This is a great resource for anyone planning or performing structured wiring installations. We have used this table in the past to make sure we size conduits appropriately for current need + room for expansion.
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Is Your Email Secure?
There has recently been a rise in the frequency and quality of many internet scams, including “phishing” scams. Phishing scams typically involve “casting out” a mass email spam that appears to be reputable companies requesting information from their clients. The idea being that a few people will fall for the scam, allowing the scammers to use the identity of the individuals who “took the bait” to obtain resources illegally using the victims credit card numbers, bank accounts, etc. There are a tremendous amount of articles on the web about these scams, and plenty of resources to help with the specific issues, the focus of this article is not to address the specific scams but instead to talk about email security issues and common misconceptions. A list of resources will be provided at the end of the article for interested parties who desire more information.
One of the most common misconceptions in the world of email, is that email is a secure means of communication. In most cases this is not true. The typical email setup affords a user very little privacy or security. A good rule of thumb is, don’t type or send anything via email that you wouldn’t want made public, because it could quite easily end up just that. To address this problem, there are alternative ways to transmit your message text and attachments securely. These technologies involve encrypting the contents of the message and any attachments and only allowing the message to be decrypted by the legitimate recipient. Businesses may also opt to utilize systems that allow for the sharing of files in a repository that includes authentication and encrypts all the data using secure protocols. These systems are ideal solutions for companies that have users and clients in multiple locations. A real world example of a system like this is one where clients upload their confidential files using a login and password provided by the vendor to the repository. Then the vendor receives an alert with a link to the file that they can then download via a secure connection from that repository. The data in turn never travels on the unsecured network without being encrypted, protecting its contents from potential snoops that may be operating in its path.
In closing, if we as businesses and individuals educate ourselves and take precautions to secure our private information. We will keep our data private, and discourage all the would be snoops from using the data against us or for their own gain.
Resource Links:
Internet Fraud Watch – Information Center
US Secret Service – Financial Crimes Division
Social Security Online – Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number
Reducing the Risk of Identity Theft
Internet ScamBusters
The Internet Productivity Dilema
The last few years many of us have worked hard to convince others of the merits of internet connectivity and the tools associated with it such as Email. The productivity benefits of the net and the associated communication and collaboration tools are desirable to any business. We even heard the fed chairman Alan Greenspan mention “productivity” as a factor in the prospering economy, perhaps largely due to these tools. Perhaps the time has come for us to reflect on the negative elements and potential pitfalls associated with access to this wonder of modern technology. A great place to start would be, well, productivity. Today I was briefly distracted by a neat flash soccer game a colleague had shared with me. Or what about that temptation to send those joke e-mails to hundreds of your closest friends and co-workers? Certainly some of the good with the bad is ok, right? How about those viruses? You know the ones that disguise themselves as one of those joke e-mails that your buddy in accounting always sends you. Or maybe like the one your cousin in the Midwest sent you yesterday. Another threat you could face is having someone shut your computer down if you happen to be running the wrong browser and visit the wrong site, or worse yet hitting the wrong site with the latest exploit that no patch exists for. Let me get on with my real point here. The internet and email are not toys; they are tools, at least for business purposes. Risks taken by a home user are acceptable to the degree that they are willing, but out of respect for your profession it is becoming more and more apparent to me that you should treat your work systems as a the valuable tool that it is. Even if you have expert IT professionals setting up and maintaining these systems, you can still be at risk. Why take the chance?
Now let’s break down what an IT professional or qualified organization like Managed Solutions can do to help you protect your business:
1. Implement antivirus systems and policies, particularly at the entry points such as email and internet gateways.
2. Increase security policies for web browsers and mail clients.
3. Lock down routers, firewalls, and machines to necessary and mission critical services only.
4. Implement an Acceptable Usage Policy or AUP that would hold employees accountable for placing the systems at risk, simple guidelines that are easy to understand are most effective.
5. Become “in tune” to the security issues that arise on a daily basis and dynamically adjust the approach to securing systems from these risks starting with the most significant threats and working down from there, working diligently to close any potential security hole that may exist.
6. Stay ahead of the curve by seeking the next problem and solution, it is a moving target most of the time.
Now let’s take a look at what the end user can do to help protect their employer and their productivity:
1. Follow any guidelines or AUP that your organization provides to their employees.
2. Avoid using business mail systems for personal use, if necessary use a web mail service like hotmail or one provided by your home ISP and avoid opening any attachments on your work system.
3. Verify the authenticity of any email you receive with attachments, particularly if they claim to contain patches or anti-virus solutions in them. Most IT professionals would limit such correspondences to warnings but avoid sending files.
4. Never intentionally disable or circumvent security or protective measures in place, when you do you are opening yourself and your companies systems to a plethora of threats.
5. Do not install any software on your work machine, unless explicitly advised to do so by an individual with the authorization to do so. Many innocuous programs can harbor Trojan horse viruses or spy ware.
6. Remind yourself that thing on your desk is a tool, it is intended to help you and your employer be successful. Don’t take risks with your livelihood.
I am not using Email or Internet access in my business but would like to, what should I do?
1. Get the advice of a respected IT professional in your area, be sure to ask for references and check them out before proceeding.
2. Focus initially on what you want to accomplish and why. Make sure that your expectations and needs are well presented.
3. Get a second opinion if you’re not comfortable with the provider you consult initially.
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