time provisioning and reduces CapEx for NICs, host bus adapters, cabling, and switches.

  C-Series server prices start at about $3000. Ideal for virtualizing servers such as Microsoft Exchange and SQL, the Cisco UCS C-Series can also be the first building blocks of an infrastructure that encompasses unified communications and blade servers.

• Storage: Renner recommends replicating each server as a complete virtualized image, updating it regularly, and storing it at your site in a separate disk-based storage appliance so you can use it immediately as a backup virtual server. Peak IP Solutions also offers a disaster-recovery managed service that replicates and monitors server backups and stores encrypted copies offsite at two data center sites.

4. Map Your Virtualization Timeline, Team, and Support

When you have your virtualization hardware and software in hand, the migration timeline can range from two or three weeks to two or three months, depending on the number of sites and servers and your staff resources.

From the outset, align your company’s server and network staff to avoid increasing operations costs. “A systems person, whose expertise is managing servers, OS, and applications, will need network skills to manage things like traffic, VLANs, and switching,” says Renner. “And a network person will have to know how to manage the systems, such has how to push quality of service down into servers.” If your IT staff doesn’t yet have the expanded skills required by virtualization, bring in external expertise.

Cisco Certified Partners with expertise in virtualization can help your organization plan and take its virtualization journey – including technology financing and installation, training, and award-winning ongoing support.

used with permission from Cisco

Many small and medium-sized businesses do not have adequate network security. Here’s how to make sure you do.

Now more than ever, you depend on your network for your most important business operations, such as communication, inventory, billing, sales, and trading with partners. Yet up to now, you might have held off on protecting your network, for several reasons:

• Network security might seem too complex, and tackling it might seem like too much work. But you can take a step-by-step approach as described in the checklist below, and then get an outside consultant to help you complete your security plan.
• You might think network security is an expense that won’t help your business grow. Instead of thinking about network security as a technical concern, consider it a business continuity issue. Networks have become a basic part of doing business today, making security planning as important as sales and marketing.
• You may believe that smaller companies are less likely to be a target of attacks. But as large companies beef up their network security, hackers are increasingly focusing on small and medium-sized businesses.

General Security Planning Tips

The following tips can help you develop and win support for an effective network security plan:

• Focus on return on value rather than return on investment. Consider the harm a network security breach could do to your business, such as lost revenue or customer litigation.
• Never assume that network attacks will come only from outsiders. Your employees can accidentally create security vulnerabilities, and disgruntled or former employees can cause considerable damage.
• Don’t be tempted to confront security concerns with a piecemeal approach rather than a single, unified strategy that protects your whole network.
• Work with others in your company to develop and roll out security strategies, focusing on technology, training, and physical site security with tools like surveillance cameras.
• Find the right balance between security and usability. The more secure your network is, the more difficult it can be to use.

Network Security Checklist

Every business should have a written (and thoughtfully prepared) network security plan in place. A thorough policy will cover topics such as:

• Acceptable use policy, to specify what types of network activities are allowed and which ones are prohibited
• E-mail and communications activities, to help minimize problems from e-mails and attachments
• Antivirus policy, to help protect the network against threats like viruses, worms, and Trojan horses
• Identity policy, to help safeguard the network from unauthorized users
• Password policy, to help employees select strong passwords and protect them
• Encryption policy, to provide guidance on using encryption technology to protect network data
• Remote access policy, to help employees safely access the network when working outside the office

Answering the following questions can help you develop your own policy:

Inventory Your Current Security Technologies

Do you have any of the following?

• Firewall, to keep unauthorized users off your network
• Virtual private network (VPN), to give employees, customers, and partners secure access to your network
• Intrusion prevention, to detect and stop threats before they harm your network
• Content security, to protect your network from viruses, spam, spyware, and other attacks
• Secure wireless network, to provide safe network access to visitors and employees on the go
• Identity management, to give you control over who and what can access the network
• Compliance validation, to make sure that any device accessing the network meets your security requirements

Identify Your Most Important Digital Assets and Who Uses Them

• Exactly what are your company’s digital assets (such as intellectual property and customer records)?
• What are they worth?
• Where do those assets reside?
• Who has access to these assets, and why? Can all employees access the same assets?
• Do you extend access to business partners and customers?
• How do you control that access?

What Would a Security Breach Do to Your Business?

• What is the potential financial impact of a network outage due to a security breach?
• Could a security breach disrupt your supply chain?
• What would happen if your Website went down?
• Do you have e-commerce features on your site? How long could the site be down before you lost money?
• Are you insured against Internet attacks, or against the misuse of your customers’ data? Is this insurance adequate?
• Do you have backup and recovery capabilities to restore information if necessary after a security breach?

Consider Your Current and Future Needs

• How do you expect your business plan to evolve over the next few years?
• How recently have you updated your network equipment? Software? Virus definitions?
• What type of security training do you provide to your employees?
• How will growth affect your digital assets and their value to your business as a whole?
• In the future, are you likely to have a greater need for remote employees, customers, or partners to access those digital assets?

by Chase Moritz, HTS

As the first line of defense in your business network security, a secure firewall is one of the most important pieces of your network’s infrastructure. Without it, any hacker or intruder could easily access your critical and confidential information.

With more and more sophisticated threats developing every day, it can be difficult to stay ahead of the curve in keeping your business protected. It takes more than just purchasing a piece of hardware, plugging it in, and calling it good.

Whether you have a dedicated IT person within your company or not, there are numerous benefits to having a professionally managed firewall. Here are a few of them:

24/7 Monitoring and Alerting

As is the case with most Managed IT Service offerings, the benefits of having your network monitored 24/7 are countless. This is especially true for your firewall. With a Managed Firewall service, your firewall is continually monitored to ensure that it is online, up to date, and that any alerts are acted on appropriately. This is vital to ensure that network attacks are avoided due to unnecessary downtime or unseen issues.

Team of certified experts

While having a remote team monitoring your firewall is comforting, knowing that the remote services are provided by a team of certified security professionals will allow you to sleep easy. These certified firewall security administrators are trained and certified by security vendors and are experienced in configuring and managing firewalls, keeping them up to date, and troubleshooting issues to create a resolution.

No license renewals

License renewals can be one of the ongoing annoyances in any IT department. In general, at least once a year your licensing must be renewed at a cost that is probably higher than last year. With a Managed Firewall solution, your cost is fixed from month to month so you always know what to expect. In addition, any licensing is taken care of by the IT service provider, taking that hassle out of your hands.

Reporting

Knowledge of what activity is taking place on your network can be incredibly insightful to understand how many threats were avoided, where they are coming from, and where you may have any weaknesses in your security. A Managed Firewall solution can also provide information on bandwidth usage over time as well as web usage, even down to a particular workstation, which can give insight into how effectively your team is using their time.

You can learn more about our Managed IT Services online or contact us at 978.683.9100!

used with permission by HP Technology at Work

At one time or another, we’ve all have had that worn out, but oh-so-comfortable pair of shoes. That over-stuffed chair with the protruding springs. That rusted-out car that no longer runs like a charm, but carries so many great memories.

However attached we become to these and other personal items, there comes a time when they really must be replaced. The same goes for software. If you don’t regularly upgrade your business software, you’ll inevitably pay a steep price in the form of escalating maintenance and support costs, slow performance, lowered productivity, and dangerous virus- and other security-related issues. And let’s face it—reminiscing about old software programs twenty or so years from now won’t bring about nearly half as many warm memories as that 1967 Pontiac Firebird of your youth.

You could say that updating business software is akin to changing your toothbrush after it’s seen better days. Can you imagine running Windows 98 on your home PC? Then why would you fight tooth and nail, stubbornly looking into a variety of contingency plans and options to hold onto Windows XP?  Yes, it’s still as functional as an old pair of shoes and it’s done your business well, but the fact of the matter is that its shelf life is nearing its expiration date.

The XP era draws to a close

Microsoft will stop supporting the popular third-generation technology on April 8, 2014, spelling an end to updates, fixes and other related services. These are only a few of the drawbacks to hanging on. Others include:

• Missing out on powerful new features included with such programs as Windows 7, Windows 8 and Office 365
• Wasting exponentially higher amounts of time and money on custom Microsoft or third-party service and support for a system that doesn’t enable you to perform your job faster, easier or better than its replacement
• Leaving your aging, unpatched systems at the mercy of opportunistic hackers conspiring to bring your business down for fun or profit

If it’s any consolation, you’re in good company. Windows XP, currently running on about 38 percent of the world’s 1.5 billion computers, remains the world’s second most popular operating system [1]. That aside, the need to regularly upgrade all business software simply makes good business sense. Not only does the practice maximize business efficiency and individual worker productivity; it’s an essential element from a security perspective.

Security above all else

Maximized security is arguably the primary reason why regular business updates are so important. While 100 percent failsafe security remains the ever-elusive brass ring, routine maintenance and, more importantly, system updates enable business owners and administrators to stay a step or two ahead of cyber attackers on the prowl for vulnerabilities. Software and anti-virus program developers anticipate current and future threats, therefore incorporating defense mechanisms that your outdated solutions lack. Let them protect you.

If giant business entities can be hacked, without proper safeguards, yours can be hacked just as easily. Businesses are wise to take full advantage of regular updates and patches from Microsoft® and other companies, and to explore what system requirements must be in place when developers announce upgrades and entirely new software programs.

While optimum security is a primary reason for businesses to keep their software current, compatibility is another. Imagine the frustration of customers being unable to access your website for product and service information or to place orders. You may think you’re saving money by holding off on buying new software; but you actually may be losing it if time-strapped customers impatiently check out your competitor’s site and find it to be much more user-friendly than yours.

Then again, there’s also the issue of developer support. For companies like Microsoft, always working to introduce new offerings and improving existing programs, there eventually comes a point of diminishing returns. Even though they may not experience the same financial concerns as your business, developers increasingly reallocate support personnel and other resources to address bugs and technical issues in their latest releases. Which brings us back to Windows.

Hello, Windows 8

Windows 8, resident in key business focused HP products such as the HP ElitePad 900, HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook, the HP EliteBook Revolve 810 and the HP Compaq Elite 8300 AiO, fully supports thinner, lighter and faster touch screen technology while delivering long battery life and robust security features.

Time marches on. It may be comfortable to remain a technological Luddite, but without the latest, most powerful and feature-rich software and applications, your business may not have the best available computing tools. Instead of old-toothbrush-related tooth decay or blisters caused by worn out shoes, it will be your bottom line that suffers.

used with permission from HP Technology at Work

Congratulations, you’ve taken every step to secure data on your networks and PCs against increasingly malicious worms, Trojans and viruses. But don’t rest easy. All infrastructure elements, including printers, servers, storage, Wi-Fi networks and cloud computing are just as susceptible to surprising security threats. Forget them and your sense of security is nothing but a dream.

Whether they’re criminals looking to blackmail your business, technically savvy vandals getting their kicks, revenge-minded former employees or even competitors, hackers all have one thing in common: they want to disrupt your business operations for money, other gain—or simply for fun.

So, what can you do? Read on for some valuable tips to bolster your overall IT defense. Combined with regular and diligent employee training and education, these pointers can help you better spot and prevent disruptive security attacks.

Mobile dos and don’ts

More than large companies, small businesses are issuing or implementing bring-your-own device (BYOD) policies regarding smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The ubiquitous nature of such products can cause companies to assume that their business information safely resides on them. Wrong.

Your IT department is responsible for protecting company data, regardless of where it’s housed. What to do? For one thing, businesses must set firm policies about what data are allowed on employee-owned devices. It’s also wise to weigh the relative safety of available smartphone operating systems and perhaps require data to be stored on an approved server or in the cloud.

Safe and secure storage

Servers and storage devices also present a unique set of security challenges. Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, for example, can overload those running web applications and compromise network bandwidth, memory, CPU use and hard-disk space. Solutions like the HP ProLiant G8 servers deliver comprehensive data and client protection and security.

Working without wires

Wi-Fi networks aren’t immune from sabotage-minded attackers, either. Consider these dangers:

• Weak personal identification numbers (PINs) allow the ability of any user to access any wireless network at will. A laptop-equipped troublemaker sitting in your parking lot might be able to hack into your important data this way.
• Security gaps allow wireless users to snoop on each other’s networks.
• Operating system flaws provide easy backdoor access to a single computer—or even up to an entire network.

Easy first steps to securing your network include simplifying network management, implementing clearly defined BYOD security policies and making rogue Wi-Fi access more difficult with services like HP TippingPoint networking security solutions.

Consider the cloud

True, the cloud improves server, storage and network access and is less expensive than physical systems. But with easy data-access comes serious confidentiality concerns. Careful monitoring, strict access control and encrypted data are among the best security measures, along with the use of a private, rather than a public enterprise cloud.

IT infrastructure aside, simple password security is surprisingly often overlooked in developing an overall security plan. Increased password complexity, and the use of single sign-on and other technologies, is essential.

Staying one step ahead of cyber criminals demands detailed development of security policies and processes. Proactive businesses that develop comprehensive security plans better ensure their own safety, integrity, reputations and bottom-line profitability.

used with permission from HP Technology at Work

Ever wondered why you can download a song instantly to your smartphone but then have to wait hours, even days, to install new computer software in the office? With the new Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft has broken the barrier between our professional and private worlds and produced an operating system that offers instant access to exactly the apps we need, both in and out of the office, at the touch of a fingertip.

Want to log in? Just swipe the screen. Enter your password? Touch the picture. You can do everything you want, instantly. No wonder Microsoft’s CEO Steven Ballmer has described 2012 as an “epic year”.

Radical redesign

Every aspect of Windows 8 is intensely personal, offering a totally modern reworking of the traditional Windows OS, and combining your private and professional worlds, whether you use a tablet, laptop, desktop, all-in-one or server. It doesn’t matter what architecture you run, whether it’s Win8 x-86 or ARM – the new user interface is based on Microsoft’s Metro design language, and it’s used right across the range.

So what does it look like? Windows has finally embraced the touchcentric, single-focus model you’ll recognise from the Windows Phone or Apple’s iPad. The key message here is “personal”: it’s clean, friendly, modern and intuitive, and you’ll be able to switch effortlessly between all the things you need to do, whether you’re using it for professional or personal purposes. All you have to do is touch it.

You can use your favourite photo for your login – just touch it in your secure way and you’re logged on. And this takes you to the tile-based Start screen, or Home screen, where there are customisable tiles which you can shrink, enlarge and move around as you want, and link to your apps and desktop programs. These tiles are always connected, so you’ll always be able to update your information and content. To access the toolbar, you just swipe your finger up the right of the screen, and five icons, or “charms” appear, which represent all the essential things you can do with Windows: access the system and app-related functions, share and search. Want to access the more familiar Windows desktop environment? Simply touch a tile in the tile “mosaic”, and you’re there, so you can run your normal desktop apps. It’s all been designed to make your working experience easier, quicker and smoother.

Simple and intuitive

To make it easier for you to access your apps, you can do it directly from the Start screen, and if you want to install new ones, just touch the Windows App Store tile and you’re there. It’s simple to log in to the store using your Microsoft account. In fact, the whole process is not only simple but intuitive, described by Jensen Harris, Microsoft’s Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience Team, as “intensely personal … fast and fluid, based on how people use PCs today”. Everything’s been optimised for touchscreen use. For a great viewing experience, run the apps full screen (“content not chrome”) and your entire screen will be there for the web page, or run them at the side of your screen so you can carry on working on something else.[1]

Want to save files directly to SkyDrive? Install the MS SkyDrive cloud storage app. Need something for Xbox? Get the Xbox companion, which is a preview of Xbox Smart Glass, Microsoft’s response to Nintendo’s forthcoming Wii U. You’ll be able to connect to social networks and services, upload photos from Facebook, Flickr and your other favourite social media platforms. There are hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from.

Protected from the start

When you use the new Windows 8 operating system, you’ll be using “one of the most secure operating systems on the planet”.[2] Microsoft has developed new levels of security features. You’ll be protected against malware attacks during the booting up process by the Secure Boot feature because your operating system is digitally signed – if anything that is not signed tries to modify the process, the UEFI-based firmware and the operating system will undo the change. And you can go online without worrying about your Internet Explorer being infected by viruses because Windows 8 has an anti-virus program called SmartScreen, which protects on every network download, including Windows Server 2012. There’s no need to download them – these security features are enabled on Windows 8 right from the start.

It’s been three years since Windows 7 was launched in 2009 and you’ll see a huge difference in Windows 8. It’s beautiful, it breaks down barriers between our worlds, it’s intuitive. You just have to touch it.